Category: Small 4x4s 
Price Range: £27,075 to £36,755
Great on-road drive; smart looks; powerful engines; excellent refinement; lots of luxuries.
Not much of an off-roader; very expensive.
Still want that Freelander? Think again, unless you really need all-terrain ability.
There are no plans for S or RS versions of the Audi Q5, although the chassis could support higher-performance models - it's that good.
The Q5 feels like a high-riding A4 hatchback, with handling to match. It scorches round sharp bends without a trace of body roll, its steering is sharp and its gearboxes - manual or S-tronic - are easy to use, quick-shifting and with well-spaced ratios.
The optional drive select system allows the driver to choose modes for suspension firmness, steering feedback, throttle response and, with S-tronic, gearshift changes. This is fun to play with but hardly essential - the Q5 is rewarding enough in its default setting, and arguably more entertaining than the not-quite-special-enough A5 coupe.
The Quattro system gives a 40:60 torque split to the front and rear axles under normal driving conditions, giving rear-biased handling until things get slippery, and up to 85% of torque can be sent to the rear axle or up to 65% up front. It's a road-oriented set-up, but if you do decide to go off-piste, the stability control has an off-road mode which adapts according to surface and incorporates hill descent control. The Q5 won't be able to follow a Land Rover Freelander into the wilds, but it'll cope fine with gravel tracks, sand and light off-roading - all that most SUV buyers ever want to do, if that. It'll tow up to 2400kg, too.
Audi expects the best-selling engine to be the 168bhp 2.0 TDI (258lb ft, 126mph, 0-62mph in 9.5 seconds) - and with good reason. It's quiet, it's smooth and it's strong, especially mid-range, it cruises effortlessly at motorway speeds, and the six-speed manual gearbox spurs you to stir it along. The 3.0 TDI (237bhp, 369lb ft, 139mph and 0-62 in 6.5 seconds) offers little gain in real-life driving.
The petrol 2.0 TFSI (258b ft, 137mph and 0-62 in 7.2 seconds) gives more of a conventional hot-hatch feel, and also effectively renders its larger counterpart redundant; the 3.2 FSI (243lb ft 144mph, 0-62 in 6.8 seconds) is more relaxed lower down the rev range and less inspiring overall.
Crucially for urban warriors, the Q5 is an easy drive. It gives the usual high seating position and good view all-round, and though it is wide, it's not ridiculously over-sized for European roads or parking spaces. The MMI (multi-mode interface) control system and sat nav have been updated but are still fiddly, as is the complex ignition system and electronic parking brake. What's wrong with a simple turn-key and pull-up lever?
