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Audi Q5


Medic1281
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Anyone drive a Q5? I'm looking at getting rid of my golf gtd for something with a bit more comfort and less harsh ride. We are also expecting our first child this year so I fancy the perceived safety of a bigger car and the higher driving position.

I'm looking at the 3.0l diesel though as I still enjoy the speed every now and then and don't want a full on boring machine yet.

Any opinions on the Q5 or reasonable alternatives?

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The ONLY engine worth having in the Q5 is the 3.0d

Cracking motor that has a surprising amount of ground clearance and runs a proper quattro system.

If I could afford one, i'd have one in a heartbeat.

One word of advice though... don't get the model with the panoramic roof, they rattle like hell and it will drive you insane!

Edited by brett1985
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I've got a Q5 and it really is the 'do all' car.

 

Drive it like Miss Daisy and you get a ridiculous return for a large 4x4 auto, but pop it in sport mode it's as fast as a 911.

 

You can also fit the wife, kids and dog in one too.

 

Deffo best in the class / range and if I was going to change mine I really wouldn't know what for.

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Brett1985, Am I right in thinking that you are an Audi tech?! Do you rate the 2012 model, as it looks like that will be about the age I can afford, the one I have seen has 34k on the clock, lots of extras inc b&o stereo, s-line but with standard "softer" suspension.

I've got a Q5 and it really is the 'do all' car.

 

Drive it like Miss Daisy and you get a ridiculous return for a large 4x4 auto, but pop it in sport mode it's as fast as a 911.

 

You can also fit the wife, kids and dog in one too.

 

Deffo best in the class / range and if I was going to change mine I really wouldn't know what for.

I take it that is the SQ5 that is the 911 stalker?! Edited by Medic1281
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I won't/can't stretch to the sq5, but the 240ps diesel sounds like a reasonable compromise. The car is a pre facelift 2012 model which puts me off a little. I'd rather have the slightly newer facelift version that's had the problems ironed out.

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I hate to burst your bubble, but no, its not! (Unless of course the 911 has broken down) Much better than a 911 off road though

 

erm... no easy way to say this... but.. your wrong... sort of.

 

put a standard trim level 911 from the 04-12 age range against an SQ5 and I will guarantee you the Porsche wont shake it.

 

power to weight ratio is automatically in favour of the Porsche, but the insane torque on the SQ5 gives it an ability to sit on the back end of most performance cars in every scenario except on a track or a long stretch of road.

 

I have first hand experience of this too. :whistling:

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Brett1985, Am I right in thinking that you are an Audi tech?! Do you rate the 2012 model, as it looks like that will be about the age I can afford, the one I have seen has 34k on the clock, lots of extras inc b&o stereo, s-line but with standard "softer" suspension.

I take it that is the SQ5 that is the 911 stalker?!

not a tech, no.

parts manager but an ex tech.

 

2012 model is still a good model but uses an older variant of the 3.0 lump (still a good engine though!)

by the description, someone spent a fair amount on it at the time of purchase as B&O aint cheap.

 

make sure its had all of the relevant services and that there is the paperwork to prove it.

and be aware that at that age and mileage, if it's an auto, it will shortly need a gearbox oil service which usually runs in at about £300.

check for even tyre wear on all 4 corners as tracking can be expensive as everything needs adjusting if its going to be done properly.

if it is an auto, listen out for any knocks or judders from the box while in motion and be wary if it clunks when either putting it into drive or snatches when you pull away.

 

only other thing I can think of is to make sure that the MMI controls in the centre console all rotate freely and the buttons aren't sticky. people have a habit of spilling drinks in there and you cant repair them once they're stuffed. only option is a new unit for just under £2k fitted.

 

if you can get me the reg I can look at the spec. :good:

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erm... no easy way to say this... but.. your wrong... sort of.

 

put a standard trim level 911 from the 04-12 age range against an SQ5 and I will guarantee you the Porsche wont shake it.

 

power to weight ratio is automatically in favour of the Porsche, but the insane torque on the SQ5 gives it an ability to sit on the back end of most performance cars in every scenario except on a track or a long stretch of road.

 

I have first hand experience of this too. :whistling:

 

 

Sorry, but this is a clarksonism... to illustrate Im happy to bring my C2 997.2 along, but on any track or road the sq5 of the same age and i would imagine newer (except maybe boring motorway journey where speed limit is the factor) will not keep up, same with BMW 535D drivers who think they can 'chase down lambos'. Torque isn't everything, i had a cayenne Diesel S 4.2L V8 for a short while, fun, but not properly fast, you need to be able to go round corners for that.

 

Having said all of this the VWAG 4x4 platforms are really excellent, i would buy a q5 tomorrow if i didn't need more space and am too tight to buy a Q7

Edited by ElvisThePelvis
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erm... no easy way to say this... but.. your wrong... sort of.

 

put a standard trim level 911 from the 04-12 age range against an SQ5 and I will guarantee you the Porsche wont shake it.

