2019 Audi Q5 vs BMW X5

What's the difference?

The Q5 50 TDI is good value, it’s practical and the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 makes it the choice for those that need to tow, or who just want a tough, quick-accelerating, medium-sized luxury SUV. Small families will find the Q5 50 TDI a willing and helpful weapon in the suburban warfare that is daily life.

I said at the start of this review that the new X5 is predictable… but it's more like predictably impressive.

There's a lot to like in the fourth-generation X5. You may still want to option a few extras over the standard base model car, but the 30d model embodies the idea of a luxury, tech-heavy family SUV beautifully.

The Q5 is arguably the best looking of the all Qs – not too big or too small, it appears to be the most perfectly proportioned of Audi’s SUVs. More of a dimensions type? The Q5 measures 4663mm end to end, 1893mm across and 1659mm tall.

Picking a 50 TDI from lower grades is tricky because the 40 TDI and 45 TFSI come with almost identical exterior features, and also the grey and matt aluminium silver grille.

The Q5 50 TDI isn’t as blingy as the Benz GLC or as sporty-styled as the BMW X3, but it has a solid, confident look and I adore the so-called Tornado Line, which twists itself over the wheel arches and traces an edge right around the car, through the tailgate and bonnet.

The cockpit is typically Audi: stylish and modern, but also restrained. While I admire the simplicity and quality of the build, with its outstanding fit and finish, I think Audi needs to make its cabins dazzle more. This isn’t just a Q5 thing, it’s across the board. 

You won't confuse the BMW X5 for one of its rivals - this is no Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi Q7 / Q8, or Lexus RX.

But you might confuse it for one of its siblings - there's more than a passing resemblance between this new-gen X5 and the also-fairly-new-but-marginally-smaller X3 (which is now bigger than ever, too). I saw a couple of new X3 models during my week, to which I waved and then, shamefaced, realised they were actually people driving lesser BMW SUVs. Ahem.

Back on topic, our 30d tester looked particularly plush, with the, er, sporty 'M Sport' package adding what is essentially a body kit to the lower edges of the car, including distinct front and rear bumpers as well as side skirts. There is a standard rear spoiler on all models, too.

If that looks a bit too aggro for you, BMW also offers the 'xLine' pack (which has more off-road elements to it) or the 'Indulgence' luxury-look pack.

I think the exterior design is some of BMW's most convincing work for a while, with plenty of recognisable cues when compared to X5s of generations past, but also enough contemporary styling - including those gorgeous cutaway tail-lights and that (arguably too large) kidney grille on the nose.

The interior design is considerably better than we've seen in other BMWs recently, too - it's almost Audi-like in its interpretation. Check out the images to see what I mean.

The previous Audi I reviewed was an Audi A3 35 TFSI Sedan and while I loved the look of that little four-door saloon, I deemed the car too small for somebody my size, or anyone with the demands of a young family.

Yep, at CarsGuide we test the cars in the real world with our families, which means one week you’re in a small A3 35 TFSI Sedan and the next it’s a Q5 50 TDI. Moving from one to the other immediately highlights what’s been missing.

Just installing a child seat can tell you a lot about practicality. In the A3 Sedan I had to kneel on the side of the road to install the child seat, but I hardly had to bend at all to put it into the 50 TDI. The tall back door openings, the seating height, the top-tether hook, which is accessed from the kick-open tailgate, all made life easy.

And yes, the kick-open tailgate is brilliant, and it can even be opened without having to unlock the rest of the car. The standard proximity key is also a Godsend. Then then there’s the load-height-lowering function, which comes with the optional air suspension and can make the Q5 50 TDI effectively kneel down for you, to make getting bags into the boot easier.

The cargo capacity of our 50 TDI was 550-610 litres – the reason for that range is because of the optional sliding second row.

There are only two rows of seating in a Q5 – this is a five-seater car only. If you need a third row you’ll have to step up to the Q7 to get seven seats.

Second-row room is excellent. Even at 191cm tall I can sit behind my driving position with about 50mm between my knees and the seatback, while headroom is great, too. Back passengers have air vents and climate control, two cupholders and big door pockets, while up front there’s a decent sized bin under the centre armrest and a deep storage area by the driver’s right leg – I could fit my shoe in it. Don’t ask.

Along with Qi wireless phone charger, you’ll find two USB ports and a 12V outlet up front, and two charging USB ports and 12V outlet in the second row.

