2025 Audi Q5 pushes its bestseller forward with sharper style and deeper tech
Audi’s bread-and-butter crossover enters its third generation for the 2025 model year, and the changes run deeper than a fresh set of LED signatures. Riding on the brand’s new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), the 2025 Audi Q5 gains more power, a roomier cabin, and a thoroughly digitized dashboard—yet it still leans on familiar quattro all-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter turbo four. Pricing starts at $52,200 before the $1,295 destination charge, with Sportback bodywork, Prestige upgrades, and the hotter SQ5 (covered in a separate piece) filling out the lineup.
Sleeker sheetmetal, slicker lights
The latest Audi Q5 trades soft curves for a crisper profile. A higher shoulder line, smoothly integrated wheel arches, and a rising character line connect slimmer Matrix-design headlights to a full-width tail-light bar. The standard LED lamps can display up to eight daytime-running-light patterns, while optional second-generation digital OLED units out back add animated “coming-home” and “leaving-home” sequences. Audi also offers ten exterior colors—Tambora Gray is new—and wheels from 18 to 20 inches (21s are SQ5-only).
More juice from the 2.0-liter
The mainstream 2025 Q5 keeps its 2.0-liter TFSI inline-four, but output climbs to 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque—gains of 7 hp and 22 lb-ft. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic continues to route power to all four wheels. Audi has yet to publish acceleration or top-speed numbers, though the modest bump suggests a similar mid-5-second 0-60 mph window as the outgoing model, with a governor likely around 130 mph. If you want more punch, the SQ5’s 362-hp 3.0-liter V6, quad tailpipes, and sport adaptive air suspension still sit one rung higher.
Chassis tweaks aim for comfort without losing edge
Standard steel springs now pair with frequency-selective dampers that soften choppy pavement yet firm up in corners. Prestige trims layer on adaptive air suspension with broader spread between Comfort and Dynamic settings. Audi also fits quicker progressive steering and revises front geometry for better turn-in. The result, on paper at least, should be a livelier feel without compromising the calm demeanor that keeps Q5s flying off dealer lots.
An interior that’s all about the screens—three of them, in fact
The new dashboard runs nearly uninterrupted from door to door, but your eyes land on the “Digital Stage” at center. A curved enclosure houses an 11.9-inch digital gauge set and a 14.5-inch MMI touchscreen. Prestige models add a 10.9-inch passenger display with shutter tech that hides video from the driver’s sightline. Android Automotive OS powers the interface, unlocking an in-car app store for streaming, gaming, navigation, and more—no phone required.
Five USB-C ports (up to 60 W up front, a hefty 200 W total in the rear) plus a cooled 15-watt wireless charger keep gadgets fed. A 685-watt, 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen system with 3D sound is optional. Audi’s new self-learning voice assistant, represented by an on-screen avatar, can adjust vehicle functions, fetch weather, and suggest routines based on your habits.
Space gains and family-friendly touches
The Q5’s wheelbase hasn’t changed much, yet Audi squeezed out more usable room. A sliding, reclining rear bench can prioritize legroom or cargo, and the luggage cover tucks under the floor when not in use. With the rear seat folded, the SUV swallows 56.9 cubic feet of stuff (53.1 in the Sportback). Extra cubbies, a larger center console, and thicker acoustic glass further the comfort mission.
Driver assistance: longer list, larger HUD
Every 2025 Q5 ships with traffic-sign-based adaptive cruise, lane-departure warning, drowsiness monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a four-function Active Front Assist package. A far larger head-up display (7.0 × 3.0 in.) now lets drivers scroll menus without glancing at the cluster. Available adaptive cruise assist layers in lane centering and stop-and-go capability.
Trim walk and pricing
- 2025 Audi Q5 Premium – $52,200
- 2025 Audi Q5 Premium Plus – $56,700
- 2025 Audi Q5 Prestige – $60,600
Add $3,700 for comparable Q5 Sportback versions. Destination: $1,295.
Standard equipment rises with each rung, but even the base model carries the curved MMI displays and a healthy roster of driver aids. Prestige tacks on the passenger screen, adaptive air suspension, extended acoustic glass, and the trick ambient “interaction light” that spans the dash and flashes warnings or navigation cues.
Where the new Q5 lands in 2025’s crowded crossover field
Audi’s latest tweaks don’t reinvent the Q5, but they sharpen the edges—literally in the lighting, figuratively in the chassis—and layer on tech that should age well in a market obsessed with screens. Whether traditional buyers embrace the extra digitization (and the inevitable learning curve) remains to be seen, yet the core formula of punchy power, carry-all practicality, and quattro confidence holds steady. The 2025 Audi Q5 reaches U.S. dealers in May.
-Ed
2025 Audi Q5
