Audi Q5 Sportback 2025 review: stylish looks can't hide its flaws
The Audi Q5 Sportback does nothing its predecessor didn't, and despite more tech and a nicely-judged mild-hybrid system, these good bits are offset by a cabin that's lacking in material quality and efficiency that seems at the mercy of the car's added overall weight. If you're in the market for a diesel-powered fastback SUV of this genre, then it does the job better than most; we're just getting a little bored of this type of compromised bodystyle – and the disappearance of some rivals suggest customers feel the same. Advertisement - Article continues below
Only a few months after the launch of the all-new and critically important Audi Q5, we're behind the wheel of its more streamlined Sportback sibling. Unlike the first generation Sportback that was gestated well after the base SUV's launch, this time around the pair have been designed and engineered in unison.
This is obvious with the new car's svelte roofline that seems more at one with the overall design. It's not often that this form of coupe/SUV mash-up looks particularly resolved, but Audi's done a great job here, despite the somewhat gawky forms on the front end.
In the UK, you'll be able to specify your Q5 Sportback with one of three engine choices to begin with, made up from the four-cylinder diesel we're driving today, a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and top-spec SQ5 with a turbocharged petrol V6. There's no longer any large-capacity V6 diesel as we saw last time around, but there will soon be a plug-in hybrid model to round out the powertrain options. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below View Q5 View Q5 View Q5 View Q5
Beyond that lowered roofline, and the very slight benefit to the centre of gravity that comes with it, the Q5's chassis and interior are identical between bodystyles. In terms of the chassis tech, all are quattro all-wheel drive and have a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the SQ5 and diesel Q5 feature a 48V mild-hybrid system. This streamlines the engine's low-speed operations by powering the wheels at parking speeds and facilitating extended start-stop functionality. The e-motor's also able to help the engine out at low-rpm, giving the car a touch more pep at low speeds. Advertisement - Article continues below
The example here has a few added goodies, including adaptive air suspension and 20-inch wheels, and this combination does a pretty good job of isolating bumps and feel, riding with a comfortable yet still connected feeling as Audi does so well right now.
The diesel engine, however, is somewhat more lacklustre, as it's just not quite powerful enough to make short work of the new Q5 Sportback's not inconsiderable weight. With a driver on board this is now a two-tonne car, and while electric cars consistently weigh that figure or more, the strained and rather breathless 2.0-litre diesel struggles to overcome it in the way EVs generally don't. At 7.4 seconds to 62mph, it's not slow on paper, but it does feel like it's making considerable effort to hit those numbers, with a grumbly and rather unpleasant engine noise accompanying acceleration. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
The gearbox is well suited to the powertrain, though, and when the engine's not called upon for hard acceleration it fades into the background unobtrisively. This would be grand if the Q5's efficiency was impressive, but we found it a challenge to keep over 38mpg on our mix of country and motorway miles, despite official figures being more like 43-46mpg. Advertisement - Article continues below
In handling terms, the Q5 does a good job of finding a balance between comfort and control. As mentioned above, the combination of reasonably sized 20-inch wheels and air-springs is a good one, but we can't guarantee this would be the case on the larger 21-inch wheels or the standard passive suspension.
Sit inside the Q5 Sportback and you'll note that space is fairly reasonable, with second row legroom and shoulder room no better than average, and not brilliant for the class. If you're in the market for this Sportback bodystyle this is probably of no real concern for you, but we still don't quite see the point of the restricted headroom and limited rearward visibility when the standard SUV bodystyle looks so similar. The boot is a good size below the parcel shelf at 515-litres, but that sloping roofline doesn't leave much space above it for bulkier items. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
Audi's comprehensive tech layout, and its giant single pane screen, does actually work better in the high-riding Q5 than the lower-set A5 and A6 models. The view out isn't quite as restricted up front as you don't feel like there's a cliff-face of digital screen to look over. However, this also draws your attention to the fact that while the interior looks pretty fancy, in terms of build quality and materials, things have taken a backwards step – or even two…
The touchpoints are fine; the steering wheel is nice and thin, the stalks and volume knob present. But there's been a pretty substantial downgrade in materials on critical elements like the air-vents, door handles, centre console stack – we could go on. This isn't something obvious on all new Audi models, as the recent petrol-powered A6 has a much finer interior, but compared to rivals – be that the usual BMW X3 or new-age models like Polestar 3 – the Q5 just doesn't cut the mustard. Advertisement - Article continues below
Other bits like the gloss black plastic are quickly scratched, while the centre console's pretty horrible grey plastic trim and the unfinished plastics around the base of the windscreen are just not good enough for a car that starts at over £50,000 and can extend right up to £80,000. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
The digital interfaces also have their compromises, as while big, we found the main touchscreen a little tricky to use when diving deeper into its capabilities. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but you'll still need to exit the system in order to complete more complex climate or driver safety changes. The good news is the annoying ADAS systems are easily de-selectable.
The driver's display also lacks personalisation, as the Virtual Cockpit's ability to show a full map display is no longer available – instead you're left with a collection of fine white-on-black lines that make up the rev counter or speedometer, with the bulk of the digital space left solely for, well we're not really sure.
The Q5 is not by any means a bad car, and the technology and powertrains on board are good. But, the standards to which this Audi's cabin is both packaged and built is not quite good enough to suggest it as a stand-out against its rivals – whether they have a sloping roofline or not. Model: Audi Q5 Sportback TDI Quattro Price: £58,160 Powertrain: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo diesel, plus 48V mild hybrid Power/torque: 200bhp/400Nm Transmission: 7-speed auto, all-wheel drive 0-62mph: 7.4 seconds Top speed: 140mph Economy/CO2: 43.8-46.3mpg/169-160g/km Size (L/W/H): 4,417/1,900/1,619mm On sale: Now Share this on Twitter Share this on Facebook Email Labour hints at major luxury car tax U-turn to boost EV sales
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