2023 Audi Q5 Review and Test Drive
Audi's best-selling compact crossover SUV is aging gracefully.
Christian Wardlaw
Article QuickTakes:
The Audi Q5 is by far the best-selling model in the automaker's United States lineup. A compact crossover SUV, the Q5 debuted in 2009 and received a complete redesign in 2018. It comes in Q5 and sport-tuned SQ5 model series, and a Sportback body style was added to the lineup in 2021.
Audi offers four powertrains in the 2023 Q5. They include a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 201 horsepower (40 TFSI) or 261 horsepower (45 TFSI), a 362-hp plug-in hybrid powertrain based on the turbo four that provides 23 miles of electric driving range (55 TFSI e), and a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine (SQ5). The 40 TFSI, 45 TFSI, and 55 TFSI e use a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, while the SQ5 gets an eight-speed automatic. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard across the 2023 Audi Q5 lineup.
That's the 10,000-foot overview of the Q5. To keep things simple, we're focusing on the Q5 Sportback, which comes only with the 45 TFSI powertrain. (Audi treats the Sportback SQ5 as a separate model.) The Sportback has a more rakish roofline than the standard Q5, and like the Q5, the Q5 Sportback has four doors and a rear liftgate.
There is virtually no downside to choosing the 2023 Audi Q5 Sportback, aside from the $6,800 premium the automaker requests in exchange for the supposedly more desirable design and the Sportback's more generous list of standard features.
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For example, you get the same rear-seat legroom (38 inches) and a little less rear headroom (0.2 inches less) compared to a standard Q5 with a panoramic sunroof. Regarding cargo space, the 2023 Q5 Sportback shrinks by 1.2 cubic feet behind the back seat and by 2.1 cu-ft in maximum cargo volume. You're unlikely to notice the difference.
The Q5 Sportback comes in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige trim levels, and base prices range from the low $50,000s to the low $60,000s, including the destination charge to ship the SUV from the San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, factory that builds it to your local dealership. Changes for 2023 include standard adaptive cruise control with Traffic Jam Assist for the Premium trim level and a standard Bang and Olufsen 3D audio system starting with the Premium Plus trim. In addition, Chronos Gray is a new paint color this year.
For this Audi Q5 review, I test-drove the Q5 Sportback 45 TFSI in Southern California. It came with Prestige trim, a Black Optic Sport option package, and Ultra Blue paint. These extras brought the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $63,990, including the $1,195 destination charge. Audi provided the vehicle for this Q5 Sportback review.
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2023 Audi Q5 Design Prizes Space and Style
Football-shaped SUVs look like they're here to stay, and some are finally appealing. For example, the Audi Q5 Sportback with Prestige trim I drove is legitimately attractive. Dipped in Ultra Blue paint, equipped with the Black Optic Sport package, and wearing 21-inch wheels with a surface finish visible, my test vehicle was downright alluring.
Inside, compared to alternatives such as the BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, the Audi Q5 Sportback appears less impressive. While the test vehicle had Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus digital instrumentation, the rest of the interior offered less razzle-dazzle than its rivals.
Although I don't mind the traditional analog triple-zone automatic climate controls, simple and intuitive volume and tuning knob on the center console, and tablet-style infotainment display propped atop the center dashboard air vents, these elements might strike some people who are spending this kind of money as low tech. The quality, fit, and finish of the Q5 Prestige's materials are mostly good, but there are hints of cost-cutting, and when you're driving, the interior frequently creaks.
A standard panoramic glass sunroof makes the Q5 Sportback feel more open and airy. In front, heated and power-adjustable sport seats prove comfortable thanks in part to manually adjustable thigh bolsters. A somewhat stiff grade of leather is standard equipment. The Prestige-trimmed test vehicle also had ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated and cooled cupholders.
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Climb into the back, and you'll find a snug fit on a seat cushion mounted too low to provide proper leg support. Also, the front seatbacks are hard and decorated with storage nets. When stepping into the SUV, my right knee dug into one of the netting's attachment points, causing pain. You can adjust the rear seatback angle to improve comfort. The Prestige test vehicle also had rear side-window sunshades.