 

power to weight ratio is automatically in favour of the Porsche, but the insane torque on the SQ5 gives it an ability to sit on the back end of most performance cars in every scenario except on a track or a long stretch of road.

 

I have first hand experience of this too. :whistling:

 

I'm afraid I agree with ElvisthePelvis, you've kind of narrowed the margin there. On the open road regard for the safety of others and speed limits are what limit every car not just SQ5, in other words just about anything can keep up with anything else within reason because you simply cannot out accelerate or go too insanely fast in a bend.

 

Handling is largely dictated by centre of gravity chiz why all manner of motor sport categories try and get everything down as low as possible including the driver. On empty roads with no police or rules a Toyota sports car of similar power output will kill a SQ5. Powerful SUV's are only good for rapid overtaking.

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your free to think that, but, your opinion is incorrect. :good:

 

 

Having owned 2 powerful SUV (more so than SQ5) Hamsters opinion is absolutely correct, they are too big and too heavy to get round corners quickly, fun on motorway slip roads but thats about it. Unfortunately people get told by Clarkson and such like that 'fast' diesels are properly fast, they aren't in comparison to sports cars but are in comparison to non 'fast' versions of the same car. For Example Cayenne Diesel S will not keep up with 911 and possibly Boxster S especially once the road has any bends, it will however be faster than the Cayenne Diesel.

 

Horses for courses, 911 or any other sportscar would be rubbish across a ploughed field or for taking family on holiday. But to suggest 'fast' diesel will keep up with genuine sportscars is utter ********.

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My journey to work is straight dual carriageway and traffic lights.

 

I lose track of which 911 is which - they all look the same but some are tens of thousands others are hundreds of thousands. Some do a 0-60 sub 5 seconds but most (and the older ones) are over 5.

 

The SQ5 book times are rare in that they are actually accurate - out of the box it's 5.1.

 

So, in terms of A12 commuting, there's not much that gets to work before me 😆

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I battle the A12 as well on occasion, not much gets to work before me either as we are all in the same traffic jam together! On the rare occasion things are moving you get hemmed in by outside lane drivers anyway, really hate that road with a passion. By the way I'm not sure how far up you travel but the average traffic cameras as soon as you get into Suffolk are live, by neighbour got snapped at 80 a couple of weeks back. Have you encountered the purple lambo replica that tries to race everything yet (Halford exhaust and christmas lights around the windscreen)...

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I'm A12 : Shenfield / Mountnessing to Gallows Corner / Romford.

 

Full of unmarked traffic cars, traffic light / speed camera combos and dawdling mini cab drivers in Vauxhalls.

 

There are less and less places to let loose - 20 years ago the crack was to head to the country and tear up and down some lanes; if you did that now you'd hit a horse, an eastern European or a traveller.

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So, as an everyday car for a young family and an occasionally enthusiastic driver the Q5 3l tdi isn't a bad choice. As a sports car, there are better out there?!

 

 

Absolutely, the VWAG platform is great I love my Tourag which shares the platform with Q7 and Cayenne and having had cayennes in the past i couldn't now justify the extra over Tourag. Depending on how many kids and how much associated clutter you have it may be worth considering one of those as they aren't much more than Q5 (R line is a nicer trim) and a lot less than Q7.

I'm A12 : Shenfield / Mountnessing to Gallows Corner / Romford.

 

Full of unmarked traffic cars, traffic light / speed camera combos and dawdling mini cab drivers in Vauxhalls.

 

There are less and less places to let loose - 20 years ago the crack was to head to the country and tear up and down some lanes; if you did that now you'd hit a horse, an eastern European or a traveller.

 

Or worse a massive pot hole! Still a few spots you can crack on.. Shenfield is lovely part of the world but i am not envious of your journey!

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your free to think that, but, your opinion is incorrect. :good:

 

A line by Patrick Head always comes to mind where he simplified what makes one racer (in the same car) faster than another : Cars accelerate the same in a straight line but it's how the driver decelerates i.e, brakes most efficiently and thus is able to put the power down effectively soonest out of the corner that separates good from Great.

 

So you see it's braking that's important not power and braking is incredibly inefficient in big lumps of SUV's ;), they may well have oodles of power to shift their mass and kill the odd Golf GTi off the lights but try and stop them anything like tidily in anger in a corner when it matters :rolleyes::lol:, trust me it's not gonna happen.

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Not sure about the Q5 but the Q7 has a reputation for eating tyres (12000 mikes or less)

and the tyres will be the expensive type.

 

 

Wow, really? I have just had to replace one tyre on the Tourag that lasted 21,000 miles, i expect the back two will get to 25,000 and its the same platform (other front one suffered puncture). Tyres are around £200 per corner if you shop around so not too bad.

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I always thought the A3 3.2 Quattro was a jack of all trades sleeper - was it any good?

I loved it, so much better than the s3 at the time. Fast, comfortable, 24mpg (not bad considering) but it ate tyres on the 18mile commute on 100% twisty back roads.

I had to get rid of it as part of the divorce. Although that suited me as I then bought a navara for shooting and carting the dog about.

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