She said: Why did you not get this SUV, instead of the Q7, for the trip to Munsiari that we took last year? This one would have been so much easier to squeeze through on those narrow mountain roads.
He said: Are you telling me that you didn’t like the Q7? I thought it acquitted itself rather well, especially since we’d totally taken it out of its urban comfort zone. I miss it in fact; remember that gorgeous dash with the air-con vents running from end to end?
She said: We barely used the air-con on that trip by the way. I don’t know about the Q7, but I was certainly out of my comfort zone trying to navigate a car that occupied a lane-and-a-half in the hills. Would have much preferred this one.
He said: Well, this is definitely smaller on the outside, but it doesn’t seem like there’s that much of a difference in the cabin space...
She said: Considering you drive with the seat pushed all the way back, I’m sure it feels much the same to you. But yes, I do think there’s a fair bit of space in this car. More than space though, it just feels much quieter in here. They’ve really upped the sound insulation huh?
He said: I noticed that when we were gassing up earlier. Not just inside but even outside, standing next to the bonnet, I could barely hear the engine, or for that matter feel the vibes on the hatch. It is a smaller engine though… the Q7 we drove had the three-litre diesel and this one has the 35 TDI — Audi’s tried-and-tested two-litre diesel.
She said: Grow up, will you? We’re going way faster than we should be, and I don’t think you’ve even come close to pushing this car to its limit. What would you have done with more power? You just want that for sticker value…
He said: I suppose you’re right. This engine does have gusto. Haven’t felt any sluggishness at any point — it’s point and shoot. Just that, given a choice, I’ll always take a more powerful engine.
She said: That’s so typical, and so disappointing. Just when I thought you’d started acting your age. I suggest you consider how your puerile male sensibilities affect the environment. Why would you want something that consumes more gas when you can manage perfectly well with a smaller engine?
He said: I’m not complaining; I like this car — it’s also extremely well-sprun. I haven’t felt a bump on the road yet.
She said: You could take a leaf out of this car’s book when it comes to a bit of refinement… I think the better ride has a lot to do with those huge wheels. But it was even more comfortable when I was driving… Have you changed the Drive mode?
He said: Yes, those wheels have significantly larger sidewalls. Really make it look chunky too huh! You had it in the Comfort mode and I’ve changed to Dynamic. Prefer the tauter set-up in this mode.
She said: Switch back to Comfort will you? And slow down please… save your GP pretensions for the track and for when you’re driving alone. This is an SUV, not a race car. Why is that so difficult to fathom?
He said: Fine… Just that this virtual cockpit is so race car-like. Love the feel of it.
She said: I like it too, but because it can toggle modes to suit my eye-line, so I don’t have to take my eyes away from the road to look at it. The one thing that I do miss about the Q7 is the retractable screen. This one looks like it’s stuck to the dash.
He said: Yeah I know, that’s a cool feature; wonder why Audi hasn’t incorporated it on this car.
She said: I think what’s really amazing about this car is that we’re halfway to Udaipur and we haven’t felt the need to take a break.
He said: Can we just stop at Ajmer? I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. If we can make it from Delhi to Udaipur in eight hours, then it’ll be the quickest I’ve ever done this stretch.
She said: This is not a time trial M. Pull over at some place that looks like it’ll have clean loos.
He said: Cool. I’ve been keeping an eye out for just that. Honestly. I would never risk you getting irritable just to make good time…
She said: Yeah right. I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.
He said: Don’t believe me?
She said: What you are shouts so loudly to me, I can’t hear what you’re saying.
Heft and speed
Auto hacks, including your writer, have always picked a bone with Audi’s trademark weighty steering that favours a slightly detached-from-the-road feel. But the German marque has stuck to its guns and maintained that it’s precisely that sense of insulation from the road that Audi owners prefer. The new Q5 buttresses that point of view better than any of its contemporaries — this car is solely focused on refinement and that extends to people on the road and those within the cabin.
The adaptive damping suspension enthusiastically applies opposing forces to negate even the most severe bumps on the road, aided by the new larger 60-profile tyres. The engine is earnest but not manic, and that in conjunction with that insular steering, made short work of the trip. Not only did we get to Udaipur, over 700 kilometres away from Delhi in eight hours, we weren’t exhausted by the end of it, remarkable in itself, given how tiring road journeys on Indian roads can be.
