Words Vicki Ravlich-Horan Images Ashlee DeCaires
Audi recently released their all new Q5. First introduced in 2009, this midsized SUV quickly became Audi New Zealand’s best seller. Greg Leet, General Manager, Audi New Zealand, says, “This new Q5 dials up those characteristics even further in a comprehensive package that is luxurious, intuitive, stylish, efficient and sporty. I am confident that it will continue to resonate here.”
Last time Jackson Caffyn from Ebbett Audi showed me around a car I spent several hours googling terms and cars. Not wanting to repeat that experience, I called in reinforcements to put the Q5 and Jackson to the test.
I brought Harriet, new mum with a very large pram to help me out. Harriet currently drives a midsize SUV, having upsized due to said large pram. I, on the other hand, am a small car devotee who just traded in my midsize car for a small (possibly too small) car.
Part of the Q5’s attraction is it’s midsize. This is not a huge SUV, so it fits with many people’s lifestyle. But how big is the boot, that’s what Harriet wanted to know. Five hundred and twenty litres with the rear seats up (1,473 litres with them down) is the technical answer, the practical one was big enough to fit Harriet’s massive pram in.
Boots are big on my priority list too, but I was more interested in ease of use. The back seats all folded down (almost flat) with ease and individually. You can, in fact, fold just the middle seat down and fit a set of golf clubs in, all while passengers sit comfortably on either side.
The cargo blind (that annoying cover in your boot that if you don’t use ends up in your garage) niftily folds down and can be stored away along with the spare tyre. “Genius,” we all exclaimed, as we have these covers lingering in our garages.
Still at the back of the car, Jackson demonstrated the hand-free boot opening trick. A light is projected on the road under the boot, simply wave your foot over this and the boot opens. Just the ticket if you have your hands full, be it a baby or a box of magazines.
For those who love technology you’ll also love the lights on the Audi Q5. Audi are pioneering the use of Digital OLEDs for the car’s exterior lights. The Q5’s second-generation OLED taillights allow for personalisation while also adding some additional warning lights for added safety.
Moving inside the car we discover the car seat is easily fitted to the ISOFIX car seat lugs and there is still plenty of legroom for the front passenger. The tinted rear windows will block out around 35% of the sun glare or you can add on retractable sunshades.
If the back seat passengers are a little older than baby Rosa, they are well cared for too, with USBC inlets and custom controllable AC.
Continuing forward and hopping in the drivers seat, the amazing infotainment display dominates, and I immediately see an issue. In the Horan household the person driving is the one in control of the controls. With this set up we might be fighting over who’s driving.
A curved panoramic display is angled towards the driver and incorporates the main car controls (speed, fuel etc) along with a multimedia screen for navigation, radio and so on.
Separate to this is another display screen for the front passenger and possibly the reason I would relinquish driving duties. This screen operates separately from the driver’s and is designed not to distract the driver. But it is designed to distract the passenger, so you no longer hear “are we there yet?”
The larger the car the harder it is to nip into parks around town. Audi have solved this with its ingenious 360-degree cameras that give you a very clear picture of what is outside.
Talking about the outside, the final feature Jackson points out has me keen. On a hot day you can set the air conditioning to continue to work for up to 60 minutes after you turn the car off. This means on a summer’s day you can nip out for an ice cream and get back into a cool car.
Want to test out the Q5 for yourself this summer? Head to Ebbett Audi for a test drive.
