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Cars with Jan Coomans: Audi Q5 review — smooth operator

русская версия | english version

22 сентября 2021

Jan Coomans
photographer, mechanical expert and high-speed enthusiast. Mechanics are Jan’s work and hobby at the same time.

Audi’s Q5 model seems to have been with us for a very long time, so I found it surprising that it is still only in its second generation. But it’s recently been face-lifted, and we got to drive it on the roads near Rostov-on-Don. Which was probably about as representative a place as any to test a mid-size luxury SUV for the Russian market.

If you’re in the market for an SUV of this size, you won’t be stuck for choice. Pretty much every self-respecting car brand on the planet has one in their lineup these days. Even if we narrow things down to European cars, it’s a tough ask to pick a winner based on qualities alone. For most people, this isn’t a huge issue as they tend to have a pretty good idea of which car brand suits them the most. So they’ll just go with that. For those who are more open-minded about who should be building their next car, keep reading this review of the 2021 spec Audi Q5 45 TFSI.

Personally, I value cars that aren’t trying to pretend to be something they aren’t. For example, I see no reason to value “sportiness” in something like a family SUV. If you wanted that, you shouldn’t be getting an SUV as there are equally sized sedans which would be vastly superior for any kind of spirited driving. It would be logical to assume that someone who wants to buy this kind of car will value build quality, comfort and overall refinement much more than the feeling through the steering wheel when going through a corner slightly faster than they should. And with the Q5, Audi seems to have focused on precisely the right things.

The interior is typical Audi. Top of the line materials put together as well as anything that you’ll find at this price point. The engine is barely audible and the gearbox goes through its many ratios like a spoon through whipped cream. It’s an utterly relaxing car to drive. The suspension is also supple and forgiving of all but the very worst road surfaces — to the point where you stop driving around bumps and patched-up bits of asphalt and just go straight over them as you marvel at how well the car is soaking up all this nastiness. On Russian roads, this is a particularly useful talent.

Is it very exciting? No. Why would it be? It might be exciting to invite a recently escaped serial killer into your flat, but that doesn’t mean you should. On the inside, it does look like pretty much any other Audi and the engine won’t set your hair on fire. Though the 249 horsepower turbocharged 2 litre 4 cylinder feels plenty powerful and even in 2021 a car which does 0-100 km/h in barely more than 6 seconds is pretty darn quick. I mean, it might not make for exciting reading but it just works so well in the real world in the way that real people actually use their cars.

And, while I don’t pretend to speak for everyone, the Q5 does look rather pretty. At least the regular one does, as I’m not a huge fan of the silly trend to add coupe-inspired roof lines to SUVs. I don’t remember which manufacturer exactly started this, but I wish they’d cut it out. Stop cross-breeding body styles. Anyway, back to the Q5. I reckon it’s a very good looking car, and in a very non-generic way as well, which is something that I find a lot of contemporary cars struggle with. And there really is plenty of space inside for a young family for example — assuming they don’t have an even number of kids greater than two. Mid-size means “pretty damn large” these days, apparently. If you look at the next step up, the Q7, that is an absolutely massive piece of machinery. The Q5 is large enough to be practical to live with both inside and when you need to park it somewhere.

So, the Q5 gets you to where you’re going in style and comfort without the need to shout about anything. On the roads near Rostov-on-Don and the Utkino Country House Resort where we stayed, it was positively awesome. We did have to cancel the off-road driving as heavy rains had turned the course into a mud bath which the summer road tires would not have dealt with very well. But again: who would take their car off-roading in the first place? There’s plenty of ground clearance and traction from the Quattro all-wheel-drive system to deal with whichever surface you’ll likely be driving on in reality. And besides, the fact that a bit of time opened up in our schedule due to poor weather conditions meant that I could go for a spot of fishing, where I got the skin of my forehead sunburnt for good measure. Climate change in a nutshell, basically.

But in any case, I was left with a very solid impression of the latest Q5, it’s just so good at what you’d expect it to do on a daily basis. I would even say that, sitting inside, it probably feels like the most premium and upmarket car among its direct competitors. So if you do happen to be shopping around for an SUV of this size and class then you need to go and drive one. Odds are, you’ll be glad you did.