Audi
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Audi Cars Review, Price, Spec and more. |
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Audi is one of the most respected European premium car brands, and has been operating in the Indian market, selling its products since 2004. While the company was selling cars in the Indian market since earlier, it was in March 2007 that Audi set up its own sales company for India. Audi India was officially set up as a Division of Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai. At present, Audi is assembling the Audi A6 and the Audi A4 for the Indian market in Aurangabad. |
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Read Full Expert Review: Design & Features | Driving & Comfort | Engine | Competition
Audi Q5Overview:
Audi Q5, as the name suggests is the smaller counterpart of Audi’s flagship SUV, the Q7. The Q5 was launched the world over in late 2008 and made its entry into India in mid 2009. The Q5 follows a crossover form factor, which means it gives you the best combination of sedan and SUV characteristics. Being one of the first crossovers from Audi, the Q5 had no legacy or predecessor to live up to, but that also meant that the market was apprehensive about the purpose and positioning of this new machine.
Design and Features:
Whether stationary or on the move, the Q5 looks brute. It doesn’t have the large dimensions of its elder sibling, the Q7, but has an equally menacing front fascia with the large walrus grill; the intimidating LED daytime running lights and large wheels and arches. The coupe-like roofline gives it its crossover form factor. The tail, however is a subtle design and like most Audis on sale today, doesn’t exude as much flamboyance as its other German rivals. From either side, the Q5’s outline resembles that of its stepsibling, the Volkswagen Tiguan, but that’s where the similarity ends since there is no platform sharing here. The Q5’s design boasts of a decent ground clearance making the crossover look like a full blown SUV when standing amongst its Indian counterparts like the Scorpio or the Safari. The Q5’s interiors are almost similar to that of the current generation A4 and are available in both, a conventional black/grey or beige finish. The top notch paint quality and the interior elements highlight the Q5’s up-market positioning.
The B&O audio system, mated to the new generation Audi Multi-Media Interface make it one of the best entertainers in the business. From DVDs and audio CDs to our local FM radio, the MMI can make everything sound great to the ear. But that’s not all, the MMI is the interface which lets you communicate with the car in order to make calls, access the car’s mechanical settings, view trip/engine/fuel related information etc. The downside however is, that MMI’s voice recognition won’t understand the Indian accent all that well, hence forcing you to speak differently or making the changes manually as you would with a gamer’s joystick. I personally prefer using the BMW’s i-Drive interface over the MMI but since most owners will hand over these premium cars to their chauffeurs, you are going to use this interfaces just for entertainment and nothing more.
Driving abilities and comfort:
The Q5 has been built on Audi A4’s MLP underpinnings. MLP stands for Modular Longitudinal Platform – which lets a longitudinally mounted engine and transmission to be placed further behind the front axle allowing a longer wheelbase to be incorporated in the design without significantly altering the exterior dimensions. This aids lesser frontal overhang, giving the vehicle a better weight distribution. In layman’s terms, the MLP allows better handling characteristics and minimal body roll. This is evident the moment you hit the accelerator. Unlike a typical SUV the Q5 won’t start floating around on its suspension. Instead the Q5 rewards you with the handling characteristics of a sporty sedan while giving you the commanding driving position of a SUV.
The four-way independent suspension not only aids handling, but gives the occupants a comfortable ride quality even in India. Audi have gone a step further and incorporated high profile (65) tyres for the Q5 and reduced the rim diameter to 17” to add more comfort on our bumpy roads. The Q5’s seating is plush and can take five adults without a hassle. The coupe roofline however may make taller occupants feel cramped.
Engines:
Audi India has made a wise choice of engines for our market. The petrol offering comes in the form a 2.0-litre TFSI 4-cylinder mill which produces 155bhp of power and 350 Nm of torque. These figures are enough to propel this baby elephant from naught to 100 in less than 8 seconds. However for the not too power-hungry, Audi has its sensible 3.0-litre TDI diesel engine which can post almost similar timings while returning a phenomenal fuel consumption figure of ~19 kmpl! Both these engines are mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission which puts the power down to the road through Audi’s acclaimed Quattro all-wheel drive system.
