Car Statistics: Audi - Q5 Series 09 (4 stars)

Styling (5 stars)

The Q5 is a handsome beast with a deep front grille and a coupe-like profile. It's not as muscular as the larger Q7, but still has excellent road presence. The interior is also stylish and finished to an excellent standard.

Handling (4 stars)

It's no hot hatch, but given the size and weight of the Q5 it is surprisingly agile. The stiff body feels controlled through tighter corners with little roll, whilst the ride offers a good balance between comfort and handling. It feels solid and composed on the motorway too.

Comfort (4 stars)

There's a decent amount of space in the Q5 so it's difficult to be uncomfortable. The front seats are quite sculpted and offer good support, and it's a quiet cabin too. Road noise is minimal - largely dependant on the size of wheels - and whilst there's a little wind noise from the huge wing mirrors, it isn't overly intrusive.

Quality (5 stars)

High quality materials are used throughout the Q5's cabin and there can be few doubts about the standard of the car's build. Audis have a pretty good track record when it comes to reliability.

Performance (4 stars)

The 3.0-litre TDI is the swiftest of the bunch, pulling the Q5 to 62mph in 6.5 seconds. Although the 2.0 TDI isn't quite as quick to the mark as the 2.0 TFSI (9.5 seconds compared to 7.2), there's plenty of torque so it pulls well in all gears. Top speeds are between 126 and 139mph.

Roominess (4 stars)

The Q5 is a big car and has a much longer wheelbase than many of its rivals, although it is marginally narrower. Leg, head and elbow room are decent and it will easily accommodate two six-footers in the back.

Costs (4 stars)

The most frugal of the engines is the 2.0 TDI which offers a combined fuel economy of 42.1mpg. CO2 emissions are decent too with the whole range producing less than 200g/km putting the Q5 in tax bands I and J (from March 2009) costing £175 to £215.

Value (3 stars)

The Q5 isn't cheap by any means and the 2.0 TDI in SE trim will be upwards of £30k. However, there's a decent amount of equipment including 18-inch alloys, Audi sound system with 10 loud speakers, Milano leather upholstery, rear parking sensors, colour driver information system (DIS) and three-zone climate control as standard. Optional equipment is grouped into special packs which are good value for money.

Stereo (5 stars)

The standard stereo on the Q5 is already a decent bit of kit and sounds great. There are various nav and audio options but the best value for money is Audi's 'technology pack' which (amoung other features) includes the excellent HDD navigation and MMI system with CD/DVD player, 2 FM tuners, a high res 7