2021 Audi Q5 45 TFSI: owner review

"Oh, and there's only one Navarra Blue Q5 left on the ship that's about to dock anytime this week," the salesperson said straight to my face when I casually enquired about stock.

Did I get duped by the salesperson? Maybe. Could I have gotten a better deal elsewhere on another similar car? Potentially but doubt it. Do I hold any regrets 10 months later about my purchase? Absolutely not.

Seems like the age-old 'get in or you'll miss the boat' (no pun intended) salesperson tactic worked on me, as I was also in a deadlock between choosing either a BMW X3 or Volvo XC60 for my next vehicle. Although, the free five-year warranty and dealer servicing promotion plus stamp duty/rego paid for at the time certainly made my choice easier.

Five weeks after signing my name on the dotted line, I took delivery of my brand-new Audi Q5.

Audi was certainly the stranger choice, as it was the eldest model of the other two choices, and its interior certainly did show its age compared to the others. The giant iPad tacked on the front centre console was certainly a bit of a turn-off, and the weird cupholder lid/phonecharger sliding thing was, well, odd.

Oh, and no sunglasses holder (It's a big deal for me) dropped points for me. I probably also wouldn't have minded if they coated the wireless phone-charging surface with a substance that isn't as slippery as teflon. Other than those minor things, I was pretty happy with everything.

The 45 TFSI, with mine being the base model, came jam-packed full of features including three-zone climate control, heated front seats, wireless CarPlay and, best of all in my opinion, adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance. Surprisingly, it actually works very nicely, with the car being able to detect the lines on the road and keeping within the middle of the lane, without much driver intervention or the need for a spare pair of underwear in the boot.

Luckily for me, I haven't really tested the collision avoidance system yet (and I don't intend to), though I can say it isn't very intrusive and is happy to work silently in the background.

The seats have plenty of under-thigh support and hug the driver nicely. You never feel as if you're being sloshed around in corners, yet it doesn't make you feel like you're being hugged to death by a bear. The stereo system, despite not being Audi's premium Bang and Olufsen system, sounds top-notch for standard speakers. I'm no audiophile, but they are simply night-and-day compared to the speakers in my previous BMW 330i.

I admit the Virtual Cockpit looks very nice, and works very well, especially with Google Earth maps right in front of you, and is very fast and responsive. However, the eye candy really wears off after a month or two, and you really do learn to appreciate cars with old-fashioned analogue dials that just have that certain charm and nostalgia about them. It's like comparing an Apple watch to a Seiko: both are great, but the Seiko is definitely more charming. It's hard to explain really.

The iPad-like screen stuck on the front isn't very visually appealing, although looks are subjective. Either way, it works well and is lag-free with Audi updating the processor in the 2021 model. Audi's MMI system, however, while I wouldn't say it is a letdown, is vastly inferior to BMW's iDrive system, and I'm comparing it to my previous BMW 330i that was built in 2016.

I just think in terms of efficiency and layout, the iDrive system does it better with fewer menus and settings to get to where you want. That's not to say the MMI system is bad, it's fine and it works well, but there are definitely better systems out there. With that being said, I use Apple's CarPlay 99 per cent of the time anyway, so it isn't a bother to me at all.

Parking is a breeze with a very high resolution front and rear camera, as well as a 360-degree bird's-eye view. The visibility outside is great and I've never had an issue with blind spots. The auto reverse parallel-park system works well, and it does manage to park the car in some rather tight spots; however, I did find it to excessively dry-steer the tyres a lot. It's just something that irks me, and I'm sure it happens to all auto-park systems regardless of the manufacturer.

The build quality is outstanding with everything being firm and solid, and the buttons on the wheel make a very addictive 'click' sound. There are hard plastics in the car, but these are mainly limited to the bottom door wells of both the front and rear. Wireless CarPlay works flawlessly and is able to connect to my phone 100 per cent of the time.

There's 550L of boot space, but do keep in mind that there is a lip between the floor and the entrance of the boot, so sliding things in and out isn't as easy as it seems. And you'll be glad to know that there is a spare tyre underneath, albeit a space-saver (I'm looking at you BMW).

One thing I have noticed, however, and I wouldn't say this is a negative at all, is that I do find myself having to close the door a bit harder than other cars in general. I'm not sure if this is a testament to build quality or whether it's a design fault, but it is something that's interesting to point out.

On the road, everything feels rock solid. You barely notice the DSG in Comfort mode (VAG DSGs have definitely come a long way), and it does become a bit more lively in Dynamic mode, with the gear changes happening at a higher rev count and the throttle being more sensitive. However, there isn't much change to the suspension settings as they aren't adaptive.

Now, I know what we all think about mild hybrids, but I do think the one in the Q5 has its place... With caveats of course. The engine turns on and off seamlessly as you coast along long stretches of road, and can stay off as long as you're coasting above a certain speed. And the fuel savings are noticeable, which I'll explain a bit later.

However, the issue is when you brake to stop, the engine suddenly springs back to life, only for it to turn back off when you're fully stopped. A peculiar little occurrence, but you never really notice it unless you look at your dash, since the start/stop works so seamlessly and without much intrusion. How much strain does it put on the battery, though? I guess I'll find out hopefully in the very far future.

The Quattro system does a good job of keeping everything stable, and I haven't noticed any tyre slip despite driving on some very wet days. I probably wouldn't take the Q5 to do any serious off-roading, though I would be confident in tackling fire trails or the occasional hike to campsites. It does have an Off-road mode, though I haven't used it much at all.

Being the four-cylinder 185kW TFSI engine, the Q5 is no slouch. Accelerating to overtake is simply no issue, though being an SUV, simple physics dictates that you'll definitely feel the body roll through corners more so than a sedan, and this is most true with the Q5, although I wouldn't say it has excessive body roll.

The engine barely makes a noise, even under hard acceleration, though I'm not certain whether this is due to some really good soundproofing in the car or whether the engine is genuinely a silent one. Speaking of soundproofing, the road noise is existent, yet not at all much of a nuisance or much of a bother despite running on 19-inch wheels.

More or less, it was never designed to be a race car, but it's obvious that the engineers over at Audi still want the driver to feel some sort of engagement with the road. I think if you're aiming for a true powerhouse of an SUV, the SQ5 would be a better pick.

Fuel use is respectable for this segment, but you're probably not going to impress Greenpeace either. Around town I'm averaging about 9L/100km, but on freeways I'm able to achieve 6.5–7L/100km. Mind you, I don't have much of a lead foot and I keep it in Comfort mode for the vast majority of the time. Despite what others may say, I do think the mild hybrid does save on fuel, but whether it's worth it or not is up for debate.

Interesting fact, the Q5's drivetrain system actually disengages the driveshaft during long freeway runs, effectively becoming a FWD and saving fuel, which probably explains the excellent highway mileage. However, as soon as acceleration is applied, the rear wheels re-engage in a split second. Best of all, you don't really know that this is all happening.

I think the most important element that the Q5 achieves is that it brings a smile to my face every time I go for a drive, whether it's on a road trip or the commute to work. Sure, it has its minor quirks, and its interior is slightly dated and isn't as visually vibrant as, say, the BMW X3 or XC60, but it does a fantastic job at making every drive pleasurable.

Whether I got an 'amazing' deal or not, if a car is able to make me smile like the Q5 does every day, it's a win in my book.

Owner: Martin

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