First Drive: Audi Q5
Keeping Up Appearances
Review and Photos by Gerry Frechette
One of the hottest market segments these days is the premium-branded mid-size crossover vehicle, which give you the cachet of the sedans on which most of them are based, with the added room, utility and commanding driving position of a small SUV.
Hard on the heels of its new A4 sedan, Audi now offers the Q5, and the parameters listed above pretty much describe this latest effort from Ingolstadt. Beyond that, it is essentially an A4, which is no bad thing.
Under the hood is the familiar 3.2-litre FSI V6, smoothly delivering 270 hp and 243 lb-ft. It would be nice, though, to be able to choose the other engine from the A4, the 2.0-litre turbo four, which has even more torque and economy, to say nothing of the 2.0-litre diesel available in most civilized parts of the world. Maybe next year…
Backing up the V6 is a six-speed Tiptronic automatic and quattro AWD, so nothing here is unexpected in a mechanical sense. Ditto the hardware at the four corners, which is all-independent suspension, big disc brakes and 18-inch wheels.
Audi has been impressing a lot of folks with its interiors, and the Q5 keeps up appearances. It not only looks high-quality, it is a very pleasant place to spend hours in. Eight-way power heated leather front seats are standard, and they are very supportive and comfortable.
Drivers of these premium vehicles want technology, and the Q5 has as standard or available the latest Multi Media Interface system with hard-disk Jukebox, Bang & Olufsen 505-watt audio with Virtual Surround Sound System and 14 speakers, and HDD-based navigation with voice recognition and choice of 2D map, 3D terrain model, or bird’s eye view. This stuff is really getting into the realm of what would have been considered science fiction only five years ago…
The Q5’s over-the-road capabilities are no fiction at all, though. Considering its size and weight, it handles well by any measure, completely on a par with the A4 sedan and any other similar CUV, if not better. The engineers have done quite a job putting a “lighter” feel into the steering and brakes than one would expect from a vehicle like this.
The Q5 will be a big hit for Audi.
Specifications
MSRP: —————————- $43,400
Vehicle Layout: ——————– Front engine, AWD
Engine: —————————- 3.2L DOHC V6
Transmission: ——————— 6-spd automatic
Horsepower: ——————— 270
Torque: ————————– 243 lb-ft
Brakes: ————————– 4-whl disc, ABS, EBD
Curb Weight: ——————– 1,895 kg
0-100 km/h: ———————- 7.2 sec
Fuel Economy: —————- (L/100 km, city/hwy) 11.5/9.0
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