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By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 49

Audi's third generation Q5 mid-to-large-sized premium SUV offers a hybrid-led solution for customers in this segment still not quite ready for a full-EV. The understated high quality feel of previous models is retained and the cabin really is state-of-the-art. If you can afford this Audi, you'd probably like one.

Background word count: 205

Three models dominate the executive mid-to-large section of the premium-badged SUV sector and this is one of them, Audi's Q5. It's long faced stiff competition from its two arch-rivals, the BMW X3 and the Mercedes GLC, but looks stronger against them in this third generation form. The Q5 has been a success story for Audi and even at the end of its life, the second generation version accounted for 17% of the brand's global sales in 2023. That Mexican-built 'Type 80A' model was first launched in 2017 to replace the original 'Type8R' Q5 introduced in 2008 that shared much of its design with the first Porsche Macan. This third generation model was announced in Autumn 2024 and is tasked with transitioning customers up to the 2035 Euro ban on combustion engines. There's no EV version (that option's covered by the Q6 e-tron). Electrification is dealt with instead by a range of mild hybrids (that still include a diesel) and PHEVs. And it's all mounted on the new 'Premium Platform Combustion' chassis that undergirds the new A5. With the new BMW X3 to contend with and a continuing strong challenge from the Mercedes GLC, the end result needs to be good. Let's take a closer look.