Compare the2022 Volvo XC60VS 2021 Audi Q5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Audi doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the Q5. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The Volvo XC60 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The XC60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Q5 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC60’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q5 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the XC60 and the Q5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Audi Q5:

	XC60	Q5
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	284
Neck Injury Risk	22%	22%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	215 lbs.
Neck Compression	15 lbs.	44 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	178	187
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28%	34%

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Audi Q5:

	XC60	Q5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	190 lbs.	279 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	53 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	35 G’s
Hip Force	410 lbs.	600 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q5.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the XC60 has a standard 800-amp battery (850 T8). The Q5’s 420-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Volvo vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Volvo 31st in initial quality. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 32nd.

Engine

The XC60 has more powerful engines than the Q5:

	Horsepower	Torque
XC60 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder	316 HP	295 lbs.-ft.
XC60 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	400 HP	472 lbs.-ft.
XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	415 HP	494 lbs.-ft.
Q5 45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	261 HP	273 lbs.-ft.
Q5 55 TFSI e 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	362 HP	369 lbs.-ft.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 T8 Electric Motor AWD running on electricity gets better mileage than the Q5 55 TFSI e Electric Motor running on electricity (59 city/55 hwy vs. 43 city/64 hwy MPGe).

The XC60 has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q5 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The XC60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Q5 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volvo XC60, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Q5.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Q5:

	XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered	Q5 45 TFSI	Q5 55 TFSI e
Front Rotors	15.7 inches	13.3 inches	13.8 inches

The XC60 stops much shorter than the Q5:

	XC60	Q5
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	136 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	129 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q5 (265/35R22 vs. 255/45R20).

The XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Q5’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC60 offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Q5’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC60’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Q5 (112.8 inches vs. 111 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the XC60 is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Q5.

The XC60 B6 AWD R-Design handles at .88 G’s, while the Q5 45 TFSI Premium Plus pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC60 B5 AWD Momentum executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Q5 45 TFSI Prestige (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Q5 45 TFSI’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet). The XC60’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Q5 55 TFSI e’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC60 w/Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Q5 55 TFSI e (8.3 vs. 8 inches), allowing the XC60 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The XC60’s minimum ground clearance is .3 inch higher than on the Q5 45 TFSI (8.5 vs. 8.2 inches).

Passenger Space

The XC60 has .5 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room and .2 inches more rear legroom than the Q5.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC60 easier. The XC60’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Q5’s liftover is 29 inches.

Ergonomics

The XC60 has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Q5 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the Q5, the XC60 R-Design/Inscription has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XC60 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q5 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the XC60’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Q5’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC60 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q5 doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC60 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC60 Inscription offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Q5.

Model Availability

The XC60 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q5 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XC60 is less expensive to operate than the Q5 because it costs $64 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the XC60 than the Q5, including $218 less for a water pump, $418 less for a muffler, $139 less for a starter, $8 less for fuel injection, $158 less for front struts, $443 less for a timing belt/chain and $13 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XC60 third among compact premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Q5 isn’t in the top three.

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