Compare the2024 Volvo XC60VS 2023 Audi Q5 Sportback

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
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 Sportback. 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 Sportback doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC60 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC60’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Q5 Sportback’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

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 Sportback doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC60 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 Sportback doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the XC60 and the Q5 Sportback 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, rear cross-path warning and available 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 Sportback:

	XC60	Q5 Sportback
	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 Sportback:

	XC60	Q5 Sportback
	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, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q5 Sportback.

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 Sportback’s 420-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The XC60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 194 more horsepower (455 vs. 261) and 250 lbs.-ft. more torque (523 vs. 273) than the Q5 Sportback’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 T8 Extended Range running on electricity gets better mileage than the Q5 Sportback (66 city/60 hwy MPGe vs. 22 city/29 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 T8 Extended Range 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Q5 Sportback (28 city/28 hwy vs. 22 city/29 hwy).

The XC60 T8 Extended Range can travel with zero emissions for 36 miles. The Q5 Sportback can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

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 Sportback 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 Sportback.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	XC60	XC60 Recharge Polestar Engineered	Q5 Sportback
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	15.7 inches	13.3 inches

Tires and Wheels

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

The XC60’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 Sportback Premium Plus/Prestige’s optional 40 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The XC60 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Q5 Sportback’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The XC60 Ultimate has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The XC60’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

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

For better handling and stability, the 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 on the Q5 Sportback.

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Q5 Sportback’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

Passenger Space

The XC60 has .5 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom and .2 inches more rear legroom than the Q5 Sportback.

Cargo Capacity

The XC60 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q5 Sportback with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 51.9 cubic feet).

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 Sportback’s liftover is 29 inches.

Towing

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the XC60 uses the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 Sportback doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the Q5 Sportback, the XC60 Ultimate/Polestar 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 Sportback only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC60 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q5 Sportback 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 Ultimate offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Q5 Sportback.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XC60 is less expensive to operate than the Q5 Sportback 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 Sportback, 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

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Q5 Sportback has never been chosen.