It is seldom that I get the opportunity to test a vehicle and feel very comfortable in after just a few minutes of driving around. Well, believe it or not, this was just the way I felt with the Audi Q5 which I had the opportunity to test. Leaving the yard where I had picked it up, I was driving the Q5 like I had owned it for years and to me, that is a good sign. I found it to be quick, nimble and easy to move in and about in traffic.
The Q5 is the smaller of the two SUVs in the Audi compact luxury line and comes with a 2L inline 4-cylinder or 3L V6. My tester was the 2L inline engine with a double overhead cam, which I think, for most driving applications around town and on the highway, is just about perfect. Power for this engine is 220hp. and 258lb. ft. of torque of which comes on quickly at low RPMs giving this All-Wheel-Drive quick acceleration that I found real handy in city traffic. This low-end torque was great too when it came to pulling power up steep hilly roads.
The 8-speed automatic transmission made the drive really smooth and the vehicle shifted so freely on the roads. As you might expect from the Audi, all this shifting was manoeuvered with little to no vibration.
I found the quality of the drive to be on the firm side but it wasn’t too harsh. The suspension soaked up most of the bad roads I drove on and the comfortable seats handled the rest.
Considering that this is the smaller of the two Audi SUVs, the Q5 was remarkable spacious inside. It was easy to get in and out of, both front and rear. Speaking of the rear seating, I was amazed as to how much rear legroom there was. Seating on a whole is very comfortable for four adults and slightly less comfortable for 3 adults in the rear in a pinch. Cargo room was great as the specific area is well designed with tall, square sides due to the taller stance of the body.
Inside the Q5, one finds luxury features including leather seats, full panoramic type sunroof, power seats, power rear lift gate and optional navigation system. If you’re a connoisseur of quality sound systems, one feature that I found interesting was the European Bang & Olufsen unit in the car. These high-end sound systems are far and few between anymore and I have to admit, music within the vehicle was crystal clear. One feature your passengers will really like is the panoramic sunroof. It really lets people look up and enjoy the surrounding view especially when travelling to Whistler, for that matter.
When you consider the standard features of the Q5 and the cost of the options, this vehicle is very well priced. I would have to say the Audi Q5 offers good value for the size and equipment level in this class of vehicle.
My test vehicle came in at around $56,000 – a real fair price when you consider the vehicles it is competing with.
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HIGHLIGHTS
MSRP: 40,900 price as tested $55,878.
Power: 220hp @ 4450 RPM
Torque: 258 @1500
Weight:1850Kg.
Fuel Economy: 10.5L/100K city
7.2L/100K Hwy
