Those of you who have been following me here on carscollection.com may have read my article about Audi Q8 e-tron Dakar that I drove to Åre with. I was not impressed with how many times I had to stop along the way up to charge. I wasn't even driving fast, but it was a bit cold out, and the fact that it would take so long to drive to Åre with so many charging stops didn't feel very fun at all.

Ahead of the annual event Gran Turismo Nürburgring held in June at the Nürburgring In Germany, I deliberately chose to borrow this Audi Q5 TDI as a car to travel down with and as a photo car during the event. I chose the Audi Q5 TDI because it is a four-wheel drive SUV, which is a prerequisite for getting around the North Loop at the Nürburgring if the weather is bad. Last year, there had been torrential rain in the days before the event, and it was incredibly muddy in the forest around the track. At that time, even the Q5 I had now would not have made it round. On the other hand, my Jeep Wrangler I had earlier managed without problems. Now it wasn't so wet, and the Q5 could get around the outside of the North Loop without any problems.

But what I also wanted to check was the range. When I drove to Nürburgring I left Stockholm with a full tank at lunchtime, just like when I drove to Åre. Then I drove from Stockholm with 100 % battery at 12:30. My journey this time went down to Malmö where I took an overnight ferry with Finnlines over to Travemünde in Germany, a ferry I usually take. The distance between Stockholm and Malmö is 620 kilometres. My trip to Åre went via Ånge, a total distance of 660 kilometres. On my trip to Germany, the ferry left Malmö at 22:00, and check-in started two hours before the ferry left. I arrived in good time and had plenty of diesel left in the tank and could relax before the ferry left Malmö. On the journey to Åre I arrived at 23:30 after five charging stops! I had 20 kilometres of range left in the battery.

When I came ashore in Travemünde in the morning, there were over 400 kilometres left in the tank. The fact that the road quickly turned into the Autobahn did not affect the range significantly. A 2-3 minute refuelling had to be done before I arrived at the Nürburgring. I was able to drive the entire event on the diesel that was left after the refuelling on the nerve path. Of course, I didn't do any laps on the North Loop but outside it; if I had done a few laps, the diesel would not have been enough.

I'm certainly not saying there's anything wrong with electric cars if you're mostly going to be driving in town and have the option to charge overnight. I'm also in favour of performance electric cars like Audi RS e-tron GT Performance, which you could read about here on carscollection.com. But when it comes to long-distance travel, diesel is unfortunately the one that takes you the furthest with the fewest and shortest stops.

Now, of course, this article is not just about me telling you my views on electric cars versus petrol and diesel cars. This article is obviously going to be about the new Audi Q5. To start with, this is the third generation of the Q5. The first generation came out in 2008 and 2.7 million Q5s have been sold since it first came out. The largest market for the Audi Q5 is the United States, followed by Europe and Asia.

The new Audi Q5 is a very comfortable car, but that is nothing new for Audi. I myself imported an Audi A6 Avant 2.5 TDI from Germany, and it is among the most comfortable cars I have owned. The Recaro interior made a small difference, of course. But the new Q5 is really a comfortable long-distance car! As a driver, you have a very good view of what is happening both outside and inside the car. Inside the car, thanks to Audi's 11.9-inch virtual cockpit in front of the steering wheel and the 14.5-inch infotainment screen, you have full control of what's happening in the car and its systems. As an option, and available in the press car I borrowed, there is a 10.9-inch screen in front of the passenger seat on the right side. Thanks to a privacy mode, the driver does not need to be disturbed by what is happening on that screen.

Of course, you can connect your mobile phone via either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto wirelessly. In addition, you can charge your mobile wirelessly, and the charging pad has active cooling so that the mobile does not overheat, something I have often noted happens in other cars. There are also USB-C chargers, two in the front that can provide up to 60 watts if that option is chosen. In the back seat you can sit and work with a clear conscience. There is plenty of space, and you have two USB-C sockets that can provide up to 100 watts. What's more, there's seat heating in the back seat too.

The front end looks a little different on the new Audi Q5, with a honeycomb pattern that differs somewhat from other Audi models in the single frame grille, which is slightly wider. The shape of the new Audi Q5 has become slightly softer than previous versions. Underneath, it has become almost completely smooth to reduce drag.

The engine in this version of the Audi Q5 is a two-litre diesel with 204 horses and 400 Newton metres. It is four-wheel drive. Then there are two petrol options, a 2.0 TFSI with 204 horses but 60 Newton metres less than the diesel and has 340 Newton metres of torque. It is available with either two or four-wheel drive. In addition, there is also an SQ5 with a V6 petrol engine with 367 horsepower and 550 Newton metres of torque. The last one would probably have fit very well even on the North Loop and not outside it as I drove.

As I said, the new Audi Q5 is a very pleasant long-distance car that does its job impeccably. What's more, you can take passengers with you who will also ride comfortably, both in the front and in the back. So for long journeys I can highly recommend the new Audi Q5!

Audi Q5 TDI

Price: from SEK 599 900.  

Engine: 2.0 turbo diesel

Power: Total power 204 hp. 400 Nm. 

Transmission: 7-speed automatic, four-wheel drive.  

Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 7.6 seconds.  

Top speed: 222 km/h.

Weight: 2 030 kg.  

Dimensions (length/width/height): 4 717/1 900/1 647 mm

Web: www.audi.com