No contest here – the Q5, despite its Quattro powertrain and muscular engine, is far too civilised for the jungle. Or the slush or desert. It is a pavement crusher and the MMI will display ‘Uh-oh!’ in bold if you try to cross a river bed in one. We did put it through the paces and the car came through without many problems, but it never felt comfortable doing the stuff. On the other hand, the Freelander feels at home in off-road conditions. It is as if it was meant to do this (the monocoque body structure notwithstanding) and was taught the art by an ageing father who answers to the name Range Rover. This is a baby Range Rover, and it was a revelation on our off-road track. The idiot-proof Terrain Response Knob allows you to use the all-wheel drive system to the maximum. Can’t wait till the next slush fest!

LR Freelander2: 4 on 5

Audi Q5: 3 on 5

To sum up

The rational choice is the cheaper Freelander (by almost Rs 9 lakh) that offers more exclusivity, better economy (if you really care) and better comfort on bad/no road conditions. The Audi Q5 exudes contemporariness in a massive way. Not for nothing does it look like a smaller Q7. And since 98 per cent of owners are going to drive it to the club 98 per cent of the time, with perhaps an occasional hill station drive thrown in, the Q5’s V6 diesel seems a bit unnecessary. When you buy a car in this league, you need to think of service support too and Audi is slightly better off on this front as we speak. Enough to justify that Rs 9 lakh premium, we guess. So the English win the heart and the Germans walk away with the cheque – sounds familiar?