_Flabbergasted LF

There are two sides to any story. On the one hand, I’m not a big fan of crossover SUVs in general because compromise seldom works. When you buy a crossover you’re essentially buying an overpriced and overweight hatchback, not a lightweight SUV. On the other hand, however, there’s no escaping the fact that crossover vehicles work, in that they sell in big numbers, and any financially successful operation deserves, if nothing else, the utmost respect.

I loved the original Q7 precisely because it wasn’t a compromise. It was big and broad and never pretended to be anything other than what it was, and I loved the idea of a 6 litre V12… diesel. How can you not love that? It’s the perfect oxymoron, a fantastically contradictory contrast. And I like the Q2 because it looks pretty and because it is really that compact, it is actually shorter than the A3. Yet, I’ve always had my doubts about the Q3 and the Q5 though.

The new Audi Q5 looks better than the old one, both inside and outside, it is lighter and promises more for your money. There’s a new infotainment system with a larger display and something called “Personal Route Assist”, the systems learns and detects your likely destination and therefore optimizes (and/or suggest) the best route to get there. That’s basically your personal butler.

The Q5 is available with diesel and petrol engines, starting with the 150 HP 2 litre diesel and topping it all up with a 3 litre turbocharged petrol engine which develops 354 HP.

I haven’t driven it yet but I quite like the new Q5. Though, as you can see from the pictures and videos, the particular… err.. “setting” may have helped.

words, pics & video : Alessandro Renesis

twitter: @PrinceAle

instagram : A Renesis

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