2022 Audi Q5 Sportback 40 TDI review

We drive the cheapest Audi Q5 Sportback to see if it’s the value pick of the litter.

What we love

The way it looks

Ride comfort

Quiet, comfortable and spacious

What we don’t

Thirsty around town

Dated if assessed objectively

Adaptive cruise control is an option? Honestly!

Introduction

The 2022 Audi Q5 has become the quintessential mid-size luxury SUV.

Not only reflected in its sales figures, as one of the most popular in its class, but also by the ever-growing model range in Australia. On top of the usual petrol and diesel versions, S Line models, and high-performance ‘S’ versions, there are also two different body types to pick from.

The first is the regular Audi Q5 SUV that we all know and love; the second is the Sportback, which introduces a sharper and more ornate roof line that’s said to be inspired by a coupe. Given the range has been tweaked for 2022, we’ll focus on the Sportback model range as per the test car.

Which is actually the cheapest one in the range. The 2022 Audi Q5 Sportback 40 TDI Quattro S Line starts from $78,700 before on-roads and options, and our test car isn’t far off in all reality. As with many brands at the moment, price rises are incoming to the Audi range, check here for full details.

In fact, it’s really refreshing to see a luxury press car not equipped to the gills with cost-extras. Our Glacier White Audi Q5 had just two options fitted totalling $1931: metallic paint ($1531) and ash wood interior inlays ($400).

That means our exact car costs $79,631 before on-roads, or around $85,000 on the road. At first glance, it looks more expensive than it is.

Next in the range is the petrol-powered Audi Q5 Sportback 45 TFSI Quattro S Line, which introduces a more dynamic flair. Aside from the 183kW/370Nm petrol four-cylinder engine and some equipment upgrades, the middle-of-the-range Q5 Sportback 45 TFSI will set you back $87,300 before on-roads and options, or $6669 more.

Sitting at the top of the tree is the high-performance Audi SQ5 TDI, now solely offered with a mega 251kW/700Nm turbo diesel V6. One of those costs $112,500 before options and on-roads, or nearly $30,000 more than our test car.

A wide range means a good product, but for this review we’ll focus on our 2022 Audi Q5 Sportback 40 TDI Quattro S Line.

Inside

Even though it’s not the newest or latest Audi, the interior is still spot-on.

I personally love the blend of high-tech, style, and quality. The digital dashboard is still class-leading in my opinion, as its three-window approach to managing data enables you to see a plethora of vehicle, map and general data organised however you wish.

If you’re a data freak who loves to overload on what track is playing through Apple CarPlay, the vehicle’s fuel consumption data and range, and even glancing ahead via the satellite map, it enables such fantasies.

Aside from being rattle-free and assembled close to perfectly, it’s also wonderfully simple and elegant. Our particular test car was equipped with genuine wood inlays that genuinely add warmth to the cabin.

More often than not, car interiors are seas of black, generally hard plastic, so the visual ‘depth’ and relatively untreated nature of the timber feels premium.

Another point that makes Audi’s cabin stand out are the ergonomics. The climate control system remains a button-laden affair, with cleverly designed and tactile switches making it adjust all three zones of climate control within a couple of presses.

The switch panel underneath – and just shy of the gearknob – is also laid out smartly, with self-parking switches located just where you’d expect them to be. It’s typical of Audi, but it’s why you pay extra.

The seats in our entry-level car are fantastic and typical of the brand, too, with electric adjustment, lumbar support, and a manually adjustable lower seat squab. The latter adjustment worked wonders at curbing fatigue in my gangly 183cm frame, as my long legs are often left hanging if the squab cannot be extended.

I’m sure I’m not the only one shaped this way, but rest assured it’s hard to get uncomfortable in the front seat of an Audi Q5 Sportback. Leather trim comes as standard to the delight of portents, and the seat design is actually quite aggressive and well bolstered, which I personally like.

