Diesel has long been flagged as a technology destined to disappear. Emission regulations, the arrival of hybrids, and above all the unstoppable advance of electric cars seem to have condemned it to a slow fade. However, after test-driving this car, I think that perhaps we are rushing to declare it dead.
We’re talking about the Audi Q5 2.0 TDI with 204 hp. A mid-size premium SUV that, in addition to relying on a diesel engine, incorporates 48-volt mild-hybrid technology and achieves something that not long ago would have seemed hard to imagine: pairing a diesel engine with the DGT ECO badge with all its added benefits.
After driving it, I believe that precisely this combination is one of the great virtues of the new Q5. Because if someone is looking for a car to cover long distances, travel in comfort, and not constantly be thinking about where the next gas station or charging point is, this Audi still has weighty arguments. I’ll tell you about it.
A completely new Q5, yet recognizable
The Audi Q5 arrives at its third generation with a recipe that doesn’t aim to revolutionize the concept of this model, but to evolve it. The first Q5 was launched in 2008 and since then it has become one of the pillars of Audi’s range, especially in Europe. Now this new generation debuts the Premium Combustion Platform (PPC), shared with other recent models from the brand such as the Audi A5.
Externally, the change is evident, although Audi has wanted to keep the Q5’s identity intact. It is sharper, more tech-forward, and more muscular, with a pronounced shoulder line running across the body and headlights that take on a dominant role.
The front is dominated by a large Singleframe grille set high, while the rear remains notably clean. Here the new lighting signature stands out, with second-generation digital OLED taillights capable of changing their appearance and displaying certain warning patterns in risky situations.
It’s one of those cars that probably won’t need many explanations to know you’re looking at an Audi. And that, in a model of this segment and in today’s market, remains important.
An interior dominated by screens, unfortunately
If the exterior change is significant, inside the transformation in this generation is even greater. The dashboard is led by the so-called Audi MMI Panoramic Display, formed by a curved OLED screen that integrates the 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster and the 14.5-inch central MMI display. A third 10.9-inch screen for the passenger can be added, as was in the test car.
Visually it is spectacular. The screens offer very high image quality, the graphics are carefully crafted, and the multimedia system responds quickly. Audi also uses Android Automotive OS and allows system updates via wireless updates, in addition to installing apps from its own store.
But here is one of my main criticisms of this Q5. Because all this technology comes at a price, and in my opinion, that price is paid in terms of sense of quality.
Audi had managed for years to make entering one of its cars a kind of reference for materials, fit, and solidity. In this Q5 there are areas that still convey that feeling, but others no longer measure up to what one expects when sitting in a premium SUV whose price easily exceeds €60,000.
The proliferation of screens, touch surfaces, and digital elements has completely transformed the driver’s position. The result is very modern and technological, but also less sophisticated in some details than Audi’s earlier generations.
This is a trend that doesn’t only affect Audi, of course. The problem is that when a premium manufacturer has historically been a benchmark in perceived quality, comparison with its own previous models becomes inevitable.
Otherwise, the Q5 is a very pleasant car for long trips. The driving position is good, the seats offer a high level of comfort, and the sense of space is notable. Moreover, the rear bench can slide longitudinally and allows you to play with passenger or luggage space. With the rear seats folded, cargo capacity reaches up to 1,473 liters.
204 hp that seem built for travel
Beneath the hood lies the well-known 2.0 TDI four-cylinder, in its evolution EA288 evo, delivering 150 kW, equivalent to 204 hp, and peak torque of 400 Nm. In the Q5 it is always paired with quattro all-wheel drive and a seven-speed automatic S tronic transmission.
It isn’t the engine I’d choose if one were after sporty performance. For that, there’s the SQ5. But it isn’t trying to be that either.
The 204 hp are more than enough to move a SUV of this size with ease, and especially the 400 Nm make the Q5 respond effortlessly when acceleration is required. The delivery is progressive and forceful from the lower end of the tachometer, precisely where a diesel continues to hold one of its big advantages.
The S tronic transmission also plays a key role. The seven gears keep the engine in its most efficient operating window and, when performance is required, respond swiftly.
But where this combo really shines is when you stop chasing acceleration times and start using the car for what it really is: a machine for traveling.
