Audi Q5 PROGRESSIV 2018 Legendary AWD Traction

For 2018, the Q5 gets not only a new suit of clothes but its first full reworking in the model’s nine-year history. This includes a new generation of Audi’s familiar turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, now making 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, plus a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic in place of the last Q5’s eight-speed conventional automatic and an all-new platform that integrates more aluminum bits.
A quick drive in the new Q5 reveals much better body control than the first-generation vehicle. There’s nothing tricky going on here. The Q5 is not offered with air springs. And our mid-level Premium Plus version had no adjustable ­dampers. But the coil springs, the fixed-rate dampers, and the rest of the suspension are tuned to deliver a well-controlled ride, free of float, while rounding the edges off sharp impacts, even with the Q5 wearing the optional 20-inch wheels.
Q5 has a visually quiet, near-minimalist interior style. It’s a calming place. Without flashiness to distract and confuse the eye, minimalism invites greater scrutiny of ma­teri­al quality, and here Audi does pretty well.