Road Test
Audi Q5 2.0 TDI SE
Test date 14 January 2009
Price as tested £30,260
For Interior space, engine refinement, saloon-like handling
AgainstRestless ride, short top gear, bland styling, offset driving position
When it comes to economics we have the law of supply and demand, and then there’s the law of Ingolstadt: if a market niche exists, sooner or later an Audi will arrive that fills it. Two years ago the Q7 appeared, the new letter signifying Audi’s SUV range. Now we have the Q5, and inevitably before long they’ll be joined by a smaller Q3. If nothing else, you cannot question Audi’s tenacity for covering the bases.
As with its larger sibling, the Q5 is not a serious off-road tool, but rather the Audi for those who want a mid-sizes estate but like an elevated driving position. It is Ingolstadt’s response to the Land Rover Freelander 2, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60.
From launch, Audi is keeping things simple, with just three engines and each with a prescribed transmission. The only petrol option is the 2.0 TFSI, which gets the latest seven-speed incarnation of DSG (or S-Tronic), as does the larger of the two diesels, the 3.0-litre V6. Want to change gears yourself? Then your only option, for the moment at least, is the model tested here, the 2.0 TDI.
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