We would suggest you go in for the Q5 Premium Plus trim that is priced at $45,500 and comes equipped with heated front seats with driver memory, it also gets advanced safety features such as the Audi Pre Sense and Vehicle Exit Assist. This is apart from everything you would get on the premium trim otherwise.

The 2018 Audi Q5 has balanced handling, capable engines, and an opulent cabin with many features, but its below-average predicted reliability rating keeps the Q5 from ranking higher in its class - Cars.USnews

The 2018 Audi Q5 comes with a lineup of three + two trims. The differentiation between the first three and the second two is that of the powertrain. The basic engine offering being a 2.0L inline 4-cylinder gas engine, it generates 252 HP and 273 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain is found in the first three trims: Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. It comes priced at $41,500, $45,500 and $50,800 respectively.

The other engine offering is a turbocharged 3.0L V6 that is capable of generating 354 HP. This is offered on the two variants namely, SQ5 Prestige and SQ5 Premium Plus. The base trim premium price at 41500 offers advanced infotainment features along with a 10 speaker sound system, it also gets advanced safety features such as Audi Pre Sense Basic and Audi Pre Sense City as standard.

On the powertrain front, the 2018 Audi Q5 lineup has two engines to offer. The basic engine offering is a 2.0L inline 4-cylinder gas engine which generates 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. The other engine offering, which can be seen with the more powerful SQ5 variants, is a 3.0L V6 Turbocharged engine that generates 354 hp. Both the engines get a single drivetrain, an AWD, Audi's legendary Quattro it is. They further come equipped with a dual-clutch 7-speed automatic transmission. With the new engine heads, the 2018 Q5 proves to be the most powerful in the segment.

With the best in class power generation numbers to its name, the 2018 Audi Q5 has phenomenal acceleration timing too. Its four-cylinder engine generates enough power to make the Q5 go from 0-60 mph in just 5.9 seconds. It is indeed intriguing how the Porsche Macan with identical power generation numbers fails to deliver the same acceleration time. However, they do synchronize in terms of the quarter-mile dash. Equipped with four driving modes and the famed Audi Quattro AWD drivetrain gives maximum customization in terms of drive experience and handling. With extremely responsive steering, acceleration, and brake pedals, that top the sheer pleasure of driving an Audi, the 2018 Q5 is definitely worth it.

Despite being the heaviest SUV in the segment, the 2018 Audi Q5 comes to a halt in just 112 feet. Easily bringing the 4045 lbs of its curb weight to a standstill, it gets only an average-sized rotor set, measuring 13.3 inches for the front wheels and 13.0 inches for the rear wheels. Audi proves to deliver on all fronts, power, acceleration and now braking as well. The 273 lb-ft of torque and the AWD Audi Quattro help the 2018 Q5 to tow 4400 lbs. This figure is pretty decent for a 2.0L engine, however, this isn't the best in the segment.

The 2018 Q5 gets above-average fuel economy estimates for the class - Cars.USnews

The 2018 Audi Q5 has the best in class fuel economy offering, this is despite the fact that it delivers the most power and torque. All of this magic is credited to the "Ultra tech" technology and the Quattro drivetrain. The 2018 Q5 delivers a gas mileage of 23/27/25 MPG for city/highway/combined reading.

The prowess of the Audi is clearly understood when you go to see the fuel efficiency of the equally powered Porsche. The Porsche delivers the least economy in the class. The Volvo and Jaguar offer average fuel efficiency, better than what the Porsche has to offer though.

Audi claims to have revamped the 2018 Q5 from the ground up, which is clearly visible with regard to the interior cabin as there are several significant changes. The cabin remains adequately spacious and comfortable while accommodating five individuals. Audi offers generous room for both the front and rear row of seats. It is further equipped with soft-touch materials and wooden inserts.

The entire setup is driver-oriented and delivers an amazing cockpit-like experience, with all the buttons accessible to the driver. You further find 8-way power-adjustability for the driver's seat. There is also 4-way lumbar support along with thigh extensions for taller passengers. Offering just about an average space for its cargo offering, the 2018 Audi Q5 sees a standard cargo room of 60.4 cubic feet, behind the front seats. There isn't really more to ask for in the 2018 Audi Q5.

The 2018 Audi Q5 interior is available in regular black, rock grey, atlas beige, and nougat brown colors. These colors can be paired with wood trim available in walnut, aluminum, and ash wood colors. The ash wood color wood trim comes at an additional cost. The back camera is standard in all trims. The premium plus and prestige trims add parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert. The Prestige adds a 360-degree camera and an electronic parking brake with an automatic function. The Prestige trim also adds an auto-dimming rearview mirror with a compass.