The Competition:
With a price bracket of Rs. 38-44 lakh, the Q5 competes with the likes of the BMW X3, the Mitsubishi Montero, the Land Cruiser Prado and the Volvo XC90. While the Beemer is a crossover, the rest are full-blown SUVS. But if you are looking for the best of both the worlds and want a vehicle that looks fresher (and meaner) than the ageing X3, the Q5 is the car to buy
Audi Q5Overview:
Audi Q5, as the name suggests is the smaller counterpart of Audi’s flagship SUV, the Q7. The Q5 was launched the world over in late 2008 and made its entry into India in mid 2009. The Q5 follows a crossover form factor, which means it gives you the best combination of sedan and SUV characteristics. Being one of the first crossovers from Audi, the Q5 had no legacy or predecessor to live up to, but that also meant that the market was apprehensive about the purpose and positioning of this new machine.
Design and Features:
Whether stationary or on the move, the Q5 looks brute. It doesn’t have the large dimensions of its elder sibling, the Q7, but has an equally menacing front fascia with the large walrus grill; the intimidating LED daytime running lights and large wheels and arches. The coupe-like roofline gives it its crossover form factor. The tail, however is a subtle design and like most Audis on sale today, doesn’t exude as much flamboyance as its other German rivals. From either side, the Q5’s outline resembles that of its stepsibling, the Volkswagen Tiguan, but that’s where the similarity ends since there is no platform sharing here. The Q5’s design boasts of a decent ground clearance making the crossover look like a full blown SUV when standing amongst its Indian counterparts like the Scorpio or the Safari. The Q5’s interiors are almost similar to that of the current generation A4 and are available in both, a conventional black/grey or beige finish. The top notch paint quality and the interior elements highlight the Q5’s up-market positioning.
The B&O audio system, mated to the new generation Audi Multi-Media Interface make it one of the best entertainers in the business. From DVDs and audio CDs to our local FM radio, the MMI can make everything sound great to the ear. But that’s not all, the MMI is the interface which lets you communicate with the car in order to make calls, access the car’s mechanical settings, view trip/engine/fuel related information etc. The downside however is, that MMI’s voice recognition won’t understand the Indian accent all that well, hence forcing you to speak differently or making the changes manually as you would with a gamer’s joystick. I personally prefer using the BMW’s i-Drive interface over the MMI but since most owners will hand over these premium cars to their chauffeurs, you are going to use this interfaces just for entertainment and nothing more.
Driving abilities and comfort:
The Q5 has been built on Audi A4’s MLP underpinnings. MLP stands for Modular Longitudinal Platform – which lets a longitudinally mounted engine and transmission to be placed further behind the front axle allowing a longer wheelbase to be incorporated in the design without significantly altering the exterior dimensions. This aids lesser frontal overhang, giving the vehicle a better weight distribution. In layman’s terms, the MLP allows better handling characteristics and minimal body roll. This is evident the moment you hit the accelerator. Unlike a typical SUV the Q5 won’t start floating around on its suspension. Instead the Q5 rewards you with the handling characteristics of a sporty sedan while giving you the commanding driving position of a SUV.
The four-way independent suspension not only aids handling, but gives the occupants a comfortable ride quality even in India. Audi have gone a step further and incorporated high profile (65) tyres for the Q5 and reduced the rim diameter to 17” to add more comfort on our bumpy roads. The Q5’s seating is plush and can take five adults without a hassle. The coupe roofline however may make taller occupants feel cramped.
Engines:
Audi India has made a wise choice of engines for our market. The petrol offering comes in the form a 2.0-litre TFSI 4-cylinder mill which produces 155bhp of power and 350 Nm of torque. These figures are enough to propel this baby elephant from naught to 100 in less than 8 seconds. However for the not too power-hungry, Audi has its sensible 3.0-litre TDI diesel engine which can post almost similar timings while returning a phenomenal fuel consumption figure of ~19 kmpl! Both these engines are mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission which puts the power down to the road through Audi’s acclaimed Quattro all-wheel drive system.
The Competition:
With a price bracket of Rs. 38-44 lakh, the Q5 competes with the likes of the BMW X3, the Mitsubishi Montero, the Land Cruiser Prado and the Volvo XC90. While the Beemer is a crossover, the rest are full-blown SUVS. But if you are looking for the best of both the worlds and want a vehicle that looks fresher (and meaner) than the ageing X3, the Q5 is the car to buy Show Less
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