Renault Samsung QM5: which version to buy and why

If you are choosing a Renault Samsung QM5, you are not choosing between generations. There is 1 generation, built from 2007-12-01 to 2016-09-30 as an SUV 5-doors, and the catalogue lists 5 versions of that one generation. The real decision is drivetrain: Diesel 2.0 with 150 hp versus Gasoline 2.5 CVT with 171 hp, then Manual versus Automatic, then FWD versus AWD.

If you are choosing a Renault Samsung QM5, you are not choosing between generations. There is 1 generation, built from 2007-12-01 to 2016-09-30 as an SUV 5-doors, and the catalogue lists 5 versions of that one generation. The real decision is drivetrain: Diesel 2.0 with 150 hp versus Gasoline 2.5 CVT with 171 hp, then Manual versus Automatic, then FWD versus AWD. Weight, 0–100, top speed, mpg, tank, clearance, and wheel sizes are not measured on every version, so those cannot pick a winner. The numbers that can are power, torque, displacement, rpm, gearbox, and drive.

QM5 specs that actually separate the versions

All five QM5 versions share the same body and the same chassis language: Independent, spring front, Independent, spring rear, Ventilated disc front brakes, Disc rear brakes, engine Front, transverse. That means you are not buying a different SUV shape. You are buying a different engine–gearbox–drive stack.

The four 2.0 versions are the same engine on paper: 1995 cc Diesel, 4 Inline cylinders, 4 valves per cylinder, Turbo, 150 hp (110 kW) at 4000 rpm, 326 Nm at 2000 rpm, Diesel fuel. They differ only in Manual/Automatic and FWD/AWD.

The fifth version, 2.5 CVT, is a different product: 2488 cc Gasoline, 4 Inline, 4 valves per cylinder, boost No, Distributed injection (multi-point), 171 hp (233 kW) at 6000 rpm, 230 Nm at 4400 rpm, fuel 95, Variable gearbox, FWD.

Engine comparison: Diesel 2.0 versus Gasoline 2.5 CVT

Power. 2.5 CVT has 171 hp; each 2.0 MT and 2.0 AT has 150 hp. The petrol version is 21 hp stronger (14%). Peak power arrives 2000 rpm later (6000 versus 4000). If the question is “which QM5 has the highest listed horsepower,” the answer is 2.5 CVT.

Power per litre (from the given displacements).

The smaller turbo diesel is the denser engine. The extra 493 cc in 2.5 CVT buys 21 hp but loses 6.5 hp per litre versus the 2.0.

Torque. This is the largest arithmetic gap in the catalogue. Each 2.0 version lists 326 Nm; 2.5 CVT lists 230 Nm. The diesel has 96 Nm more — 42% more torque. Diesel peak torque is at 2000 rpm; petrol peak torque is at 4400 rpm, 2400 rpm higher. For a five-door SUV that is meant to pull itself and a load, 326 Nm at 2000 rpm is the stronger work figure.

kW as listed. Diesel versions are 110 kW. 2.5 CVT is listed at 233 kW next to 171 hp. Those two petrol figures sit in the same row in the data; they are not mixed with another version.

Boost and fuel. All four 2.0 versions are Turbo and Diesel. 2.5 CVT is boost No and Gasoline 95. You are not choosing a second turbo petrol; there is none in this model’s five versions.

Which engine to buy. Choose a 2.0 version if torque and mid-rpm power density matter more than peak hp. Choose 2.5 CVT if the priority is the highest listed horsepower, Gasoline 95, no turbo, and a Variable gearbox — accepting 96 Nm less torque and a later torque peak.

Gearbox and drive: how the four 2.0 versions differ

The four diesel names repeat. Distinguish them by drive, because power is the same 150 hp on all four.

