wrcardon

So I thought I would throw it out there to the masses to get your guys very respected input.

Here are the two cars I am looking at:

SQ5

• Phantom Black Pearl Exterior
• Black Interior w/ Nappa Leather upgrade
• B&O sound
• Audi MMI Nav
• 21" Wheels

3.0 TDI

• Daytona Grey (my favorite... love lava as well) Exterior
• Black or Chestnut Interior (both are available)
• S-line Plus package (20" Titanium wheels, S-line bumpers, Brushed aluminum inlays) black cloth headliner, high gloss black optics, audi adaptive dampening suspension, audi drive select controls, matte black roof rails, 3-spoke S-line flat bottom steering wheel)
• Sport package (required with S-line package)
• B&O sound
• Audi MMI Nav

Pluses for the SQ5...

• Horsepower
• Sweet sounding
• Nicer interior - stitching in offset color, shift ****, steering wheel, dials
• Unique grill
• It's an SQ5

Negatives for the SQ5...

• Worse MPG (more frequent filling)
• Slightly more expensive ~$3k

Pluses for the TDI...

• More MPG (less frequent filling)
• S-line black optics if your into that
• Color I like better (Daytona only comes in the S-line)
• Cheaper

Negatives for the TDI...

• It's not an SQ5
• S-line black optics if you don't like them

I would love to hear peoples thoughts.

As a side note, I could order an SQ5 in lava... I just have to wait till October to receive it. This is an issue as my car was totaled a few months ago and I have been renting a car for the last month after my insurance provided 4 weeks of free rental.

Thanks!!

josedebardi

From the wording of your post you appear to be leaning towards the SQ5...

scrmorling

The deciding factor for me would be the 1+ sec advantage of the SQ5 in the 0-60. Steve

soonerfan

Seems to me you've already decided on the S. The sooner you order it, the sooner you'll take delivery.....unless you can find one in an inventory to your liking.

skl1

Tough decision and one I'm debating myself right now... I had a Cayenne diesel as a loaner for a couple weeks while the GT3 was getting a warranty issue taken care of, and was really impressed with it. It felt plenty quick but getting used to the tach (never seen a redline that low!!) took a while. I routinely saw over 30 MPG on the highway going 75 and I do quite a bit of highway driving. We had a first gen Cayenne S and were very happy with it, but I kinda like the smaller size of the Q5 and don't want to wait for the Macan.

audi40

I'd vote for the TDI in Daytona, but then again I might be a little biased

larryV

I have driven both and now own an SQ5. If money and mpgs are not a big issue for you, I will wholeheartedly recommend an SQ5 over a TDI. It's really no contest from a drivability and fun-factor perspective.

Sure the TDI has oodles of torque down low, but so does the SQ5. After driving both, my own butt dyno says they are more or less equal despite the 100+ ft-lb difference on paper. Then the rpms and speed build and that's when the TDI falters, while the SQ5 just keeps pulling and pulling. Also, even though they have the same exact ZF-8HP transmission, Audi has tuned the SQ5's unit to shift a lot quicker, crisper, and sportier. It's almost like the regular tune is handicapped after you drive an SQ5 because I really don't see the benefit in having lazy shifts on more conservative transmission tunes because the SQ5's tune retains all the smoothness despite being able to shift with much more authority.

Both are fun cars, and you'll be happy with either. But keep this in mind: if you decide to get the TDI, enjoy it and don't ever test drive an SQ5. Just don't.

scrmorling

lmao

wrcardon

I guess I am. The two things that are holding me back are 1) color availability since each dealer got very few SQ5 and I don't really want to continue to rent till October (which would be the case if I ordered) 2) the extra mpg would be nice for less frequent refills.

If we're to order an SQ5 I would probably get the following:
-Lava grey w/ black interior (Daytona is only available with the S-line plus option)
- nappa leather (not a fan of sticky alcantara)
- 21" wheels (they are damn good looking)
- B&O (had a 2012 without and was underwhelmed)
- Audi MMI Nav

wrcardon

Also, I haven't driven the SQ5 yet. Probably will lock my decision once in do.

I drove the TDI today and it felt very similiar to my 2012 3.2 other than the sloppy stearing. :-(