THE NEW AUDI Q5 COMES TO INDIA WITH JUST ENOUGH TO TELL IT APART FROM ITS PREQUEL

AFTER A LONG LEAVE OF ABSENCE, AUDI IS BACK WITH A KEY MODEL IN ITS PORTFOLIO. THE UPDATES ON THE Q5 ARE FEW AND SUBTLE, BUT IT'S SHARP STYLING AND UNDERSTATED STANCE WILL BE A WINNER

-  Dhiram Shah

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE 1998cc, TURBO-CHARGED PETROL

TRANSMISSION 7-SPEED DUAL CLUTCH, AWD

POWER 249BHP@5000-6000RPM / 370NM@1600-4300RPM

TOP SPEED 237KMPH

PRICE ₹58.93 lakh

WHEN ONE hears ‘Audi SUV’, one tends to remember the indomitable Q7 range that has been the brand’s top-of-the-line series. The more modest Q5 seemed to have vanished from the scene last year, with production halting as the nation reeled from the shockwaves of the pandemic.

Audi has finally announced that it will be launching the Q5 in November 2021, with a few subtle features that have been shrewdly described as a ‘facelift’, by nearly everyone who has previewed the car. Two big developments that should be noted by those who have been waiting for the Q5 are that it will not be available in its classic diesel-engine avatar and will instead only offer a petrol variant. Also, it will be the first Q5 to be fully assembled in India.

Only a trained eye will be able to identify the subtle changes in the Audi Q5. The Full LED headlamps (no matrix headlamps available) and tail-lamps have been upgraded. The wide, octagonal grille, the upgraded bumpers, and larger 19-inch wheels are the most noticeable changes.