Highway traveling is splendid inside the Q5, a crossover SUV that doesn’t skimp on the luxury quotient. The interior presentation is exquisite in terms of fit, finish and material choices, especially the decorative wood inlays. Driver and front passengers found the 12-way power adjust seats a wonderful compliment to the Q5’s dreamy, non-abrasive ride. A 6-foot adult liked being able to adjust the rear seat fore/aft as well as recline it. Traveling snow and ice-covered gravel roads as well as climbing and descending semi-steep expressway ramps barely challenged the car’s quattro, Audi’s designation for its intelligent all-wheel drive system with a self-locking differential.   

With standard 19-inch alloy wheels and all-season tires, the test driven Q5 was fitted with the 3.2-liter FSI direct injection, all-aluminum V6 engine that produces 270 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 243 pound-feet of torque at 3000 rpm. The engine was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic. (For the 2011 model year, a turbocharged direct injection inline four cylinder joins the engine line-up.) Audi Q5’s cargo space is 55 cubic feet with the 60/40 split-fold rear seat in the down position. The Q5 quattro with 3.2-liter engine and automatic transmission collects estimated mpg fuel economy of 18 city/23 highway and carries a MSRP of $42,500.