The BMW X3 revealed to me that my automotive passion extends to light off-roading, and ever since, I’ve been looking curiously at a sector of the automotive marketplace that I’ve long ignored. I’ve been pacing around Mazda CX-5s, swiveling my head at passing Mercedes GLCs, lusting after Porsche Macans, and I’ve been more generally aware of the infestation of midsize crossovers which swarm our roadways.
And so, it is with honest eagerness that I accept the keys to an Audi Q5 for a week. Here is my chance to experience contemporary Audi engineering and further sample the type of vehicle that is the modern family’s default runabout.
(Please forgive me if this article reads like a Q5 vs. X3 review. The Q5 is only the second SUV I’ve ever reviewed, so I don’t have many reference points for comparison. While these two are direct competitors, a formal comparison is unfair as I don’t have the vehicles simultaneously.)
My Q5 is a rental, and my first action is to circle the car with sharp eyes, drinking in the exterior details. Yes, my real goal is to find pre-existing damage and avoid liability, but the walkabout is also a chance for me to consider the Audi’s exterior design. That design, I am afraid, is rather unassuming, perhaps even anonymous. For 2018 the Q5 is getting refreshed by Audi, so my 2017 is as dated as a new vehicle can get. Its appearance is generic Audi, looking like a puffed up and inflated A3 hatchback. While far from ugly, there is nothing striking or polarizing in the design, and the character lines are more bulgy than strong-jawed and muscular. Is this a pudgy car for pudgy people?
The exterior checks out free of damage, so it is time to climb aboard. The Q5 interior leaves a more positive impression. The seats and steering wheel are covered in leather that is smooth and pleasing to the touch. The seats are also very comfortable and have great lumbar support. The light gray headliner and panoramic sunroof brighten the cabin and make everything feel a bit more open. The ergonomics are excellent, with all controls falling easily to hand. Even though the older cabin lags current designs from Audi and Mercedes, the 2017 Q5 exhibits excellent ergonomics, pleasantly tactile touchpoints, and clean and stately design.
Oh sure, I can find nits to pick. While it is nice to have a navigation screen integrated into the dash (rather than a current “floating iPad” trend), the screen is small and low resolution. The Audi MMI shortcut buttons on the transmission tunnel are sticky and hard to press, probably victims of their adjacency to the cup holders. I also have a hard time locating the volume control (unexpectedly located near the passenger’s left knee on the transmission tunnel) and figuring out how to manually adjust the HVAC fan speed. Most of these inconveniences can be caulked up to me, a Bimmerphile, being unfamiliar with Audis.
What is undeniable is that the Q5 is loaded with luxuries: automatic headlights, automatic wipers, automatic climate control, auto-dimming mirrors, a power liftgate, navigation, leather, power-adjustable heated seats, panoramic sunroof, Homelink garage openers, rear parking camera, and front and rear parking sonar. The only feature missing is USB ports. Is this design really that old? How am I supposed to charge my phone?
Of all the amenities, my favorite by far is that all four exterior door handles do keyless entry. I have never seen this feature in any other car. Someone at Audi really had families in mind when designing the Q5. My toddler sits in the back of my car, so the rear doors are the first and last doors I use on every trip.
(The Q5 in Premium Plus trim is so much better equipped than my X3 rental from a few weeks ago, which surprises me as the Audi comes from the same Enterprise Rent-A-Car fleet. Why this Audi is replete with tech and luxury options and the X3 was not, I’ll never know.)
The engine fires up nary a noise. The standard European formula of a fuel-efficient four-cylinder turbo engine paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission (ZF) has been applied to the Q5. This actually makes the Q5’s drivetrain very similar to the BMW X3’s. Both cars produce approximately 230 hp and drive all four wheels. Yet, the X3 felt like a laggard while the Q5 feels quite eager on the street. Strong, low-rpm torque sweeps the Audi away from stoplights; I don’t see a need to upgrade to the V6. There is a ~250 lbs difference between the two Germans, but given the way the Q5 bolts and the X3 bogs, you’d think it was the X3 that had consumed too many bratwursts. At 4,350 lbs, it’s actually the Q5 that is the porker of the pair.
