The New Audi Q5 Sportback Looks 73 Percent Better Than The Old One

If there’s anything you can be sure of, it’s the endless stream of sub-models produced by German luxury automakers as they try to fill every niche, no matter how small. This time, it’s Audi. Months after unveiling a new Q5, it only felt like a matter of time before a new Sportback came our way, and guess what? It’s finally here. The biggest takeaway? How much better it looks than the old one, an important thing in a fashion-conscious segment.

This certainly isn’t the first Q5 Sportback ever put into the world, as a swoopy-roofed version of the outgoing Q5 is already available. However, the old one always looked and felt like an afterthought, never quite committing to the bit and instead just seeming forced. The biggest suggestion that it may have been made after a design freeze already happened on the standard Q5 is the disjointed rear three-quarter view, where the sloping backlight and vertical area of the hatch just seem to butt heads. So, has Audi fixed that in the new one?

In a word, yes. Look, we can argue the merits of fastback crossovers until the cows come home, but they’ve been around for well over a decade and people are still buying them, so we’re just going to have to live with them. By rounding off the sharp haunches and hatch transition on the new Q5 Sportback, Audi’s made it look like less of an afterthought and more of a cohesive idea. Does it work quite as well as a standard Q5 crossover? I’m not sure, but for the person interested in a compact fastback crossover, this certainly seems like a more stylish option than the current BMW X2.

Indeed, the rest of the new Q5 Sportback also embodies Audi’s newly rediscovered less-is-more approach to styling. Sure, the character line that kicks up off the sill, traces around the rear arch, and runs the width of the rear bumper to wrap around to the other side is a bit cartoonish, but the rest of what we see here is almost restrained. Slim full-width tail lights emphasize visual width, a giant glossy black trim insert in the rear bumper attempts to cleave out visual height, and my word, are those real exhaust tips?

Since you’re probably sick of hearing how another Starbucks drive-thru machine looks, let’s move on to what powers it. The new Audi Q5 Sportback is launching with a two-liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder engine and a two-liter turbodiesel four-banger, although only count on the former on making it to North America. As for the SQ5, it keeps its three-liter force-fed V6 and churns out 362 horsepower in global spec. No matter what engine you choose, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission comes standard, as does mild hybridization thanks to a 48-volt starter-generator. Interestingly, the 48-volt generator feeds a 1.3 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, and it allows for one seriously great idea — electric air conditioning.

See, normally, when automatic stop-start turns an engine off at a stop light to reduce pollution, the air conditioning cuts out as well due to most cars using belt-driven compressors. This absolutely sucks during hot, humid summer weather, so by going with electric air conditioning, not only has Audi prepared the new Q5 Sportback for further electrification, it also won’t roast occupants in gridlock. Now that’s luxury right there.

Speaking of gadgets, the new Q5 Sportback is also available with more screens than the average branch of Blockbuster Video. There’s a touchscreen infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard, a digital instrument cluster, and even a screen for the passenger because we all now have the attention span of a goldfish. However, none of those are the wildest tech piece in the cabin. See, the headlight controls, door locks including child safety locks, and mirror controls are all on the driver’s door panel. How often do you see headlight controls on a door panel?

Mind you, the user experience does seem overly reliant on screens and capacitive touch panels. There are no redundant climate controls, for example, and the steering wheel pads sure look like touch-sensitive controls rather than actual buttons. There’s just something about having to go through a touchscreen to turn on your heated seats that doesn’t feel particularly luxurious, especially when you’re already wearing gloves.

Still, as far as swept-roof compact luxury crossovers go, the new Audi Q5 Sportback sure looks a whole lot better than before. While it’s only been announced for Europe so far, don’t be surprised if it comes to North America, seeing as its predecessor is already on our roads. Subtlety is an art, and Audi seems to be picking it back up. Let’s see where it goes, shall we?

(Photo credits: Audi)

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