We meet Dominic Stern in front of a hotel in Málaga. Working in Product Marketing, he knows all the features of the new Audi Q5; his role in the development process was to represent customer interests in the best way. “It was important to us that the third generation of our bestseller can also be clearly recognized as an Audi Q5. The model has been a major success for the brand since 2008. In addition to its sporty design with well-defined surfaces and lines, the new Audi Q5 impresses above all with its outstanding suitability for everyday use. And that’s what we want to demonstrate today.”

Comfortable, spacious, and plenty of storage

Dominic packs the car for a trip to the countryside and mounts a bike rack with a mountain bike on the swivel trailer hitch. Thanks to the adaptive damper control in the air suspension, he can lower the car slightly to make it easier to load. An especially practical feature of the Audi Q5 is the versatile adjustable rear seat. It can be moved lengthwise, and its angle can be adjusted – increasing the trunk volume or comfort for rear passengers as required. With the rear seats folded down, the storage volume increases up to 1,473 liters, depending on the model variant. Dominic comments: “I’m always impressed by the adjustable rear seat bench, and here in the luggage compartment, you can see very clearly how we’ve directly implemented customer wishes. For the first time, the luggage compartment cover can be stowed away in a specially designed compartment under the trunk floor in just a few simple steps. That’s extremely practical!”

While Dominic removes the child seat from the rear bench to stow more equipment, he explains: “The Audi Q5 is also an absolute family vehicle.” He gestures to the mounting points. “A child seat can be fixed onto the two outer seats of the rear bench as well as the front passenger seat – and we even offer this as standard.” Other practical features include a larger storage compartment under the center armrest and numerous smaller storage areas for sunglasses, keys, and other everyday items. An inductive, cooled charging tray with 15 watts of power in the front center console, as well as two USB-C ports in the front and two in the rear, supply power to smartphones and other devices. The ports can even optionally output up to 100 watts – enough to conveniently charge a tablet or notebook.

Over hill and dale with air suspension and adaptive damper control

Dominic pulls his sunglasses out of the storage compartment and sets off toward the mountainous hinterland of Málaga – but first the Audi Q5 drives out of the parking lot on electric power. “Audi stands for ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’. That’s why we now use the new, efficient and powerful MHEV plus in every unit of the Audi Q5. Thanks to a small component on the transmission, the so-called powertrain generator, we not only reduce consumption, but also enable partially electric driving.”

We drive through picturesque landscapes. The Audi assistant makes it easy to access information about the towns and places of interest along the route. The learning voice assistant can also be used to control numerous vehicle functions, such as the temperature. The AI-supported digital assistant is integrated into the vehicle and is represented for the first time by an avatar in the central touch display of the MMI and in the head-up display.

We make a stop off the paved road to hop on the mountain bike. On the way, Dominic adjusts the suspension to suit the characteristics of the route. He explains: “The adaptive air suspension provides a good balance between comfort and sportiness. I can easily set the appropriate modes using Audi drive select and, for example, raise the vehicle by around 30 millimeters in off-road mode, or even as much as 45 millimeters at low speeds.”

Safe and stylish nighttime driving with cutting-edge lighting technology

It is now early evening, and the sun is slowly sinking into the horizon. With the new Matrix LED headlights, the Audi Q5 makes its way safely through the onset of dusk and the impending night. We make a short stop at the hotel before heading into town for dinner. Now the interior lighting of the Audi Q5 really comes into its own. It showcases the clearly designed interior even in the dark, and the combination of contour and ambient lighting creates the right mood. The standard progressive steering helps as we maneuver through the narrow streets of Málaga.

After dinner, Dominic parks the car back at the hotel. It has been a beautiful and eventful day. He takes a last look at the Audi Q5 as it bids us farewell with the dynamic lighting display of the Coming Home function. With its 266 segments, the second-generation digital OLED rear lights generate a new image several times per second using a specially developed algorithm. Dominic concludes: “The Audi Q5 is simply fun to drive, whether as your practical everyday companion or as an all-rounder for your holiday.”