Used 2014 Audi Q5 for Sale in Columbia, SC

More than just Audi's best-selling model entering 2014, the States-side Q5 this year even gets to outshine the European offering for once. Primed to provide the platform Porsche uses in its 2015-anticipated Cayenne-made-midsize and boasting “firsts and mosts” such as first S of a Q and most powerful Audi engine to date, the much-awaited SQ5 now slated to debut for 2014 is reviewed separately, but a sure charmer if Audi's first complete clean-diesel U.S. lineup and gas-powered horsepower bump in this Q5 aren't quite satisfying enough.

Not wasting any time after a successful and more-comprehensive-than-usual mid-cycle refresh for 2013, Audi digs deep again for 2014 and comes out with a V6 turbodiesel 22 lb-ft/torque more powerful than the Q7's TDI and 9 more hp for its gas-powered 2.0T inline 4-cylinder baseline, carrying over the 3.0T V6 unchanged.

If you were waiting on more feature content, there's some of that for 2014, too, including the Convenience Package features, now standard in the base Premium offerings across Audi's entire lineup, Audi's “advanced key” standard for Premium Plus and Prestige trims and “side assist” now available a la carte to Premium Plus buyers. Otherwise the Q5 Hybrid (also reviewed separately) carries over unchanged except for being stickered about $600 less than any V6 variant with equal Prestige trimmings.

With the exception of the Q7's TDI, all these changes were lock-step adoptions with the rest of Audi's lineup, the maker otherwise leaving the Q5's perfection well enough alone. Case in point: Every Q powertrain conducts power to all 4 wheels using Audi's Quattro system through the same 8-speed auto-manual transmission. The Q5 especially continues to stand out for its 57.3 cubic feet of maximum cargo space (29.1 with all seats in place), 4,400 pounds of towing capacity when properly equipped, dainty 38-ft turning circle and habit of blowing away the competition with its logical and stylish looks, smoothly sporting grace and refined brawn.

The 2014 Q5 3.0 TDI is powered by a 3-liter V6 turbodiesel good for 240 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque and the entire Q lineup's best fuel economy: 24 mpg city/31 highway. That is, if the Q5 Hybrid doesn't turn out to be much better than its advertised 27 to 28 mpg, but the Hybrid misses out on some 74 lb-ft/torque that would surely be missed in comparison to TDI, which can get to 60 in 5 seconds. Even the SQ5 with all its supercharged 354 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque promises to only come close, estimated at just over 5 seconds to 60 mph—for now.

Coming in a close second is the supercharged gas V6 good for 272 hp and 292 lb-ft of torque, which debuted in the 2013 Q5 3.0T to much acclaim. Economy estimates and zip-to-60 tests for that release are slower than the 2014 Q5 roll-out, but early drivers nevertheless noticed a significant difference between the gas 3.0T and 2.0T engines—the 2.0T is powered by a turbocharged inline-4 capable of motivating the Q5 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds with a rating of 20/27 on premium fuel, but has only 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque on tap.