Q5 – Q5 Sportback – SQ5 – SQ5 Sportback
Audi is a legendary brand when it comes to off road and on snow traction performance. Having owned 2 versions of the A4 for more than a decade I can certainly praise their quattro traction control system for being best in class. The Q5 offers 7.1″ of ground clearance which is very ample for most snow driving conditions.
The Q5 lineup is a very appealing model with some great variations to appeal to a wide variety of drivers – 2 body styles with the standard and coupe (Sportback), and 2 performance ranges with the Q5 and SQ5. Within these ranges there are 3 packages you get to select from including Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. I feel most will want the Premium Plus offering a nice array of features.
In this category of “Sports Car” oriented mid sized SUV’s, the Audi Q5 outperforms in the area of being more of a city dweller than an open road superstar. Primarily the main reason is the relaxed steering and suspension of the Q5 which is geared towards ease of turns for parking and smooth ride over the city pot holes. Like the Alfa Stelvio they have a lot of torque so the 0-60 acceleration is quite impressive.
Pricing of the models are very much in line with most all including the BMW X3 / X4. I build similarly configured Q5 Sportback against the X4 and both come in just about $58,000. So, it really comes down to personal taste on vehicle looks, soft vs. performance steering, and Style.
Here are some key Specs of the Models / Builds
Q5 / Q5 Sportback – 261 HP, with 0-60 in 5.7 Sec – Expect to pay about $58,000 I upgraded a few key features including rims, black trim, and stereo
SQ5 / SQ5 Sportback – 365 HP, with 0-60 in 4.7 Sec – Expect to pay about $69,000. I added the Air Suspension in this build to enhance performance and comfort.
You can use the Audi USA Website to build your configuration
Audi’s are quite reliable and I have owned 2 versions of A4 Avant series. I found that only regular, basic maintenance with gas, oil, spark plugs, tires and breaks were needed up to about 110,000 miles. After that it did take more repair and parts replacement to keep it on the road. This is generally quite good for a 4 cylinder engine.