Photo by Vince Taroc.

Photo by Vince Taroc.

Audi's 2018 Q5 enters its second generation with a look and feel that's very reminiscent of its first generation. The new luxury compact SUV arrives with a more powerful engine, additional cargo space, and a design face-lift.

Will it be enough to take on the formidable competitors in this space, such as Jaguar's F-Pace, the Porsche Macan, BMW's X3, and the Mercedes-Benz GLC? We shall see.

At 183.6 inches in overall length, the Q5 is right in line with the competition. Once again, trim grades include Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige.

Premium Plus now includes full LED headlights, side and rear-sensing systems, front and rear sensors of parking maneuvers, and heated front seats. Prestige adds 20-inch wheels, a head-up display, premium sound system, top-view camera system, and navigation.

Photo by Vince Taroc.

Photo by Vince Taroc.

Take a look under the hood, and you'll notice Audi's bread-and-butter turbocharged 2.0-liter TSFI four-cylinder engine that's been incrementally boosted to 252 horsepower (up from 220 hp) and 273 lb.-ft. of torque (up from 258 lb.-ft.).

Cargo volume increases to 26.8 cubic feet and 60.4 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

For executives who choose the vehicle, they can look forward to leather surfaces on the front and rear seats. And Audi had added several technology options, including mirroring of smartphones via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on a 7-inch floating center screen. The Virtual Cockpit feature also comes into play, allowing drivers to view a 3-D Google Earth image on their instrument panel.

As for pricing, the Q5 adds $625 to the base model, which now starts at $42,475. We tested the Premium Plus model that would retail for $52,700. It went on sale in April. 

Related Photos: Audi's 2018 Q5 Quattro

About the author
Paul Clinton

Paul Clinton

Former Senior Web Editor

Paul Clinton covered an array of fleet and automotive topics for Automotive Fleet, Government Fleet, Mobile Electronics, Police Magazine, and other Bobit Business Media publications.

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