Like its redesigned exterior, the new 2025 Audi Q5’s interior evolves from the chiseled yet austere appearance of the outgoing model. There’s a bit more flourish inside, enlivening the space. Still, practicality and ease of use remain areas of focus—this is a luxury SUV, after all.
But the most prominent change in the new Q5’s cabin is its digital displays, so let’s use them—all three—as a starting point for our 2025 Audi Q5 interior review.
Driver Display: Needs More
Digital driver displays are ordinary in new cars and beneficial for how they can provide near-endless customization. But Audi’s implementation stands out for its relatively few abilities. Actually, this 11.9-inch display seems to show less than the previous Q5’s could.
In the 2025 Q5, the driver display is split into three zones. The left panel shows fuel efficiency or a trip odometer, the right panel shows what media is playing or navigation prompts, and the circular center panel shows the vehicle’s speed and driver assist feature status. A minimalistic view option expands the center and hides what’s on the sides.
That’s pretty much all the new Q5’s driver display offers. Some competitor equivalents are far more reconfigurable, able to show the AWD torque split, tire pressure monitoring, fluid temperatures, and more. In some cars, that information can then be arranged to suit individual preferences, in different layouts, design themes, and colors, unlike in the Q5.
Especially odd is that the new Q5’s driver display can’t show a full-screen navigation map, a celebrated feature in the outgoing model.
Infotainment: Good
Fortunately, the big, sharp 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen can do much more. It’s reconfigurable, in both the left-side panel of compact tiles, which can be rearranged by dragging apps from the main display, and in the climate control bar at the bottom, where preferred functions can be placed.
This user interface is easy to navigate. A large grid of apps related to different settings and features puts it all on display. Responsiveness is near instant, and the screen is positioned so there’s no awkward reach. Making changes rarely takes more than two taps, and for those that remain elusive, the “Hey Audi” voice assistant can recognize more than 800 commands.
Many automakers have rejected physical buttons and knobs in favor of touchscreen equivalents, and we can’t think of an instance where that approach is an improvement. However, Audi’s implementation is fairly innocuous. Fortunately, the climate vents remain manually adjustable.
Additionally, a genuine volume knob remains, a welcome redundant control to the capacitive volume buttons on the steering wheel.
Passenger Display: Why?
As if there weren’t enough screens in new cars already, some automakers now offer a touchscreen ahead of the front passenger. In the Q5, that display measures 10.9 inches and mirrors many of the primary touchscreen functions, allowing the passenger to serve as a co-pilot who can adjust the navigation route, media, or climate settings.
We just don’t really see the point. With an iota more effort, the passenger could reach over and do all those things from the primary touchscreen. Sure, the passenger display also has video streaming and gaming apps, which are blocked from the driver’s view by a special coating. But we’ll bet any Q5 passenger will already also have their own smartphone or tablet that can do those things and isn’t locked into the vehicle’s dashboard.
The passenger display is included in the high-end Q5 Prestige trim. In the lower Premium and Premium Plus trims, the area where that would go is occupied by a panel of glossy black plastic that basically looks like the display, only permanently powered off. Had Audi instead put in an attractive piece of decorative wood or metal trim, it’d better advance the luxurious impression this interior is trying to make.
Materials: Quite Nice
Something that hasn’t changed from the outgoing Q5 is the high-quality feel that pervades throughout the new version’s cabin. Everything feels solid and well assembled, with all touchpoints enjoying engineered tactility.
Stitched leather on the dashboard and doors adds to the upscale vibe, as does the satin silver trim on the doors and center console. More decor aside from the single wood strip spanning the dashboard would nicely elevate the ambiance.
Speaking of ambiance, the multicolor interior ambient lighting helps the space still feel special in night driving. Furthermore, the light strips at the base of the A-pillars can work as blind-spot monitoring indicators and turn signal repeaters, a touch of smart and stylish functionality.
There is some hard black plastic, most tangibly on the door pulls, but it all feels robust and is placed in a way so that premium materials are seen and felt most often.
