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When a new model or a refreshed model of a successful SUV comes out, those in the know want to wait for the new one. Or do they? Instead, for some of us, a refresh means that dealers don’t want to keep older SUVs on their lots so they’ll let them go for less. Audi’s Q5 is the best-selling Audi SUV for several good reasons, and the company is readying a refreshed model for 2023.

The Audi Q5 is getting a redesign in 2023

The Audi Q5 luxury SUV received the Top Safety Pick Award From the IIHS and the 2022 is a good buy before it's redesigned for 2023.
The Audi Q5 luxury SUV received the Top Safety Pick Award From the IIHS | Audi

Audi has not said much about the 2023 Q5, but there are some spy photos of the new SUV floating around. The big changes for 2023 will be cosmetic and bring new equipment. The big thing is that adaptive cruise control will bow be standard. The middle-range trim, the Premium Plus trim, will be offered with a Bang and Olufsen sound system. The Q5 55 will add the OLED taillights with a new design for the Sport package.

According to Audi, the base 2023 Q5 will start at $43,500 in Premium trim, but the base model is well appointed. The Q5 45 is the same SUV, but it adds a mild hybrid system and packs an extra 60 horsepower. The Q5 55 is the quickest version, thanks to a new plug-in hybrid system that adds 141 horsepower to the same four-cylinder. The new 2023 Audi Q5 will still have to contend with competitors, however, like the Porsche Cayenne.

The Q5 is Audi’s best-selling SUV

For 2023 it’s expected to get a refresh. It’s a bit long in the tooth. The Q5 was first released in 2009 and then it was redesigned in 2018 with new bones. If you’re thinking, “Wait a minute, didn’t Audi just refresh the Q5 in 2021?” You’re right. The 2021 and 2022 Q5s all got the S-line package front-end option. That sporty all-black grille dressed up the front end and made it look bolder.

If you want the super cool sequential turn signals, however, you’ll have to opt for the Prestige package, which starts at $54,500. But, in that package, you do get the 12.3-inch driver screen that allows the driver to zoom in, for example, on maps, in the gauge cluster. The Audi MMI, or multi-media interface, has been updated. Its new chipset, Audi says, is 10-times faster than the old one.

The Q5 comes in two body styles

The Audi Q5 comes in two shapes, including the Sportpack.
Static photo, Colour: Navarra blue

There are two versions of the Q5: regular and Sportback. The Sportback is trying to be the sporty version of the Q5 with a chopped roof that gives it more of a coupe-like silhouette. Of course it cuts down on the practicality, but you get some style. It’s not quicker, and it’s not more fuel-efficient.

Is the Audi Q5 a good buy used?

A 2017 Audi Q5 on display at the Chicago Auto Show
2017 Audi Q5 | Bilgin S. Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The current version of the Q5 was last significantly updated in 2018. That means that the current models are very similar, it also means that there are a lot of them on the used lots that are mostly indistinguishable from the 2022s. Consumer Reports ranks it as among its favorites for its good handling, its efficient 2-liter four-cylinder, and its fit and finish.

The previous generation of the Q5, which was first launched in 2009, still looks fresh. But, it is not nearly as efficient as the newer Q5 and its reliability was somewhat suspect. But, they are selling for less than $10,000 (if you can one) at used lots and make for a competitive five-passenger luxury SUV.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.