Audi Q5

Outside

You’d be forgiven if you thought Audi was pulling a fast one and merely “freshening” the redesigned 2025 Q5. But while it looks a lot like the outgoing Q5, the new model is indeed on a new platform. And with sales growing at a healthy clip each year, Audi clearly doesn’t want to mess with a popular model.

From the front three-quarters angle, the Q5 almost looks like the original Audi Q7—that’s just how prominent the grille, front air vents, and fenders are. Whereas the outgoing Q5 has a sleeker, angled look from the hexagonal grille into the hood, the nose of the 2025 Audi Q5 appears very upright. Tall, deep air intake vents flank the grille, sitting low beneath the slim, stylized headlights. While LEDs are used front and rear in the U.S. market Q5s, federal lighting regulations still prevent the advanced Matrix LEDs and digital light signature features that are available in Europe from being sold here.

From the side, there are a few noticeable changes. The side mirrors have moved from the top of the door panel to the corner junction where the windshield pillar, edge of the clamshell hood, and side window meet. In addition, the deep scallop at the bottom of the doors is more pronounced, starting at a lower point and rising as it extends toward the rear wheels. Finally, there is a slight “Coke bottle” effect along the doorsill, with small flares on the leading edge of the front door and the trailing edge of the rear doors.

At the back, the OLED taillights sit mostly on the rear fenders of the 2025 Audi Q5 and are connected via a lightbar that runs the width of the SUV, just above the license plate area. The center high-mounted stop light (CHMSL) will project onto the rear window during braking, helping to alert any following vehicles.

While the high-performance SQ5 gets a set of twin round tailpipes on each side, the regular Q5 gets a rectangular tailpipe on each side.

Inside

The Q5’s interior is incredibly similar to those of the recently revealed Audi A6 E-Tron and Q6 E-Tron. Like those two models, the Q5’s dash is dominated by screens: The large 11.9-inch Audi virtual cockpit curves and blends into the 14.5-inch center infotainment touchscreen.

When combined with the optional 10.9-inch front passenger display, the Q5 features what Audi is calling “a digital stage” that effectively spans the full width of the dash. This secondary screen allows the passenger to stream video content and access navigation. It has a privacy function that works digitally to prevent that screen from being visible to the driver and causing distraction.

The Android Automotive OS operating system allows for over-the-air updates to the infotainment system’s content, which can be modified via the Audi Application Store. This is part of the infotainment system and doesn’t require a phone to make updates. The optional head-up display can be configured to display information like speed, navigation, and media.

Of note, the last Audi infotainment system we tested was rather straightforward and user-friendly. This new version appears to have an updated layout, and we’ll be sure to see whether it makes the driving experience easier or adds unnecessary distraction.

The large steering wheel is flattened at the top and bottom and has flush, touch-sensitive controls on the side spokes of the wheel. We’ve disliked touch-sensitive steering-wheel controls on other vehicles, including some Mercedes-Benz models, because we found them too easy to brush against by accident.

The center controls feature a gear selector that is similar to what’s found in other recent Audis, with a start/stop button and volume control in front. Dual cup holders sit on the right-hand side of the console. A padded center armrest covers a storage area between the seats—Audi notes that it’s larger than the previous model. Recent Audis have a dearth of convenient in-cabin storage, so this is a nice addition. The front of the center console has dual USB-C connections and space for a mobile phone that likely will have an available cooled wireless charging pad.

Heating and cooling are through slim vents, which sit mid-dash at the extreme left and right and below the dash at the center. Thankfully, they appear to have manual adjustments, unlike the frustrating practice some automakers have employed of using the touchscreen to fine-tune the airflow.

The driver has a panel mounted ahead of the door armrest that controls functions such as mirror adjustments, lighting, and door-locking. More traditional window controls sit further back.

Rear-seat occupants will be able to adjust the seatback angle for more or less recline, and the bottom cushion can be moved forward to increase cargo room or rearward for more rear-seat legroom. Rear passengers get two USB-C charging ports that can support charging of up to 100 watts, which allows laptops to charge.

Folding down the rear seatbacks expands the cargo area to up to 52 cubic feet of storage space, according to Audi’s measurements. The luggage cover can be stored under the cargo area floor when it isn’t in use.

What Drives It

The base engine in the 2025 Audi Q5 is a 268-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The high-performance SQ5 version will use a 362-hp turbocharged V6 engine, also mated to the seven-speed transmission. All versions of the Q5 will again come standard with all-wheel drive.

In our tests of the outgoing generation, the 248-hp turbo engine returned 24 mpg overall. Audi estimates the new 2.0-liter engine will return between 32 and 36 mpg combined, while the SQ5 will get between 27 and 29 mpg overall. These are all conversions of European-market test cycle estimates. We will, of course, put the Q5 through our full fuel-economy tests when we purchase our own model in 2025.

While other markets around the world get a 48-volt, mild-hybrid powertrain option that provides a 24-hp power boost, this version won’t be offered in North America. However, it would not be surprising to see a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version introduced down the road.

Active Safety and Driver Assistance

All versions of the Q5 will come with a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, AEB that works at highway speed, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and driver monitoring for distraction and drowsiness.

According to Audi, a new feature called adaptive driving assistant plus uses the ADAS systems along with high-resolution map data and data from other vehicles to “optimize traffic sign recognition and assist with acceleration, maintaining speed and distance as well as lane guidance." This would allow the Q5 to follow a virtual route through a broad speed range and in traffic jams.