A 4-door, 5-passenger luxury sport-utility vehicle, Audi reports the 2012 Q5 as one of its hottest selling models in the U.S. market.
Rated No. 1 in its class, the Q5 comes in two types: the 2.0T Premium quattro Tiptronic and the 3.2 Premium quattro Tiptronic.
The 2.0T Premium quattro Tiptronic is equipped with a standard 2.0-liter, I-4, 211-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. It has an 8-speed automatic transmission with overdrive.
The 3.2 Premium quattro Tiptronic is equipped with a standard 3.2-liter, V-6, 270-horsepower engine that achieves 18 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.
Diesel models come with two 4-cylinder (143 hp and 170 hp) and a 6-cylinder (240 hp) engine.
In addition to a 4-cylinder engine with an electric motor integrated into the transmission, the hybrid model carries the total power of 245 hp.
As a 6-speed manual gearbox or 7-speed S-Tronic, automatic transmissions are used. Only the Audi Q5 hybrid is equipped with an 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox.
The 2012 Audi Q5 has plenty of room to accommodate a family while driving around town or on a road trip. The spacious cargo area holds groceries or luggage and still has enough room for a family pet to be secured in back. A pass-through section between the back passenger seats allows for the pet to be cared for, snacks to be accessed, or cargo to be extended into the passenger area.
Both the driver and passengers in the Audi Q5 enjoy the comfort of leather upholstery, heated, 12-way power front seats with driver memory, 40/20/40 rear seat with pass-through, recline and fore/aft adjustment, a panorama sunroof with a power sunshade, and three-zone climate control. Entertainment during the drive includes multiple media choices such as AM/FM and satellite radio, 1CD audio with SD card reader, and aux-in capability.
Keeping in touch while on the road is made easy and safe with Bluetooth activation. Additional safety features include front and side air bag supplemental restraint systems for the driver and front-seat passenger, side curtain air bags, active and passive rollover protection, side impact protection, front and rear impact body crumple zones, rear child safety locks and an anti-theft vehicle alarm system.
The Audi Q5 looks great and drives even better. With an MSRP range from $35,000 to $43,000, Audi makes it easy to drive this year’s models.