First Look Review: The 2024 Audi Q5 PHEV continues to shine in the final years

The next-gen Audi Q5 PHEV is still a few months away from its debut. In the meantime, the current model has received mild updates and is designated as a MY2024 vehicle. I recently had the chance to see a 2024 Audi Q5 PHEV in Arkona White on display. It continues to be sold in the same three trims as the previous model: Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige, with the white model I encountered being a Premium Plus. After spending time with this plug-in hybrid luxury SUV, here are my impressions:

Design & Features

The 2024 Audi Q5 PHEV carries over the updated design introduced in June 2020. I think the current-gen model still looks elegant, but it no longer has the wow factor I’d expect from a luxury SUV priced around USD 60,000. The Arkona White seen on this 2024 Q5 plug-in hybrid is a new color introduced as a replacement for the Ibis White.

Q5 Hybrid Premium

Audi equips the Premium trim with features like LED headlights, LED taillights with dynamic turn signals, 19-inch alloy wheels, power tailgate, 8-way power front seats with 4-way lumbar support, 10.1-inch MMI touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay, Audi virtual cockpit, and a triple-zone climate control system. In my opinion, the company has decently equipped the base trim.

Q5 Hybrid Premium Plus

The Premium Plus trim adds wireless smartphone charging (with Audi phone box), a top-view camera system, cabin preconditioning, and a premium steering wheel with hands-on detection and electronic adjustment. It includes power-folding ORVMs, passive keyless entry, Bang & Olufsen sound system, and steering wheel heating as well. Unlike in MY2023, the Navigation package, which now includes a six-month trial subscription to Audi Connect Plus, is available as an option.

Q5 Hybrid Prestige

The Prestige trim includes the most high-end features like Matrix-design LED headlights with headlight washers, headlight and tail light animation, HUD, park steering assist, traffic sign recognition, etc. Plus, the Navigation (MMI Navigation plus) package is also part of this trim. If you were to ask me, the Matrix LED headlights alone are worth upgrading to the Prestige trim.

Interior

I’m six feet tall, and from my experience, I can say that getting in and out of the 2024 Q5 PHEV is quite easy. I felt that there was abundant headroom and ample leg space in the front. The side bolstering was quite nice, while the lumbar support and under-thigh support were okay. The steering wheel was grippy, while the exterior visibility was great because, thanks to adequately-sized mirrors, wide windows, and well-angled windshield and back glass.

In the back, there’s a big hump in front of the center position of the seat, so I think the bench is best suited for two adults. The backrest was reclinable, and it offered a fairly comfortable angle. The front seatbacks were slightly caved, so the legroom was decent. The knee room and headroom were adequate. The under-thigh support was quite generous, though. Like the front seats, the rear seat felt very supportive.

Specifications

Gas mileage & Range

The 2024 Audi Q5 PHEV employs a 2.0L TFSI engine with an electric motor mounted between the engine and the 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. This combination results in 362 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque. The quattro AWD system is standard in the Q5 PHEV, which has a 17.9 kWh battery pack for the electric motor.

According to the EPA, the 2024 Q5 PHEV delivers a combined fuel economy of 58 MPGe and a pure-electric range of 23 miles. With the battery charged to 100% level and the gas tank full, it can travel up to 390 miles, according to the EPA. The short electric range has long limited the practicality of the Q5 PHEV, but a fix isn’t expected in the current-gen model. The lack of DC fast-charging support is another drawback that I think will be addressed in the next-gen Q5.

A 0 to 60 mph sprint in the 2024 Q5 PHEV takes five seconds flat, which is just 0.3 seconds more than the 2024 SQ5’s 0-60 mph acceleration time (4.7 seconds). While the gas variant can achieve a top speed of 155 mph (130 mph with all-season tires), the plug-in hybrid variant tops out at 130 mph. The latter can accelerate up to 84 mph when driving in electric mode.

Price & Release Date

The 2024 Audi Q5 plug-in hybrid retails at USD 58,500 in the Premium trim, USD 62,400 in the Premium Plus trim featured in this story, and USD 67,700 in the Prestige trim. These MSRPs exclude a USD 1,195 destination charge. In my opinion, the pricing is on the steep side.

The Audi Q5 is the company’s best-selling model in the United States. While Audi does not offer variant-wise sales numbers, in 2023, it sold 74,145 units of the mid-size luxury SUV (all Q5 variants combined) in the U.S., posting an 18% improvement over 2022 (62,912 units).

Also see: Here’s what I learned during my time with the all-electric Audi Q5 e-tron

TopElectricSUV says

The Audi Q5 PHEV remains one of the few plug-in hybrid SUVs from the German Big Three sold in the U.S. While it offers good comfort and is easy to drive, the SUV’s electric range isn’t impressive by current industry standards and isn’t expected to improve until the arrival of the next-gen Audi Q5 later this year. If you are looking for a city vehicle, it makes sense to switch to the all-electric Mercedes EQB that truly makes a difference to the air quality. Interestingly, the all-electric model costs a few thousand dollars less, with prices starting at USD 52,750 (excl. USD 1,150 destination charge).

2024 Audi Q5 PHEV FAQs