Value
Our testers felt that as optioned the Q5 was about $5,000 more than they thought it was worth. If the total were about $39k (instead of $44.5k), Audi would have hit the right (MSRP) mark. You will get a very capable AWD sport utility with a comfortable yet sporting ride. It’s a great environment for the driver and the passengers, with an excellent sound system, great forward visibility and decent visibility to the sides and back. It’s a stylish SUV that won’t easily get mixed up with other Japanese or Korean makes, and fills a space/need in the X3/GLK arena. Drive normally and it will provide the advertised mileage, which is great for a vehicle of this size and weight.
Who should buy it?
The Q5 won’t give you the massive storage nor the 3rd row, which some families may need, so it’s better suited for the couple, small family, or just the individual who is looking to standout a little bit and be able to hit the road for an adventure, no matter what the conditions. Tall people who don’t fit well into a sedan will love the headroom afforded in this SUV, though the rear seat area is not built for them. Audi reliability has been improving over the years and they offer an $800 pre-paid maintenance plan for up to 45k miles, with an option for an extended pre-paid maintenance plan to 75k miles for $1050. Warranty coverage is 4 years or 50k miles.
Conclusion
The Audi Q5 is the evolution of the small luxury crossover. It incorporates all the features and benefits of its sporting sedan cousin and melds it with the size and capability of its larger SUV brother, while providing fuel economy that should make the Koreans and Japanese take notice. The wonderful thing about the Q5 is you can have your cake and eat it too. Audi’s little luxury sport-ute is a docile people mover on any given work day, but turns into an admirable performer up through the mountains and curvy roads after leaving the office. The only cost for this twin personality is a little more fuel. The small SUV game has just evolved quite a bit.
| BUILD | INTERIOR | PERFORMANCE | HANDLING | STYLING | VALUE | OVERALL | |
| RATING | 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.5/A- |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 The official Audi of America website – www.audiusa.com |
|
I got the chance to drive this car and it’s one of the best SUVs I have driven.
The handling and braking is bar none. This vehicle corners like a sports sedan and it will outperform many out there. The ride is controlled and the grip is impressive.
The best part of the car though is the 2.0 liter Turbo engine mated to the 8-speed tiptronic transmission. At first glance it does not seem like the 2 liter engine can move this car around but Motor Trend’s 6.8 second 0-60 was validated by my heavy foot. Even better is there was no turbo lag and there seemed to be ample power from any speed.
A big reason for this is the 8-speed transmission always squeezes the most out of the engine. It’s always on the right gear and shifts are pretty quick. Sometimes, it will downshift once then shift again if you’re still prodding it on.
The big reward for the small engine and tall gearing is impressive mileage. At 70 mph, the tach is just a hair above 2000 rpm. I measured exactly 32.0 mpg on a twenty mile stretch of Highway 101.
So there’s my take. It’s an awesome car with the 2.0t and quite a bargain at $35k with auto, leather, 18 inch wheels. It really trumps the much more expensive 3.2l V6 which isn’t really any faster.