After eight years on the market, the original Q5 from 2008 was starting to lose its edge, so come the second quarter of 2017, we’ll have this – the second generation Q5 – which retains everything everyone loves about the BMW X3 rival and gives it a comprehensive update.
Unveiled at this month’s Paris Motor Show, the new Audi Q5 will reach UK roads early 2017, lighter and better-looking than before.
You wouldn’t think it upon first glance but the mid-size SUV is closely related to the A4 saloon. It sits on the same MLB platform – which also underpins the Q7 – and it uses a lot of the same engines and technology.
It’s roughly the same size as the original Q5 but clever packaging has resulted in a more spacious interior. Exterior styling is more rugged than before, a measure intended to underline the car’s off-road prowess, with obvious callbacks to the Q7 and Q2, most notably at the front with an identical chrome singleframe grille.
Audi claims it is one of the most aerodynamic cars in its class with a drag coefficient of 0,30, whilst wind noise and engine vibration are kept to a minimum.
Customers can choose between LED or high-resolution matrix LED headlights, as well as those gliding strip-light turn indicators you may have spotted on some of the newer Audis.
In the cabin, there’s Audi’s 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit, which sits in front of the driver behind the steering wheel, offering a variety of information from the essentials (current speed and rev counter) to sat-nav instructions, mpg, or what’s coming through the speakers at that very moment. For higher spec models, there’s a new head-up display that can project information straight onto the windscreen.
Most of the Q5’s engine range is already available in the A4 such as a 249bhp two-litre petrol – returning 41.5mpg at 154g/km CO2 – while diesel drivers can choose between a two-litre TDI with 148-, 161- or 187bhp, or a three-litre unit with 282bhp.
No word on UK pricing but you could get a vague idea with prices starting from just under £39,000 in its native Germany. You’ll be able to order one towards the end of the year with initial deliveries expected in spring 2017.
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