Finally, a BMW with an interior that keeps pace with the exterior.

There's a 12.3-inch media screen with sat nav and you can control it using the rotary dial, using the screen by tapping and pinching, using voice commands or you can attempt to get the gesture control thing to work. I don't really bother much with that.

It looks great and is backed by a mighty stereo system with 10 speakers as standard, and up to 20 if you want to option them. Apple CarPlay is standard, and it's wireless - it even works with my beat-up old iPhone 6, which is awesome. But there's no Android Auto at all.

There's a big digital instrument cluster, too, and a smallish steering wheel with recognisable controls.

You wouldn't expect BMW to forget anything when it comes to interior practicality, and there are big cupholders, decent storage nooks and bottle holders in the doors, too.

And while the leather on the dash of our test car is lush, it'll cost you extra ($2700). Plus things like heated seats are on the options list, too.

As for occupant space, adults will be able to sit behind other adults back here in comfort. With driver's seat is in my position, I had heaps of legroom and shoulder room, plus decent headroom - even with the big glass roof.

The new model has a longer wheelbase, and it feels roomier than I recall the last model being. Three people my size will be able to sit next to each other reasonably comfortably, too. And of course there are dual ISOFIX child seat anchors and three top tethers as well.

BMW has thought of all the things you might need, too, with cupholders and bottle holders, plus map pockets - or, maybe more correctly, iPad pockets, with USB-C chargers above.

Now, if five seats isn't enough - or you can't stomach the look of the new X7 - you can get a set of extra seats in the boot. But sadly, if you want seven seats in your X5, you'll need to add $3700 to the price, and then you must add the 'Adaptive 2-axle' air suspension set-up at a further $3900, or $2300 if you have the M Sport model. That makes for either $7600 or $6000 for the M Sport. Yikes.

What's most annoying is that you have to bundle the third-row seats, but you can get air suspension separately if you want it.

Boot space is generous at 650 litres, and if you fold those 40/20/40 split-fold seats down that almost triples, to 1870 litres. And even though it has run flat tyres, the X5 gets a space-saver spare wheel.

The base model in the X5 range at launch is the xDrive30d, which has the same price point as the previous generation version despite adding quite a bit more gear. Eleven grand's worth, according to the company.

You'd usually be spending $112,900 (plus on-road costs) for a nicely equipped 30d model, but ours is optioned up to $124,590, with additions like 21-inch wheels ($2600), the M Sport pack ($4000), ‘BMW Laserlight' laser headlights ($2400 - standard-fit are LED headlights with LED daytime running lights) and stunning 'Phytonic Blue' metallic paint ($2000).

Some of the standard niceties include roof rails, a panoramic sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, and a surround-view camera system. If the cameras and sensors aren't enough, there's a self parking system that will remember the last 50 metres you drove and reverse you out if you're tentative about it. Neat!

There are dual 12.3-inch media and driver info displays, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, USB connectivity (plus three additional USB-C charge points), electric front seat adjustment, climate control (with separate rear temperature adjustment and vents), an electric tailgate, keyless entry and push-button start, and leather seat trim.

See below for the full safety equipment breakdown.

The 50 TDI may look just like the lower grades in the Q5 range, but its 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel is what really sets it apart. Its 210kW of power from 3750rpm and 620Nm of torque from 1500rpm not only make it the Q5 with the most grunt, but also the quickest accelerating, with a 0-100km/h time of 5.8s.

That low-end torque makes the 50 TDI the natural choice for those who tow, too. The braked towing capacity is 2000kg.

Shifting gears almost seamlessly is an eight-speed automatic, rather than the seven-speed dual clutch that does the honours in the lower grades.   

As with all Q5s, the 50 TDI is all-wheel drive.

Under the bonnet of the 30d model is a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder engine producing 195kW of power (at 4000rpm) and 620Nm of torque (from 2000-2500rpm). It has a standard-fit eight-speed automatic transmission with paddleshifters, and has permanent all-wheel drive.

Those engine specs are strong, and it has a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of just 6.5 seconds - faster than some hot hatches. If you really want a silly fast SUV, you could spend extra and get the M50d with its quad-turbo drivetrain.

Towing capacity is 750kg unbraked and 2700kg braked (1900kg for the xLine version), and the higher number is good, but still not best in class. An Audi Q7 or Q8 will tow more (3500kg), if that matters to you. BMW Australia has confirmed an upgrade to towing will be offered from April production, up to 3270kg.