Audi offers numerous storage bins, trays, and compartments, but few of them are generous in size. Most have a lining of rubber or felt, though. In addition, Audi inconveniently locates the available wireless smartphone charger under the sliding and height-adjustable center armrest. Unfortunately, I struggled to get the trays on or near the center console to securely hold my smartphone.
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Around the back, a power liftgate rises to reveal the Q5 Sportback's 24.7 cu-ft cargo area. You can slide full-size suitcases into the SUV and close the liftgate, which is helpful. Also, Audi offers storage nets on each side of the cargo hold, but there isn't any storage space underneath the load floor. A 40/20/40-split back seat allows you to carry long items and passengers simultaneously, or you can fold it down to create a maximum of 51.9 cu-ft of cargo space.
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The Wide World of Audi Q5 Tech
Though it can appear simplistic, the Q5's tech stack runs broad and deep, with numerous features and significant configurability. As a result, it takes some time to set up the SUV to personal preferences and learn to use the instrumentation, infotainment system, driving assistance features, and head-up display. It gets easier with time.
Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus digital instrumentation is standard with Premium Plus and Prestige trim, and it impresses with its 12.3-inch display, different themes, and the sheer array of data. In particular, the Google Earth satellite imagery for the navigation map panel is a crowd-pleaser, eliciting oohs and aahs from people who've never seen this kind of tech before.
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A Multi-Media Interface (MMI) infotainment system with a 10.1-inch touchscreen is standard in the Q5 Sportback. The display features audible and haptic feedback to confirm selections, and you can swipe through three windows displaying popular apps and a directory of all functions. In addition, Audi provides stereo volume and radio tuning controls on the center console and steering wheel, so their omission from the dashboard isn't a big deal.
Standard equipment includes Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a connected services package. My Q5 Sportback Prestige featured an expanded package of connected services plus SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, a navigation system, wireless smartphone charging, and an impressive 19-speaker Bang and Olufsen 3D premium sound system.
You can press the talk button on the steering wheel to activate the voice recognition system, which responds well to naturally spoken commands. Unfortunately, you cannot use your voice to control the climate system. Also, when I told the Q5 I needed to go to the nearest hospital, it wanted to send me 17 miles back in the direction I'd come instead of to a hospital nine miles ahead.
With Audi's inclusion of adaptive cruise control with Traffic Jam Assist on all 2023 Q5 models, every version of this compact crossover SUV now has a full menu of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS).
Audi's driver assistance systems are:
- Audi Pre Sense Basic: This can detect when a forward collision is about to occur and can prepare the Q5's interior and occupants for the impact.
- Audi Pre Sense Rear: Performs the same task as Pre Sense Basic but identifies when the impact will occur at the rear of the vehicle.
- Audi Pre Sense City: A forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking system.
- Audi Side Assist: This blind-spot monitoring system includes a rear cross-traffic alert. It warns the driver when other vehicles are in the Q5's blind spots while driving or reversing.
- Lane Departure Warning: This system warns the driver when the Q5 is departing a lane without the use of the turn signal to indicate a lane change. If the driver fails to heed the warning, a lane-keeping assist function can steer the Audi back into its lane.
- Adaptive Cruise Control with Traffic Jam Assist: Automatically maintains a safe following distance with vehicles ahead, brings the Q5 to a stop with traffic, and resumes travel when the vehicle ahead is moving again.
- Park Assist Plus: This feature equips the vehicle with front and rear parking sensors.
- High Beam Assist: This feature adds automatic high-beam headlights for improved visibility after dark.
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The Premium Plus trim adds Active Lane Assist, which semi-autonomously steers to center the Q5 within its travel lane. In addition, a Top View Camera System provides a 360-degree view of what's surrounding the Q5. Prestige trim adds Park Assist, which supplies semi-autonomous steering into parking spaces while the driver operates the powertrain and brakes.
Overall, the Q5's ADAS works well, though the adaptive cruise controls live on a stubby stalk protruding low from the left side of the steering column and can be challenging to see and use. The only complaint I have about system operation during this evaluation is that on at least one occasion, the lane-departure warning system produced a false warning with an equally wrong attempt to correct a course that did not require correction.
Crash-test ratings are favorable. The Q5 Sportback earned a Top Safety Pick+ score from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in 2022. As of this writing, that accolade has not transferred to the 2023 model, so
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has given the 2023 Q5 Sportback safety ratings, and the SUV earns an overall five-star score with five-star results in every evaluation except for rollover resistance, where the SUV receives a four-star rating.
