A peek into the Q5’s relaunched design

Despite the changes to the interiors and exterior of the car, things have not changed much

Audi has reintroduced the Q5 to its India line-up. The SUV arriving on our shores is the face-lifted model bringing with it some subtle cosmetic and equipment updates as compared to the old SUV. The biggest change though is under the bonnet. While the old Q5 came with the option of Audi’s smooth and refined diesel engines, the Q5 now is petrol only. So should it still be on your list?

Starting with the exterior, the updates are few and subtle. You will find new designs for the LED headlamps and tail-lamps, a wider, flatter, now-octagonal grille with aggressive brushed metal vertical slats, a metallic strip between the tail-lamps, new bumpers, and a bit of silver trim under the doors. They have also upped the wheel size from 18 to 19 inches, keeping with the segment trend, but the design is a bit too plain. Overall, the change is not dramatic, and this remains a sharp, tidy, albeit, safely-styled SUV.

Inside, the changes are fewer, with the only visible one being the move from an 8.3-inch infotainment screen to a 10.1-inch unit, a touchscreen interface, and Audi’s new generation MMI software. It is a cleaner UI that is smoother and unlike the more expensive Audis, you still get physical controls for the AC, which is welcome. The Virtual Cockpit digital dials are also updated, with higher-resolution imagery and slicker animation.