Audi says that if you’re driving a combination of urban and open roads the 50 TDI will use 6.3L/100km. Our test car wasn’t too far off that claim, with an average of 7.6L/100km, measured from the trip computer.

The day that we shot the video above saw me driving continuously around the same hilly suburb for a couple of hours, and the mileage, according to the trip computer, afterwards was 14.2L/100km.

The claimed fuel use for this version is 7.2 litres per 100km. On test, we saw a little higher than that, at around 10.6L/100km.

Prepare yourself for an expensive trip to the servo when you eventually get there, as the diesel fuel tank capacity is 80 litres.

While the claimed use is better than many others, the X5 oddly doesn't come with any form of mild-hybridisation as other SUVs in the class do. It does have a diesel particulate filter and requires AdBlue, though.

The 50 TDI is one of those SUVs that feels like an Iron Man suit, in that it goes, turns and stops like you’re wearing it rather than driving it. Truly, it responds that well to whatever you ask of it.

Our test car had the optional adaptive air suspension and I recommend it if the roads you’ll be driving it on are as bad as the potholed streets of Sydney.

While the 50 TDI isn’t an SQ5, the handling is still excellent, with minimal body roll, and the steering is precise and well-weighted.

That 3.0-litre diesel V6 is a gem, providing great acceleration, and is well suited to towing, but if you’re not in the Dynamic drive mode, you’ll find that turbo lag rears its head occasionally. That issue can be solved almost instantly by shifting down a gear, using the steering-wheel paddles.

The V6 diesel is also quite loud from the outside, but you’ll be happy to know the excellent cabin insulation keeps most of the clatter out.

The last BMW X5 was sporty to drive, but the steering was a bit hard to get used to, and the ride could be pretty punishing on bad roads.

This new-generation model has improved on both counts, with steering that is light and direct without being too hefty or trying to offer the ultimate sports-car-on-stilts experience, and adjustable dampers on all models that allow you to choose what you want the drive to be - comfortable (choose Comfort) or sporty (you guessed it, choose Sport).

It still has run-flat tyres, though, so the ride is a little rigid - particularly over sharper edges in urban settings. And even putting it in Comfort mode didn't dissipate that sensation - in fact, I think it made it a little worse, because it was very softly damped but still thumped into bumps. Sport mode is too hard in town, but great on a windy road.

My choice for the week was Adaptive mode, which chooses the most appropriate settings for how you're driving it.

Of course, those modes also affect throttle response, though the big six-cylinder diesel engine is strong and solid no matter the mode. Its roll-on acceleration is exceptional, but there is a bit of low-rev lag when you take off from a standstill.

But once you're moving, the transmission is smooth and clever, the engine revving without any diesel clatter and hardly any vibration through the cabin. It's really nicely refined, and very quiet, too. Effortless is the word that comes to mind.

Oh, and it's quicker than a car weighing 2110kg (kerb weight) really ought to be - arguably faster than you'll ever need to be on the way to drop the kids at school.

The new-generation BMW X5 has a strong standard safety game - and it has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, as per 2018 testing.

Fitted across all grades is AEB that works at high and low speeds, pedestrian and cyclist detection, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and electronic brake force distribution.

There's a reversing camera and surround view camera (360 degree camera) with virtual reality display to help you visualise your car from the outside, and there are front and rear parking sensors. There's a semi-autonomous parking system that can do the hard work for you, and it'll even reverse you out of a tight spot if you're tentative about it, because it can remember the last 50 metres driven.

There are seven airbags (dual front, front side, driver's knee and full-length curtain), dual ISOFIX child seat anchor points (and three top-tether attachments for a baby car seat), and the usual electronic nannies like electronic stability control (ESC, ESP or DSC) with hill descent control, speed sign recognition, plus a warning triangle.

The Q5 50 TDI is covered by Audi’s three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 12 months/15,000km.

Audi has two servicing plans for the 50 TDI: three-year coverage for $2040 and five-years for $3070.

The mainstream brands might be moving to longer warranty plans, but BMW's - along with the other German luxury brands - remains set at three years/unlimited kilometres. That includes roadside assist, too.

The servicing is condition-based - so, your car will tell you when its time for some maintenance. And you can pre-pay for servicing, with the base version of that plan costing a reasonable $1995 for five years/80,000km. That covers the basics, and you'll need to visit the dealer every 12 months/24,000km.