MotorMouths

There’s a reason shoppers are flocking to the new Audi Q5: It’s a quick, sweet-handling, tightly built compact luxury SUV with an attractive, thoughtfully designed interior.

The Audi Q5 looks good, is quick on its feet, and provides a level of sporty luxury that’s at the leading edge for its class. It’s a vehicle that’s likely to make its owner happy day in, day out, long hauls or short.

The wonderful thing about the Q5 is you can have your cake and eat it too. Audi’s little luxury sport-ute is a docile people mover on any given work day, but turns into an admirable performer up through the mountains and curvy roads after leaving the office.

You can really have it all with the 2012 Audi Q5. From exciting performance to excellent comfort and convenience, this crossover has broad appeal.

Outside of new engines, the Q5 is little changed. It’s still firmly sprung and agile, and its just-right size and roomy interior remain, of course. Audi’s midsize crossover seems poised for continued sales success.

If you need a stylish crossover SUV filled with all the latest technology, the 2013 Audi Q5 should be on your shopping list.

The 2011 Audi Q5 is a small, zippy SUV that’s not your typical family hauler and will deftly handle any task thrown at it in your daily life. However, it’s not a good fit for families that need a large cargo area.

While the Q5 feels compact from the driver’s seat and gives the impression it should be nimble and eager, high steering effort and reluctance to rev give the impression of being weighted down. Around the exterior, the Q5’s identity is clearly Audi, and materials are nice.

The base model Q5 looks a little plain compared to the ritzier V6, but purists will admire the turbo 4’s honest lack of pretense. It represents one of the best deals in the Audi catalog.

The small SUV/crossover segment isn’t exactly a driver’s paradise, but the Audi Q5 is as good as it gets. Now that the Q5 2.0T saves about $3000 from the 3.2’s sticker and adds two mpg combined, it’s better than ever.

This revamped Q5 is apt to attract buyers who like its usable size, sharply tailored interior and clean, if forgettable, design. They’re not likely to notice the lifeless steering or worry that it’s not as flashy as a Range Rover.

Downsizing to the 2.0T makes sense in the Audi Q5, given its comparable performance to the 3.2-liter V-6. If it were our money, we might be tempted to downsize again—by an entire vehicle class to Audi’s own A4 Avant, which uses the same engine to better effect.