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Audi Q5 Shines on Twisty Roads
Audi equips the Q5 Sportback with its 45 TFSI engine as standard equipment. It is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 261 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, paired with a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission, or DCT. A Quattro Ultra all-wheel-drive system is standard, powering the SUV's front wheels until traction conditions, the selected driving mode, or performance demands require power delivery to the Q5's rear wheels.
You can choose from Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, Individual, and Offroad driving modes using the Audi Drive Select buttons on the dashboard. Despite its hefty 4,178-pound curb weight, Audi claims the Q5 Sportback can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, and the official EPA fuel economy rating is 25 mpg when using the recommended premium fuel. In addition, the Q5 Sportback can tow up to 4,400 pounds.
When driving in everyday situations in Auto mode, the DCT exhibits the traditional behaviors of an automated manual transmission. There are occasional delays as the transmission shifts between gears, and attuned drivers who understand how a DCT works are more likely to accept what can feel like a lack of powertrain smoothness. On the other hand, a typical consumer may be less forgiving. In my opinion, aside from the occasional shift delays and turbocharger lag, either of which can cause aggravation depending on the situation, the transmission works well with the 2.0-liter four.
Generally, the Audi Q5 Sportback feels quick and agile, and like with other German-engineered vehicles, it's easy to travel too fast in this SUV. That's why I recommend programming and using the speed warning system, accessible through the infotainment system. With Prestige trim, the Q5 Sportback comes with acoustic front windows to help reduce noise, and they're effective. However, the test vehicle's sizable P255/40R-21 Pirelli P Zero tires produced plenty of road noise on freeways composed of coarse material.
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Those low-profile tires, heavy 21-inch wheels, and the test model's sport suspension also contributed to a stiff ride in town. This firmness, coupled with the DCT's behavior and occasional sharp-impact reverberation coming up through the front suspension, could culminate in a perception that the Q5 Sportback lacks refinement. So, skip the Black Optic Sport package if you want a softer, more luxurious, better-isolated ride.
However, if you plan to exercise your Audi Q5 Sportback on mountain switchbacks, you'll want that package for its sport-tuned suspension and the 21-inch wheels with grippy Pirellis. Perhaps I had low expectations, but while running the Q5 across the Santa Monica Mountains, I found the Q5 Sportback to be a predictable and tossable compact crossover that conserved so much velocity in the curves and corners that its modestly powered engine wasn't a liability.
Switching the SUV into its Dynamic driving mode eliminates much of the DCT's undesirable behavior, and you can more easily surf the waves of torque the turbo four produces. I did not discern much else that was different in Dynamic mode. For example, the steering effort still felt too light, and the response was not as crisp and quick as some might prefer.
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The sport suspension does an excellent job of controlling unwanted body motions, even if it lacks adaptive damping. There is some rocking and pitching as the road winds this way and bends that way but nothing sudden or severe. Also, though the test vehicle's brakes warmed and began to rumble, I experienced no pedal shudder or brake fade.
Granted, the Audi Q5 Sportback isn't as engaging to drive in this environment as a BMW X4 or a Porsche Macan. However, while the Audi is not as dynamically aggressive as the BMW or Porsche, it comes across as more approachable and predictable. I found it genuinely pleasurable to drive.
As for fuel economy, the test vehicle returned 23.5 mpg on the evaluation loop, coming up short of the EPA fuel economy rating of 25 mpg. I guess I may have had a little too much fun whizzing down Mulholland Highway.
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Is the 2023 Audi Q5 a Good SUV?
The 2023 Audi Q5 Sportback is a good SUV. Although it is more expensive than a standard Q5, it is also more stylish and doesn't give up a noticeable amount of passenger or cargo room. It comes with more standard engine power and features than a standard Q5 40 TFSI, and it also boasts impressive safety ratings.
However, if the Q5 Sportback isn't appealing to you, there are alternatives in the class. Rivals include the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, BMW X4, Infiniti QX55, Jaguar E-Pace, Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, Porsche Macan, and Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. Electric alternatives abound, too, including the Audi Q4 E-tron Sportback. Others are the BMW i4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Kia EV6, Tesla Model Y, and Volvo C40 Recharge.
