Going the distance
New Audi Q5 has a very impressive range
I’VE driven so many EVs this year, more than in any previous year despite being effectively off the road for four months at the start of 2021, I’ve got used to keeping a hawk eye on remaining range.
No such worries, I’m happy to report, in the diesel Audi Q5, which will give you well over 1,000km on a single tank — that’s more than enough to drive from Cork to Belfast, return, without once having to pull in to a motorway services Applegreen or Circle K.
In fact, I didn’t do a huge amount of mileage in the car the week I drove it, and the needle barely moved; you sooner spot activity in Niac. Nonetheless, the reassurance of knowing I didn’t have to recharge anything was a nice break after three straight weeks of EVs. Don’t get me wrong, because I like electric cars, but the advertised range and reality often are impressively socially distanced.
Anyway, back to the Q5. I’ve always like Audi’s Q range, because there’s an honesty to what they call their CUVs, or crossover utility vehicles (only the Q7 lays claim to being a full SUV). My test car came with front-wheel drive only, not AWD, but that wasn’t an issue in early autumn; if you needed the further reassurance of four wheels working together, then the Q5 40 204hp quattro would be your only man.
This is not a new version of the car, but a facelift. The grille is a bit bigger, there’s a new front bumper, new lights front and rear, enhanced connectivity and alert systems, and a new touchscreen. The old MMI controller, or multimedia interface, has disappeared, and no harm either because it always was a bit fiddly and easy to glance off with a careless hand.
My test car came in a new metallic shade called District Green (a €1,377 extra), though Curragh Green might be more accurate. Short of a side-mounted pennant, I couldn’t have felt any more like I was driving an army car. One guy in front of me was driving so erratically, I was tempted to overtake him and set up a roadblock, because he easily would have fallen for it.
The cabin is really luxurious, because Audi doesn’t mess around. The driver sports seat has four-way lumbar support and is heated. There are inlays in brushed aluminium, and accent surfaces in piano black. You get three-zone aircon, that 10.1-inch infotainment display (but proper knobs and dials for temperature and fan control and the like), and comfort suspension that does what it says on the tin. There is keyless central locking and ignition, powered tailgate, and front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera. Child seat anchors are fitted in the front passenger and rear seats, and practical driving aids include hill descent control, lane departure warning, direct tyre pressure monitoring, daytime running lights and cruise control with speed limiter.
As for the diesel engine, it now comes with a 12-volt mild hybrid system to improve fuel economy around town. At 5.6 litres per 100km in mixed urban and extraurban driving, that’s pretty good, and emissions of 147g/km leave the car liable for annual motor tax of a modest €270. There is plenty of space too, with 520 litres available in the cargo area, and 1,520 on offer when you drop the 60:40 split-folding rear seats.
My car came with optional extras beyond the paint job. I particularly liked the panoramic sunroof, though at €2,325 it definitely would be an indulgence. This is one of the few advantages, in my opinion, of PCPs, because you can spec your car up for a relatively minor hike in the monthly repayments. Other extras were OLED rear lights (€1,820), a black styling package (€535), black roof rails at no extra cost, black exterior mirrors (€150), 19-inch alloy wheels (€1,840), and flat-bottom steering wheel (€405).
None of this matters at all, of course, if you’re driving a car that looks awful. The Q5 always was a bit of a beauty though, and while the tampering this time is fairly negligible, it still feels even more attractive. There’s a lovely proportionality to its looks, a sort of urgency that belies the fact it isn’t really all that sporty in terms of performance, taking nine seconds to get from 0 to 100kph.
A full electric version at some stage would be terrific for the extra torque and skittishness, but the e-tron for now is the star of Audi’s electric stage.
And, let’s face it, it still wouldn’t offer the same peace of mind on a 1,000km drive.