Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI Quattro 2009 review

The kiddie down the street gets a new toy and the one closer to home wants one as well.

It matters not a jot that they don't really need one — after all, the toy box is pretty full. Lots of shiny new toys in there already.

Still, what can you do? Can't let the neighbours get away in the `who's got what’ stakes, so a new toy it is.

Audi's is called the Q5 ... and you've got to say, it's pretty impressive.

The little brother of the rather more imposing — and environmentally insensitive — Q7 is aimed squarely at BMW's X3, Volvo’s XC60 and, to some degree, even at its little cousin, the VW Tiguan.

What is certain is that it is going to hit plenty of hot buttons, from size to styling to performance. If you can afford it, are married, aged around 45 and very internet savvy Audi is looking for you.

"The Q5 is an expansion of the product range to an area where we haven't been before," Audi Australia's general manager for marketing, Immo Buschman, says. "It is progressive and sporty with a lot of technology which has flowed down from the A6 and A8 (sedans).

"It is a summary of a lot of different aspects — safety, design, performance, technology ..."

Drivetrains and pricing

The Q5 arrives with an engine range of four — two petrol, two diesel, two four-cylinders, two V6s with a price spread from $59,900 to $71,900.

Immediately available are the four-cylinder 2.0 TFSI at $59,900 (the similarly-priced 2.0 TDI will arrive in about a month) and the sweet 3.0 TDI at $71,900.

The petrol 3.2-litre V6 FSI will be in showrooms around the same time as the 2.0-litre diesel and will start at $69,900.

Audi is expecting to sell around 1500 Q5s in a full year with 70 per cent of the sales split between the two four-cylinder models while the 3.0-litre diesel is predicted to account for 25 per cent of traffic and the V6 petrol a mere 5 per cent.

The pricing is purely indicative because if you want to add the extra bling to your new toy it is going to cost you. Even metallic paint is an eye-watering $1900.

Optional features

The cars as tested on the launch driver were bristling with options. Our 3.0 TDI model was pumped with features like the $6200 Multi Media Interface with Audi Music Interface (that's a 40 gigabyte hard drive which will hold 10,000 songs as long as they aren't i-tunes or from a commercial CD because those files are protected and can't be downloaded), Xenon headlights at $2283, the adaptive suspension and steering package at $5215 ... that lifts the basic $71,900 car well into the $80,000-range and that's just for starters. Throw in some bigger wheels, adaptive cruise control, lane and side assist, reversing camera and a folding front seat and six-figures here we come.

You can perform a similar inflation exercise with the four-cylinder models.

The real shame is that while all the bells and whistles are nice there was no way of telling from the launch drive just how good a basic drive-away model may be.

The suspicion is that with A4 underpinnings, quattro all-wheel drive and a cabin trim comparable to anything we have come to expect from Audi there wouldn't be a lot to dislike.

Driving

As to what we could experience ... well, BMW had best look to their laurels, this is no longer a one-horse race.

Not only has the XC60 come out to play, the Q5 will lay seige to the high ground BMW's X3 has previously enjoyed almost unchallenged.

Slip into the Q5's cabin — an easy task given the car's high ride and ample room — and it is immediately obvious that there is nothing nasty and SUV-ish lurking nearby.

It is all very ... well, very Audi. All the necessaries are there, they are all nicely trimmed and well positioned and everything feels nice and rich.

What the Q5 does do is make the most of the space there is. The rear-seats slide back and forward over a 100mm range for extra legroom or extra luggage space, the seats fold in a 40:20:40 split to meet almost any luggage-lugging requirements and even the front seat — for an optional $350 — will fold flat to allow an extra-long load.

On the move the 3.0-litre diesel is the stand-out winner. The strong, silent type — great mid-range urge and as quiet as some less-refined petrol types.

Ride on the adaptive suspension ranges from firm to really, really firm — sort of uncomfortable unless you are setting out to toss the car through some really twisty roads.

Do that and the dynamic setting on the suspension makes a lot of sense. It not only focuses the attention of the dampers but sparks the seven-speed double-clutch auto into life as well.

Body roll is minimal, the Q5 turns in happily with minimum disruption and a whole bag of grip — it will even allow for little mid-corner corrections with getting all fussy and unsettled.

Steering feel is initially quite heavy, to an artificial degree, and while not particularly communicative there is enough feedback to instill confidence that where you point you will go.

During the launch drive Audi set the cars over around 35kms of broken bush track strewn with loose rocks, moderate washouts and plenty of loose gravel. There was little that could be called real off-road driving but it was enough to show that the Q5 is not going to blush at the prospect of getting that out-of-the-way picnic spot or out to the farm.

Traction and stability control are switchable to a more tolerant off-road setting which allows for a little necessary slip on softer surfaces.

Our run over the rough surfaces, at a fairly descent clip, had little effect on the 3.0-litre diesel although on the previous day two of the cars had failed to proceed with what is believed to be hydraulic leaks in the steering.

Audi is still investigating the cause.

Price: from $59,900 to $71,900

Engine: 2.0L/4-cylinder turbo diesel 125kW/350Nm; 2.0L/4-cylinder turbo 155kW/350Nm; 3.0L/V6 turbo diesel 176kW/500Nm; 3.2L/V6 199kW/330Nm

Transmission: 7-speed S-Tronic auto

Economy: 6.8L/100km (2.0 TDI); 8.5L/100km (2.0 TFSI); 7.5L/100km (3.0 TDI); 9.3L/100km (3.2 FSI)