Audi Q5 Sportback Review 2024

The Audi Q5 Sportback is your standard Q5 in a slightly sharper tailored suit. For those who regularly have a boot full of stuff, then you're better off going for the more affordable standard car and its greater luggage space. 

However, if you're prepared to sacrifice a bit of practicality though for the sake of a more appealing profile, you'll be rewarded with a very capable premium family SUV. The quality of the cabin is excellent, with plenty of space for a family of four (or five at a push), while it's a car that'll be just as happy eating up those motorway miles as it would be bimbling round town. 

Unless you're going to be regularly charging the plug-in hybrid version of the Q5 Sportback, save some money (as there's around an £7500 premium for the PHEV) or go up a trim level or two and take a look at either the petrol or diesel versions. 

The petrol engine (badged the 45 TFSI) has plenty of poke and will accelerate to 62mph in 6.1 seconds. Work it hard, though, and you'll soon see the fuel gauge drop, so for a lot of buyers the 40 TDI diesel makes the most sense. It delivers plenty of grunt and decent refinement, but also noticeably better fuel economy. 

There's no manual gearbox, with all variants of the Q5 Sportback coming with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

There's a growing number of coupe SUVs to suit a range of budgets, but the Audi Q5 Sportback takes on premium rivals like the BMW X4 and the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe. 

While not strictly a coupe SUV, you might be tempted by something like a Porsche Macan, and you should also consider the likes of the Range Rover Velar or Jaguar F-Pace.

What about something electric? There's not an electric version of the Q5 Sportback, but there is the slightly smaller Q4 Sportback e-tron all-electric coupe SUV. 

Truly sumptuous. You just won’t find a flimsy finish or a badly designed feature anywhere. All the buttons are satisfying to touch, and it’s clear where your money goes compared to more affordable alternatives. And compared to rivals like the BMW X4 and Mercedes GLC Coupe, we reckon the Q5 Sportback can take the bragging rights for interior quality. It really does set the benchmark in this class. 

As with the latest Q5, the Audi Q5 Sportback gets a 10.1-inch infotainment system. It does without the old rotary controller, meaning it’s operated entirely via touchscreen. This seems like a backwards step in our view, as it can be pretty distracting to operate when driving, requiring you to glance away from the road ahead as you try and navigate the interface with jabs of your finger.

On the plus side, the display is positioned nice and high on the dashboard, while there's also what's termed Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display. It looks really smart and can mirror the sat nav and display turn-by-turn instructions as well. 

As you'd expect, there's DAB radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as standard, though there's currently not the option to spec the Audi Q5 Sportback with wireless charging due to the semiconductor shortage, so you'll have to rely on USB lead to keep your smartphone charger. 

The Audi Q5 Sportback's stereo is based around an 8-speaker system, but audiophiles are able to spec a Bang & Olufsen Sound System as part of the £1895 Technology Pack (and it was standard on the top-end Vorsprung trim). 

If you're looking at a coupe version of the Q5, boot space is probably not your prime concern. That said, boot capacity is still good, with the Audi Q5 Sportback able to accommodate 505-litres of luggage. A bit down on the 550-litres available in the standard car, but it compares well with rivals and offers more than the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe. The powered tailgate (standard across the range) makes access nice and easy as well.

It's worth noting though that the plug-in hybrid version of the Q5 Sportback takes a bit of a hit when it comes to boot space, dropping down to 380-litres due the extra space needed for the batteries under the boot floor. With the rear seats folded, the PHEV offers 1360-litres compared to the standard car's 1475-litres.

Boot space is the only real compromise Q5 Sportback buyers have to make over the standard Q5, though, with everything in front of the boot a match for more established car. The Audi Q5 Sportback even shares the same dimensions as the Q5 at 4689mm long and 1893mm wide. 

The rear seats can be split three ways (40/20/40) and there should be a good amount of room in the back for a couple of adults if need. Choose the Edition 1 or Vorsprung trim levels as a used buy and the seats can individually slide and recline - perfect for prioritising passenger comfort or boot space depending on need. It can also be specified as an extra on the Sport and S Line trims with the Rear Bench Seat Plus option. 

Up front and the driver and passenger in the Audi Q5 Sportback won't be short on space either. There's plenty of head, leg and shoulder room which should mean you'll be nice and comfy on a long drive. There's also a good amount of storage space dotted around as well. 

Things are kept relatively simple with one petrol, one diesel and one plug-in hybrid to choose between. 

The 45 TFSI four cylinder petrol engine is a 2.0-litre unit with 265PS that'll push the Q5 Sportback to 62mph in a not too shabby 6.1 seconds. Fuel economy is quoted at 32.8mpg, but push the engine hard and expect that to fall below 30mpg pretty rapidly. 

It might be a dirty word, but the diesel might be the more versatile option. Badged the 40 TDI, this four cylinder unit pushes out 204PS and has a combined fuel economy of up to 44.1mpg, while only being a little bit slower at getting to 62mph, taking 7.6 seconds. If you do a lot of motorway driving, this is definitely the one to go for. 

That just leaves the plug-in hybrid (or PHEV for short). Initially there were two variants offered at launch - a 50 TFSI e and a 55 TFSI e. The more powerful 55 TFSI e has been dropped from the range, leaving the 299PS 50 TFSI e. It combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor to deliver an electric-only range of 37 miles and combined fuel economy of 176.6mpg. Though to see anywhere near that kind of figure with daily driving you'll need to keep the battery topped up as often as possible. Despite the extra power from the electric motor, the 50 TFSI e is no quicker from 0-62mph than the petrol car. 

