Compare the2024 Audi Q5VS 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale

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

Both the Q5 and Tonale have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q5 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 Tonale’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.

The Q5 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Tonale doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

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

Both the Q5 and Tonale have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Q5 has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Tonale’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Q5 and the Tonale 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q5 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Tonale has not been tested, yet.

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

There are over 2 times as many Audi dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Q5’s warranty.

The Audi Q5’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Tonale’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Audi Q5’s reliability 12 points higher than the Tonale.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Alfa Romeo With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Audi higher than Alfa Romeo.

The Q5 55 TFSI e’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 77 more horsepower (362 vs. 285) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 350) than the Tonale’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Q5 55 TFSI e is faster than the Alfa Romeo Tonale:

The Q5 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tonale (14.3 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Q5’s standard fuel tank has 7.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tonale (18.5 vs. 11.2 gallons).

A seven-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Audi Q5, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Tonale.

The Q5 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 Tonale doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Q5’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 Tonale doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Q5 55 TFSI e’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Tonale:

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

The Q5 stops shorter than the Tonale:

For better traction, the Q5 has larger standard tires than the Tonale (235/60R18 vs. 225/55R18). The Q5’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Tonale (255/45R20 vs. 235/45R19).

The Q5 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Tonale; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Q5 55 TFSI e has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q5’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 Tonale doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q5’s wheelbase is 7.2 inches longer than on the Tonale (111 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q5 is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Tonale.

For greater off-road capability the Q5 55 TFSI e has a 2.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tonale (8 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the Q5 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q5 45 TFSI’s minimum ground clearance is 2.6 inches higher than on the Tonale (8.2 vs. 5.6 inches).

The Q5 has .8 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tonale.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Q5’s rear seats recline. The Tonale’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Q5 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tonale with its rear seat up (25.9 vs. 22.9 cubic feet). The Q5 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tonale with its rear seat folded (54.1 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Q5. The Tonale doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Q5’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tonale’s (4400 vs. 2000 pounds).

The engine in the Q5 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Tonale. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Alfa Romeo. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 64% lower rating, Alfa Romeo is ranked 32nd.

The Q5 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 Tonale doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Tonale doesn’t offer headlight washers.

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

When the Q5 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 Tonale’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Q5 and the Tonale have standard heated front seats. The Q5 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Tonale.