Automobile Magazine recently concluded a yearlong test of an Audi Q5 with the 3.2-liter V-6 engine which was the only engine available at launch. We came away thinking that the V-6-powered Q5 is a very quick and sporty-driving crossover, but we wished for better fuel economy. For 2011, Audi answered by adding a second engine option: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo.
After its successful application in the A4 (where it has supplanted the V-6 entirely), Audi's all-conquering 2.0T moved upmarket into the A5 coupe, and now to this Q5. Paired with a highly efficient 8-speed automatic, the turbo four delivers on its promise of better fuel economy, with an impressive 20 mpg city and 27 mpg on the highway--and that's with all-wheel drive, which is standard. Not only is that significantly better than the V-6 Q5's 18/23 mpg, but it also blows away the all-wheel-drive Acura RD-X, which also has a turbo four but manages only 17/22 mpg. And it beats even the two-wheel-drive versions of the RDX and all its six-cylinder competitors, including the Lexus RX350, the Lincoln MKX, the Mercedes-Benz GLK, the BMW X3, the Volvo XC60, and the Cadillac SRX.
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