55: Audi Q5 - Indifferent Audi for the crossover set

As someone recently said, the Q5 is a car which will not be mourned, by anyone, when it is gone. That judgement is, perhaps, a bit harsh, but it does illustrate the problem facing Audi, and the other premium brands, as their sales and customer bases swell.

The Q5 is, in every objective sense, a totally brilliant car. It is handsome, it is roomy, it is adequately good to drive, and it has a level of quality and sensation of strength that would put a main battle tank to shame. So why don’t we love it? Why is the overwhelming sensation one of benevolent indifference?

It’s hard to say, but maybe there’s an issue with the ubiquity of it. There are so many around, and we have become so used to a fast-expanding Audi range, that they’ve started to feel less special, somehow. The Q5 is a very, very good car, but it’s equally very, very hard to love.

Best model: 2.0 TDI 190hp S-Line quattro