2024 Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport review

Australians love their medium SUVs, and whether they’re playing in the mainstream playground or dabbling at the more premium end of the market, mid-size high-riders of all persuasions are a surefire ticket to making money for car makers.

The Audi Q5 is no different, a mainstay of the premium medium SUV segment since 2008, and a runaway success for the brand.

Just how successful might surprise you. Globally, Audi has sold over three million of its Q5 mid-size SUV since the launch of the original in 2008, Australia accounting for just over 50,000 of those.

And it’s easy to see why, the Q5 long considered one of the most compelling offerings in the premium SUV segment, lauded for its comfort, premium equipment and driving experience.

There’s a new-generation Q5 set to be revealed later this year with Australian deliveries expected some time in 2025. And while this isn’t exactly a farewell review, now is a good time to get behind the wheel of the 2024 Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport to see if it still holds up in an increasingly crowded segment.

If you bought an Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport late last year, you’d be $3300 better off, with the 2024 model year on the receiving end of a price rise.

Now asking for $89,400 before on-road costs, Audi says the increase is due to “ongoing disruptions to global markets, increases in the costs of raw materials and logistics”. Reading between the lines, you get no extra gear for your money. That said, the 2024 Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport is handsomely equipped.

Standard equipment highlights include 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, LED head- and tail-lights, keyless entry and start, a powered tailgate, panoramic glass sunroof, and heated and power-folding exterior mirrors.

Inside there’s leather-appointed seating, heated up front and power-adjustable. The steering wheel is wrapped in leather as well, while brushed aluminium inlays add some subtle contrasts to the cabin. Three-zone climate control services both rows of seating.

Infotainment runs to a 10.1-inch touchscreen with native satellite navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as DAB+ radio and Audi connected services. 

A full suite of Audi’s advanced driver assist systems underpins the Q5’s safety technology, which we’ll detail later in this review.

Our test Q5 didn’t come without a few options ticked. Metallic paint, Mythos Black in our case, adds $1990, while 20-inch Audi Sport alloys replaces the standard-fit 20s. They are an extra $1300. The Black exterior styling package which, as the name suggests, adds a swathe of black accents to the outside of the Q5, including the grille, roof rails and window surrounds, adds another $1300. Inside, gloss black accents add $450, while the colour interior lighting package adds $520 to the final price.

All up, our test car ran to $94,960 before on-road costs, or around $105,000 drive-away in NSW. 

While creeping over that psychological $100K barrier might seem like a stretch, it’s worth noting the Q5’s rivals can exceed that barrier, and then some.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC300 starts at $113,000 or around $121,000 drive-away. And that’s before any options have been added.

Similarly, a 2024 BMW X3 xDrive 30i M Sport offers similar performance, all-wheel drive and a $97,900 price tag before on-road costs. Before any extras are bundled in, that runs to around $106,000 drive-away.

Only the Genesis GV70 offers some pricing resistance, its starting price of $72,900 before on-roads translating to around $80,000 drive-away before options. Genesis, though, lacks the brand cachet of the Big Three Germans.

We’ve long lauded the Audi Q5 for its exemplary cabin, one that is at once restrained yet luxurious. Taking the less is more approach, Audi continues to impress with its interior executions.

From the quality of the materials throughout, to the solidity of the fit and finish, and the simple yet effective ergonomics, the Q5’s interior speaks to a premium buyer. It doesn’t bedazzle with over-wrought design; it doesn’t try to impress with crowded technology. Instead, the Q5’s designers have shown restraint, opting for understated luxury over bling. It’s a recipe that works well.

Leather-appointed seats wrap around your body in a comfortable manner. They’re supportive where they need to be, and power adjustable including four-way lumbar support. There’s a memory function for the driver’s seat, which allows for individual settings to be recalled with a single press of a button. No more getting frustrated when someone else has driven the Q5 and messed with your ideal seating position.

The leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel feels nice and solid in hand, and its traditional roundness is a welcome change from today’s flat-bottomed fashion. And it’s festooned with only a small array of buttons and scrollers, a far cry from some contemporary wheels that can be a bit bewildering. Audi has kept them to a minimum, and more importantly, they are intuitive to use – not something we can say about every car we test.

Storage options include a central storage bin with a padded lid that can be adjusted for height, meaning finding your perfect elbow resting position is effortless. There is a pair of cupholders, another storage cubby with retractable lid forward of the gear lever in the centre console, as well as a wireless charging pad for your smartphone. The generous door pockets are accommodating and capable of accepting bottles.

The second row is generous in terms of space, with decent leg, knee and head room, the latter not overly impacted by the presence of a standard-fit panoramic roof. The outboard rear seats are comfortable with good support, although the middle position sits higher and with a firmer backrest courtesy of a fold-down armrest that reveals two cupholders. A large transmission tunnel impacts on foot space for middle-seat occupants. It’s not the most comfortable way to spend a lot of time.

