The 2106 Audi Q5 has athletic handling, a ton of great room for all 5 passengers, a ton of cargo room, and upscale interior. When I meet someone on the lot, and they ask my opinion of the Audi brand, I say the same thing of all the Audi makes and models. Audi is the best of both worlds from BMW and Mercedes. Audi, in my eyes, like BMW gives a little sportier drive and performance with a stiffer suspension and steering, yet the upgraded features and luxury ride of the Mercedes.

One of the things I like to do at Oliver Motors is drive as many vehicles as I possible. First off, it familiarizes me with the inventory so I can explain features of every vehicle we have. Second, It gives me an opportunity to make sure nothing was over looked in the safety inspection we do on all our vehicles (Seeing our service department is still human). And lastly, I started writing review/blogs of the vehicles I drive, so you can get yet another perspective to help make an educated decision on your next vehicle. I'm not saying that my wants and needs and opinions are the same as yours, but it's another factor to take into play.

With that being said, a couple weeks ago I drove home the 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Quattro AWD. I have come to really like the Audi product, It has a sporty yet elegant look, sleek body lines, great performance, comfortable ride, and great features. And after driving this 2016 Q5, it proved to check each box I just described.

As I sat behind the wheel of this beautiful Q5, I saw that it had the option of inserting the key fob in the dash or keeping the key in my pocket and pushing the start button located on center column, ad choose the later of the two. As the car fired up, I noticed the side mirrors that had been folded up parked into place, and were ready for me to adjust them to my liking. The first thing I do when getting in a vehicle on the lot, is set it to my driving habits. I reach down with my left hand, and adjust the power seat located on the left side of the seat. Then I reach over on the door and I set the side mirrors to where I need them. The power mirrors on the Q5 are located at the top of the door handle right below the power locks and on top of the power windows and are a round rotate lever which makes it very easy to maneuver while driving.

Audi has done a great job with the two tone interior and then added a wood grain finish to give the interior a little more sophisticated look. As I stated earlier, the interior and seats are very similar to that of the Mercedes or other more luxury vehicle. The seats are a little more plus and comfortable and the features around the drivers compartment and rest of the vehicle are upscale.

I like to familiarize myself with the vehicle, so I don't have to search while driving, and as I scanned the Q5, I noticed on the left side of the steering wheel wash the info button for dash displays, on the right side was NAV and radio controls and the Cruise Control switch was a toggle switch behind the steering wheel on the left hand side.

As I scanned the center council and radio area, I noticed the large screen for NAV, radio features, and back up camera. One thing that took me a little getting used to, was like BMW, Audi has put a selector dial and buttons on center council area at the drivers right hand to change through most features on the center stack. It helps to navigate easier and safer through all the features o the screen. Below the screen, I found all the climate control button, including heated seats (not really needed in June but nice to know).

So I set the radio to XM, tuned in channel 39 (Hair Nation), looked up at the huge panoramic sunroof and opened the shade and vented the roof and started on my way home. It was a beautiful sunny day and the panoramic roof was great, not a lot of wind noise but a ton of sunlight.

As I drove down the road I was impressed with the performance of the 2.0LT motor. It pushes 220hp and is matched with an 8 speed transmission which helps get to speed quick while still helping it with its estimated 20 City/ 28 Hwy EPA. Town driving was fantastic, like I stated it drives and rides more on the BMW side with great cornering and a little lower stance for an SUV. But the main challenge will be how this 4 cylinder gets up to speed and merges onto the highway? I am used to driving more the 6 and 8 cylinder vehicles with a little more pep. And I have to say that this 2.0 compares nicely to the performance and power in drivability. It also has a very comfortable, smooth ride and little to no road noise.

When I arrived at home, I walked around the rest of the vehicle to see what else it had to offer. I folded down the 40/20/40 split back seats, stepped back and admired the way the aftermarket black wheels added the little extra look to this already beautiful machine, and admired the LED rear tail lights.

If you are in the market for an upscale, midsized SUV that gives a sportier feel drive, and luxurious feel interior, with a ton of features and great look, I'd highly recommend looking into this 2016 Audi Q5 AWD. Once you get the hang of the radio controls its one of the nicest vehicles I've driven comfort wise in a long time.

Del--Oliver Motors