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The first Q5 was a success worthy of Pokemon Go!, when it briefly achieved world peace. So the Audi Q5 80A had to take on the mighty task of filing it's boots. Just like the name of the generation, this car is shocking but not necessarily old and outdated.

And if that weren't enough, the Audi Q5 80A is the spiritual successor of the second generation Touareg, because it is a cross-over-almost-SUV that is very good at everything but excellent at nothing. And I could work as intensively as a gubment worker on the weekend and say that the Audi Q5 80A is a safe choice, probably the safest choice, for a premium cross-over/SUV. And with that I can pack up and go home.

Mostly because Audi from time to time releases the perfect recipe right out the bat, see the cases of RS4, RS6, TT, Q7 and consequently Q5. And there was no reason not to come up with the recipe for the Q5, because in 2008 the world had money to throw out the window, usually out of the window of an X5 or Range Rover or Cayenne. But many people, especially fur coat wearing older women, were intimidated by the size of these Chelsea tractors, and that's how smaller Chelsea tractors appeared, such as the X3 and the Q5. Plus, a Q5 does roughly the same thing as a Touareg, only it fits in the gate without emotions, it's a bit cheaper, and very important for some, it also came with 2 litre engines and you didn't give as much money to the council every year. I also remembered the manual gearbox, which is cheaper to maintain. But honestly, a manual Q5 2.0 TDI is just a taller and bigger Passat. And frankly many do not need more than that. And that made the Q5 quite reliable and one of the more reasonable premium crossovers in terms of running costs.

So where do you go from here?

• That's a really good question, because the Polynesians from Audi did not know what to do in particular and only improved the recipe a little but without diluting it. So the Audi Q5 80A is a little bit bigger, a little bit more comfortable, a little bit more modern and that's about it. The only major changes are to the automatic transmission because they got rid of the CVT box on the 4-cylinder engines and brought their own DSG, affectionately called Tiptronic, and the 6-cylinder engines move to the ZF 8HP 8-speed automatic box. And there would also be hybrid engines, but that happens in the industry anyway, and the Audi Q5 80A was one of the reference cars in it's segment so the hybrid treatment was inevitable.


• And here we come to the only weak point of the Audi Q5 80A, namely the hybrid and electric motors. Audi decided to launch its own collection of electric vehicles "e-Tron". That's why the roads are filled with Q4 e-Tron, Q5 e-Tron, Q8 e-Tron and what else was launched this week. Reason for which the Audi Q5 80A will also be slowly retired.

Audi Q5 80A Engines

Petrol

• 2.0 TFSI EA888 of 190 and 252 horsepower - We start off with a modest but enough 2.0 TFSI which is an interesting option but in a Europe where we know how to say "diesel" better than we know how to sing It's not unusual, it didn't really find its purpose on the bri'ish plains. But if you find it and you're ok with the oil consumption, the 2.0 TFSI is a decent choice for a city dwelling Q5.


• 3.0 TFSI EA839 of 354 horsepower – The old SQ5 continues its adventure and is basically an Audi S4 / S5 on stilts. I didn't necessarily understand the SQ5, but it's important to have a cross-over in the offer that runs faster than the gubment workers run from work, because otherwise everyone will run towards the F-Pace and the Velar. As for specific issues, you must consider the injectors that must be adjusted or at least checked at each servicing.

Diesel

• 2.0 TDI EA189 of 150, 163 and 190 horsepower – Ah yes, the classic 2.0 TDI. The only engine with which the Q5 should've been sold. As before, the VW village bicycle is effectively everywhere and is the entry-level engine for the entry-level Q5, because too few people buy the Q5 to be the neighborhood raceboi. As is tradition with this engine and any modern diesel really, it must be kept away from the city just as I am kept away from Eva Longoria, because otherwise you will have issues with the EGR, particle filter and injectors failing. As I said earlier, the most important update is the switch from the CVT automatic gearbox to the double clutch DSG automatic gearbox. It is not necessarily cheaper to run, but it is much better to drive.


• 3.0 TDI of 231, 286 and 341 horsepower - Honestly, a 3.0 TDI Q5 is effectively a 5 seater Q7 or a Q7 Lite, which is very good because the Q7 has reached some dimensions comparable to Johnny's megapint, and for many people the Q7 and the megapint are way too intense. So if you don't want to be the biggest elephant in traffic but still want the grunt of a Q7, the Q5 is for you. Issues with the injectors and oil leaks.

Hybrid

• 2.0 TFSI hybrid of 250, 299 and 367 horsepower - It was clear that the Q5 would also receive the hybrid treatment, but here in Europe it didn't really catch on because a Q5 is traditionally powered by a 2.0 TDI on the one hand, and on the other VW didn't really bother with hybrids. Either pure ICE engine, or pure electric. But it is good to know that it exists.


• 2.0 TDI hybrid of 204 horsepower - Likewise, it's the sort of hybrid put up for sale to meet the emission figures and pass the class.

Audi Q5 80A Reliability Issues

• European models are built in Mexico and VW does not have the best reputation when it comes to cars built in Mexico. However, the Audi Q5 80A is a quite resistant car, almost as resistant as gubment workers when it comes to work. But I would still check the interior and pull some plastics just like I pull myself to write this review. But atleast all Q5s are built in the same Mexico high tech factory which builds Q5 exclusively so it's not as bad as other american built Audis.


• The suspension is not very comfy on the bigger rims because of course you can install 20" rims on a Q5. But it shouldn't surprise you, just as it didn't surprise anyone that Biden dropped out of the election.


• It's an Audi so the entry level models come poorly equipped and if you start ticking boxes it can get pretty expensive pretty fast. Too fast in my oppinion.

Audi Q5 80A Verdict

It's still a correctly executed recipe, which the Audi engineers did not dillute too much because if it is good, why spoil it? Sure, it looks boring... I mean sober and classic, but if you want a premium cross-over that is reliable, sturdy and you don't want something that goes out of the norm (such as the Citroen C5 AirCross), then the Audi Q5 80A remains the safest cross-over premium as far as buying with the brain goes. If it were a gift, it would be bed linen. If it were an clothing piece, it would be a branded polo shirt.

Which engines do I recommend? For the petrol power - the 2.0 TFSI if you want something light and 3.0 TFSI of 354 horsepower for a kick in the nads, but the main party piece remains the 2.0 TDI of 150, 163 or 190 horsepower.