Compare the2023 Audi Q5 SportbackVS 2023 Ford Edge

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Q5 Sportback’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Edge doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q5 Sportback and Edge have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q5 Sportback has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Edge’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q5 Sportback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Edge doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Q5 Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Top View Camera System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Edge only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Q5 Sportback and the Edge have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Q5 Sportback	Edge
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22%	22.4%
Neck Stress	215 lbs.	229 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	80/49 lbs.	165/596 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	187	282
Neck Injury Risk	34%	35.2%
Neck Stress	134 lbs.	197 lbs.
Neck Compression	30 lbs.	44 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	90/55 lbs.	145/201 lbs.

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 Audi Q5 Sportback is safer than the Ford Edge:

	Q5 Sportback	Edge
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	60	84
Chest Movement	.6 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	98 lbs.	190 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	15 inches	16 inches
HIC	219	257
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	38 G’s

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q5 Sportback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Edge is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The Q5 Sportback comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Edge’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Q5 Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Edge’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

The Audi Q5 Sportback’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Edge’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 12 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The Q5 Sportback’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 11 more horsepower (261 vs. 250) than the Edge’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 Sportback gets better mileage than the Edge:

			MPG
Q5 Sportback
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	22 city/29 hwy
Edge
	AWD	2.7 turbo V6	19 city/25 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Q5 Sportback’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Edge doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q5 Sportback has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Edge. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The Q5 Sportback offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Edge doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Q5 Sportback’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Edge doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

The Q5 Sportback’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Edge AWD are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

The Q5 Sportback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Edge SE/SEL’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q5 Sportback has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Edge SE/SEL.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Q5 Sportback’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Edge’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.3 feet).

Chassis

The Q5 Sportback is 4.9 inches shorter than the Edge, making the Q5 Sportback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Towing

The Q5 Sportback’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Edge’s (4400 vs. 1500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q5 Sportback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Edge. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Ford. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 27% lower rating, Ford is ranked 22nd.

Ergonomics

The Q5 Sportback Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Edge doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Q5 Sportback’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Edge’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Q5 Sportback the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Edge can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Q5 Sportback’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Edge’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Q5 Sportback to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Edge doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Q5 Sportback’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Edge’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q5 Sportback Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Edge doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Q5 Sportback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Edge doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Q5 Sportback’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Edge SEL/ST-Line/ST/Titanium.

When the Q5 Sportback with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Edge’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Q5 Sportback owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Q5 Sportback with a number “5” insurance rate while the Edge is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q5 Sportback is less expensive to operate than the Edge because typical repairs cost much less on the Q5 Sportback than the Edge, including $225 less for a timing belt/chain and $415 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q5 Sportback and the Ford Edge, based on reliability, safety and performance.