[Barbyboy]

Well chaps and chapesses, we're down to the last 48 hours ownership of our 2009 Q5 3.0 Tdi S-line, before the new SQ5 arrives on Thursday.
Thought I'd provide a quick summary of how we've got on with the current car (and will try to do a comparison against the new model once I've put a few miles under the bonnet).
Current car likes:

• Quality car in every sense but also discreet luxury - I call it client / customer car park sensitive
• Beautiful colour - Daytona grey
• Lots of toys and buttons, great engine, strong performance and very reasonable economy - average 42 mpg
• Torque!
• Have covered 60k miles in 4 years, of which about a quarter have been on French motorways - effortless driving
• Proper family car - carries wife, 2 kids and a dog with ease and comfort
• On winter tyres - performance, grip and handling in the mountains has been superb - great sense of a solid, safe and secure car.
• Modest "long life" servicing costs at appropriate intervals - I estimate £1500 over four years
• Residual value - 50% of purchase cost after 4 years motoring - never beaten that before
• Sensible insurance costs

Niggles:

• 20" 7 spoke wheels and hard suspension make for quite a bumpy ride at times (though admittedly, rural roads around Warwickshire and Northants are pants).
• Cost of replacement tyres
• Mechatronic issue at 10k miles - took an age to identify and rectify the fault. Once replaced (out of warranty but excellent FOC dealership goodwill gesture), no further issues
• Occasional turbo lag when accelerating hard away from junctions or roundabouts. Can get a bit scary!
• Height of front windscreen seems to attract chips - 2 replacement screens in four years (or have I been just unlucky?)
• Ridiculous £180 sat nav map update cost - where's the price justification?
• Juke box / music SD cards - difficult to set up and navigation is clumsy
• Lack of 7 digit post code search on sat nav
• 12V charger by front *** ash / coin holder has never worked - dealership(s) couldn't ever fix the problem

That's about it. We'll see how the new car compares in due course.
Happy and safe motoring all.

 

[ray.afzal]

Nice review thanks mate

2 days!!

 

[Estoril SQ5]

It'll be interesting to hear your Q5/SQ5 comparison......

 

[G dog]

Hope all goes well on Thursday....and I know I sound like a broken record, but don't forget pictures!

 

[Robin T]

It'll be interesting to hear your Q5/SQ5 comparison......

me too !

 

[shenstone1936]

Great final review. I believe there is still a place for the 'standard' 3L Q5.

 

[Hectorshouse]

Well said Shenstone...

 

[Barbyboy]

It'll be interesting to hear your Q5/SQ5 comparison......

Here goes then:

3.0 Tdi S-line: Comments as above.

SQ5: (Limited assessment after just 550 miles:

Likes:

• Colour - Lava grey - beautiful
• Performance - brutal
• Sound in Dynamic mode - big grin
• Fuel consumption - pleasantly surprised and understand it will only get better as the engine beds in
• Panoramic roof - gives a light airy feel to the vehicle (with black headliner). If not taken as an option, then I'd be tempted to go for a lighter headliner colour.
• Black / silver seats with contrast stitching - just looks lovely
• Needle "sweeps" on dials at start up
• Ride on 21" wheels is much, much better than I expected. Despite the lower profile tyres, the ride seems considerably less harsh than on the 20" wheels on 3.0 S-line it's replaced
• Integrated tow bar - very neat piece of kit but slightly soured by £350 cost of cycle carrier to go with it!
• FB steering wheel - there's just something about it
• B&O DAB radio sound quality - excellent
• Paddle shifters - just seem to have a bigger, better ergonomic feel than on previous model

Niggles:

• The recent Jeremy Clarkson review...
• Getting used to the stop / start function. Seems to cut in very early so am tending just to switch it off around town which simply defeats the object
• Setting up Audi Connect - I'm no luddite but this thing is just impossible. Back to the dealers for me next week
• Firmness of seats / setting up a comfortable driving position - squab supports seem quite narrow and I'm only average frame - 6' and 12 stone dripping wet - had same issue at new in Q5 so hope they'll soften up over time. Got quite uncomfortable after a 3 hour motorway journey yesterday
• Steering - just seems to be lacking something but I can't quite determine what
• Lane assist - never had this feature before. Found it scary to use at first but then realised it works well on dually's and motorways but do turn it off on single roads
• Gear selector - quirky comment perhaps (and i'll ignore any knob comments) but the aluminium design seems to make it permanently cold to the touch
• They've done away with the second 12V socket inside the storage compartment under the front centre arm rest unit. Why?
• Loud warning alarm when ignition on and door open - can you turn the bl00dy thing off?

That's about it for the moment chaps.
Safe motoring.

 

[missile]

Gear selector - quirky comment perhaps (and i'll ignore any knob comments) but the aluminium design seems to make it permanently cold to the touch

true, but it looks and feels so much nicer than the Q5 Knob end.

 

[José]

Fully agreed on the cold gear selector, and that it looks much better than the standard Q one! They should have it heated!

I am having mine in on Monday for start/stop cutting in early (whilst still doing 0.5mph). Snowman mentioned it is possible to add a delay to it cutting in via VCDS - I will be having my dealer do this regardless of any other 'fix' they come up with as I agree it is VERY annoying and also dangerous when you come to a momentary stop and have to wait a second for the engine to restart before pulling away. Maybe you could look at getting the delay added to yours too.

Mine has a 12v in the arm rest, right at the bottom - I didn't realise it was there at first. Mine is MY13, so maybe the removed it on MY14?

 

[Barbyboy]

Doh!
Thanks Jose, have just checked car and 12V socket is indeed in there.
You're right, it's sneakily tucked away - deep bottom left - wouldn't have seen it had you not said.
Will also have stop / start issue looked at when I go in for the Audi Connect matter.
Cheers.

 

[moonmonkey]

when the door is open and ignition is on just press the button underneath the right hand stalk to silence the noise

 

[Steppy]

when the door is open and ignition is on just press the button underneath the right hand stalk to silence the noise

Very useful tip thank you

I find it odd that you have to have the ignition on the full, rather than accessory position to get power to any of the sockets. It seems pointless to have the running lights on when all you want to do is vacuum the car out