Audi Q5 Sportback – 2022
By Ian Strachan.
The latest Audi Q5 Sportback is a thing of beauty. And with its smooth but aggressive new look you can’t ignore it. Audi’s deep black front grille and its attractive sloping rear end and aluminium roof rails have turned the Q5 into a real head turner.
One of the first things you notice about the Q5 is how big it seems. It looks as big as its larger brother, the Q7. In fact when you see them together you realise the Q7 is much bigger, but Audi has pulled off the clever trick of making the Q5 look every bit as imposing.
The Q5, like the Q7, is also very comfortable. It handles well with its Quattro all-wheel-drive set-up, is competent off road without being an all-out mud plugger, and is very well behaved on road.
For my money the Q5 gives its rivals a run for their money. A superb motorway cruiser it can go from tarmac to mud effortlessly. And it has enough ground clearance to take bumpy lanes and tracks in its stride.
Despite its size, this is undoubtedly an Audi, with the distinctive Audi grille and pleasing lines. Inside it’s roomy and comfortable, with plenty of creature comforts. There’s plenty of room for rear seat passengers, without compromising the 510 litres of luggage capacity in the rear. This can be increased to 1480 litres by folding the rear seats.
I test drove a the petrol-powered Q5 Sportback S Line TFSI with a smooth but effective 2.0 litre engine. This unit has enough grunt in its 195 bhp output, delivering power throughout the range without ever feeling reluctant to propel this big car. The seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox is taut and precise. It can’t claim to be frugal, delivering 32.1 mpg in mixed driving, but this is a big car.
The Q5 handles better than most 4x4s. It is stable and predictable, with no suspension wallow, and flat cornering. On road, its manners are impeccable. Steering is light but precise.
Specification is good, and includes powered tailgate, four-zone air conditioning, Audi Connect with Amazon Alexa, smartphone connection, Bluetooth, .satellite navigation, a Bang & Olufson sound system, adaptive cruise control, parking system, 360 degree cameras and hill-hold.
You also get smart 19-inch alloys, headlight washers, privacy glass, heated front sports seats in nicely-stitched leather (£950 extra) and a wide range of safety systems.
My test car came with a range of extras including silver metallic paint (£675), a comfort and sound pack (£1,395) and a folding tow-bar (£765)
It’s an Audi, and Audi motoring doesn’t come cheap. The Q5 that I tested – the Sportback S Line 45 TFSI quattro – will cost you £56,855 on the road. But you get the benefit of a high specification, a vehicle that won’t depreciate quickly, and a versatile and more than competent performer. The Q5 Sportback will do well.