The base trim gets a 10-speaker sound system setup, while the top-tier trims feature a 19-speaker Bang and Olufsen speaker setup. As standard, there is a 7-inch touchscreen display for the infotainments and other information, this can be upgraded to an 8.3-inch touchscreen, at an additional charge. Google Earth, voice recognition, myAudi Destinations, predictive traffic and weather, internet radio, and applications like Twitter come included.

The other features offered are mentioned below:

• panoramic sunroof
• satellite radio
• navigation
• MMI All-In-Touch touchpad with handwriting recognition
• 12.3-inch virtual cockpit
• Audi Connect Plus
• Wi-Fi hotspot
• Audi Connect Prime

Just as mentioned before, the 2018 Audi Q5 gets a complete makeover, however, most of the changes are visible inside the car, on the outside, there are only a few significant changes. The most notable exterior design changes are lines across the body and on the bonnet, the aggressive new headlights, and a stunning body shape.

In terms of dimension, the Audi Q5 is clearly the heaviest, weighing 4045 pounds, followed by the Volvo XC60 at 3950 pounds. The Jaguar measures the lightest with a weight of 3880 pounds. Further, in comparison, we find that the Audi Q5 has a compact body compared to its rivals, it is followed by the Macan with a slightly larger body, Volvo ranks third followed by the Jaguar F-Pace which has the largest body dimensions.

The exterior features offered for the 2018 Audi Q5 include the following:

• Xenon lights (on lower trims)
• Headlamps (with embedded fog lights)
• Audi Progressive taillights
• 18-inch 5 spoke alloy wheels/19-inch 5 wing design alloys/20- inch alloys with 5 spokes
• Powered and heated side mirrors
• Auto-dimming and power-folding side mirrors on top-tier trims

The 2018 Q5 has an above-average safety score for the class - Cars.USnews

With regard to the safety offering, the 2018 Audi Q5 performs phenomenally. And we know so by looking into the records of NHTSA, it scores a perfect 5 out of 5 stars in the Overall Safety Rating and also in aspects such as Frontal crash and Side crash. With slight room for improvement, the 2018 Q5 scores 4 out of 5 stars in the rollover crash tests.

In order to cross verify the safety ratings that seemed unbelievable, we went to check the records of IIHS. To our utter amazement, we found that the Audi Q5 indeed scores a fabulous safety rating. Graded an overall "Good" it also goes ahead to score the same grade in all the 9-safety aspects.

Safety features of the 2018 Audi Q5-

• Post-Collision Safety System
• Pre-Collision Safety System
• Remote Anti-Theft Alarm System
• Stability Control
• Tire Pressure Monitoring
• Traction Control
• Front And Rear Ventilated Disc Brakes
• Passenger Airbag Occupant Sensing Deactivation
• Rear Center 3-Point Belt
• Rear Door Child Safety Locks

2018 Audi Q5 vs 2018 Volvo XC60

The 2018 Audi Q5 has a similar engine configuration when compared to the 2018 Volvo XC60. Audi does offer a better torque generation and this translates to better acceleration timing. Audi also has the upper hand in terms of brake performance and towing capacity. With the best-in-class fuel economy on offer, Audi outperforms the Volvo even in this segment, however, by a margin of just one mile per gallon. Both the vehicles deliver a top-notch safety offering. Overall it is the Audi that has the upper hand, given that they both have more or less the same base price.

2018 Audi Q5 vs 2018 Porsche Macan

The 2018 Porsche Macan marks the closest competition to the Audi Q5 in terms of performance. This is in terms of power and torque generation, and not in acceleration performance. With a similar brake performance to offer, these vehicles also match in terms of their towing capacity. Here comes the tiebreaker in the aspect of fuel economy, where the 2018 Q5 wins by a great margin over the Porsche. In terms of interior features and comfort, it is the Audi that has the upper hand. Even considering safety, it is the Audi that is better than the Porsche. When you go to see their price tags it would become an obvious choice as Audi offers more value for money as compared to the Porsche.

The Q5 is the most sold car in Audi’s arsenal. And the stats are just going to keep better with the new and redesigned 2018 Q5. The new and improved standard 4 cylinder engine provides more power than the earlier Q5 engines. The engine is powerful enough for everyday drives, but if you crave for more power, you always have the option of SQ5. The Audi Q5 is not just about looks. It is loaded with standard and optional features than enhance its comfort level, safety, and connectivity. To summarize, Audi is a luxurious, spacious, and fuel-efficient SUV. Sure, there are competitors like Mercedes GLC which provide more power, but none match the complete package that the Q5 so proudly displays.