Audi Q5 Prototype Review

Audi replaces its Q5 with a bigger, more efficient and even more desirable model than before; rivals should be very worried indeed

Audi Q5
Preview Drive
San Jose Chiapa, Mexico

Predictable. Not perhaps the most desirable adjective to describe Audi’s all-new Q5, but you might read it once or twice here.

The thing is, Audi’s damned good at predictability and it has done nothing to hurt sales; manufacturers of the Q5’s competitors can only read the sales figures of Audi’s compact premium SUV in Australia (and elsewhere), and weep.

When it comes to replacing it, the obvious route is the one that Audi’s taken, and you can hardly blame it for that. The new Q5 rides on a new platform, which allows it to grow in almost every dimension. That’s to the benefit of passenger space, front and rear, so the Q5 is a more accommodating car, and there’s more space in the boot, so you can carry more kit.

Outwardly it was never going to be revelatory, and it’s obviously a Q5, only with shapelier hips, a bolder grille and a vague look of the mini Q7 about it. No surprises here, then, but it a handsome machine.

That the interior is beautifully finished is a given, too, as Audi absolutely owns the ‘we do interiors well’ part of any review.

Indeed, it’s all very familiar, in so much as if you’ve sat in an Audi A4 or A5 recently it’ll all be recognisable, but that’s a compliment. And a big one, at that. The fit and finish are exemplary, the material quality sits firmly in the luxury, rather than mere premium, sphere and the detailing and design just as appealing.

Being very early launch vehicles (says Audi, pre-production) our test cars were loaded with kit, including Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, which melds conventional views with satnav displays and all the information and entertainment you could wish for.

That does deny your passenger the view of the satnav and suchlike, which isn’t always ideal, but for functionality and ease of use the mix of the MMI interface and the plentiful buttons on the steering wheel itself work well. In this aspect, the new Q5 addresses the aging feel of its predecessor’s infotainment system, and then some. It’s a shame that, to show it off to your friends, you’ll need to let them climb into the driver’s seat.

Do that and you might be disappointed — especially if you’ve just stepped out of BMW’s X3 or Range Rover Evoque. Not for the surroundings, but what actually happens when you drive the Q5.

Audi’s midsize SUV has never been at the top of the dynamic pile and somewhat unsurprisingly it has not really moved any closer. It does what you’d expect it to but no more. So the Q5 isn’t exciting or engaging, but it is a good all-rounder.

There’ll be four suspension set-ups when the Q5 actually reaches the showrooms Down Under: the standard passive springs and dampers of the entry-level cars; a stiffer (to the tune of around 10 per cent) on Sport and S line cars; the choice of passive springs with adaptive dampers; or a full-on air spring and adaptive damper set up. The latter was on all the cars at the pre-launch drive event, obviously suggesting this is the one the Audi chassis boffins favour.

Our insiders suggest that the standard springs and dampers do a fine job, too.

We’ll need to wait to ascertain that for sure when we drive a Q5 so-equipped, but the air suspension does bring some benefits, not least a variable ride height from Dynamic (which lowers the Q5 from standard 200mm clearance to 163), to Allroad which (at 223mm) is highest. The ride comfort from the air suspension is also commendably controlled, and it smooths out ripples and bumps impressively, while bringing a fine degree of body control.

Overall suspension performance has been helped in no small measure by weight reductions in the componentry itself; the aluminium brake calipers on the larger-engined models are the same as those in the Audi S4, for example, saving a significant 2.5kg per (front) wheel in comparison to a conventional steel calliper.

Aluminium also featuring in the steering column and one engineer even told us it’s such a beautiful piece he hates the fact they have to cover it up.

The steering itself is accurate, if lacking in any real feedback.

Audi’s typically obsessive attention to detail goes so far as to put sensors in the roof bars, which tell the stability control there’s a load up there so it can adjust. Clever stuff, even if the Q5 is, ultimately, an unexciting drive.

The engines follow the same route. Details on them all are currently a touch scant, as Audi awaits homologation. We can confirm the 3.0-litre V6 TDI we drove delivers 210kW and 620Nm and the 2.0-litre TFSI 185kW.

There will be four-banger TDIs, too, with their usual outputs of 120kW and 140kW, while all the four-cylinder engines are mated to Audi’s new ‘quattro ultra’ system that debuted on the A4 allroad quattro. This system decouples the rear axle whenever possible to improve economy.

The 3.0-litre V6 TDI comes with a conventional quattro set-up, which means genuinely permanent four-wheel drive, as well as a conventional torque convertor automatic with eight ratios. It’s a new engine, developed to eventually accommodate three turbochargers, opening the possibility to a twin conventional turbo and single electrically assisted one, like the V8 on Audi’s SQ7.

Not that you’re likely to be found wanting often with the 210kW the 3.0-litre TDI delivers. It’s pleasingly quick, eager to rev and sounds good; only the slightly percussive diesel rattle on occasion at low revs betrays its preference for heavy fuel.

Indeed, the way the V6 TDI Q5 gathers pace is entertaining, and the shift from the eight-speed automatic is quick and clever enough to rarely, if ever, see you reaching for the too small wheel-mounted paddles to take over yourself.

The 2.0-litre TFSI engine lacks the six’s midrange, needing more revs, but it is commendably smooth while dishing it out.

With configurability via Audi’s Drive Select, the finest balance for Q5 is Dynamic for engine and transmission, Comfort for steering and Dynamic for suspension. Any other steering setting only adds heft. The trade-off for the greater immediacy that Dynamic mode delivers to engine is that it does deny it some of its fuel-saving trickery, such as coasting on the highway.

Maybe best to leave it all on Comfort and enjoy… As many, many thousands of you will.

2017 Audi Q5 3.0 TDI pricing and specifications:
Price: Not announced
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 210kW/620Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto.
Fuel: Not given
CO2: Not given
Safety rating: Not tested