AUDI Q5 DIESEL SPORTBACK

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

If you're looking for a more stylish mid-sized SUV from the 2020-2024 period, the original version of Audi's Q5 Sportback offers strong competition to more established trendy mid-sized premium badged coupe-style SUVs like BMW's X4 and the Mercedes GLC Coupe. As with those cars, there aren't too many practical compromises in creation of this model's more stylish look.

Models

5dr SUV (2.0 TFSI petrol / 2.0 TFSIe petrol / 2.0 TDI / 3.0 TDI) [Sport, S line, Vorsprung, SQ5])

History

By the end of this century's second decade, it was no longer good enough for a premium brand to offer a single classy mid-sized SUV. The aspiring middle management customers and retired people who form the largest market here by now expected the option of a sportier, more rakish offering with this kind of car and in 2020, Audi provided it with this model, the Q5 Sportback. The brand was rather late to this particular party. The model that pioneered this segment, the BMW X4, had been introduced as long ago as 2014. Mercedes joined in with the GLC Coupe in 2016 and the Range Rover Velar arrived in 2017. Not until 2020 did this Q5 Sportback appear in the showrooms, its arrival coinciding with the launch of a far-reaching facelift of the ordinary second generation 'TypFY' Q5 SUV that had originally been introduced in 2017. Like its standard counterpart, this Q5 Sportback was built at Audi's San Jose Chiapa plant in Mexico and of course it featured all the improvements that by 2020 had been visited upon facelifted versions of the ordinary second generation Q5 SUV. That meant a new 'twin dosing' 2.0 TDI diesel engine option, the brand's latest mild hybrid tech, a completely redesigned advanced cabin infotainment system and, for those that wanted it, Audi's TFSI e plug-in hybrid technology. Top variants also gained an achingly trendy OLED rear lighting system and there was a high performance SQ5 variant at the top of the range. This Q5 Sportback sold until an all-new generation model arrived in early 2025.

What You Get

According to Audi, form often carries as much weight as function for its customers. Well the form here is certainly more expressive, the Q5 in this FY-era Sportback form aiming to offer what the brand hoped was a 'best-of-both-worlds' experience, coupe style and SUV practicality, all in one classy package. This coupe-SUV model is certainly sleeker than the standard SUV MK2 Q5 model - the drag factor drops to 0.30Cd - but it's also 20kg heavier, partly because it's 7mm longer. The obvious change of course is the earlier downward slope of the rear roof line, emphasised by silver-finished roof rails. More silver trimming along the lower sills adds a further touch of 'SUV-ness'. Getting into the front seat is predictably easy, thanks to the raised ride height you get in this kind of SUV, and the door thunks shut with vault-like quality, leaving you in a cabin which, as always in a Q5, is a masterclass in interior quality and ergonomics. In many ways, this remains the defining interior in its segment from this period, with the cool, classy feel that's distinctive to this Ingolstadt brand. As part of the changes made to the facelifted version of this second generation Q5, Audi introduced a much larger 10.1-inch REVO centre-dash infotainment screen, with more sophisticated graphics, acoustic touch functionality and 'natural language voice control'. Navigation and 'Apple CarPlay'/'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring is of course standard, as is a full portfolio of 'Audi connect' media connectivity. You're positioned almost faultlessly on supportive heated leather seats in front of the best digital dash in the segment from this period, the 12.3-inch 'Audi Virtual Cockpit' screen, which was fitted as standard throughout the range. Wherever you look, touch or feel, there are treats. Buttons click nicely, column stalks feel good and the low-rent plastics you'd find further down in most premium rivals are noticeable by their absence. And the rear seat? Well there might be a few issues with headroom if you've gone for the ritziest 'Vorsprung' version with its panoramic glass roof, but otherwise, unless you're over six foot tall, you'll be fine for ceiling space. As with the standard SUV version of this model, the experience you can expect in the back depends quite a lot on whether you've got a version of this car fitted with the sliding 'rear bench seat plus' back seat. This lets you slide the base back and forth by 12cms to increase either legroom or luggage space and also alter the backrest angle through three stages for greater long distance comfort. Let's consider the boot, accessed via a standard powered tailgate, the rising height of which can be tailored to suit your garage ceiling. A 510-litre space is on offer with this Sportback body style - 40-litres less than you'd get with the ordinary SUV body shape.

What You Pay

Please contact us for an exact up-to-date valuation.