Diesel still makes sense
There is a figure that perfectly sums up why I find this version so interesting: between 5.9 and 6.6 L/100 km WLTP homologated, depending on configuration. And those figures can also be achieved in real road use. So much so that during the test week, which I spent using the car both in daily driving and on long trips, the average fuel consumption settled at 6.2 L/100 km.
For a SUV this size, with 204 hp, quattro and an automatic transmission, that’s a truly good figure. And here is where the diesel again proves it still has a card to play, despite today’s higher petrol prices at the pump.
Because when you do a lot of highway driving, especially on long distances, the efficiency of a good diesel engine continues to be hard to beat. Fuel consumption remains contained and the fuel tank enables very high range without frequent refueling.
It’s particularly noticeable on trips spanning hundreds of kilometers. The Q5 can cover a huge distance between fuel stops and it does so with a very high level of comfort.
MHEV plus: diesel and the ECO badge
Audi has equipped all launch versions of the Q5 with its 48-volt MHEV plus technology. So we aren’t looking at a conventional hybrid or a plug-in hybrid, but rather a mild-hybrid system that works alongside the combustion engine to improve efficiency and comfort.
The system uses a 1.7 kWh lithium-ion battery and a propulsion system generator capable of supplying up to 18 kW, equivalent to 24 hp, and up to 230 Nm of additional torque. In addition, during decelerations it can recover up to 25 kW of energy.
In practice, the most interesting aspect is that this technology allows the Q5 to perform certain maneuvers and low-speed movements using electricity alone for limited periods.
Fotos RouteEtCircuit
For example, when moving in parking lots or even in traffic jams at low speeds, the car is powered solely by this very effective mild-hybrid system. We can say, therefore, that it isn’t just a small motor added to meet the ECO badge. As with its bigger sibling, the Audi A6 with the same motorization that we tested a few months ago, in this one the hybrid system really works.
But there is another, more important consequence for someone buying a car in Spain: the ECO badge. We have a 204 hp diesel SUV with quattro traction, capable of consuming around six liters per 100 kilometers in homologated conditions and with the ECO badge, which is very important in certain cities.
And I think this combination explains better than anything else why diesel may still make sense in 2026.
Behind the wheel: a car that understands perfectly what it is for
Some cars try to convince you that they are many things at once. The Audi Q5 2.0 TDI with 204 hp doesn’t need to. After several hundred kilometers behind the wheel, I’m quite clear about its main virtue: it knows perfectly well what it was designed for.
It isn’t a sporty SUV, although the Black Line trim and its more aggressive lines might try to make us think otherwise. It isn’t a car meant to chase driving thrills like an SQ5. It is, above all, a superb car for traveling. And the more kilometers you do with it, the more sense this mechanical configuration makes.
The first contact with the 2.0 TDI makes it clear we are dealing with a engine that prioritizes efficiency and ease of use. The 204 hp might seem modest in a segment where ever-higher powers are common, but the 400 Nm of torque available makes the Q5 respond with great solvency from low in the rev range, precisely where a diesel still holds one of its great advantages.
You don’t need to rev it high to get a strong response. Just press the accelerator a little and the S tronic downshifts one or two gears and the Q5 gains speed with ease that fits perfectly with its philosophy.
And here is where I especially value that Audi has kept a diesel in the lineup and that, in cars like the new Audi Q7, diesel mechanics are given priority again over electrified ones—a bold but, in my view, correct move if we imagine the buyer’s perspective.
Because in city driving you probably won’t notice all the diesel’s advantages and an E-Hybrid might offer a more pleasant drive. But once you leave urban traffic and start racking up highway kilometers, the TDI begins to show why it remains so hard to replace for certain users.
Fotos RouteEtCircuit
The engine revs smoothly, a result of years of refinement and experience across many other cars. The cabin insulation makes the noise almost disappear and the car maintains cruising speeds with extraordinary ease. At the same time, fuel consumption can stay remarkably low for a SUV of this size.
It’s precisely in these situations that the Q5 achieves something I value highly in a car of this type: travel becomes almost unnoticeable.
The suspension plays a big part in that. The Q5 isn’t trying to be overly soft to give a fake sense of comfort, nor does it chase a sporty stiffness that would penalize occupants. It moves with poise and fairly effectively filters road imperfections.
