2025 Audi Q5 Hybrid electric (clean) · RK75 CHC

The new Q5's adaptive air suspension - the same hardware that costs extra and is meant to be the comfort option - was independently criticised in two 2025-26 tests: Auto Express found it 'unsettled at lower speeds', clunking into potholes and drain covers 'more clumsily than a car riding on coil springs', while RAC says the car is 'upset by low speed bumps a bit more than we'd like for a premium SUV'. For a used buyer it is both a spec-choosing tip (the steel-sprung car was actually praised as the better balance) and a check: air bags, sensors and compressors that get bashed on kerbed UK roads become genuine MOT advisories.

The entry-level 2.0 TFSI four-cylinder petrol engine (EA888 evo4) in the Mk3 Q5 produces 204hp, but struggles to deliver effortless refinement. Auto Express concluded that the diesel is preferable to the noisy and lacklustre petrol engine that chips away at the Q5 otherwise impressive levels of refinement, noting coarse engine buzz under acceleration. Real-world fuel economy is also disappointing: Carbuyer recorded an average of just 32.1mpg during road testing, falling well short of official claims. Pushed to haul the Q5 1.9-tonne kerb weight, the 2.0 TFSI revs noisily and drinks petrol rapidly in urban and stop-start British traffic.

The Mk3 Q5 features Audi 48-volt MHEV plus mild-hybrid system, incorporating an 18kW powertrain generator integrated onto the 7-speed S tronic transmission output shaft. While intended to supply instant torque when moving away, Auto Express observed that the 24bhp hybrid boost feels less punchy off the line than expected. Parkers similarly noted that across both engines the S tronic transmission can feel hesitant, occasionally requiring a manual paddle override to summon immediate low-end punch. In UK urban stop-and-go driving and entering roundabouts, the engine restart and clutch engagement can cause a brief lag followed by an abrupt pull-away surge.