Road Test: 2015 Audi Q5 3.0 TDI Quattro Technik
Story and photo by John LeBlanc
The automobile business really is a mix of art and science. Yet the success of Audi’s Q5 can be equated to a simple mathematical formula where X equals “crossover” and Y equates to “luxury”, the two biggest growth areas in the automobile business since the turn of this century.
Since its arrival in 2008, the all-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door Q5 has been a smash sales success for Audi. So even with fresher rivals seemingly popping up on a weekly basis, the Q5 continues to sell well. For the first six months of 2015, almost one-third of the over 13,000 Audis sold in Canada have been Q5s.
One reason the Q5 scores with Canadians is its right-sized packaging. Based on the current Audi A4 sedan and A5 coupe nuts and bolts, the Q5 is a bit of a tweener, sitting between the compact A3-based Q3 and near-full-size Q7 three-row crossover in the German automaker’s crossover lineup.
And with a choice of three TFSI gas engines, one TDI diesel and one gas-electric hybrid powerplant, the Q5 offers more engine choices than luxury crossover rivals like the Cadillac SRX, BMW X3, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Lexus RX, Lincoln MKC, Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class and Porsche Macan.
Between the starter $44,695 Q5 2.0 TFSI (all prices include freight and pre-delivery inspection fees) and the sporty $60,595 SQ5 TFSI sits my tester: a 2015 Audi Q5 3.0 TDI diesel. Prices start at $51,995. My $56,095 tester in Technic trim added 19-inch alloy wheels, a massive glass roof, heated rear seats and adaptive headlights, plus $4,090 worth of metallic paint, S Line Sport Package and upgraded Bang & Olufsen Sound System.
Once you have decided to go down the diesel path with your Q5, you may also be considering its chief rival: BMW’s X3. However, the Bimmer only comes with a turbocharged four-cylinder diesel. As such, the turbocharged six-cylinder Audi diesel offers more performance with a minimal sacrifice at the pumps.
The Q5 TDI’s turbocharged 3.0-litre diesel puts out 272 horsepower, but a more compelling 428 pound-feet of torque. Those are increases of 91 and 148, respectively, over the BMW. Via its standard Quattro all-wheel-drive and eight-speed automatic gearbox, the Q5 diesel will propel itself from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in only 6.7 seconds — about 1.4 seconds quicker than a comparably equipped $55,454 BMW X3 xDrive28i.
At the same time, the Q5 TDI is estimated to return a combined city and highway estimate of 8.8 litres per 100 km. That’s obviously not as parsimonious as the less swift BMW’s 7.9 L/100 km combined number, but typical of my driving style in a torque-rich diesel, I scored a very encouraging 7.8 L/100 km in my time in the Audi.
Number addicts can fiddle with the Q5’s numbers if they want. But, subjectively, I’ll take the Audi six-cylinder diesel over the louder and less smooth BMW four-cylinder diesel every time. And the more sophisticated nature of the Q5 TDI is echoed on how the crossover makes its way down the road as well.
More car-like to drive than most crossovers, the strongest driving impression the Q5 TDI leaves is that of refinement. Wind noise, road noise and engine noise are quite well in-check like similarly priced yet less-capacious luxury sedans. Admittedly, up against its Q5 3.0 TFSI gas sibling, the TDI diesel is slightly louder but is still relatively quiet at idle.
Once on the move, the Q5’s diesel engine and the eight-speed autobox end up being great mates; offering confident acceleration that makes the TDI a treat for nipping through urban traffic.
Let’s be clear, though, the Q5 TDI is not a sports wagon when it comes to 10/10ths driving. Keen drivers will find its steering is a bit too light, and it will roll a bit too much in the corners. If you want a sports wagon-like Audi crossover, I recommend a spin in the sportier SQ5.
On the market now for seven years, buyers who have any sort of experience with current Audis will feel right at home in the Q5 TDI’s cabin.
As has become the norm, the Audi crossover’s interior ergonomics are spot-on. There’s nary a button or dial that is not within the grasp of normal-sized human beings. All of its instrumentation is logically in line with the sight of the driver and is clear and easy to read. And, as usual, every little bit of trim is finely fitted and feels robust.
While the Q5 TDI’s driving position feels more sportwagon than crossover, its rear seat is also no penalty box.
Three-across seating is not a hardship for adults. And the design ends up being quite functional and flexible. The 40/20/40 split/fold-down rear seats allow for longer objects to slide in via the middle seat portion that can be used if only two passengers are needed in the back. And the two outward rear seats can be folded via levers found in the rear cargo bay.
As a “luxury crossover”, you could argue that the Q5 doesn’t have to be as good as it is for Audi to sell as many as it does. There are plenty of rivals that sell well that are not as nearly as sophisticated to drive or be driven in as the Audi. And while number geeks can assess the Audi’s sales success and performance objectively via numbers, seat of the pants drivers will also appreciate the Q5 TDI’s all-around capabilities.
In the end, with its right-sized packaging, balanced ride and handling, refined interior and frugal and smooth V6 diesel, the 2015 Audi Q5 TDI Quattro is a pleaser at heart.