It does not take more than a few stoplights before I note another peculiarity in the Q5: It has an exceptionally aggressive transmission creep. Lift my foot off the brake, and the SUV accelerates, with gusto, to 5 mph.
I find that the engine is gutsiest in the low and mid-range and then lets some vibration into the cabin up top. In normal driving, it works without any audible grumbling; its quiet laboring is fitting of the Q5’s hushed cabin. The loudest sound on the highway is wind noise, which I bet could be shushed by removing the roof rack.
The luxury vibe extends to the commendable ride quality. Fat tires and soft yet composed suspension supply soak up all but the worst (Hwy 405 near LAX) highway slab chop. While the Q5 rides better than the X3, it also manages to corner better too. On cloverleaf interchanges, the Q5 holds its line, and the tires seem willing to play. The suspension does allow more roll than the X3; quick steering inputs will toss the Q5’s head significantly to the side. Not that anyone would try, but a slalom run in the Q5 would include infuriatingly long waits between cones for the weight to roll and settle.
Cruising across LA with the engine churning at just 2k rpm, I am loftily coddled. The plush ride and fine cabin materials make this Audi a good choice for long drives, especially those that are boringly straight. Drivers who like a commanding view of the road ahead will be pleased; my eye-level is higher most of the competition and only matched by drivers in the tallest SUVs on the road. This is a little surprising, as the Q5 doesn’t look especially tall; my visibility comes from a seating position that puts me close to the ceiling.
There isn’t a lot of sport in the drive, but it is refreshing that the Audi lacks the drive-select options—Eco, Comfort and Sport—found in every BMW. Why don’t more manufacturers produce one tune that is just right for the car’s purpose? The automatic transmission runs the engine at such a low rpm that nearly every acceleration provokes a downshift or two. At least the reward is fuel economy in the low 20s mpg on the highway. That’s pretty good considering the size of the vehicle.
Audi is accused of having light and lifeless steering. These accusations are confirmed as I drive the Q5 on highways and then through the streets of my fair city. I’d mind in a sports sedan, but in a comfort-focused SUV, it is forgivable. There isn’t slop in the system, the Q5 responds quickly to steering inputs, but the wheel does little to resist turning and doesn’t try hard recenter either. (My wife even asked if the steering is broken or was supposed to feel this way.) One downside to this tuning is that I need more small corrections to keep the Q5 on its intended course than I’d prefer.
Throughout the week, the Q5 is used for my wife’s daily commute and my infrequent errands. I enjoy being coddled by the Audi. It has the interior material quality of my M3—M Division always one-ups the normal BMW line by fitting the best materials—with the ease-of-use of a tall SUV. Also nice is the ability to bash through LA’s storm drains without scrapping the undertray!
Curious to see how the Q5 might handle some light hooning, I attack Sunset Blvd’s open twists one evening. The result is disappointing but not surprising—the Q5 grips but rolls copiously. The steering, extra-light and slow, is no friend to fast cornering. It is too easy for me to add too much input and find myself sawing at the wheel. The transmission, which is smooth without being sloppy around town, slurs redline upshifts. (I know this ZF box can do better; someone at Audi must have decided that a second-long upshift was more stately than crisply cracking into the next gear.) Clearly, Audi never meant this car for the canyons. And that is fine.
So, what does Audi promise from the Q5? Luxury, practicality, economy, and the potential to leave paved roads.
There is no dirt for me to explore in urban LA, and driving on the beach is forbidden, so I cannot speak to that capacity.
I’ve already attested to the level of luxury. I am impressed by the fine fittings of the Q5 and the way it swoops me hither-and-thither in smooth, high-riding, hushed serenity. That the Q5 is on the cusp of refresh and is still this good is an impressive testament to Audi.
Practicality has many facets, and in day-to-day use, the Q5 scores well. The high ride helps me see over parked cars when I’m crossing city intersections. The tight turning radius and 360-degree parking sonar make maneuvering through underground garages a breeze. The many family-friendly features, from the power liftgate to the smart handles for every door, appeal to me as a dad.