Over in the second row, space is good for the class. With the front driver’s seat set to my driving position (I’m 183cm tall) and sitting behind it, I found my knees free but still close to the hard plastic seat backs, feet left with stacks of room, and upper body and head left equally good space, even with the lower Sportback roofline.

The seats themselves in the back are well considered, too, with some supple contouring and bolstering making the second-row pleasant on longer trips. For those parents, the Sportback’s sloping roof makes no difference with a forward-facing convertible child seat, but a taller-than-usual booster seat did foul on the rear C-pillar trims because of the roof.

Another point to factor in for younger families or to-be parents is a rearward-facing seat, but the difference in space for a child between the Audi Q5 Sportback and the regular Q5 SUV is slim to none. Basically, if you want to be a cool parent, you’ll get away with it.

Older guests in the back can play with the third zone of climate control and air vents, plug in a device via USB, and park a beverage in the centre fold-down armrest.

In terms of boot space, I’m sure you’ve guessed the Sportback loses space. In fact, its boot will hold 510L, whereas a regular Audi Q5 SUV will accept 550L.

Although smaller, the space is grand for a family of four. Audi’s clamshell boot space is a nice one, as it creates a really free, sizeable and easy to load cargo area. If you like the odd week away during school holidays, then you’ll find the boot and its dimensions just about perfect.

Suitcases can stack in all sorts of ways, and it’s wide enough to stick a stroller or pram up against the seatback. If you can never get enough room, then opt for the SUV.

Infotainment and Connectivity

The entry-level Audi Q5 Sportback features a high-definition 10.1-inch display with equally good hardware and software to back it.

It’s a shame Audi has removed its MMI rotary console controller, but let’s not cry over spilt milk. The software that runs the show is customisable and easy to work your way through, as its hardware is powerful enough to manage a quick flurry of inputs, say, if you become fluent with the gestures required to navigate to and from menus.

It features wired and wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, DAB+ radio, and an eight-speaker 100-watt sound system. Despite being the home-brand stereo, it still replicated U.N.K.L.E’s Psyence Fiction with space, and BadBadNotGood’s jazz-infused Times Moves Slow with the clarity to do it justice.

Overall, it’s a solid infotainment package, despite the omission of remote-located controllers nowadays. Having listened to plenty of Audi’s premium audio, if you value your ears and can stretch, take the ‘Technik Package’ and receive the Bang & Olufsen stereo – it’s very much worth it.

Safety and Technology

The Audi Q5 carries a five-star safety rating, having been assessed by Australian crash-test authority ANCAP in 2017.

However, the 2022-model-year Audi Q5 Sportback has evolved since 2017. It now features active lane keeping and change assist, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard.

Adaptive cruise control sadly remains an option. If you take it, you also get an upgraded AEB system that now works at intersections while turning, and also helps apply steering when taking evasive action.

Value for Money

Despite costing $78,700 before on-roads, there’s plenty of value here.

Diesel is something of a rarity in the medium SUV segment, if you want a fastback profile and diesel engine in a BMW, for instance the X4 isn’t able to deliver, however the more practical BMW X3 20d does fit the bill, prices from $76,570 plus on-road costs

The other SUV you’ll already be thinking of is the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC, but it doesn’t come with a diesel. If you don’t care, an entry-level petrol-powered Mercedes-Benz GLC200 costs $78,114 before on-road costs.

Servicing one is a simple affair, as a five-year service plan costs $3140. If you bought a car before the brand overhauled its servicing offer to Australia or within three years of its age, you can opt to purchase years four and five for $2000.

Audi expects you to return an Q5 Sportback 40 TDI to its repair network every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Over the duration of the loan (seven days), the car’s trip computer claimed it used 7.1L/100km. The official combined figure is 5.4L/100km, but our driving skewed more toward stop-start and in dense inner-city traffic, so the end result is a fair one.

Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp

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Driving

As the entry-level Audi Q5, it doesn’t get big wheels or fancy adaptive suspension.

And you know what? It’s actually a good thing. The ‘smaller’ 20-inch wheel with 45-profile tyre helps give the ride even more smoothness, and the single-setting suspension tune is arguably exactly what the doctor ordered.

