The new Audi Q5 Sportback is an SUV for those who don’t want to look like they’ve bought an SUV. How much can the Q5 Sportback tow? Need an Audi Q5 Sportback towbar?

The new Audi Q5 Sportback is an SUV for those who don’t want to look like they’ve bought an SUV. How much can the Q5 Sportback tow? Need an Audi Q5 Sportback towbar?

The Audi Q5 Sportback is only seven millimetres longer than the standard Q5 but its sloping roofline and heavily revised back end make it look lower, longer and sportier. The rear bumper has been tweaked too, with revised silver trim and different reflector strips under the boot lid.

The Q5 Sportback, chassis-coded FYT, is available with OLED lighting technology that makes the headlights and brake lights brighter and more efficient than ever.

The curved roofline chops 17mm out of the roof height, which slightly reduces headroom for passengers in the back - it's really minor, so only really tall adults will find their heads touching the roof where they didn’t in the Q5.
Front seat occupants of the Audi Q5 Sportback have lots of head, leg and shoulder room to stretch out into, while storage is generous, with capacious door bins, a good-sized glovebox, and plenty of nooks for keys and phones in the centre console. 

The 550 litres boot in the standard Q5 drops to 510 litres in the Sportback. Fold the Q5 Sportback’s rear seats down and this grows to 1,480 litres – although that’s still 70 litres less than you can fit in the standard Q5. For many, that’ll be a small price to pay for style. The roofline is less aggressive than you’ll see elsewhere in the coupe-crossover world, so the Sportback is actually one of the best style-focused SUVs for carrying cargo. Its load floor is flat, and the boot opening is vast because the tail lights are integrated into the boot lid.  Need more space, or to keep your dirty bikes on the outside?  Why not fit our Q5 Sportback towbar.  Audi has rated the new Q5 Coupe at a max of 2700kgs.

The new Audi Q5 Sportback’s interior looks much the same as the standard Q5’s cabin, at least in the front. You get the same classy dashboard design with Audi’s latest infotainment system. This consists of a standard-fit 12.3-inch virtual cockpit and a free-standing 10.1-inch touchscreen display. Audi has also upgraded the voice commands that now respond to the ‘Hey Audi’ trigger phrase.
There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. Audi does excel at interiors and this is no different. The materials are top quality – even the little dial below the steering wheel that adjusts the optional head-up display has a beautiful feel to it.

Thankfully, the standard Q5’s cabin was already among the best in its class – the technology all works well and the build quality is extremely good. The only letdown is the plastic covers on the back of the front seats. There is huge amounts of rear legroom back there so you’ll never have your knees pressed up against them, but the plastic used is super cheap and scratchy. 

You’ll get deja vu if you step out of the Q5 and into the Q5 Sportback, as they’re almost identical to drive.  S Line models come with lowered, stiffer suspension to make them feel more sporting, and you’ll be able to pay extra for an adaptive suspension.

The Q5 Sportback straddles a thin line between being a road car and a crossover SUV, and in this class, one would expect handling more akin to a sedan than a lumbering off-road SUV. That's exactly what Audi has gone for. The Q5 Sportback's suspension setup feels firm, which is appreciated on smooth city roads, where this crossover feels planted and ready to grip in every corner. Steering is light, which is perfect for heavy city traffic but manages to feel crisp, responsive, and direct, once again filling the driver with confidence through faster bends.

The Audi Q5 and SQ5 have a five-star ANCAP safety rating, and this carries over to the Sportback variants.
That’s based on an adult occupant protection score of 93 per cent, a child occupant protection score of 86 per cent, a pedestrian protection score of 73 per cent and a safety assist score of 56 per cent.

All models come standard with the following safety equipment:

• AEB with pedestrian detection
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane departure warning
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Safe exit warning
• Driver attention monitoring
• Eight airbags
• Surround-view camera
• Front and rear parking sensors

The Q5 Sportback does well to not compromise on practicality. Still, nevertheless, there is no rational argument for choosing this over the standard Q5, but plenty of people will in the name of style. Despite its sportier looks, the Q5 Sportback feels like one of those cars that’d slot neatly into your life. It’s refined on the inside and has a polished feel from behind the wheel, and is more practical than you might expect compared to rivals with a sloping tailgate.

Need an Invisible Q5 Sportback towbar, we have you covered.  Order today.