Whichever engine you end up choosing, all cars come with Audi's four-wheel drive Quattro system and are paired with a 7-speed S tronic gearbox. This dual-clutch automatic transmission is responsive enough, but you might want to take control via the paddles if you’re planning an overtake.

If you want the most compliant ride quality, then you'll want to opt for the Q5 Sportback in entry-level trim. A combination of Dynamic suspension and the relatively small 18-inch alloy wheels with a decent tyre sidewall provide the most compliant ride. Moving up to the S Line and beyond with larger alloys and Sport suspension delivers a firmer ride. Vorsprung cars came with adaptive air suspension to deliver a really smooth ride, even if you're tackling some pretty unpleasant road surfaces. 

With side and rear windows benefiting from heat and noise-insulating glass, the Audi Q5 Sportback is a quiet and relaxing drive overall. You're nicely shielded from the outside world and at higher speeds, there's minimal road rumble. As we've found with the standard car, all engines are smooth and refined. As you'd expect with the plug-in hybrid Q5 Sportback TFSI e provides an almost whisper-quiet power delivery under electric power, while the transition to petrol power is almost unnoticeable. 

The Audi Q5 Sportback hasn't been crash-tested by Euro NCAP, but the standard car has and was awarded 5 stars for safety back in 2017 when it was tested. Drilling down the data and the Q5 achieved 93% for adult protection and 86% for safeguarding children, while pedestrian safety was at 73%. Where the Q5 (and the Q5 Sportback) comes up short is the amount of standard safety assistance provided, scoring a pretty low 58%. 

It's no surprise really to find it falls a bit short in the last category as it comes equipped with a limited suite of safety tech as standard. There's Electronic Stabilisation Control (or ESC for short), multi-collision brake assist and what Audi calls Pre sense city, but that's about it. And if you're wondering what Pre sense city is, it's a safety system the uses a camera positioned in the rear-view mirror that detects vehicles and pedestrians in front. If it thinks you're going to have a potential oncoming accident, the system warns the driver and works at speeds of up to 52mph. In some instances the system will even apply the brakes to avoid a collision. 

For additional safety options, you'll need to top up the options list. This includes the £1250 Tour Pack that includes adaptive cruise control, pre-sense front, collision avoidance assistant, turn assist and active lane assist. There's also the Driver Assitance Pack at £825, which includes Audi side assist, exit warning, cross-traffic assist rear, Audi pre sense basic and Audi pre sense rear. 

Whether you opt for the additional packs or not, the Q5 Sportback is going to be a safe place for you and your family, with all trims getting six airbags, front and rear parking sensors (with acoustic warning) and a reversing camera.

First off, the Q5 Sportback comes with a 3-year warranty (with a mileage limit of 60,000 miles). For those buying a PHEV variant of the Q5 Sportback, Audi provides a separate 8-year / 100,000 mile warranty for the battery. 

As a brand, Audi performs pretty well for reliability, with the brand placing 16th in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index ratings, while there are no know common issues, with the Audi Q5 Sportback so far proving to be a reliable SUV. 

Not the cheapest Audis to insure, the Audi Q5 Sportback 40 TDI Sport is in Group 35, while the 45 TFSI petrol model resides in group 38. The plug-in hybrid car is in group 41.

Trim levels also have an impact, with the top of the range Black Edition trim pushing things up by four insurance groups for each engine choice.

With even the entry-level Q5 Sportback in Sport trim costing over £40,000, you'll be hit with the 'premium car' tax. This means you'll have to pay an additional £490 for the next five years (from the second time the vehicle is taxed). That's on top of the regular road tax (VED) you'll be paying, so you can expect to pay a fair amount for the next five years. 

If you opt for the plug-in hybrid variant of the Q5 Sportback, you can save a small bit of money here as it qualifies for a £10 alternative fuels discount on the standard rate of tax.

Audi currently offers three trim levels with the Q5 Sportback - Sport, S Line, and Black Edition. Sport is the base spec and you a pretty decent amount of standard equipment. Something you'd expect with a premium SUV. 

This sees the Audi Q5 Sportback Sport trim come with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED head lights, ambient lighting, 3-zone climate control, part leather upholstery, front heated sports seats, parking sensors and sat-nav all as standard. On top of this there's a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment screen, digital instrument display (which Audi calls Audi virtual cockpit Plus), Bluetooth, DAB, cruise control, reversing camera and a powered tailgate.

The Audi Q5 Sportback S Line builds on this with 19-inch alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, rear privacy glass, matt brushed aluminium inlays and microfibre/leather combination upholstery all as standard. There's also a few exterior tweaks, with a chrome finish round the front (fake) air intakes and a snazzier looking grille. Is it worth the extra over the Sport? Possibly, if only for the excellent Matrix LED headlights.

For the Black Edition, Audi adds anthracite black 20-inch alloy wheels, black styling pack for the grille, window trims, door mirror caps, and roof rails. It also has a flat-bottomed steering wheel as standard.

Audi previously offered the Q5 Sportback Edition 1 that has red brake calipers, 20-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable front seats, rear bench seat plus (that can be slide forward or back depending on boot space needs) and fine Nappa leather seats. There's also a black styling package, as well as black door mirrors and roof rails. 

Finally, there was the Audi Q5 Sportback Vorsprung. This benefits from a Bang & Olufsen 3D Premium Sound System (compared to the 8 speaker system on other trim levels), a 360-degree camera, head-up display,   adaptive cruise control, adaptive air suspension, 21-inch alloy-wheels, panoramic glass sunroof and heated front and rear seats. There's also the Tour pack and Parking assist pack as standard.