2020 Audi Q5- Back-to-back winner
- Sporty chassis, luxurious tech-filled cabin
- Standard turbo engine with Quattro all-wheel drive
- Audi Virtual Cockpit is a visual feast
- NHTSA 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score
- Pricing starts at $44,295 (including $995 destination charges) | Price yours
- 2020 models on sale soon | See Q5 models for sale near you
Back-to-Back Winner
With its sporty driving manners, vault-like chassis and healthy dose of innovative technology, the Audi Q5 has earned another KBB Compact Luxury SUV Best Buy award. No surprise, really, given how impressive this Audi SUV is. But increasingly heady competition from the likes of the all-new Lincoln Corsair made this year’s decision particularly tough.
So, what gives the Audi Q5 the repeat win? It comes down to an overall general excellence summed up this way by one of the KBB staffers: “As we’ve come to expect from Audis, the Q5 just does everything exceptionally well. It’s got the tech, the safety, the looks and the luxury. It has excellent driving manners and the kind of everyday practicality that will last long after the new-car smell fades. Even amid fresher rivals, the Q5 remains the quintessential compact luxury SUV.”
The public, it seems, agrees with our assessment — the Q5 continues to be Audi’s best-selling model in the U.S.
Proven Powertrain
The 2020 Audi Q5 is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that sends 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via a smooth-shifting 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with shift paddles. Quattro all-wheel drive makes sure power reaches the wheels that need it most, ensuring good stability on slippery surfaces while aiding chassis composure on those twisty roads leading up to the local mountains. The crisper shifts of Sport mode make the Q5 come alive in these types of situations, and available adaptive dampers further improve this compact luxury SUV’s cornering abilities. On full boil, the 2020 Audi Q5 hits 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.
What’s more, the Q5’s longitudinally mounted turbo 2.0-liter is a true dual-purpose powerplant. On one hand, it produces a healthy amount of power when you need it, such as when climbing a grade or merging onto a freeway. But on the other, it’s a thrifty open-road cruiser, returning an impressive 27 mpg in the EPA highway test.
Abundant Technology
All Audi Q5s bristle with cool technology. Two highlights:
Pre Sense: In basic form, this is a standard safety suite that prepares the Q5 for impacts by closing the roof and side windows while also cinching the front seatbelts. With Pre Sense City, the Q5 detects stationary vehicles and pedestrians in its path, and will then automatically apply the brakes to help prevent any possible imminent collision. Other Q5 safety tech includes Audi Side Assist, which lets the driver know if there’s a car in the Q5’s blind spot, and rear cross-traffic assist, which applies the brakes if dangerous cross traffic is sensed when you are backing out of a parking spot. Naturally, the Q5 also is available with active cruise control, which even reads speed limit signs and projects them onto the Q5’s color head-up display (HUD).
Audi Virtual Cockpit: The Q5 Prestige model recently sampled by KBB had Audi Virtual Cockpit, which swaps out traditional analog dials in favor of a bright 12.3-inch display featuring virtual gauges or a moving Google Earth map. This configurable instrument panel continues to be a feast for the eyes, and with the Audi Connect cellular connection the Q5 offers a wi-fi connection and an ability to stream Internet radio or weather information. More good news: Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is standard, and an available 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system can fill the Q5’s luxurious 5-seat interior with positively glorious sounds.
Superb Interior
With regard to the Q5 interior: It continues to be a remarkably pleasant place, a reminder that Audi still has an enviable touch. The beige leather is set off beautifully by attractive ash wood trim in a dark gray, and the heated, leather-covered seats proved supportive but all-day comfortable. Headroom is in abundant even with the Q5’s massive panoramic sunroof, and we like how the Q5’s heated 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat slides fore and aft a bit to accommodate your immediate needs, be they tall passengers or abundant cargo.
No more than two adults will want so sit in the 2020 Audi Q5’s back seat, owing to its narrowness and the big driveshaft tunnel dividing the rear floorboard. Nevertheless, it’s comfortable for two in back, and other thoughtful touches inside the Q5 include four headliner-mounted grab handles, storage nets on the scalloped back sides of the front seats and a ribbed stainless-steel scuff plate for the large and illuminated cargo area.
Although a fully loaded 2020 Audi Q5 comes close to $60K, that’s still below the top price of many of its competitors. Moreover, the Q5, which is built in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, almost certainly will have strong resale values. Given that fact, plus its price advantage, its genuinely fun-to-drive nature and its impressive 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the Audi Q5 has won us over and once again earned a Best Buy title as KBB’s best Compact Luxury SUV for 2020.
Photo Tour: 2020 Audi Q5
More 2020 Audi Q5
Build and price your own 2020 Audi Q5 to see this week’s Fair Purchase Price, 5-Year Cost to Own and more, or check out the Q5 models for sale today at dealers near you.
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