Audi Q5 2009 Review

Audi Q5 2.0 TDI & 3.2 FSI

Not so much
>> Steering rack rattle in FSI
>> Firm ride
>> 2.0 TDI a little slow

3.2 FSI

2.0 TDI
Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine and Drivetrain: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

About our ratings

OVERVIEW

Audi expects just five per cent of buyers to choose the petrol V6 for their Q5 (more here). That reflects the shrinking number of customers for larger-displacement engines in SUVs when there's a diesel of equal distinction also available. The 3.0-litre TDI V6 variant of the Q5 already on sale is a very refined engine and only the most obdurately anti-diesel customer would necessarily choose the FSI powerplant over it. No surprise then that Audi expects to sell up to 25 per cent of its Q5 sales volume powered by the diesel V6.

At the other end of the scale (the FSI engine is the flagship), the Q5 with 2.0 TDI engine scores a bullseye for being affordable -- not least of all for dodging the Luxury Car Tax (LCT). It's a long story as to how this has happened, but basically Audi has taken advantage of a loophole in the most recent iteration of the tax legislation. This loophole exempts cars returning a combined-cycle fuel consumption figure at or below 7.0L/100km of LCT up to the sum of $75,000. Buyers of such cars -- and the Q5 2.0 TDI is one of them -- need not pay the LCT.

So with the two new variants and the 2.0 TFSI and 3.0 TDI variants already on sale, the Q5 is positioned to rival the BMW X3 -- including the LCT-free X3 xDrive20d -- and the Audi is also swapping blows with Volvo's XC60.

This review should be read in conjunction with our previous review here and the news story covering the new variants here, for information concerning the Q5's pricing, packaging and safety.

The 2.0 TDI's four-cylinder common-rail turbodiesel develops 125kW of power at 4200rpm and 350Nm of torque from 1750 to 2500rpm. Featuring efficiency measures like a variable-vane geometry turbocharger and DOHC valvetrain, the engine is good for a combined-cycle fuel consumption of 6.8L/100km and CO2 emissions totalling 179g/km.

According to Audi, the smaller diesel's fuel efficiency, combined with a 75-litre fuel tank, provides the Q5 2.0 TDI with a better touring range than any of its competitors.

For buyers less concerned with the environment or the hip-pocket nerve, the Q5 3.2 FSI has the power to reach a top speed of 234km/h, making it the fastest of the Q5 variants -- but it's also the least frugal in the range.

Peak power for the petrol V6 is 199kW at 6500rpm and peak torque of 330Nm occurs between 3000 and 5000rpm. Combined-cycle fuel consumption is 9.3L/100km for the DOHC V6. While the petrol V6 variant is the fastest Q5, it's not the quickest -- slower to 100km/h from a standing start than the 3.0-litre TDI variant by 0.4 seconds (6.9 versus 6.5sec).

From the longitudinally-mounted S tronic transmission, drive is transferred to the quattro constant four-wheel drive system, which can deliver as much as 65 per cent of torque to the front wheels or up to 85 per cent of torque to the rear.

The underpinnings for the new Q5 models are based on the A4 family and are shared with the variants already on sale and comprise a double-wishbone-type independent system at the front, a trapezoidal multi-link system at the rear, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, ventilated discs at the front and either solid discs (2.0 TDI) or ventilated discs (3.2 FSI) at the rear.

Where offroad stats for the Q5 are concerned, the Audi can wade up to 500mm, it can ride at a height of 200mm and it boasts approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 17.6 degrees, respectively.

ON THE ROAD

This vehicle is the economy and ecology exemplar of the Q5 range, but its relative lack of power is the downside. Then again, if ultimate performance is less important than range, for example, or slogging torque, the Q5 2.0 TDI has a lot to offer, including real refinement.

It's quite a sporty-sounding diesel, but also quiet when that's called for. It's not as subdued as the 3.0 TDI or as enjoyable as the 2.0 TFSI, but falling somewhere between -- with the added virtue of diesel running costs and a significant saving on purchase price by being LCT-free -- it's hard to go past.

Compared with the Q5 2.0 TFSI (petrol), the 2.0 TDI lags a bit from a standing start and the S tronic transmission can be a little slow to respond to driver input, even in sport mode. From a reasonably demanding drive program around Canberra, this variant posted an average fuel consumption figure of 9.0L/100km. It's a long way short of the combined-cycle figure, but that's forgivable, in light of the drive program.

The petrol V6 (FSI) in the Q5 is very willing to rev and is pretty smooth right across the rev range, but the low-rev urge of the 3.0 TDI is missing. At higher speeds, and with the opportunity to achieve full power potential, the petrol V6 will overtake the diesel and will reach a higher top speed. Fuel consumption in the Q5 FSI was 11.7L/100km over a range of country roads, both bitumen and dirt.

When it comes to cornering, the diesel four was at a slight advantage over the Q5 FSI. For turn-in, the 2.0 TDI was close to, but not quite as good as we recall for the 2.0 TFSI, meaning it was demonstrably better than the V6 variant's.

The Q5 FSI's steering response is closer in nature to that of the 3.0 TDI diesel V6. It's just not as sharp as the four-cylinder Q5's, but the combination of the (petrol) V6 powerplant's driveability and the responsiveness of the seven-speed S tronic transmission using the shift paddles makes the V6 a little easier to place on the road (the shift paddles were an option for the 2.0 TDI driven).

If the fours and the V6s mark two ends of the Q5's steering response, it's still a fine band.

All Q5 variants muster high levels of roadholding and very 'anti-SUV' handling. They're not sportscars and we maintain that Volvo's XC60 is ultimately a better drive from point to point -- as well as riding better -- but for whatever sort of straightline performance you want (speed/acceleration or fuel efficiency) the Q5 has the XC60 mostly covered. The XC60 T6 boasts more power and torque than any Q5 model, but every Audi variant offers better fuel economy. 

A couple of points to be made about the Q5… Steering rack rattle in the 3.0 TDI was encountered during the original Q5 launch. It also manifested itself in the 3.2 FSI model this time around. Seems like it's a peculiarity of the V6-engined Q5s. In fairness, it's not especially obvious until you tackle a corner with a bit of gusto.

The other point was the stability control's offroad mode. It's not so much a criticism of the system as an observation that it would be nice for the driver to be able to correct oversteer with gentle applications of power. Even in offroad mode, this is not possible, since the stability control shuts down engine torque. It's just as likely that the driver will have induced the oversteer on a trailing throttle, but there's no alternative to letting the electronics sort it all out for you. Just a suggestion for the next generation (8.2?) of ESP...

Overall though, the Q5 isn't a car crying out for major changes. It's a strong package with the usual Audi attributes of build quality, practicality and comfort. The new engines have just broadened its appeal further.

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