The suspension setup on this unit is particularly suitable for that use. Audi has also worked on the steering and the front axle to achieve more agile behavior, but the overall feeling remains that of a car that prioritizes stability and comfort over provoking the driver.
And that doesn’t mean it’s boring. On the contrary. The Q5 responds with good precision when curving and the body remains well controlled. The progressive steering makes it easy to place the car, and quattro traction provides that safety feeling especially when the road surface isn’t perfect.
But there’s one important thing: you never feel like you’re driving a car that constantly wants to prove how fast it can be. The Q5 simply does things right.
You can enter a corner a little faster than expected and the car maintains composure. You can accelerate before exit and the traction transmits the power to the asphalt. You can overtake and the 400 Nm appear immediately to complete the maneuver with ease.
Everything happens in a very natural way. And I believe that naturalness is one of the best characteristics that define the Q5.
An SUV that proves diesel still has arguments
After driving it for a whole week, the most interesting question isn’t whether this Q5 is fast, or even if it’s better or worse than its rivals. The question is whether buying a diesel still makes sense.
And my answer, after this test, is yes. But with one condition: you have to be the right kind of driver. For someone who does many kilometers a year, especially on highways and motorways, this Q5 TDI continues to have a logic that’s hard to dispute.
Rational consumption aside, there’s also a range that allows you to forget the petrol stations for a long time, and an ECO badge that prevents the diesel’s efficiency from becoming a limitation when accessing certain zones.
And there it is, for me, the key to this car. While much of the industry is rushing toward total electrification, this Q5 represents a very well-executed intermediate solution: an efficient combustion engine, light electrification, all-wheel drive, an automatic transmission, and a range that remains very hard to match with an electric when talking about long trips.
It isn’t the future, but it isn’t the past either. It is, probably, one of the most rational ways to use a combustion engine in 2026, even if some don’t want to see it.
Is it worth it compared to its rivals?
The Audi Q5 2.0 TDI quattro with 204 hp in Spain starts at €65,300 and with the Black Line trim of this unit rises to €76,110.
Its direct rivals sit in a very similar price range. The BMW X3 20d xDrive is currently around €67,700 as the recommended price in Spain, while the Mercedes GLC 220 d 4MATIC starts at €64,647.
Therefore, the Audi isn’t exactly cheap, but it isn’t out of market either. In fact, the Q5 sits in a fairly logical position against its German premium rivals.
The problem appears when you start adding equipment and the bill climbs, because in this segment it’s very easy for the final price to stray considerably from the initial price tag. And that’s where the pay-for-quality of the interior becomes more debatable.
Conclusion: perhaps diesel isn’t as dead as we thought
After testing this Audi Q5 2.0 TDI with 204 hp for a week, I have a fairly clear conclusion: perhaps diesel isn’t dead. At least not for everyone. They’ve simply killed it for reasons we’ll someday understand.
If you do few kilometers a year and mostly use the car in the city, there are probably more attractive options within the Q5 range. The experience with the Q5 E-Hybrid and its electric range is surely more pleasant.
But if you cover a lot of miles, especially on highways and motorways, the TDI remains an extraordinarily effective tool.
It consumes little, has enormous range, offers 204 hp, 400 Nm, quattro traction, an automatic transmission, and, thanks to MHEV plus, enjoys the ECO badge.
All of that in a comfortable, quiet, technologically equipped SUV that is dynamic enough to make you never miss more power.
Fotos RouteEtCircuit
Its main weak point, at least for me, lies inside. Audi has managed to create a cabin spectacular from a tech standpoint, but in that process has sacrificed some of the quality and sophistication that made Audis stand out against rivals.
And that is precisely the paradox of this Q5: it is more technologically advanced than ever, but in some aspects it seems less special. Yet that also happens with its direct rivals, marked by screens and digitalisation. It’s the modern times we’ve had to live in.
Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a premium SUV to travel long distances, with contained consumption and without giving up the ECO badge and you don’t want to fall into the sometimes senseless trend of electrification, this Q5 TDI shows that diesel still has arguments to continue shaping our roads for a few more years. Whether you like it or not.
Photos | RouteEtCircuit