It’s such a comfortable, inviting yet cosseting car to drive. On most regular roads, it’ll feel utterly smooth and refined. On less well-maintained roads, it’ll shake a bit, but traverse without communicating crashing or thuds from its suspension.

If you accidentally hit big potholes or massive road imperfections, it’ll move around more urgently, thud with solidity, but carry on as it were. Given the terrible weather hitting the east coast over the duration of the loan, the road conditions were both terrible in terms of visibility and surfaces.

Many new potholes had appeared within days, and one or two were harsher than the average Sydney road defect. Even during those awful and accidental moments, it never really felt rattled or jittery, which in turn makes you feel comfortable behind the wheel.

Those same potholes would’ve destroyed a low-slung sports car. Once you’re out of the pothole-ridden metro parts, the Audi Q5 Sportback makes an equally good grand tourer. Another point tying it all together is the sound-deadening effort in the Audi Q5’s cabin, as most other brands should take a leaf out of this SUV’s book.

Not only is the generally clattery diesel close to mute, but its smoothness and quietness could almost be sworn to be a petrol motor. Sure, Audi does build a good oiler, but you get little to no diesel clatter, even on a cold start on a cold morning, from inside the car.

And at 110km/h on a coarse-chip road, you can still spin a yarn with your kids, partner or colleague when behind the wheel. The biggest sense of ‘luxury’ the Audi Q5 conveys is that isolation from the harsh environment. It’s a peaceful experience and helps turn driving into a more relaxing occasion.

Back on the topic of that diesel, it’s such an adequate driveline for the package. Even with 150kW/400Nm, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel gets the job done briskly but not urgently. When ticked over into efficiency mode, the engine will freewheel at higher speeds, then begin coast at pace – with the engine off – courtesy of a 12-volt mild hybrid system.

Essentially a glorified starter motor, the system enables fuel-saving moments at speed, too, which can help reduce its carbon footprint. It’s worth noting that this higher-speed engine shutoff system only operates in Efficiency mode, and you can confirm this by seeing the gear shift indicator say ‘E’ instead of ‘D’.

In Comfort, Sport or any other of the drive modes, it’s a perky and responsive diesel overall. Even when loaded up with a kid, dog and scooter, it felt no different to when it was just the driver alone.

The seven-speed ‘S-Tronic’ dual-clutch automatic transmission is a calibration masterclass, but it is powered by a diesel engine. Its low-end torque delivery no doubt helps keep the automatic transmission smooth, but it’s also some clever software programming that keeps the almost-expected dual-clutch lurching and jitteriness at bay.

As bad as diesel engines can be, and as much as brands are phasing them out, they’re bloody good in the application of a literal family hauler. I think the powertrain is half the star here, as the Mercedes-Benz GLC misses out on an entry-level oiler like the Audi Q5.

Conclusion

While it may not be the freshest product, but it’s still one of the best in the class.

In fact, the entry-level diesel is probably my pick over the petrol. For the money it’s fantastic, smooth and quiet, and will chew next to no diesel on the long-haul drives.

It’s also really comfortable and easy to drive, but from the outside it looks a million bucks. I’m a little anti-coupe SUV personally – as I hate the idea of four-door SUVs calling themselves coupes – but the raked roof line of the Q5 Sportback is more a subtle design statement than utter body type change.

In a typical Audi way, the Sportback roof line is pragmatic, meaning it’s not too raked or overt, and discreet enough to be confusingly similar when compared to the regular SUV body type by an untrained eye.

I reckon Audi could ditch the traditional shape and just run with the Sportback given how good it looks compared to other coupe-inspired SUVs from Germany. Top all of that off with the fact you can get one from $78,700 before on-roads means it’s also the best value when assessed holistically.

Old or not, it’s a gem and worth your deep consideration. Just think about the options you can stack and still pay less – when compared to the rest.

Keyword: 2022 Audi Q5 Sportback 40 TDI review