Audi Q5 (08 on) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 27 April 2009
With sharp styling, a comfortable cabin and the best handling of any off-roader, the Q5 is a superb all-round 4x4. It's considerably smaller than the Q7, making it much easier to drive and park, but still offers decent interior space and a large boot too. It doesn't have much off-road ability, but it's not designed to be taken into tricky terrain, instead it drives like a car on the road with minimal body roll and a refined ride. There's a good choice of engines, including the refined yet frugal 2.0 TDI, along with an excellent seven-speed automatic gearbox. If you're after a premium 4x4, but don't need the ruggedness of the Land Rover Freelander, the Q5 is the best model around.
4.5 out of 5

Other Audi reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

In terms of list price, the Q5 is competitive with alternatives like the BMW X3 and comes fairly well-equipped too. Although the absence of leather seats on entry-level models is poor considering the price tag. However road tax and fuel economy are both reasonable. The biggest costs are likely to be insurance (group 14 for the 2.0 TDI up to group 17 for the 3.0 TDI) along with parts and servicing at Audi dealerships.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,805 - £2,046 *

Diesel

£1,424 - £1,732 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Variable according to on-board computer.

Warranty

Three years or 60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£170.00 - £270.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
    162
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    218
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The four-wheel drive Q5 performs well on the eco-front considering the performance all three engines offer. The greenest model is the 2.0 TDI which emits 175g/km of CO2 and can return 42mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2