Watch the Audi Q5 Take on the BMW X3 and Volvo XC60 Off-Road

Let’s be real — no one buys the Audi Q5 to go off-roading. The idea is that the Q5 offers nice luxury, comfort, space, and practicality, while also having enough ground clearance, along with a good enough all-wheel drive system, to handle some snow or maybe a dirt road. Same goes for the Q5’s rivals, the BMW X3 and Volvo XC60. But what happens if you actually take them off-road? Which one is best?

In this new video from Carwow, we get to see all three of those cars tackle a mild off-road course to see which was best. To make sure it was fair, all three cars were similar spec, even though the Bimmer was a hybrid. They all used four-cylinder turbocharged engines, all had all-wheel drive, and were all relatively close in price.

The first test was an uphill climb over some uneven, muddy terrain. The BMW actually won by a good margin, and could have won by a larger margin had there not been a massive bump Mat Watson needed to avoid. Though, most of its win came from its ultra fast start, thanks to its electric motor’s instant torque. Still, a win is a win.

Though, when it came to other tests, the Audi Q5 began to shine. For instance, its hill decent control was far superior to the others’, as it slowly brought Mat Watson down the muddy, slippery hill at a consistent 2 mph, without any driver intervention, while the other two cars slipped a bit and went down more quickly.

After those two tests, Watson put the three cars through several more muddy tests, to see which could off-road the best. It’s an interesting review, one that puts all three cars through more rigorous terrain than they’ll ever likely see in the real world. So if you want to know which is best off-road, check the video out below.