Independent Reviews of Audi New and Used Cars

The Audi A3 40 TFSIe plug-in hybrid looks to offer a smart way of combining petrol and electric power. Jonathan Crouch reports.

The Q5 has always been a top seller on merit. Nothing's changed here. It's simply very good at almost everything. If you want the ultimate driver's car or the ultimate off roader in this sector, well no, this isn't it. But is this the best all-rounder in the class? Many would say so. There are many reasons why. Cabin quality that set a fresh segment standard. Sharp looks. Meticulous build quality. Unbeaten efficiency readings. Class-leading residual values. Cutting-edge safety technology. We could go on. Rivals of course, offer many of these things too, but nobody packages them up quite like Audi. In summary, whether your destination is Sainsburys or the annual family skiing trip to Chamonix, it's likely that you'll feel better about doing it in an Audi Q5. A Jaguar F-PACE might better reward the frustrated racer in you. And a Land Rover product might better suit your inner Ranulph Fiennes. Ultimately though, it's hard to escape the conclusion that a Q5 simply does a better job of the whole business of ticking every really important need you'd want to meet when buying a premium mid-sized SUV. It isn't a car for extremes but if you're looking for a contender in this segment, it's extremely difficult to ignore.

So, how to sum up? Well, this improved 'Type8V'-series A3 Saloon might look little different from the original at first glance but it'll feel so if you get a car whose original owner specified the clever 'Virtual Cockpit' technology. Otherwise though, the recipe here is much as it was before and that'll see many continuing to like the statement this A3 Saloon makes on their behalf. This car won't turn the heads of passers' by like a rival Mercedes CLA, but then that very discretion is a fundamental part of its appeal. As with any other A3, it's as at home in Belgravia as it is in Brixton, offering a democratisation of automotive luxury without a dilution of desirability. If you doubt that, you've only to get behind the wheel, for the interior is where this design really strides apart. You could be in a luxury car - and of course, in many ways, you are. Just one that perhaps better reflects the times we live in.

Audi's delivers some of its most sophisticated performance technology in the storming SQ8, which has switched to petrol power. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

The improved version of Audi's SQ5 TDI brings massive power and torque to the premium part of the mid-sized SUV sector. It's one heck of a package. Jonathan Crouch reports.