Audi Q5: Compact Luxury AWD

Motoring Channel Staff - 21/Apr/2008

Beijing, China — In the last couple of years Audi has forged ahead with a brace of new vehicles, including the A5 Coupe and the R8 mid-engined sports car, and now you can add the Q5 compact luxury AWD to the list.

Launched in China at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show, Audi's new 4WD is the 'baby brother' to the Q7 medium SUV.

With an all-new look that could be described as "by-the-book" for Audi, the new model is expected to swell Audi's revenues into 2009 and will rival similarly sized vehicles from BMW (X3), Mercedes Benz (GLK) and Land Rover (Freelander II).

Featuring LED running lights, the new model is very much a next generation Audi. 

With "sporty elegance and artfully sculpted forms, the design of the Q5 is perfectly in tune with the character of Audi as a brand," explains the car maker.

It's being touted as "The sportiest SUV in its class" and a lot of attention has been paid to performance, with the inclusion of a new 7-speed automatic gearbox.

Built on the Audi A4 platform, the Q5 will be more affordable than the larger Q7 luxury SUV but will still feature a range of high-tech driving systems including:

Parking system with rearview camera
Lane assist (lane departure warning system)
An electric tailgate and swiveling trailer hitch
Tyre pressure monitoring system
Audi side assist (warns of hazards when changing lanes)
Adaptive cruise control
Keyless access to the vehicle
Large panoramic glass sunroof with tilt
Triple-zone climate control
Sun blinds for rear side windows

Along with this range of upmarket features, Audi's new compact AWD will be marketed as a lifestyle vehicle and as such will be aligned with adventure sports such as mountain biking, surfing, and skiing. The European car maker calls the Q5 "a multi-talent [vehicle] for sport, leisure-time and family activities".

Rudimentary off-road systems such as Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system will be part of the package, and an increased ride height of 200mm will provide the German designed vehicle with some ruggedness, but the vehicle appears to tailored for sealed roads.

Audi regularly refers to the Q5 as a "performance SUV" which is understandable when 20-inch alloy wheels are available. Standard equipment will be 17-inch wheels with 235/65 tyres.

The Q5 will be offered with 'Audi Drive Select' which appears to be a road-biased system designed to improve the handling levels of the SUV on tight and twisting roads. 

Audi Drive Select comprises two major systems: one is the electronic shock absorber system, the other is a dynamics steering system. At the touch of a button it can change the way the Q5 feels, from relaxed and smooth to a much firmer setting suited to harder driving.

The biggest giveaway that the Q5 has been designed for the road and not the country is the quattro all-wheel drive setting. In normal operating circumstances drive power is split 40:60 front-to-rear. 

The rear-biased power delivery will give the compact SUV a sportier on-road feel, though Audi has confirmed that the AWD quattro system can divert up to 65% of drive to the front wheels and up to 85% of drive to the rear in certain low-grip situations.

As well as it's luxury pretensions and high tech driving systems, Audi will be put a large emphasis on the Q5's powertrains, which include petrol and diesel engines.

Exemplifying the Q5's "performance SUV" label with be one of the company's first uses of the new 7-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission.

When the Q5 is first launched in Europe power will come from three engines - one petrol and two diesel engines. They are as follows:

Petrol
2.0 TFSI: 155kW, 350Nm (8.5L/100km)

Diesel
2.0 TDI: 125kW, 350Nm (6.7L/100km)
3.0 TDI: 176kW, 500Nm (7.7L/100km)

The new 2.0-litre TFSI is a revision of the previous generation turbo petrol engine that has seen use in vehicles like the Audi TT and VW Golf GTI. Outputting an extra 8kW, power rises from 147kw the 155kW(211hp) and torque takes a huge hike from 280Nm to 350Nm @ 1500rpm. This enables the Q5 TFSI to sprint from zero to 100km/h in 7.2 seconds.

The diesel engines are similarly powerful, with big torque at low engine speeds and even lower emissions than the petrol model. 

When the Audi Q5 is powered by the 2.0-litre turbo diesel, it outputs 125kW (170hp) and 350Nm of torque @ 1750rpm. The entry-level diesel model will hit 100km/h in 9.5 seconds.

The 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 diesel is most powerful model in the Q5 range for now, outputting 176kW (240hp) and 500Nm of torque from 1500rpm. It's also the fastest model, accelerating from zero to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds, with a top speed of 225km/h.

While most of the emphasis will be on the Audi Q5's new look and it's high performance engines, the German marque has also invested heavily in the Q5's interior design. 

Along with a high level of standard equipment, including plenty of safety systems such as ESP and multiple airbags, the new Q5 measures 4.63 meters long, around the size of a medium car. 

It's 1.88 meters wide and 1.65 meters high which makes it "sportier than any of its competitors" and results in a low drag coefficient of 0.33, which is a class-leading aerodynamic result according to Audi.

Along with leather upholstery, understated instruments, an 8-speaker stereo and other low key, upmarket details, the Q5's interiors can be optioned with all the best stuff: TVs, DVDs, speech recognition systems, hard disk drives, iPod interfaces, and Bang & Olufsen premium sound systems.

An electromechanical parking brake, intelligent chip key, and climate control will be standard equipment, as will a new fuel efficiency system that 'recommends' the ideal gear for efficient driving in the given situation. 

Audi has also tweaked the MMI interior systems controller, which is "the next generation of the best operating system on the market – with even more intuitive graphics and control via the large rotary pushbutton" claims Audi.

While the boot is well sized, 540 litres expanding to 1560 liters with the rear seat folded down, Audi insists that the Q5 can tow up to 2.0 tonnes of cargo in a trailer.

One of the stand out features for Audi's new compact AWD is the climate-controlled drink holder. It can keep drinks hot or cold. 

While the new 7-speed 'S' tronic transmission and Drive Select systems will improve the way the SUV drives, and engines will reduce fuel consumption, it's features like the climate-controlled drink holder that will spark interest.

The new Audi Q5 was launched in China because Audi will build the Q5 in China for the Chinese market. It is Audi's first vehicle to built in China.

There will also be German-built models to be sold in Europe and America. 

It is not yet clear which Q5 model will come to Australia, but Audi Australia is very keen to get an allocation of models for import into Australia. The vehicle is not expected in Australia until early 2009 as European demand is expected to run high.

Related Articles:
- Audi A4 (2008)
- Audi TT 1.8 TFSI (2008)
- Audi A3 Cabriolet (2008)
- Audi RS 6 (2008)
- Audi S3 (Road Test)
- Audi Metroproject quattro Concept (2009)
- Audi Cross Cabriolet quattro Concept (2007)
- Audi A4 (2008)
- Audi TT Coupe (Road Test)
- Audi RS 4 (Road Test)
- Audi S8 (Road Test)