What to Look For

Most owners in our survey seemed happy. Audi's EA888 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine is known for potential problems with its timing chain. This has been to blame for various engine failures - though these are rare. We've also heard of quite a lot of issues with the brand's start-stop technology. Owners have complained that the system will shut off the power steering and brake systems at dangerous times. Other issues that came up in our survey included heated seats that weren't working, clicking from the accelerator pedal, a pre-sense safety system failure and excessive oil consumption. Apart from that, we've heard of gearbox problems, seat backrest faults and suspension issues, so check all these on your test drive. The steering rack can experience electrical and mechanical failure and might be noisy too. The most reported faults related to interior trim and non-engine electricals. Look out for bodywork scrapes and kerb damage to the large alloys. We've had some reports of issues with wear to the side bolsters of the leather seats, as well as squeaking front brake pads, so it's worth looking out for both of those. There were a few issues with the car's infotainment system, with phones not connecting properly and flickering screens being the main problem. Rattling parcel shelves and buzzing interior trims were also reported. The DSG automatic gearbox should be checked to make sure it's had a regular oil and filter change, as should the quattro four-wheel-drive system. Many Q5s will have been company or lease cars and, as a result, you should check the condition of the bodywork carefully. The high-quality fit and finish of a Q5 also makes it an ideal candidate for clocking, so ensure the history is absolutely verified.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on an Q5 Sportback 2.0 TDI 2021 - Ex Vat - autodoc.co.uk) An oil filter costs in the £5-£45 bracket. An air filter's in the £17-£68 bracket. Front brake pads sit in the £28 to £81 bracket for a set; for a rear set, it's around £22-£72. Front brake discs sit in the £42-£126 bracket; for a rear pair, you're looking at around £27-£112. Starter motor prices vary widely - from £171-£345, depending on brand. As do costs for an alternator (anywhere in the £358-£546 bracket we found).

On the Road

If you're looking for a premium-badged mid-sized SUV, you don't choose the coupe-SUV variant of it to get a more sporting quality of drive. Or, if you do, you're likely to be disappointed. Adding what amounts to a 'backwards baseball cap' look to a sensible Crossover-class car of this kind (usually accompanied by a bit of extra weight) obviously isn't going to make any difference to the way the thing drives, whatever the glossy advertising might suggest. So it is with this first 'TypFY'-era Audi Q5 Sportback, the end confection here further softened by the standard SUV model's remit as a car primarily designed for a lowering, rather than a raising of the heartbeat. The rather lifeless steering certainly goes with that. Unlike the Porsche Macan this Audi shared much of its engineering with, this Q5 Sportback could still provide the option of diesel power, a drive format that remains defiantly favoured by customers in the upper mid-sized premium segment. Many Q5 Sportback customers will want this car in 40 TDI diesel guise, in which form you get a 2.0-litre TDI unit that offers 204PS and features 'Twin Dosing' tech for reasonable cleanliness aided by a 12-volt mild hybrid system. This kept the efficiency figures competitive, the base 'Sport'-spec Sportback model returning up to 44.8mpg on the combined cycle and up to 165g/km of CO2. The alternative mainstream 2.0-litre four cylinder variant, the petrol-powered 45 TFSI Sportback model with 265PS (which features the same 7-speed S tronic auto gearbox), also uses the 12-volt MHEV system. But a more sophisticated 48-volt mild hybrid set-up features with the V6 TDI diesel-engined sporting SQ5 Sportback variant, a version offering a gutsy 341PS. A much greater degree of electrification was of course delivered by the two Plug-in hybrid Q5 derivatives, the 50 TFSI e (with 299PS) and the 55 TFSI e (with 367PS), which can run on battery power for up to 38 miles after around two hours of replenishment from a 7kW charger. These PHEVs are based around Audi's 2.0-litre petrol turbo engine mated to a 105kW electric motor powered by a 14.4kWh battery and use the same tarmac-orientated 'quattro ultra' predictive on-demand 4WD system as the other mainstream models.

Overall

It's surprising that Audi gave BMW and Mercedes the mid-sized coupe-SUV market to themselves for so long. But in 2021, this Q5 Sportback corrected that oversight with characteristic Ingolstadt thoroughness. This coupe-SUV variant makes a more expressive visual statement, yet the practicality downsides are minimal. Plus there are all the attractions which made the ordinary MK2 Q5 such a profitable model for Ingolstadt. Things like exemplary refinement and ride quality, both of which are difficult to better in this sector from this period. Overall, it's ultimately hard to escape the conclusion that this more appealing-looking Q5 simply does a better job of the whole business of ticking every really important need you'd want to meet when buying a premium upper mid-sized SUV from the 2020-2024 period with a real dose of segment style. There's a 'want one' factor here. Which on the used market should stand this car in very good stead.