All-new Audi Q5 en route to a 2025 launch
Audi’s most popular SUV model is about to be completely overhauled and the teaser campaign has begun
Audi has teased its new Audi Q5 SUV before its imminent reveal, giving us our first look at the new model’s sleek and technical new design. The premium mid-size SUV has been a staple in Audi’s range for over 15 years, and will continue to offer a selection of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains, leaving the Q4 and Q6 E-Trons as the only pure-electric options.
When it does arrive, the new Audi Q5 will rival BMW’s all-new X3 and the Mercedes GLC, as well as other premium rivals like the Volvo XC60, Genesis GV70 and Range Rover Velar.
Front and centre in the extensive changes will be the Q5’s styling, interior design and tech, the SUV adopting the new generation design language penned under the influence of Audi’s former design chief Marc Lichte.
As seen in the new teaser image, the headlights will have a more complex shape than on previous Q5s, combining configurable LED lighting signatures and integrating the clever Digital Light technology.
These will sit within the new Q5’s more assertive overall design, with oversized haunches, large air intakes and big wheels. Recent spy images of prototypes reveal yet more detail, with the nose of this SQ5 prototype being particularly telling, with large openings below and to each side of Audi’s usual central grille feeding air to the powertrain.
As we navigate to the rear, the Q5’s silhouette is marginally more streamlined than the existing model’s, with a more extreme angle on the rear screen and a 3D effect for the rear light bar. The lower bumper also reveals a tell-tale Audi ‘S’ design element in the quad exhaust outlets.
The cabin will be totally revised, with large new digital interfaces and a totally new dashboard architecture. It will introduce a new era of Audi interior design that will also be seen in the new A5 Sportback and Avant models, aligning more closely with the Audi electric range.
New Audi Q5 engines
Speaking of which, as the new Q5 will join the forthcoming all-electric Q6 e-tron in the range, there will not be an all-electric powertrain option, the Q5 instead focusing on hybridised combustion engines. Audi technical boss Oliver Hoffman has already outlined the technical basis of the next-generation A5 Avant to us – a closely related model that’s also based on the updated MLB-EVO architecture.
He explained that the new-generation combustion engines have been designed from the outset to synchronise more seamlessly with the various hybrid options that will be offered.
Fundamental to the platform’s new powertrain family will be an updated version of the Volkswagen Group’s well-known EA888 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, now complemented with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system and revised turbo.
The 48-volt tech expands the car’s engine-off coasting and electric-boost capabilities from fleeting moments to being a key part of the driving experience, improving performance and fuel economy.
The same technology is also expected to be applied to the Q5’s diesel engine options, which despite shrinking popularity across the general market remains popular for SUV models like the Q5 and SQ5. A refreshed and hybridised 2.0 TDI will be offered alongside the 3-litre V6 diesel engine in the SQ5 pictured here.
Finally, Audi will also offer a wider range of plug-in hybrid options, pairing the 2-litre petrol engine with a lithium ion battery pack and more substantial electric motor. Audi currently offers two PHEV options on the existing Q5, a pairing that will almost certainly be found in the new model too.
Now read our full review of the Audi Q5...
