When Audi Cars Final killed R8We lost more than the company’s most powerful performance car — we lost its most beautiful design. Since then, we’ve had only E-Tron GT like the beautiful Audi, but even lost its luster with the most recent redesign. But now there’s finally a truly beautiful car returning to the Audi lineup: the new Q5.
We can all complain about the rise of midsize crossovers as the default cars, but it seems to mean one thing for their styling: Designers prioritized them when developing the company’s styling language. Audi’s front-end proportions have always been a little off, but here—on the midsize Q5—it’s finally all aligned.
DRLs follow the body line from the front doors through the fenders to the front bumper, and the grille is a good size for the front of the car. The wheels are well proportioned, and the angle of the rear window flows neatly into the taillights that protrude from the rear doors. Audi’s designers really went all out here, creating a mid-size crossover that actually looks good.
Unfortunately, those looks are captured in these odd photos, surrounded by color fringing on both press vehicles, making them both difficult to see clearly due to the low light. And Audi’s designers may be on top of things here, but the company’s photographers are… somewhere else.
Inside, the Q5 doesn’t quite live up to the beauty standards set by the exterior, but it looks like a nice enough place to spend time. The cockpit is completely driver-oriented, with everything facing inward toward the front seats like a Corvette, except for a single screen on the passenger side. There are rows of LEDs, soft-touch materials all over the doors, and a hand rest underneath the touchscreen so you don’t have to dangle your hand when driving on a bumpy road. Thanks, Audi.
The steering wheel buttons, however, look flat enough to be capacitive. We won’t know for sure how easy they are to accidentally activate when not driving, but it’s something to keep in mind. This interior also puts you at risk of your front-seat passenger easily changing the radio station you’re playing, which is a crime on par with many of the Geneva Conventions.
In terms of specs, the Q5 gets a 268-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, while the SQ5 gets a 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that makes 362. Both variants deliver that power through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which sends power to Quattro all-wheel drive. Audi also helpfully reminds potential buyers that the company’s big visual selling point—”adaptive matrix LED headlights”—isn’t legal in the U.S. and will just be regular headlights until our regulations change.
Details like fuel economy haven’t been released for the U.S. market yet, but Audi promises numbers for the car “close to its U.S. on-sale date.” The same goes for pricing, though the upcoming car starts at $43,500. Expect some bumps over that number, given the beauty of the new car, but nothing too drastic.