Version (exact name)hpNmccFuelCylinders / layoutBoostGearboxDrive
2.0 MT1503261995Diesel4 InlineTurboManual, 6FWD
2.0 MT1503261995Diesel4 InlineTurboManual, 6AWD
2.0 AT1503261995Diesel4 InlineTurboAutomatic, 6FWD
2.0 AT1503261995Diesel4 InlineTurboAutomatic, 6AWD
2.5 CVT1712302488Gasoline4 InlineNoVariableFWD

Manual versus Automatic. Both 2.0 MT versions are Manual with 6 gears. Both 2.0 AT versions are Automatic with 6 gears. Engine output does not change with the box: 150 hp and 326 Nm either way. What the extra complexity of Automatic buys, in this dataset, is not more power. It buys a 6-speed Automatic instead of a 6-speed Manual. There is no seventh ratio and no different diesel tune.

FWD versus AWD on the diesel.

Same 150 hp, same 326 Nm, same 1995 cc. AWD is not a more powerful engine. It is the same engine with AWD. 2.5 CVT has no AWD row: it is FWD only.

CVT versus the six-speeds. 2.5 CVT is Variable; number of gears is not measured. You cannot compare ratio count with the diesel 6. You can compare layout: only the petrol uses Variable, and only with FWD.

Performance, mpg, and what is not measured

0–100 is not measured on 2.0 MT (FWD), 2.0 MT (AWD), 2.0 AT (FWD), 2.0 AT (AWD), and 2.5 CVT. Top speed is not measured on all five. City, highway, and combined consumption are not measured on all five. CO2 and eco class are not measured on all five.

You cannot rank QM5 versions by acceleration, vmax, or mpg from this catalogue. A claim that 2.5 CVT is “faster” because it has 21 extra hp is not a measured 0–100. A claim that diesel is “more economical” is not a measured consumption figure. The only performance-like numbers you have are hp, kW, Nm, and the rpm at which they occur.

Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated: kerb weight is not measured on every version. Do not invent a kg/hp ranking.

Dimensions, weight, tank, wheels

For all five versions: kerb weight not measured, gross weight not measured, ground clearance not measured, tank not measured, wheels not measured.

There is no “lighter FWD” or “heavier AWD” number here. Choosing AWD over FWD is a drive-layout choice, not a measured mass choice. Choosing 2.5 CVT over 2.0 is not a measured size or tank choice. The SUV is SUV 5-doors on the generation; that does not change by version.

Generations: what changed (and what did not)

There is 1 generation (2007-12-01–2016-09-30), 5 versions, body SUV 5-doors. There is no second generation to compare on power, torque, or drive. Production years on the versions themselves are listed 2007-01-01 to 2016-12-31; they do not split the five versions into early and late tunes. You are not missing a facelift generation with a different hp figure. All diesel versions stay at 150 hp / 326 Nm; the petrol stays at 171 hp / 230 Nm.

What “changed” inside this single generation, in the data, is the option matrix: two fuels, two diesel gearboxes, two diesel drives, one petrol CVT FWD. That is the whole spread.

Which version to choose

Buy a diesel 2.0 if you want the torque peak and the denser engine. 326 Nm at 2000 rpm and 75.2 hp/L beat 2.5 CVT on both torque and specific power. All four diesel names keep that same engine.

Then pick gearbox.

Power does not move: still 150 hp and 326 Nm.

Then pick drive.

AWD is available only on the 2.0 diesels, not on 2.5 CVT.

Buy 2.5 CVT if the brief is petrol, CVT, and peak hp. It is the only Gasoline version, the only Variable gearbox, the only 171 hp row, and the only 2488 cc engine. It is FWD only, boost No, 230 Nm at 4400 rpm. You give up 96 Nm and you give up AWD. You gain 21 hp and 493 cc.

Do not use price, mpg, 0–100, or weight as a tie-break. Those are not measured. The extra you “pay” in this dataset is not money; it is the specification you add: Automatic instead of Manual, AWD instead of FWD, or Gasoline Variable instead of Diesel Turbo.

Short map.

That is the full QM5 choice set: one generation, five named versions, and the differences are 21 hp, 96 Nm, 493 cc, Manual/Automatic/Variable, and FWD/AWD.