The favourite

For more than a decade the Audi Q5 has enjoyed a place at the top of the mid-sized, luxury SUV segment – and with good reason. Its perfect balance of styling, practicality and performance endeared it to customers all over the globe, with Australia embracing the mid-sized SUV from the outset.

Globally, the first Audi Q5 wracked up sales of more than 1.6 million units after its stunning debut in 2009.Australian customers accounted for more than 25000 of the original vehicle and the appetite for what has become the most popular Q model ever continued to grow when the second generation model arrived in 2017.

Now the updated Q5 has been revealed for the first time, with sharper, more defined styling and significant new equipment and technology employed to make this perennial favourite even more attractive.

The Audi designers have been careful to remain true to the original design of this new Q5 while giving it a contemporary look of its own. At 4.68 metres, the redesigned Audi Q5 is now 19 millimetres longer than before, while height and width remain unchanged. The octagonal Singleframe is now shallower and wider, while the side air intakes are larger. The LED headlights now feature a distinctive new daytime running light signature and the Q5 appears more chiselled in the flanks and rear treatment with next-generation OLED lighting technology making its first-ever appearance in Q5. This optional OLED rear light is split into three tiles of six segments each, and enables Audi designers to create different light designs and signatures from a single item of hardware.

The OLED rear-light cluster is also equipped with proximity detection, so that if a road user approaches a stationary Q5 from the rear to within less than two metres, all the OLED segments light up.

Although specification for Australia will not be confirmed until closer the 2021 arrival, in addition to the standard trim, there are two optional design lines available with the advanced line and the S line, while two of the 12 colours available are new – the Q5 pictured here in one of them – ‘district green’. 

The Audi Q5 runs as standard on 17-inch alloy wheels, with the advanced line and S line running 18-inch wheels. In addition, Audi and Audi Sport also offer further 19, 20 and 21-inch wheel designs.

With its wheelbase of 2.82 metres, the generous interior remains a major attraction with the new Q5. That feeling of space is emphasised in the design, which is clean, elegant and beautifully finished. A new freestanding MMI touch display with acoustic feedback is the focal point of the dash layout, and customers can choose from three interior finishes – base, design selection and S line. 

Behind the new control setup in the updated Audi Q5 is a new main unit – the third-generation Modular Infotainment Platform (MIB 3), which offers ten times the computing power of its predecessor. The top of the range is the Audi virtual cockpit plus – a high-resolution 12.3-inch digital display with three different graphic layouts and the driver controls the displays via the multifunction steering wheel our using voice control. 

The central 10.1-inch MMI touch display is standard equipment in the Q5 and a head-up display is also available as an option.

Audi’s sliding rear bench plus with adjustable backrests is available as an option, giving the Q5 luggage space of 520 to 1520 litres. In addition, a variable folding floor mat comes as standard, with a power tailgate available as an option. 

Audi connect is employed in the new Q5, connecting the vehicle with the internet and traffic infrastructure. The navigation system offers high-resolution satellite images from Google Earth, lane-by-lane information on traffic flow and traffic forecasts. DAB+ digital radio is part of standard equipment, while the Amazon Alexa service allows access to thousands of Alexa skills. The car-to-x services provided by Audi connect provide a range of services including locating parking spots and traffic light information where available.

Another interesting new feature is ‘functions on demand’ which allows customers to book functions such as MMI navigation plus and the Audi smartphone interface anytime they wish post-purchase via the myAudi smartphone app or myAudi online portal. The functions are then activated over-the-air via a cell data bundle for either one month, a year or open-ended.

In Europe the Q5 will be offered with a diesel powerplant in the Q5 40 TDI generating 150kW and 400Nm of torque, delivering a 0 to 100km/h time of 7.6 seconds and a top speed of 222km/h. The Q5 40 TDI uses a seven-speed S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive with ultra-technology, which also contributes to efficiency.

A mild hybrid system (MHEV) has been incorporated which further contributes to the low fuel consumption. A belt-driven starter/generator (BSG) supplies the 12-volt vehicle electrical system, which incorporates a compact lithium-ion battery. The BSG recuperates braking energy and stores it in the battery. The MHEV system enables the Audi Q5 to coast with the engine off, and allows for start-stop mode at speeds below 22km/h. 

In addition to this powerplant, more engine versions will follow after the launch of the updated Q5 with two more four-cylinder TDI units, a V6 TDI and two 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI engines. The successful Q5 TFSI e with plug-in hybrid drive will also be offered again in two output variants.

Once again the Q5 boasts sharp handling and subtle ride thanks to the lightweight multilink suspension. Dynamic steering is also available as an option, which varies its ratio by up to 100 percent in accordance with speed and steering angle.

Sports suspension is also available as an alternative to the standard suspension, and the standard suspension with steel springs is also available with damper control and delivers a broad spread between comfortable and dynamic. As well as damper control, the adaptive air suspension can also vary the ground clearance of the body in five stages, making the Q5 even more versatile.

Then there’s the Audi drive select handling system with its seven profiles, including off-road and all-road (with air suspension), while the hill descent assistant provides support on steep inclines, further enhancing its versatility. Add to all this a comprehensive set of safety and driver assistance systems and it’s not hard to see that this new Audi Q5 will once again have the far reaching appeal of its predecessors when it arrives in Australia in the first half of next year.

Detailed information on the model line-up, pricing and specification will be announced closer to the Q5's Australian launch.

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