The Audi Q5 set a new benchmark for compact SUV’s when it was first unveiled 6-years ago. The swelling fenders, Audi signature nose and aggressively sporty profile took the European and Chinese car market by storm and then it arrived in Malaysia early 2009 with success.
The Q5 looks a lot like a smaller more compact version of its older sibling the Q7. The style may be less daring though when compared to some of its segment rivals including the Volkswagen Tiguan that shares most of its underpinnings. The Q5 is 4.63 metres long, which is marginally longer than its major competitors: the BMW X3, Land Rover Freelander and the new Volvo XC60. The Q5’s width is 1,880mm and its height is 1,650mm. Load space with the rear seats in position is 540 litres, second in capacity only to the latest Land Rover Freelander. With the rear seats folded, the Q5’s load capacity is increased to 1,560 litres, that’s the same as the X3, less than the Freelander but more than the Volvo XC60. Panel fit and finish is exemplary and sets new standards in this segment.
Q5 Interior impressions
The Audi Q5 comes with a step-in height which is somewhere between a car and most other compact SUV’s. This is due partly to the Q5’s easy ground clearance, which is an inch or two higher than a typical passenger car. The front and rear doors are large and it is super easy to get yourself behind the steering wheel or rear seat. The driver and passengers sit up high with a good view of the road ahead and to the sides. There’s plenty of headroom and legroom in both rows and the seats are covered in a plush leather stitched material that has given all Audi products its legendary high quality feel in recent years. An electric driver’s seat and tilt/telescopic steering wheel accommodate the ergonomic needs of shorter and taller drivers. The Q5’s very attractive and somewhat imposing instrument panel includes plenty of textured plastic and aluminum accents, large overlapping gauges backlit in bright orange, and Audi’s MMI (Muti-Media Interface) which is much improved that comes with a colour information screen at the top of the center console which is exactly like the one found in the A4 sedan.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel includes very easy to get used to audio and cruise control buttons. A digital information display in the speedometer provides useful information such as average fuel economy, real time fuel consumption, time, driving range, odometer, and outside temperature. The large seven-inch center screen offers all sorts of information including radio frequency, channel, name of song, time, driver and passenger temperature and climate control fan speed settings, and information about fuel economy including current fuel economy and history of previous fuel economy. The Q5 comes standard with a high-end audio system that provides a powerful, clear sound experience that I thoroughly enjoyed during my 3-day test drive. Storage compartments in the Q5 are plentiful and there are front and rear cup holders for all passengers to hold their drinks. Standard equipment on the base petrol includes 17-inch alloys, cruise control, leather-trimmed seats, Bluetooth phone connectivity, foglights, rear parking sensors, hill-descent control, and its sexy signature LED daytime running lights.
Q5 Driving impressions
The Q5 handles well due to its combination of lightweight chassis and well-engineered engine. It’s a nimble vehicle giving drivers an almost car like drive experience. Audi’s Quattro four-wheel drive system offers a 40:60 front-rear torque split. The rather clever Audi ‘drive select’, allows the driver to choose how they want their Q5 to respond to their handling needs in different driving conditions. This can be comfortable, dynamic, sporty or automatic, which means the driver leaves the vehicle to undertake the actions by itself using a ‘smart’ computerized chassis and dynamic control system.
Take the handling and add to the wonderful TFSI engine, which is the Volkswagen/Audi Group’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine, mated to one transmission only – a seven-speed twin-clutch auto that sends power to all four wheels. It produces 211bhp but, more importantly, 350Nm of torque from just 1,500rpm, which gives it the low down ‘grunt’ of sports car engine. Top speed is 222km/h, zero to 62mph takes 7.2 seconds and the official combined fuel economy is an impressive class leading 33.2mpg. Impressive is it not? Turbo lag is not noticeable in the Q5 when compared with the 200kg-lighter A4 sedan.
Q5 Conclusion
Rest assured this is a vehicle that will turn heads whenever its daytime running lights come on, be a conversation point at every family get together and have all your friends and family green with envy when you arrive in it.
Audi Q5 TFSI Specifications
Engine: 4-cylinder Turbo DOHC
Gearbox: 7-speed Semi-automatic transmission DSG
Max power: 211hp @ 4300-6000 rpm
Max torque: 350Nm @ 1500-4200 rpm
Top Speed: 222km/h
0-100 km/h: 7.2 secs
Price NEW: RM299,000.00
Price USED: RM120,000.00 to RM180,000.00
