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The Audi Q5 blends a responsive engine and transmission with a luxurious interior that provides legroom, headroom, and cargo space. For a reasonable base price of $43,300, you’ll ride in style. You will sacrifice fuel efficiency since the Audi Q5 earns a combined 25 mpg – 23 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway.
The product of Germany provides an engine with 228 horsepower and 273 lb. ft. of torque. You can go most places in this SUV, which lets you off-road when needed. The Audi also offers 54 cubic feet of cargo space plus it seats five.
Still, you might not find it near you, or you could want something with a bit more punch or more interior space or features. You have alternatives. Here’s a quick list of our favorites, starting with our top three, then providing the runner-ups.
1. Tesla Model Y
Enjoy a roomier interior, more cargo space, and better technology on this all-electric dream from Elon Musk. Its all-wheel-drive provides the same control as Audi’s Quattro system, so you can still feel confident going off-road. It does cost a little more, but you get more technology and a safer ride.
Why It’s Similar to the Q5
This compact crossover strongly competes with the Audi Q5 in body style, interior design and space, cargo space, and safety, but simply offers more. The Q5 focuses on stability control and safety features like a brake assistant, but the Tesla Model Y outdoes it by a mile. The base model includes essential driver assistance features and semi-autonomous driving systems.
You control all aspects of the vehicle from its massive central touch screen.
Vehicle Design Observations
It looks like a sporty hatchback, so you won’t feel like you’re driving a beast of an SUV. It offers a less bullnose front than the Q5, but a similar shape and size. Available in sedate white or black and jaunty vivid red and blue, this SUV from Tesla provides aerodynamic lines.
You’ll hug the road while racing along to your destination. On the inside, you’ll nab way more cargo space when you fold down the rear seats – a full 68 cubic feet.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 3.5 seconds
Horsepower: 384 combined
Base Model Cost: $51,490
Seating Capacity: Seven
Fuel Efficiency: All-electric; 127 miles per charge (MPC) in the city/117 MPC on the highway
Towing Capacity: 3,500 pounds
2. Subaru Outback Touring
If it is off-roading you want, the Outback Touring makes a far-better choice since it provides more ground clearance and cargo area. You can toss all of your camping gear in the rear 75.7 cubic feet of the cargo area. It beats the Q5’s ground clearance by .5 inches – providing 8.7 inches of clearance.
Why It’s Similar to the Q5
The all-wheel-drive of this Subaru offers similar control and terrain handling power as the Audi Quattro. AWD comes standard and so do numerous driver assistance features. You’ll also gain a fully-featured infotainment system and lap of the luxury interior, including Nappa leather upholstery, ventilated and heated front seats, heated steering wheel, plus a power moonroof.
Vehicle Design Observations
Subaru’s SUVs tend to bear more resemblance to a station wagon than an SUV and the Outback Touring keeps with this trend. Its design harkens back to surfer woodies of the 1960s, but with updated, rounded styling. The racks on the rooftop hearken to Subaru’s popularity with the outdoorsy set, ready for bikes, luggage, canoe, or kayak.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 8.7 seconds
Horsepower: 182 hp
Base Model Cost: $37,495
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 26 MPG in the city/33 MPG on the highway
Towing capacity: 2,700 pounds
3. Acura RDX
The Acura RDX offers a 2-liter turbocharged engine firing four cylinders coupled with a 10-speed automatic transmission for smooth, easy acceleration and shifting. It provides athletic handling that hugs terrain. Choosing to add its A-Spec trim provides little extras like a D-shaped steering wheel and an interior of Milano leather and Ultrasuede.
Why It’s Similar to the Q5
The RDX offers a similar body style to the Q5 but outdoes it on every other front except its infotainment center. The RDX beats it out on safety features, such as driver assistance features and engine. Its all-wheel-drive matches the Audi Quattro system.
Choosing the base model RDX won’t hurt you because it offers so many standard features that it feels like you chose a higher trim level.
Vehicle Design Observations
The boxier RDX offers a similar size, but with a less sporty design. Think sturdy soccer player to Audi’s slender swimmer lines. With a bullnose front and an oversized rear hatch, it bears resemblance without copying.
Consider the body style of this vehicle to fall between the Model Y and the Subaru Outback. You won’t enjoy as much cargo space as the other options since it offers 31.1 cubic feet with all the seats in place.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 6.5 seconds
Horsepower: 272 hp
Base Model Cost: $40,100
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 22 MPG in the city/28 MPG on the highway
Towing capacity: 1,500 pounds
Runners Up to the Top Three
Our top three vehicle alternatives to the Audi Q5 aren’t the only game in town. You might also consider these alternatives.
