The growing segment of small luxury SUVs has suffered a bit from Goldilocks syndrome--nothing has been “just right.” Here’s the scorecard so far:

The BMW X3? Stiff ride, even after a mid-life update.

Land Rover LR2? Odd controls, less than luxurious interior, and lousy reliability.

Infiniti EX35? Fast, but tight inside.

Acura RDX? Stiff ride, road noise, and an unrefined powertrain.

Further complicating the value equation: more mundane small SUVs like the Volkswagen Tiguan and high-level versions of the Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4 are very well-rounded and cost thousands of dollars less than the zootier nameplates.

Enter the Audi Q5. Fashionably late to the party (or this market segment), the Q5 is based on Audi’s A4 sedan. Our typically equipped Q5 cost $42,800 including the Premium Plus package, a lot of money considering we didn’t get navigation. But putting the high price aside, how does the Q5 do at balancing utility, luxury, and sport? Let’s check the logbook:

“Ride is firm at low speeds but has good isolation and is steady.”

“Very quiet!”

“Nothing like an Audi to make a VW look like a bargain! The Tiguan is very expensive compared to a Forester Turbo but cheap compared to this.”

“Same old (Audi) control gripes.”

“You can buy a new Acura MDX for this price.”

“Huge sunroof that stretches from front to rear is nice on a sunny but cold day.”

“Dislike controls – still too many steps to get to what is wanted.”

“Nice engine; I like this V6 more than our A4’s 2.0T.”

“Handling is quite agile.”

“Seats comfortable, but push forward into shoulder blades.”

“What a nice SUV–blows away X3 and RDX.”

“I just wonder how many of the target buyers can swing the note on this right now…”

“Nice size gives practicality and enough room without being trucky and balky.” “Awkward radio controls are frustrating to deal with.”

“No rear view camera in a $43K SUV is disappointing.” (It’s packaged into the $3,000 navigation system option that our Q5 lacks.)

“Pleasant to drive, plenty of power, and smooth.”

So the Q5 is enjoyable to drive and a handy size, but the controls are a pain and you have to pay a steep price to play.

–Tom Mutchler