Audi Q5 gets software, driver assistance upgrades

Audi has unveiled the replacement for the Q5, its biggest selling model globally, as part of an accelerated product launch program designed to help the brand better compete against German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The launch of the Q5 "marks the next important step in the rejuvenation of our portfolio," Audi CEO Gernot Doellner said in a statement.

The third-generation Q5 midsize SUV is the second Audi model to use the brand’s new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture following the recently unveiled A5 midsize sedan and wagon that replaces the A4.

The Q5 is one of 20 new model launches Audi plans in 2024 and 2025, including a new A6 large electric sedan and wagon. A replacement for the Q3 compact SUV is expected to be unveiled toward the end of this year.

The Q5 was Audi’s biggest seller in 2023, accounting for 331,928 sales out of the brand’s total of 1.90 million global volume, according to company figures.

The Q5 will continue to be built in Audi’s plant in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico. The plant was chosen for its proximity to the U.S., the Q5’s biggest market, accounting for almost half of Q5 sales last year, the company said.

Audi also builds the a long-wheelbase version of the current generation Q5 in Changchun, China.

In Europe, the Q5 was the fifth best-selling premium midsize SUV in the region in the first seven months with 19,352 sales, down 26 percent. according to market analyst Dataforce. The Q5 trailed Audi’s Q4 midsize electric SUV, which was No. 4.

The Q5 will launch in Europe with three combustion engines, all with 48-volt mild-hybrid electric assistance.

The entry model uses a 201-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and will start at €52,300 in its home market of Germany. No figures for carbon dioxide emissions were given.

A 201-hp 2.0-liter diesel model will cost from €57,100, while the performance SQ5 with a 371-hp 3.0-liter V-6 turbocharged gasoline engine will start at €82,900.

Order books open in September to German customers for deliveries in the first quarter of 2025.

The Q5’s mild-hybrid belt-starter generator adds 24 hp to the combustion engine and is fed by a 1.7 kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate chemistry (LFP) battery.

Plug-in hybrid versions will be launched at a later date, Audi said. No further details were given but the brand has said the related A5 plug-in hybrid will have an electric-only range of 100 km (62 miles).

New front-end design

The design of the new Q5 evolves the look of the current generation model to put more emphasis on the front end with its wider ‘singleframe’ grille and prominent intakes either side.

Audi said the design gives the car a “visually full and wide stance on the road.”

Models with the sportier S Line specification highlight certain body components with matt anthracite chrome-look accents.

High-tech lighting elements feature prominently. At the rear a three-dimensional shaped light strip “spectacularly” brings together the physical and digital worlds, Audi said.

Six digital OLED panels with a total of 266 segments generate a new image several times per second. Audi says the lights can be used to communicate to other road users, for example in emergency situations, in markets that allow it.

New software

The Q5 uses parent Volkswagen Group’s E-cubed electrical architecture that debuted in the electric Porsche Macan and Audi Q6.

The architecture runs Software 1.2 supplied by Cariad, which Audi says improves the digital user experience. The infotainment uses Android Automotive OS as its operating system

A single panoramic display incorporates a driver-facing 11.9-inch ‘digital cockpit’ as well as a central 14.5-inch touchscreen with high resolution OLED technology. The car can also be ordered with a 10.9-inch front passenger display.

Audi said the interior is designed to create a “homely ambience” with fabric panels in the door and the armrests. Materials used in the cabin include Kaskade man-made textile upholstery that Audi says is reminiscent of natural materials such as wool.

A ‘dynamic interaction’ light strip which spans the width of the interior and can flash or pulse to act as welcome function or indicate when the vehicle is locked and unlocked.

Driver assistance tech

Standard driver assistance technologies include rear parking sensors, regular cruise control and lane departure warning. Other systems such as adaptive cruise control are optional. An optional head-up display includes the ability to change settings via steering wheel buttons, which Audi says is a first for the brand.

The current Q5 is also sold in a coupe-styled Sportback model. Audi has not said if this will form part of the third-generation lineup.