Audi is known to have extremely high quality interiors and the Audi Q5 is no exception. Step into the Q5 and its smart layout and high quality materials speak the same language.
Ingress and egress is very easy thanks to the side step. The dashboard in our test car had beige interiors with dark brown inserts. The Audi Q5’s interior is a superb blend on materials such as aluminum alloy, wood, chrome and leather.
The three spoke steering is not the flat bottom type which new Audis have, but a traditional circular one. It has thumb pads to give you a perfect grip. It has a thick-rim and is covered in soft leather for added grip. It also boasts Audi’s scroll-style rollers for audio volume and track selection.
The driver can get into a perfect driving position thanks to the power-adjustable front seats with memory function and the tilt & telescopic steering wheel. He gets easy access to the music system and cruise control thanks to the steering-mounted audio control and cruise control stalk to his left. He also has easy access to the center console which is slightly tilted towards him.
The dial cluster is extremely well designed with all the digits and every piece of information very clearly visible at a glance of an eye. It also has a small MID screen that provide driving related information such as FE, Average speed, Distance-to-Empty, etc.
Coming to the center console of the Audi Q5, you will notice a myriad of buttons around the gear level and the center console. There are just so many things that you can do with the Audi MMI using these controls. The software is very intuitive and takes hardly any time to understand its functions. However, I would love to see the inclusion of smart-phone like touch screen controls and reduction of buttons in the next generation model.
The Audi MMI comes with a small 6.5 inch display screen which you can spend hours playing with. It also gets a reverse camera and a 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system with superior audio quality. You also get a 6 CD changer in the glove box but CDs are becoming old fashioned these days (when was the last time you bought a CD?). You could opt for the MMI High System which comes with a hard drive, DVD drive and a Bluetooth phone connectivity.
Make sure you tick the Panoramic sunroof option on your accessory list because it lets a lot of light into the cabin making the passengers feel fresh and lively during journeys. It is also a lot of fun to drive in heavy rains with the rain drops falling on the glass area. This is one of the little joys of life for a petrolhead.
And if you feel that the Panoramic sunroof might heat up the car when parked, don’t you worry, the three zone climate controls are at your service. The air-conditioning is really powerful and brings the temperature down quite quickly. It also has pollen filter, humidity & sun sensors for providing relaxing temperatures to the passengers.
A wheelbase of 2.82 meters means there is ample space for a group of 4 people. Plus, Audi has managed to reposition the front axle much forward resulting in lots of space inside the cabin. More importantly, despite of the sloping roofline, there is ample headroom for all 4 passengers.
The rear passengers are treated to their very own AC controls, dedicated overhead light for reading purposes, and manual roller sun blinds.
The boot has plenty of space (540 liters to be precise) for your weekend whereabouts. If you fold the seats down, the boot space is increased to 1,560 liters for additional luggage space. The seats are exceptionally comfortable with decent side support. The spare wheel is a donut type and not a proper full size wheel.
The Audi Q5's interiors are a sumptuous combination of über luxury and modern technology presented in the most usable format. The controls take only a few minutes to get used to and you don't need an electronics engineering degree to work them out.
Sure, there could be more features added and many more subtracted but overall we are very happy with the outcome. After spending a considerable time behind the steering wheel, I came out completely satisfied with Audi Q5’s interiors.