Amenities in the second row include temperature controls and air vents, as well as two USB Type-A charging points. There’s also a 12V plug. The door pockets can accept bottles.

The outboard seats are fitted with ISOFIX child seat mounts, while all three seatbacks are equipped with top tether anchors.

The powered tailgate reveals a generous boot rated at 520 litres with the second row in use or 1520L with the second row stowed away in 40:20:40 split fashion. That’s par for the course in the segment, the Mercedes-Benz GLC, for context, offering 545L/1490L, although the BMW X3 trumps both with its 550L/1600L cargo space.

There are tie-down hooks, two on each side, as well as a cargo net to help keep your things secure. The load lip is nice and flat too, making for an easier time of getting your stuff in and out.

Under the boot floor lives a space-saver spare wheel and tyre.

A 10.1-inch touchscreen plays host to the Q5’s MMI Navigation Plus infotainment system.

Standard are wireless (and wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation with 3D mapping, DAB+ digital radio, a 10-speaker sound system including a central subwoofer, and wireless smartphone charging.

We usually eschew inbuilt sat-nav, but the 3D system in the Q5 is a gem, with an easy-to-use interface and clear and concise route guidance.

We connected Apple CarPlay wirelessly and it proved faultless over our time with the Q5, never once failing to connect or dropping out inexplicably, which is not something we can always claim when it comes to this technology in other vehicles.

The sound system, while not labelled as ‘premium’ (there’s an optional $2000 Bang & Olufsen set-up available), provides good sound clarity.

There are two USB points up front (one Type-A under the dash and a Type-C inside the central storage in) with another two (Type-A only) located in the second row.

The Q5’s climate controls forgo the modern affliction of being buried inside the touchscreen, and instead maintain a distinctly analogue presence with chunky dials and an array of switches. Easy to read, easier still to use on the move.

And central to the driving experience is Audi’s excellent Virtual Cockpit digital driver display that continues to impress, years after its ground-breaking introduction. Customisable in myriad ways, to display as much or as little critical driving information as you need, Virtual Cockpit set the standard for the technology that plenty have tried to emulate with mixed success.

Audi’s Connect Plus is also standard and allows owners to access their Q5 remotely via an app. Features like remote locking and unlocking, finding your car, accessing online roadside assistance and requesting a scheduled service can all be done via Audi Connect. It’s worth noting, however, that while it remains part of the purchase price upfront for the first three years of ownership, ongoing access will require a paid subscription.

The MY24 Audi Q5 is unrated by Australia’s safety body ANCAP. Its original five-star safety score, awarded under 2017 criteria, expired on 31 December, 2023.

It’s worth noting that structurally the Q5 remains unchanged from when it last wore a five-star safety badge. ANCAP’s 2017 testing returned results of 93 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent child occupant protection and 73 per cent pedestrian protection, while its safety assist systems scored 58 per cent.

With an all-new Q5 imminent, this current generation is unlikely to undergo further crash testing.

The Q5’s advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) are comprehensive, the only glaring omission speed sign recognition, but not a deal-breaker as by our reckoning the technology, when found in other vehicles, is still not refined enough to be 100 per cent accurate or indeed usable.

Our time with the Q5 showed no glaring issues with its ADAS, the only thing of note was the propensity of the adaptive cruise control to brake a smidge later than I personally felt comfortable with.

Other safety technologies found in the Q5, but not included in our table below, include exit warning that detects cars and cyclists when opening doors, and collision avoidance assist that provides extra steering support after a driver initiates evasive action.

A suite of eight airbags covers both rows of occupants.

Audi covers the Q5 with its standard five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Servicing can be prepaid at the time of vehicle purchase, with a five-year/75,000km plan priced at $3520.

While that might seem steep, it’s worth noting that one of the Q5’s most obvious rivals, the Mercedes-Benz GLC, will command $6500 for five years of scheduled visits to the workshop. The caveat here is that the GLC’s distance intervals are at a more generous 25,000km, but if you’re not covering those types of distances every year, then the GLC is on the exxy side when it comes to maintenance.

The BMW X3’s $2400 prepaid five-year plan is more affordable against its rivals. None can match the Genesis G70’s complimentary five-year/75,000km plan.

Comprehensive insurance for the Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport runs to $2250 per annum – marginally less than the Mercedes-Benz GLC ($2447) and BMW X3 ($2571), and just a fraction more than the $2212 for a Genesis GV70.

Estimates are based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Audi claims the Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport will use 8.0 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle. Our week with the mid-size SUV, a week with a roughly 40:60 highway/urban driving split, returned an indicated 9.4L/100km.

That’s a bit high for the segment. Our most recent test of the Mercedes-Benz GLC saw an indicated 7.9L/100km against a claim of 7.7L/100km, while a BMW X3 on our most recent road test showed 8.8L/100km against BMW’s claim of 7.9L/100km.

