Audi Q5 Sportback Mild Hybrid 2.0 TFSI qu S-tronic S-Line Review: Polished Athlete

What we like:

Superb build quality - perhaps best in class. One of the most well insulated cars we have driven in awhile. Impressive sound-staging. Excellent cruiser.

What we dislike:

Superb insulation does cause the drive to feel abit muted - where the driver can feel a little bit disconnected.

Since being popularised by the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, coupe-styled SUVs have become all the rage among Singapore’s premium mass market consumers, prompting BMW to respond quickly to the trend with the X4. Down the line, every new SUV from various automakers have felt the urge to incorporate design elements that would help to make the rear ends of their SUVs just a little bit sharper, and the roofline a little more aggressive - no doubt a nod to this unwavering trend. To drive home the point, even properly practical SUVs like the Toyota Harrier have not been spared this treatment. Suffice to say, I am not the biggest fan of coupe-styled SUVs - I think they have a tendency to look a little too loud and vulgar, like a rowdy teenage boy from a rough school.

However, when I heard that Audi was launching a sportback version of the Q5, I was excited - for the trinity of mid sized premium continental coupe-styled SUVs could finally now be completed. The GLC Coupe and the X4 finally now have something else to compete with. Moreover, there was hope that the Q5 Sportback would look more discerning, judging from the restraint that Audi has exercised over many many years in terms of styling, and also judging from the beauty that is the Q3 Sportback.

On first impressions, the car looked lean and imposing, and in the test car’s S-Line trim which comes with 21-inch wheels, the car had the stance of a jacked up hotrod buggy - a look that is accentuated by somewhat visible front springs. The larger wheels also did an awesome job at removing any frumpiness portrayed by the standard Q5, and dished out just enough swag and curves to turn the eye of the lay man.

For coupe-styled SUVs, it is quite normal to find an ostentatiously designed rear-end, coupled with a dramatic sloping roofline. Oddly enough, when you get around to the back of the Q5 Sportback, you’re greeted with the most inoffensive rear end of a car you’d expect to find. In fact - the car just looks like a regular, beautifully styled SUV, and without knowing that the car is supposed to be a sportback, one might not actually realise this. While I was impressed with how Audi had pulled off the styling for the Q3 Sportback, the design of the Q5 was even more muted - and I mean this in the best way possible. Looking beyond the reasons and motivations for building the Q5 sportback this way, I think it's easy to agree that the Q5 looks more understated, more demure, and ultimately more classy than its competitors. While there will be people who question the point of a discreetly styled sportback (might as well just buy a standard Q5 right?) - I think there will be the consumers who would appreciate the marginal styling nuances offered by the Q5 and see its appeal. For one, the car looks leaner and less bulbous around the hips - meaning the car looks more agile. Secondly, it's less Nicki Minaj and more Gal Gadot - It’s not in your face, but still desirable as a whole.

For a brand that prides itself on technology and sustainability, the interior of the Q5 Sportback is honestly not breathtaking in any way, shape, or form. It is familiar, in that it feels like almost every other Audi. You open the door and you think, “not again…”. Yet, because it is all so well put together, it is difficult to dislike the interior once you climb into the car. Build quality is top notch, and you feel it not only in the switchgear, but also with every close of the door, and every press of a button. Insulation from road and tyre noise is something that I found particularly impressive with the Q5. Even on 21 inch Pirelli wheels (not the quietest wheels on the market), ride quality was superb over surface irregularities, and I felt like I was cocooned in my own little vacuum at times - to the point where I sometimes built up a bit of ear pressure. At 80 km/h, the car feels like it's crawling, and at speed, the car just breezes through, making light work of the road ahead of it. All in all, it would appear that the build quality in the Q5 is well rivalled by the X4, with not much to fault between them, but the GLC has got nothing on both of those cars in this regard.

The cabin of the Q5 is then quite a nice place to be, and nice is good - but in an extremely competitive segment, Audi has found a way to let the Q5 Sportback shine through a little brighter. Sound systems aren’t usually talked about in car reviews, because branded, high quality speakers are quite the norm for premium luxury cars today. Unfortunately, while it's hard to fault branded hardware, it doesn’t always produce a high quality listening experience. I’m not even sure what speakers the Q5 Sportback utilises, but the audio experience is one of the best I’ve experienced in awhile - and a lot of it has to do with sound staging. Consumers today are used to hearing music “in their heads” - a by-product of growing up with headphones and earphones, which is why any sound system that has decent sound separation and punchy bass runs the risk of sounding “good”, when in reality, the experience is hardly authentic. You see, organically, music is played live, by a person or a group of people - usually situated in front of you. In audiophile sound staging, a good listening experience can be loosely described as hearing the music in a way that sounds like it is being played right in front of you - and that is exactly what the Q5 sportback does, by default mind you, and not via any sort of manipulation of the settings. In a segment where superiority is defined by the smallest margins, these little things might actually matter more than we think.

Despite having a more muted appearance, the Q5, especially in the S-Line trim, still looks the part in terms of sporty appeal. However, the way it behaves on the road suggests that the soul of the Q5 detracts from its demeanour and appearance. For starters, as if dropping us a big hint, Audi has decided to completely hide the exhaust tips, even doing away with the fake exhaust designs (a favourite party trick of theirs for some time). Personally, I still prefer to see my exhaust tips, so this design feature doesn’t sit too well with me, but that is besides the point. Perhaps, this is the Q5’s way of telling people that the car prefers to be treated with dignity.

As for the way it drives, the Q5 is impeccably comfortable, superbly insulated, and has a drivetrain that cruises like a long distance athlete. It will break from the pack when it is demanded, but you can tell that it doesn’t necessarily want to. Its 2.0-litre turbocharged powerplant pushes out a healthy 245 BHP and has plenty of juice in reserve should you really require it to do its century sprint in the Audi-claimed 6.3 seconds. However, because the car is so well insulated, there is a slight disconnect in the acceleration dynamic. The car surges forward effortlessly, but you hear minimal engine roar, giving you the impression that you’re going slower than you actually are - until you stare at your speedo and realise you’re already way above the speed limit. Because of these traits, the car is well suited as a daily driver and for swallowing miles, but it's not particularly exciting if I’m being honest. There were moments where driving the Q5 felt so effortless and easy that my mind would wander off, and when my mind returned to the task at hand, I would momentarily be surprised that I was in a car, and not back in my living room - good or bad? I leave it to you to decide.

So here is the way I see it. There are things in life and phases in life where you want things you do to be fun and exciting, the people you meet to be good looking and appealing, and your outlook on life to be inspiring and dreamy - But at some point, some people may want to invest in the quality of their lives, and enjoy the more mundane details of living. I won’t say which car you should want to shoot or shag, but I will say that the Q5 Sportback might be one you want to marry.

Credits: David Foo