There's plenty of storage places, and all the bits you touch feel pleasant under hand.
Audi There's plenty of storage places, and all the bits you touch feel pleasant under hand.
Audi Rear legroom is not quite as cramped as it looks here.
Audi Rear legroom is not quite as cramped as it looks here.
Audi There's a decent sized cargo area.
Jonathan Gitlin There's a decent sized cargo area.
Jonathan Gitlin Rear legroom is not quite as cramped as it looks here.
Audi There's a decent sized cargo area.
Jonathan Gitlin There's a new drive mode called Balanced, which fits between Comfort and Dynamic; on the road this mode is well-named as it indeed provides a good balance between ride comfort and responsiveness, with just enough but not too much weight to the steering.
There's also an individual mode that lets you pick and choose your own suspension, transmission, and steering settings, plus off-road and off-road plus modes, which we'll encounter again later.In fact, for a midsize crossover, the Q5 proved quite engaging from behind the wheel.
It doesn't lean too much when cornering, although if you plan to negotiate a sequence of twisty tarmac, the lower ride height in Dynamic mode, plus the firmer air springs, is definitely the way to go.
When you're not in a hurry or grinding along the highway, the ride is comfortable, and up front, there is little road noise thanks to some acoustic glass.
I would like to try a car fitted with the conventional steel springs, however.The cockpit layout is similar to the electric Q6 e-tron, with the same "digital stage" that includes a second infotainment screen for the passenger.
But the materials here feel of a higher qualitymy guess is that weight saving was much less of a concern for the gasoline-powered Q5 than the battery-carrying Q6.
There is plenty of cargo room in the back, and perhaps a little more rear legroom than the photo would suggest38 inches (965 mm), according to the spec sheet.
The SQ5 can be specced with Nappa leather.
Audi The SQ5 can be specced with Nappa leather.
Audi I doubt any SQ5 driver will take the unpaved way home, but if they do, the vehicle can handle it.
Audi I doubt any SQ5 driver will take the unpaved way home, but if they do, the vehicle can handle it.
Audi The third brake light projects a message onto the rear window.
Audi The third brake light projects a message onto the rear window.
Audi I doubt any SQ5 driver will take the unpaved way home, but if they do, the vehicle can handle it.
Audi The third brake light projects a message onto the rear window.
Audi The second half of our day was spent in the SQ5, most of it above 10,000 feet (3 km).
Even in the thin air, the car was responsive, with the extra power and torque over the Q5 quite apparent.
Audi was evidently confident in the SQ5, since our drive route included more than an hour on unpaved roads.
None of the cars, all equipped with 21-inch wheels and lower-profile tires, had any trouble with punctures, and the off-road plus mode, which raises up the suspension, changes the throttle mapping, and disables the stability control, coped perfectly well over stretches of road that few luxury SUVs will ever face.
I can report that as occupants, we weren't even particularly jostled.