The outlier here is the Genesis GV70 2.5T AWD, which returned an indicated 13.5L/100km against a claim of 10.2 litres.

The Q5 requires 95-octane premium unleaded as a minimum. The fuel tank measures in at 70L.

Under the bonnet, Audi’s 2.0-litre inline turbocharged four-cylinder petrol does the heavy lifting. It’s rated at 183kW and 370Nm, not insignificant numbers. 

Sending those outputs to all four wheels via Audi’s Quattro AWD system is a seven-speed dual-clutch (DCT) automatic transmission. It’s an excellent drivetrain combination, and one that can propel the mid-size SUV from 0–100km/h in just 6.3 seconds. That’s near hot hatch performance from a medium SUV.

Take-off from standstill is punchy, the 2.0-litre never feeling overworked. With peak torque on tap from just 1600rpm, the turbo-four makes light work equally of city traffic and long highway runs.

The seven-speed DCT plays its part in the on-road experience. Forget what you think you know about dual-clutch technology. The reality is, not all DCTs are created equal, and the one developed by Audi (S-tronic in Audi speak) is a gem, beautifully calibrated to eliminate any kind of lag or hesitation. And once on the move, gear shifts remain slick and smooth, with changes in ratios barely felt inside the cabin.

It’s a similar story when it comes to ride comfort. Despite our Q5 sitting on passive dampers (adaptive air suspension can be optioned for $4400), the ride remains beautifully composed and comfortable, whether around town or out on the open road.

Small bumps disappear under wheel with barely a ripple, while larger hits – such as speed bumps or potholes – are dispatched with ease, the Q5 settling down on its 20-inch alloy haunches quickly and without fuss. Road noise, too, is kept at acceptable levels.

When the time comes to have a bit of fun, the 45 TFSI is more than capable. With the turbo-four’s healthy outputs combining with the intuitive nature of the DCT, the mid-sizer is more than adept at tackling some spirited driving with a healthy enthusiasm, one that would, we imagine, defy expectations.

Audi’s excellent Quattro all-wheel-drive set-up plays its part too, ensuring you’re never left wanting for grip, while the steering itself has a satisfying heft to it. It’s precise too, even at speed, with minimal adjustments required to point the Q5 exactly where you want it to go.

There are several drive modes on offer, ranging from Efficiency to Dynamic, each mode calibrating parameters like transmission and throttle response as well as steering weight. In their most potent settings (Dynamic), the Q5 adopts a satisfying sportiness that, while not about to tread on the toes of the brawny and unquestionable hero of the Q5 range, the SQ5, still provides enough feedback and tactility to leave you smiling at the end of the day.

And that’s the measure of the Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport. It blends family-hauling practicality with European styling, while dialling in engagement at levels most owners would feel comfortable with. It’s a genuine all-rounder.

The Audi Q5’s 2000kg braked and 750kg unbraked towing capacities (and with a 200kg downball rating) should make for an adequate occasional tow vehicle.

Obviously big caravans and boats are out of the question, but certainly smaller camper trailers, a box trailer for the tip run, or a jet ski or two are not out of the question.

Some three million buyers around the world can’t be wrong. The Audi Q5 has cemented its reputation as a quality medium SUV, blending understated luxury with, in the case of this 45 TFSI specification, enough performance enhancement to add some spice to daily driving.

Practical and comfortable enough for family duties, but with a drivetrain combination that rewards those who want to have some fun behind the wheel when the situation warrants, the only question remaining is whether to opt for the traditional wagon shape we have here, or plump for the sportier but slightly less practical Q5 45 TFSI Sportback variant.

Either way, the Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport is definitely deserving of a place amongst any buyer’s consideration set.

We’ve previously said the entry-level Audi Q5 35 TDI represents the pick of the Q5 range. With a starting price of $73,400 before on-road costs, the diesel-powered 35 TDI doesn’t miss out on the Q5’s inherent premiumness.

But, if diesel is not your thing, then this Q5 45 TFSI Quattro Sport represents the most affordable petrol-powered Q5 available today. While our test car, with options, was priced at around $105,000 drive-away, the reality is none of those fitted options added to the Q5’s on-road performance. Sure, they’re nice to have, but not strictly necessary, meaning you can still drive out of the dealership for under $100,000.

Current Q5 stock levels are good with dealers holding healthy stock around the country, according to an Audi Australia spokesperson. 

Your next step is to find your nearest Audi dealer and see what stock it is currently holding. You can also search for new and used Audis for sale at Drive Cars for Sale.

However, we would recommend test-driving the Q5 45 TFSI against some of its rivals in the segment like the Mercedes-Benz GLC300 and BMW X3. We’d also recommend taking a closer look at the Genesis GV70.

And you can check out all the latest news if you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review.