Driven: 2014 Audi Q5 TDI - TheChronicleHerald.ca

The 2013 Audi Q5 I reviewed here last year was a true multi-tasker that offered Audi-esque luxury, superb handling and plenty of utility.

This year, one of my favourite compact crossovers returned with a slight makeover, which, depending on how you view 'makeovers,' may or may not be 'slight' at all as it now offered a new 3.0-litre turbocharged diesel to go with the 2.0L I4 Turbo, 3.0L V6 Supercharged and a 2.0L I4 Turbocharged Hybrid.

The 2014 Audi Q5 TDI, in Technik trim, arrived in my driveway with nary a gurgle from its new diesel wheel mover.

In fact, it was one of the quietest diesels I had ever driven and, honestly, had I not known what it was, I would have never guessed what was bolted in under its hood from inside the cabin with the motor running. It was that quiet.

The cockpit experience on all drives was one of almost complete isolation, with the sound of the diesel only making its presence detectable under low-speed acceleration; and even then it offered a muffled, if not civilized, gurgle.

On the road, the Q5's 3.0-litre V6 TDI offered instant torque (428 lb-ft available from 1,750 rpm) when called upon for a quick boot off the line or for a highway pass, whether on the level or a hill. There was virtually no turbo lag either.

The Q5 made 240 horsepower and could leap from zero to 100 km/hr in just 6.7 seconds.

Its smooth-working eight-speed automatic transmission didn't have to reach for a lower gear when, say, I made a quick pass on the busy multi-lane Circumferential Highway on my daily commutes. And that torque was available right up to eighth gear, too.

Handling was excellent thanks in large part to Audi’s excellent Quattro all-wheel-drive system.

What first caught my eye upon first sit-down inside the Q5 was a perfect mix of colour and materials. There were ‘real’ wood inserts on the doors, console and dash and you could see and actually ‘feel’ the wood grain.

The Milano leather seats were a beautiful Chestnut Brown and offered eight-way power with four-way power lumbar support for the driver.

Both front seats could be heated or cooled and were bolstered enough to keep you in place on the hard-taken turns, but not so much that a wider person would be uncomfortable.

Its sightly colour scheme throughout was further highlighted when the large vista roof’s sun shade was power slid all the way back to the rear headrests. The roof glass really opened up the interior and provided an open, airy feel to a cabin that had good room for tall or wide humans up front and in the rear.

Atop my driver's seat, my right arm rested perfectly on the console bin top which could slide fore/aft to give just the right positioning for my hand to fall down upon the dials and controls for the Audi Multimedia Interface (MMI).

The Audi MMI setup is one of my favourite as it is simple to use and work. The main dial at my finger tips and the large buttons surrounding it, controlled things like navigation, Bluetooth, audio/radio, media, car setup and more.

That car setup function of the MMI, for example, allowed me to easily scroll through and adjust or operate a multitude of driver assists systems available on the Q5; some of which included: Vehicle Settings for things like the seats, exterior lighting, central locking and the garage door opener; Driver Assist for setting speed warning, parking aid, adaptive cruise control, Audi braking guard, Audi side assist, and rain sensor; it also allowed me to control components of the A/C system and it had a very detailed ‘servicing and checks’ folder.

All of the MMI information was displayed clearly on the Q5’s colour display screen at the top portion of the centre-stack area. The HVAC system, which included tri-zone climate control, could be worked by a non-busy cluster of dials and buttons at the bottom portion of the stack.

Just above those controls was the CD insert, which was part of the Q5's Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker sound system. Below that CD insert were the control buttons for the parking assist, stability control, down-hill-assist and the engine stop-start 'off' control. That stop-start system worked great and helped with fuel economy in the city.

Storage spots up front included bottle holders and pockets in each door; a good-sized, illuminated glove box with a cooling vent and media-device input (had a cord); small armrest bin with a 12V power source; and two cup holders on the console (one of which could be heated or cooled).

The Q5’s shifter could be tapped to the right then pushed up or down for manual higher or lower gear selecting; the power engine start and park brake buttons were conveniently located on the left side of the shifter and, like most other controls inside, were within perfect reach for this driver.

Other up front items included: power up/down for all four windows; power mirrors (heated, auto dimming, puddle lamps); two-way driver-seat settings; power hatch open control; dual illuminated vanity mirrors; sunglass holder; HomeLink; ashtray with lighter; four assist handles; three-zone automatic climate control; and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with compass.

In the rear, seats were firmer but, like up front, they were also a good place to spend time; they could be heated, too, and included seatbelts for three passengers, but the middle position was best left for the fold-down armrest with its two pop-out drink holders.

The 60/40 split-fold seatbacks could be easily dropped with levers on the cargo walls and the bench could be slid fore and aft to allow for more cargo or passenger room. The seatbacks also reclined for further comfort.

The lower tether anchors for child seats were simple to access and there was plenty of space for forward- or rear-facing child seats.

The front seatbacks had netted storage pouches while there were bottle holders in each rear door. Reading lights above those doors kept the bookworms happy on night drives.

The cargo area was a respectable 824 litres. I could drop the seatbacks, as mentioned earlier, in 60/40 for more room, or I could just drop the centre portion so longer items, like hockey sticks, could sneak up the middle between the two rear passengers.

Two large hockey gear bags would fit stacked back there no problem. The walls and floor were covered in black fabric, while the floor lifted to expose its inflatable tire and tools, along with a handy, deep, hard plastic cargo tray with a removable divider.

There were four metal tie-down hooks back there along with a small netted storage area on the right wall just below another 12V power source. There were two tether-strap anchors on the rear seatbacks for those child seats.

The rear hatch opened high and fast with the keyfob, a button up front, or by the hatch button; it powered down as well with a control on the hatch.

Outside, my tester drove atop 235 / 60 R18 all-season tires on five-spoke v-design alloy wheels. It had silver roof rails, headlamp washers; LED daytime running lights; adaptive Xenon plus headlights; fog lights; LED taillights; dual chrome-tipped exhaust outlets; and electrically foldable auto dimming heated side-view mirrors. The front hood opened easily on two hydraulic arms.

The specs

2014 Audi Q5 TDI Technik

• Price: $53,200


• Engine: 3.0-litre, turbocharged, direct injected V6 diesel,


• Power/torque: 240 hp, 428 lb-ft


• Transmission: 8-speed auto


• Drive: Quattro full-time AWD


• Fuel rating (litres/100 km): 9.0 city, 6.4 highway; realized 9.5 mostly city


• Turn circle: 11.6 metres


• Dimensions: length, 4,639mm; width, 1,898mm; height, 1,655mm; wheelbase, 2,807mm


• Curb/gross weight: 2,030 kg, 2,605 kg


• Drag coefficient: 0.33