Audi Q5 (2008-2017) Review

October 2008 Audi Q5 goes on sale
Feb 2010 Recall of 2,200 Dec ’08 - May ’09 Q5s for possible loose interior trim
April 2012 Mid-life facelift boost efficiency across range
June 2012 High-performance SQ5 model added
August 2012 Recall of 733 Jan - Jul ’12 Q5s as sunroof glass could break
October 2014 Q5s among 6k Jan ’12 - Aug ’14 Audis recalled for braking issue
April 2015 Q5s among 1,114 Apr ’11 - Apr ’12 Audis recalled for possible fuel leak
December 2015 New range-topping SQ5 Plus model joins the range

Engines: 2.0 TDI, 3.0 TDI (diesel); 2.0 TFSI (petrol)

The smallest diesel engine in the Q5 range – the 2.0-litre TDI – is offered in two different power outputs: 148 or 187bhp. Neither is particularly efficient compared to more modern diesel, so we’d recommend the more muscular performance of the 187bhp engine, which is more in keeping with the Q5’s nature and helps make it an excellent long-distance cruiser and tow car.

Audi offers a single petrol engine for the Q5: a 2.0-litre TFSI with nearly 230bhp. It takes the car’s 0-62mph time down to around seven seconds, but also makes it pretty expensive to run. Petrol Q5s can be hard to sell on, as well, so they don’t hold their value nearly as well as their diesel equivalents.

The 254bhp version of the 3.0-litre TDI diesel engine is used in high-spec versions of the ‘regular’ Audi Q5, but it’s been left as a bit of a halfway house since the introduction of the high-performance SQ5 version in mid-2012. That car uses the same 3.0-litre diesel engine, but with a significantly higher power output of 322bhp. In late 2015, a further upgraded ‘SQ5 Plus’ version was introduced, although strangely it’s no quicker than the normal SQ5 despite having a few extra horsepower.

Trims: SE, S line, S line Plus, SQ5, SQ5 Plus

Even in entry-level SE form, the Q5 is very well equipped, coming with DAB digital radio, cruise control, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, rear parking sensors and three-zone climate control. The latter provides separate ventilation controls for the front-seat occupants, as well as an individual temperature setting for the back.

The Q5 S line is all about sporty looks and boasts various S line exterior trim pieces, such as distinctive-looking bumpers and side skirts. This model also has larger alloy wheels and its own S line sports suspension, but we’d strongly recommend you get the standard setup (which is a no-cost option) instead. Moving up to S line Plus gets you xenon headlights, a visual parking aid, sat-nav and an electrically operated tailgate.

The SQ5, meanwhile, puts the emphasis firmly (and we do mean firmly) on handling, with suspension that’s 30mm lower and even stiffer than the standard car’s. More welcome additions include an SQ5 body kit, which gives it the sportiest looks in the range, plus classy LED interior lights. On top of this, the SQ5 Plus gets 21-inch alloy wheels and gloss-black styling additions outside, plus diamond-stitched leather sports seats inside.

Audi is generally known for building solid and dependable cars, but the Q5’s results in Auto Express magazine’s 2015 Driver Power customer satisfaction paint a mixed picture. While owners rated the car an impressive 13th out of 200 models for build quality, it could only managed 121st for reliability.

So while the Q5 is definitely well screwed together, it seems it’s not totally immune to mechanical or electrical issues. That makes it particularly disappointing that it only has a three year/60,000-mile warranty, which is about the bare minimum you can expect with a car these days. Even BMW puts no mileage limit on its three-year cover.

The Audi Q5’s good looks, superb interior and practical nature, coupled with the high desirability of the Audi ‘four rings’ badge on the nose means it holds its value exceptionally well on the secondhand market. Even three-year-old examples with average mileage on the clock can still command around two-thirds of their new list price and discounts on brand new or pre-registered examples are fairly modest. What’s more, despite its expensive running costs, the high-performance SQ5 model holds its value even better than the regular Q5, showing that it’s very sought-after among a certain subset of buyers.

If you are in the market for a used Audi Q5, it’s well worth stretching to a post-April 2012 example, if you can afford it. The car was facelifted then, getting slightly more efficient engines, and although it’s still not on par with its rivals when it comes to running costs, every little helps in this respect.