But the promise of hauling capacity is broken. When it comes to trunk space, I find Q5 to be significantly less commodious than the X3. My weekend luggage for a getaway with baby fits (large and small suitcases, baby hiking pack, portable crib, compact stroller, and giant beach umbrella), but it takes me several tries to find a configuration that packs all the luggage under the privacy tray and still allows the tailgate to close. The X3 packed on the first try and had more room leftover.
The trunk is both narrower and shallower than expected. The beach umbrella is too long to fit across its width and must be placed on a diagonal. The trunk is just deep enough to fit the baby hiking pack, but only when the pack is (impractically) centered in the trunk, partitioning the trunk in two. Ultimately it is better to load the backpack widthwise. My large suitcase can be loaded front-to-back, but only if it is laid flat: Stand this suitcase on its side, and the tailgate is blocked from closing.
I do get everything loaded, but ultimately the Q5 might only have 15% more usable cargo room than our family M3. Our family Christmas compromise, in which holiday luggage overflows the trunk and fills the passenger cabin, is not resolved by this midsize SUV. The best thing I can say about loading the Q5 is that the high floor and large hatch make accessing the rear stowage easy.
The Q5 is not a narrow vehicle; did Audi really need a one-foot of body between the exterior sheet metal and the trunk liner? I’ll never know, but the “big bones” of the Q5 compromise its utility. And those big bones continue all around the vehicle’s perimeter. The doors appear to be 8-inches thick, giving the Q5 the bank-vault heft you want out of luxury vehicle doors but also compromising cabin elbow room. Even the headroom is worse than expected: The otherwise enjoyable panoramic sunroof undoubtedly carries some blame here. My wife is more positive than I; she finds the rear seats roomy while riding on the backbench beside the baby. When we middle mount our daughter’s car seat, two adults can sit comfortably on each side.
(Before my luggage packing experiment, I had been excited by the fact that the Porsche Macan is a chassis-sharing sibling to the Q5 and has similar dimensions. However, the Macan’s sportily raked design further cuts into the interior space. If the Q5 barely has enough trunk capacity to justify a move out of the M3, the Macan doesn’t stand a chance.)
After a week with the Audi Q5, I emerge a fan. It is a luxurious and thoughtfully designed SUV that handles urban duty very well. It does miss on a few family and enthusiast wants (cargo capacity and handling, respectively), but for those day trips which account for 90% of my vehicle use, I wholeheartedly endorse the Q5.
A Second Taste
I’ve had a second 2017 Audi Q5 in Prestige Plus trim for a ten-day loan. After the first positive experience, I was excited to receive the Q5 again, but this time around, my feelings for the compact SUV are a little more conflicted. I still enjoy the luxury and smoothness of the Q5, but its complete disinterest in cornering and steering feel weighed more heavily on me. Could Audi support my sporting inclinations at least a little bit? I suspect the SQ5 is where my wants are answered.
The thoughtfulness of the Q5’s design continued to impress. Last time I appreciated the keyless entry door handles for the rear doors—this time, I noted how Audi has designed their doors to cover the rocker panels too. You won’t muddy your pant legs after dirty roads because the doors open to expose clean sheet metal.
Another feature I discovered is that the rear seats slide forward and recline. This is both good for passenger comfort and for making a few more inches of luggage room available in the trunk.
I expected the Q5 to be library quiet on the highway, but this Q5 exhibited a fair amount of wind and road noise. Worn tires were partly to blame but not exclusively responsible for the noise. This Q5 also rode firmer than I recalled, thumping over Hwy 405’s many expansion joints as if it had over-inflated tires. Perhaps it did; I never got around to checking the pressures.
If the tires were packing extra pounds, it did not help the fuel economy. I managed 16.8 mpg in an equal mix of highway and city driving. I expected better out of the 2.0L engine.
I continue to like the Q5 as a highway cruiser, especially how it runs easily at high double-digit speeds. I can be one of the fastest vehicles on the freeway without stressing the Audi. Its only demerit is that the transmission will pause to downshift two gears when I give the gas a good poke, making my getaways less prompt than they should be.
For life’s boring drives—trips through town and slogs on the interstate—the Q5 is a lovely companion, relaxing, stress-reducing, and practical. Just don’t expect the Q5 to be your partner in adrenaline-raising mischief.
Mike's Steering Column 