LOOKING FOR A premium five-door SUV with all the added extras? Then this 2013 Audi Q5 for €34,950 could be the car for you.
The Audi Q5 is a handsome luxury compact SUV with a great cabin and plenty of room for five adults to travel long distances in comfort. It is a popular model with Irish buyers and it has plenty of kerb appeal.
This particular car we have here comes in S Line trim and looks the business especially with those 19-inch alloys and xenon lights.
Inside, the cabin is very well made and the quality is great while the leather/Alcantara sports seats are nice and supportive as well as being comfortable. Great for long motorway drives.
Power comes from a 143hp 2.0-litre TDI unit mated to a manual transmission, which sends power to the front wheels. This entry-level engine provides adequate power and is quite refined.
The Audi Q5 handles really well considering its height and bulk and there isn’t much body roll when cornering. The steering is nicely weighted and provides a decent amount of feedback, too.
Overall, the Q5 is refined, with little in the way of wind or road noise at speed.
Toyota RAV4
If you are looking for a car that is a bit more practical with all-wheel drive and an automatic instead of a manual transmission, then this 2015 Toyota RAV4 priced €38,500, is worth considering.
Although more expensive than the Audi, the RAV4 is a newer car and has fewer kilometres on the clock. However, it is less exciting to drive and lacks the desirability of the Audi badge.
This car is powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine, which offers plenty of torque and is great for towing. It also has four-wheel drive. So it is perfect for driving through grassy fields and muddy country lanes.
This car is very spacious and practical. The rear seats split 60/40 and tilt, slide and fold down to give a completely flat loading area, which is very handy. The seats are easy to manoeuvre thanks in part to levers in the boot area – which itself is very big and can hold 547 litres with the seat up.
There is an extra 100 litres of storage under the floor.
So if you are looking for a high spec, classy compact SUV with a premium cabin, decent road manners and refined engine, then the Audi Q5 is for you. However, if you are looking for something with a bit more power, more space and all-wheel drive, then the Toyota RAV4 is the car for you.
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