Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2017 Audi Q5

midsize luxury SUV / 4-door SUV

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights

2017 Audi Q5 4-door SUV
2015 Audi Q5 shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Small overlap front: driver-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system
Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2015-17 models built after January 2015

Tested vehicle: 2015 Audi Q5 3.0T Premium Plus quattro 4-door 4wd

The Audi Q5 was introduced in the 2009 model year. Beginning with 2015 models built after January 2015, the front-end and occupant compartment structure was reinforced to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

Intrusion into the driver's space was reasonably well controlled, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEN1518
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 10
Footrest (cm) 9
Left toepan (cm) 6
Brake pedal (cm) 4
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 3
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 6
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 6
Upper dash (cm) 9
Lower instrument panel (cm) 8

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1518
Head
HIC-15 161
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm) 8
Maximum Nij 0.25
Chest maximum compression (mm) 32
Femur (kN)
Left 3.8
Right 0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 3
Right 3
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 1
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.39
Right 0.33
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 3.8
Right 0.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 112
Right 44

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2009-17 models

Tested vehicle: 2009 Audi Q5 3.2 quattro 4-door 4wd

The Audi Q5 was introduced in the 2009 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head contacted the side curtain airbag during rebound.

Forces on the lower right leg were just high enough to indicate the possibility of injuries.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0905
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 2
Left (cm) 3
Center (cm) 3
Right (cm) 4
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) -1
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -2
Rearward (cm) -7
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0905
Head
HIC-15 423
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.6
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.34
Chest maximum compression (mm) 39
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.8
Femur force - right (kN) 4.3
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.24
Maximum tibia index - right 0.70
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 4.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 57
Right 67

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2009-17 models

Tested vehicle: 2009 Audi Q5 3.2 quattro 4-door 4wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Audi Q5 was introduced in the 2009 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0908
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -23.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0908
Head HIC-15 81
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 21
Lateral force (kN) 1.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 26
Average deflection (mm) 22
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.85
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.34
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.5
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.3
Combined force (kN) 2.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 52
A-P moment (Nm) -15

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0908
Head HIC-15 89
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.3
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 30
Lateral force (kN) 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 21
Average deflection (mm) 14
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.67
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.27
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.2
Combined force (kN) 4.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 90
A-P moment (Nm) 17

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2009-17 models

Tested vehicle: 2010 Audi Q5 3.2 Premium quattro 4-door 4wd

Overall evaluation
Curb weight4,237 lbs
Peak force18,684 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio4.41

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 39
Distance below top of head (mm) 18
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.5
Head contact time (ms) 58
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 15
Max neck tension (N) 330

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 2 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

  • Prestige trim
Low-beam headlight typeHID projector
High-beam headlight typeHID projector
Curve-adaptive?Yes
High-beam assist?No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on the left side of the road and inadequate on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual right and both left curves and fair on the sharp right curve.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Prestige trim
Low-beam headlight type HID projector
High-beam headlight type HID projector
Curve-adaptive? Yes
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2017 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 84.6 m None
Straightaway left edge 53.4 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 71.6 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 55.5 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 62.9 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 54.9 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 124.4 m
Straightaway left edge 128.5 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 76.5 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 81.4 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 63.8 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 66.6 m

Trim level(s)

  • Premium trim
  • Premium Plus trim
Low-beam headlight typeHID projector
High-beam headlight typeHID projector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was fair on the sharp left and both right curves and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on the left side of the road and inadequate on the right side. On curves, visibility was fair on both left curves and inadequate on both right curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Premium trim
  • Premium Plus trim
Low-beam headlight type HID projector
High-beam headlight type HID projector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2017 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 84.6 m None
Straightaway left edge 53.4 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 59.3 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 53.1 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 49.0 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 47.0 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 124.4 m
Straightaway left edge 128.5 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 61.0 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 69.5 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 50.4 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 56.6 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Optional Audi Pre Sense Front

Package name

  • Optional Audi Adaptive Cruise Control

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2017 models

Advanced
Advanced
with optional equipment
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 11 mph.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle failed to slow.

About the original front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2016-17 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim3.0T Premium Plus
Seat type leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim3.0T Premium Plus
Seat type leather
1 2 3
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
difficult to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
hard-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
difficult to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 12
Clearance angle (degrees) 47
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 0-2
Force (lbs) 10
Clearance angle (degrees) 49
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present Yes
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 22

2

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location Bottom seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 14
Clearance angle (degrees) 51
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 0-2
Force (lbs) 14
Clearance angle (degrees) 47
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present Yes
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation