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All purpose vehicle: the Audi Q5

Sporty but comfy in the city, meet Audi’s new SUV, the Q5. Adrian Ion takes a drive

March 2009 - From the Print Edition

Audi believed that it would sacrifice the European market by building a giant SUV and bet that sales in the US would compensate. But the short history of SUV manufacturing by Audi was of little concern to customers who rushed in to buy the company’s humungous Q7 model. These punters were attracted by the faultless quality of the brand and of course, the status factor, which most of us can understand.
Nevertheless for the more size conscious Euro-niche, the Germans always had in mind a smaller brother to manoeuvre out of the shadow of the Q7.
For those who have saved some money in these difficult times, Audi has prepared a down-to-earth and easy-to-use SUV which is so versatile, practical and excellent to drive that one could safely say that it has managed to squeeze two cars into one. The name of this new model is imaginatively called the Q5 and the angles of its design link this to other Audi products like the A3 and Q7.

Gadget heaven

In checking out the tech, the Audi’s Quattro four-wheel drive system is present, offering a 40:60 front-rear torque split. The clever Audi ‘drive select’, which comes as an option, allows the driver to tell the car how to respond to handling. This can be comfortable, dynamic, sporty or automatic, which means the driver leaves the vehicle to undertake the actions by itself.
The old-school cruise control has been fitted with an adaptive option that keeps the car within a specified distance from anything in front. The list of optional equipment is very long and pricey but allows the customer to personalise the car according to taste and budget.
The ride of the car is impressive, especially if fitted with drive-select, but this is still sporty and don’t expect it to be as comfortable as the Mercedes GLK, which is one of its direct competitors.
Features like 20-inch wheels big up the bling factor, but they do not upset the ride and compromise the car’s off -road performance by anything like as much as one would imagine.
Visibility is very good and the Q5 is compact enough to help in urban driving. The huge rear view mirrors make the optional blind spot warning system almost redundant, though they also create a bit of wind noise at cruising speeds.
The interior quality is top-notch and follows the same design pattern as the A4 and A5. This has one of the best interiors out there with the four-ringed heritage taken to a new level for SUVs.

Motor options

In the engine compartment, there are three choices. The entry level engine is Audi’s latest common-rail 2.0-litre diesel. This is quiet, powerful enough with 170 HP and very economical. The drawback is that for the moment there is no option for an automatic transmission for this engine.
The 2.0 TFSI petrol S tronic, the engine fitted on the car I test drove, is more potent. Its 200 HP has slightly better performance than the 2.0 diesel and the fuel consumption stays at a more than decent level. Also Audi has managed to keep emissions down below 200g/km CO2, so there’s no nasty tax penalty in the future, as the Romanian legislation is looking to tax cars annually by how much they pollute.
The most powerful choice at the moment is the 3.0 diesel V6, with 240P HP and no less than 500Nm of torque. It also comes with standard paddle shifters so the driver can take control when it changes gear. And, again, it still comes in under 200g/km CO2.
The Q5 is in direct competition with the BMW X3, Mercedes GLK and Volvo XC60. List prices kick off at 32,650 Euro plus VAT for the 2.0TDI, and rise to 38,990 Euro plus VAT for the 3.0V6 TDI version. The options that you must add for the car will add at least 10,000 Euro to the standard car price.
The test drive car was provided by the importer Porsche Romania.

Vital statistics: the Audi Q5

Prices from: 32,650 Euro to 38,990 Euro plus taxes
Engine choices:
■ 2.0 TDI: 1986 cc turbodiesel, 170 hp @ 4,200 rpm.
■ 2.0 TFSI: 1984 cc petrol, 211 hp @ 4,300 rpm.
■ 3.0 TDI: 2967 cc turbodiesel, 240 hp @ 4,000 rpm
Performance:
■ 2.0 TDI: 0-100 km/h 9.5sec, average fuel consumption 5.8 L/100 km
■ 2.0 TFSI: 0-100 km/h 7.2 sec, average fuel consumption 8.5 L/100 km
■ 3.0 TDI: 0-100 km/h 6.5sec, average fuel consumption 7.5 L/100 km.
■ Vehicle Size (length/width/height in mm): 4,629/1,880/1,653



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