New Audi Q5 revealed: price, specs and release date

New Facelifted Audi Q5 in a nutshell:

• Sport, S line, Vorsprung and new Edition 1 specification options
• Sharper new look – next generation digital OLED lighting for Vorsprung versions
• Upgraded cabin incorporating latest touch-screen MMI Touch functionality
• MMI Navigation Plus, Audi connect and Audi Virtual Cockpit now standard range-wide
• Lighter, cleaner and more powerful 2.0 TDI for first phase – more options, including two plug-in hybrid TFSI e variants, to follow

The sophisticated new Audi Q5 boasts a sharper suit, better tech and a more powerful engine.

And while the tweaks might be subtle, this facelifted model continues to evolve and improve on Audi’s best-selling crossover.

The fresh Q5 is slated to hit showrooms later this summer, with prices starting at £42,950 OTR.

While a range of engines will ultimately be available - including the successful Q5 TFSI e plug-in hybrid, as well as a host of TDI and TFSI mills - the first wave of new Q5s will all be fitted with a 2.0 litre diesel mild-hybrid (MHEV) with peak power increased from 190PS to 204PS, and peak torque of 400Nm.

Audi is quick to point out that a new ‘twin-dosing’ system with dual AdBlue injection significantly reduces nitrogen oxide emissions, making it cleaner than before.

While significant weight savings to the crankcase and crankshaft also mean that the SUV will sprint from 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds, topping-out at 137mph.

A seven-speed S tronic transmission is also married to Audi’s latest on-demand version of quattro all-wheel-drive, which switches power to the rear wheels when reduced traction calls for it, keeping you rubber-side down.

The revised engine is, however, only the start of the story.

Like a visit to an expensive tailor, the Q5’s trademark style has been tightened and honed.

An Audi spokesperson points out: “In profile the latest Q5 has a more streamlined look thanks largely to its redesigned sill insert, and that sleeker air is carried through to the rear with the help of a new chrome trim element running between the light clusters and a new diffuser insert finished in either Selenite silver, matt brushed aluminium or Titanium black depending on model.”

The famous ‘Singleframe’ front grille is now slightly shallower and wider than before, with the air intakes that flank it also growing in height and now boasting trapezoidal insets.

LED headlamps replace the old Xenon units throughout the range, and there’s next generation OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) lighting for premium ‘Vorsprung’ versions.

It’s a similar story inside the Q5 - namely that subtle tweaks, rather than extensive overhauls, are the order of the day.

Audi’s Multi Media Interface (MMI) is now larger than before, measuring 10.1 inches diagonally across the range, versus either seven inches or 8.3 inches in the outgoing models.

The rotary controller - praised by many Audi owners - has been dropped here and replaced with an extra storage compartment.

But Audi makes up for that fact with a media processor that’s ten times more powerful than the predecessor, with ‘infotainment functions now literally at the driver’s fingertips.’

What’s also notable here is that the Q5 will also get the ‘Edition 1’ treatment for the first time, in keeping with other cars in the Audi range.

That translates to privacy glass, an exclusive design for the front and rear bumpers, side skirts, and matt black diamond cut 20-inch Audi Sport alloy wheel.

In short, you get some of the impressive elements of the range-topping Vorsprung model, but at a price point that’s closer to the mid-range S line.

Andrew Doyle, Director of Audi UK, sums up: “The Q5 struck a chord with UK buyers even before SUVs became such a dominant force here, and I think its inherent suitability for our way of life is key to its consistent popularity.”