RAY MASSEY: Audi's biggest seller is the Q5 - and here's its latest version

Remember diesel cars? Once hailed by politicians as the potential 'green' saviours of our planet, attitudes shifted around 2016 and these cars were nicknamed 'dirty diesel' by the very same ministers who sought to get them on the road.

For the first time in a long while I've been out driving a diesel vehicle: the new third generation five-seater family Audi Q5 SUV, with prices from just under £50,000.

I was far from UK roads, though. Like vintage Hollywood film stars Bing Crosby and Bob Hope before me, I was off on The Road To Morocco, driving from Marrakech into the rugged Atlas mountains – where British actor Tom Holland and director Christopher Nolan are shooting the Greek epic The Odyssey.

The Q5 is Audi's biggest selling car and, perhaps surprisingly, diesel is still its best selling variant.

Once off the well-maintained major highways – which it breezed along – I hit the cracked and potholed roads of rural villages.

Happily, though, the air suspension of my feisty mild-hybrid proved a match for Morocco's roughest roads and rocky single tracks, tackling twisting mountain trails with goat-like agility (and I had a few of those beasts to contend with, too).

Moroccan adventure: Ray Massey with Audi's nimble, quick and comfortable SUV

The safety warnings also proved a godsend, detecting whining motorbikes carrying whole families buzzing near my car.

At £63,130, my fully stocked Q5 was powered by a 204hp engine, propelling it from 0 to 62mph in 7.4 seconds, with a top speed of 140mph.

The beauty of diesel, which my reacquaintance with it confirmed, is that it gives you plenty of pulling power – or 'low-end grunt' – from the off. It also means relatively good fuel-efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.

The sophisticated interior with 'softwrap' trim and adjustable, heated front sports seats and squared-off steering wheel was certainly a lot more comfortable than riding a camel, of which I spotted a fair few.

The rear seats are fully adjustable and can be moved lengthways for more legroom or boot space, which can be increased from 520 litres to 1,473 litres.

My car also included two main display screens for the driver, a third for the passenger to choose the music, privacy and acoustic glass, matrix LED headlights and head up display.

Exterior-wise, it looks, well, just like an Audi with a few tweaks – but nothing to scare the camels.

Prices for the Q5 SUV range start from £49,980 for the 2.0 litre TFSI mild hybrid petrol in Sport trim and from £51,630 for the equivalent mild-hybrid diesel.

As an alternative, there's a similarly-powered fast-back style Q5 Sportback priced from £52,480 to £60,930.

And if you really want to push the boat out there are a pair of SUV and Sportback SQ5 models developing 367hp from their 3.0 litre V6 TFSI mild-hybrid petrol engines which propel them from 0 to 62mph in 4.5 seconds up to a top speed of 155mph and are priced from £74,430 and £76,930 respectively.

Wheels are 19, 20 or 21-inch depending on trim and spec.

Plug in hybrid petrol versions are in the pipeline.

Exterior-wise, it looks, well, just like an Audi with a few tweaks – but nothing to scare the camels

The sophisticated interior with 'softwrap' trim and adjustable, heated front sports seats and squared-off steering wheel

Like vintage Hollywood film stars Bing Crosby and Bob Hope before me, I was off on The Road To Morocco, driving from Marrakech into the rugged Atlas mountains

My Audi Q5 also promises 44mpg fuel economy and 168g/km emissions of CO2, the 'greenhouse gas' blamed for global warming

The very willing 2.0 litre 4-cylinder TDi 48-volt mild-hybrid diesel engine on my car was linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gear box, with manual override paddles for added driver engagement.

My Audi Q5 also promises 44mpg fuel economy and 168g/km emissions of CO2, the 'greenhouse gas' blamed for global warming.

It is somewhat of an irony that the last Labour government from 1997 to 2010 (in which London Mayor Sadiq Khan was latterly a transport minister) encouraged motorists buy diesel cars to 'save the planet' and even incentivised that switch by giving road tax concessions, as their need to be seen to be tackling climate change took political precedence over concerns about harmful particulates causing air pollution.

As a result, by 2015 nearly half of all cars sold were diesel.

Wheels are 19, 20 or 21-inch depending on trim and spec

The rear seats are fully adjustable and can be moved lengthways for more legroom or boot space

‹ Slide me ›

Boot space can be increased from 520 litres to 1,473 litres

The pendulum then swung back and emissions regulations were tightened to tackle harmful particulates.

The 'dieselgate' scandal, which erupted a decade ago when Volkswagen rigged emissions tests, proved a stake in the heart for diesel.

Despite cleaning up its act on emissions with the help of filters, diesel now represent only 1 in 17 (5.8 per cent) of all cars sold today.

In its latest emergency fudge, which I predicted long ago, the current Labour government has just ruled that while sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars will still be banned from 2030, petrol and diesel hybrid versions will now be allowed until 2035.

So Audi's new Q5 – especially the hybrid diesel looks well placed for the future.

For with tariff-obsessed President Trump in the White House, flat-lining sales of electric EVs, and the government's beleaguered Net Zero ambitions looking increasingly like a busted flush, maybe my own Audi Odyssey in Morocco shows there really is still a place for dynamic diesel after all.

Easter fuel price cuts at pump

Motorists can celebrate Easter fuel price cuts at the pumps from this weekend, with competition watchdogs urged to investigate oil giants and retailers if they fail to pass on the benefits, says the RAC.

Its head of policy Simon Williams said: 'With oil tumbling to its lowest price for four years, drivers ought to see cuts of up to 6p a litre at the pumps ahead of the notoriously busy Easter weekend on the roads.'

Savings: Petrol should drop from a UK average of 136p to 130p a litre and diesel from 143p to 137p

After a spell of crude oil trading at around $61 (£51) a barrel, he said petrol should drop from a UK average of 136p to 130p a litre and diesel from 143p to 137p.

He added: 'With the cost of a barrel of oil now at its cheapest since the pandemic in April 2021, wholesale fuel costs are falling fast.

'Retailers must cut pump prices and pass on the benefit to their customers. If not, the Competition and Markets Authority will be asking why not.'