4. BMW X3
Consider the BMW X3 for power and cargo space. It offers average gas mileage, but a superb safety rating. You’ll earn 23 MPG in the city and 29 MPG on the highway, but enjoy 248 hp and 258 lbs. per foot of torque on this German driving machine.
You can seat five volumes of luggage or equipment in its 62.7 cubic feet of cargo space. This rectangular SUV might remind you of a mini Cooper but in an oversized version. The base model starts at $43,700. Choose from three trims – the sDrive30i, xDrive30i, and M40i.
The sDrive only nets your rear-wheel-drive, so pick the xDrive if you need an all-wheel-drive. When you add the BMW towing hitch, your BMW X3 can tow 4,400 pounds.
5. Infiniti QX50 Luxe
The price tag on the Infiniti QX50 Luxe comes within a thousand dollars of the Audi and offers comparable mileage. It also has a 2.-liter engine and a seating capacity of five. With 268 hp and 280 lb. ft. of torque.
It handles well due to the all-wheel drive and makes it easy to go offroad if needed. Another plus is that this Japanese product offers a massive 64.4 cubic feet of cargo space. Its bullnose front end and rectangular shape won’t win any aerodynamics awards, but its torque rod, introduced in 2019, does eliminate vibrations and engine noise, which adds to the luxury.
6. Volvo XC60
The base model of the Volvo XC60 starts at $44,000. The horsepower, torque, and gas mileage dip just below the specs of the Audi, but this Swedish product offers much greater cargo space – 63.3 cubic feet and seats five comfortably. With its all-wheel-drive and eight-speed automatic transmission, this Volvo proves an easy drive for anyone, even those new to SUVs.
Like the Outback, it provides an oversized ride, and its shape appears more station wagon than SUV. It, too, offers a 2-liter engine of four cylinders.
7. Lexus NX 300 Luxury
The Lexus NX 300 Luxury offers average gas mileage but a cheaper sticker price than most of the Audi alternatives. Its all-wheel drive helps this sporty, stylish crossover SUV take the roads tightly and off-road when needed. Its sticker price of $45,360 puts it above many of the others, but you could reduce that by choosing the base model for $37,610.
The vehicle earns 22 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. This Japanese export offers a (no surprises here) 2-liter, four-cylinder engine. It produces 235 hp and 258 lb. ft. of torque, so you won’t be towing anything huge, but it can tote 2,000 pounds even.
This posh ride provides 54.5 cubic feet of cargo space and five seats, so you’ll have plenty of space for luggage on a family vacation.
8. Cadillac XT4 Sport
The first of two American entries to the luxury crossover SUV list, the Cadillac XT4 Sport comes with a sticker price of $42,495 for its base model. Like all but the Tesla, the gas mileage isn’t anything to write home about. You’ll get 22 mpg in town and 29 mpg on the highway.
This high-quality entry from Cadillac does come standard with AWD to make any terrain easy to drive. At first glance, it looks a lot like the Audi, but its bullnose front end raises a little higher and the Caddy is longer. By now, you know the engine, chapter, and verse.
It has a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine but this one produces 237 hp and 258 lb. ft. of torque. Despite how big it is, you won’t get the cargo space of some of the other alternatives. You’ll have 48.9 cubic feet for cargo, and you can seat five.
9. Cadillac XT4 Premium
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The second American on the list, the Cadillac XT4, offers much of the same – AWD, engine, gas mileage, hp, and torque all remain the same. The sticker price of $42,295 puts this model in the running with the other alternatives. This longer Caddy also doesn’t offer as much cargo space as some of the other models, such as the Volvo.
In fact, you’ll only get 48.9 cubic feet for stashing your stuff and you can comfortably seat five.
10. Jaguar E-PACE SE
The massive Jaguar E-PACE SE slaps a $43,700 sticker price on a roomy crossover SUV that produces the least efficient gas mileage but delivers on one of the largest cargo areas. It all depends on what you need, because this United Kingdom product offers the same size engine, producing roughly the same horsepower (246) and torque (260 lb. ft.) as every entry in this list. The gas mileage comes in lower than others, with just 21 mpg in town and 28 mpg on the highway.
You can seat five and stow a lot in its 52.7 cubic feet of storage space.
Sources:
http://www.whichcarisrightforme.com/Similar-Cars/Audi-Q5-Base
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/3-alternatives-to-consider-over-the-audi-q5/