After four years in the market, the Audi Q5 has received its first refresh, but you will be forgiven for not noticing the styling changes.
To sum up the exterior and interior updates that we mentioned when the official pictures of the Q5 leaked onto the web, the compact crossover gets Audi’s new six-point grille, fresh headlamp and taillight graphics, revised front and rear aprons, plus updated trim, refined ergonomics, new steering wheels and subtly modified column control stalks and instrument panel.
Of more importance are the changes found under the hood, as there are five new or upgrades engines plus the hybrid model. For the new model year, Audi is replacing the naturally aspirated 3.2-liter V6 with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 petrol engine.
The 3.0 TFSI outputs 268hp (272PS) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque allowing for a zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 5.9 seconds, a top speed of 234km/h (145mph) and a combined fuel consumption of 8.5lt/100km (27.7 US mpg or 33.2mpg UK) on the European cycle.
The second gasoline engine option is the new 2.0-liter TFSI that is rated at 221hp (225PS) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft). Its fuel consumption with a manual transmission is 7.6 liters per 100 km (30.9 US mpg).
There are also three diesel engines available (depending on the market, of course), the most efficient of which is the 2.0-liter TDI with 141hp (143PS) and 236 lb-ft. When combined with FWD and a manual gearbox, it returns 5.3lt/100km (44.4 US mpg or 53.2mpg UK) and CO2 emissions of 139g/km.
The other two diesels are a 2.0 TDI with 174hp (177PS) and 380Nm (280 lb-ft), and the 3.0-liter V6 TDI producing 241hp (245PS) and 580Nm (428 lb-ft).
The 3.0 TFSI comes equipped with a standard 8-speed automatic, the 3.0 TDI with a seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission, and the 2.0-liter TDI and TFSI engines with a standard 6-speed manual gearbox.
The Q5 is also offered as a hybrid linking a 2.0-liter TFSI to an electric motor producing a combined 241hp (245PS) and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) for a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 7.1 seconds, a top speed of 225km/h (140mph) and an average fuel consumption of 6.9 liters per 100 km (34.1 US mpg or 40.9mpg UK).
According to the Germans, in pure electric mode, the Q5 Hybrid can cover up to three kilometers (1.86 miles) at a constant speed of 60 km/h (37 mph).
Audi says it has also retuned the suspension and introduced a new electromechanical power steering system on all models.
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