Audi Q5 blends quiet SUV luxury with the precision and delicate handling of a performance car
The chic and elegant Q5 is elegantly designed and packed with the latest electronics and comforts
Audi has had 77 consecutive months of record sales in the US, selling more than 200,000 vehicles last year alone – twice as many as it sold there in 2010. Sports utility vehicles are leading that surge to such an extent that the brand feels it must develop more large SUVs to go along with its top-of-the-line Q7.
That means a behemoth along the lines of GMC’s Yukon Denali or Cadillac’s Escalade, with a third row of seats and serious storage. So the question becomes: can the brand take the consumer-pleasing qualities of its popular Q5 SUV and splash them across a bigger palette?
A spin test of the 2018 Q5 gave us a great reminder of how skilled the Germans are at developing an intuitive, quietly luxurious interior space. It also provided a drive experience that is precisely as aggressive as it needs to be – no more, no less.
This latest iteration of Audi’s medium-sized SUV celebrates exactly where we are in car culture. It is much like an iPhone: expensive but not overpriced, designed elegantly by a “cool” brand and able to do everything one can probably think to ask it to do.
The Q5 sits between Audi’s smaller (from HK$348,000) Q3 and its larger (from HK$736,000) Q7. In some markets, there is also a Q5S that adds power and speed (and two additional cylinders) to the Q5 model line. But if you want the size and functionality of the Q5 at better fuel efficiency and a lower price, stick with the standard-issue Q5.
