Audi Q5 55 TFSIe quattro 2019 UK review

Only if you really push do you notice the added weight of the hybrid system, but so long as you aren’t after the last degrees of dynamic verve, as surely few Q5 buyers are, the results are close to excellence.

The electric drive helps meter out measured performance almost on demand, and the all-out performance is eye-catchingly rapid should you need to race from the lights or merge onto the motorway in a hurry. As ever, drive in electric-only mode and you're smothered in silence and can help yourself to lashings of torque; it really is the finest way to travel.

It’s also dutifully comfortable on all surfaces and at all speeds, even on the 19in wheels and standard steel suspension of our test car (optional air suspension is available on higher trim levels). Refinement is top-notch, even when the engine kicks in, and it delivers a decently sporty note if you really open the taps.

Beyond that, all of the usual Audi attributes around fit and finish and the quality of the materials apply, and you’d be hard pressed to find any significant differences to a standard Q5 beyond a few different dials and gauges and the electric filler cap on the offside. The only major negative is that the boot capacity is reduced by a substantial 95 litres, the space sacrificed to house the batteries. For such a large car, that’s enough to put off some buyers.

In our use, predominantly over a long motorway journey, but with some low-speed town driving mixed in, it recorded 35mpg. That's disappointing against the on-paper claims but decent enough against expectations for a non-hybrid petrol or even a performance diesel. The biggest challenge will be explaining that to anyone lured in by the promise of 131mpg.

The Q5 TFSIe is far from cheap to buy, but if you can make use of its ability to either swerve the taxman or run on ever so cheap electric at home or work, it could make perfect sense, because it's also a darned good all-rounder that mixes eco credentials and pacey performance credibly, and which in part sits on the cusp of being brilliant. 

Today, the Volvo XC60 T8 is probably its nearest rival, but this car is a shade better in almost every regard. Legislative changes mean there will be an onslaught of newer rivals to come, of course, but for now, Audi has landed a hugely compelling car.