bob m

I took the Q5 out for a few tests drives over the last week or so, however I owned a 2009 for 3 years, so I was familiar with the ride and handling. And truth be told, that has not changed much - even though I dad the 3.2 and now testing the 2.0.
I drove the X3 3.25the other day and saw a beautiful X3 228 there today and was very, very tempted; but I knew that I would need to test the car with the engine I would be buying, soooooooooooooo, we hopped into the X3 228 and took it for a spin. It had the different suspensions - sport, comfort and economy and when in sport mode, you really feel that car tighten and torque up. I'm guessing that real driving enthusiasts would in heaven with that sport mode, but that ain't my ticket, so I rode it mostly in comfort mode. I felt the seats were not as comfortable and supportive as the Q5's. In sum, the Audi's interior was a bit more luxurious, the X3'S a bit less so. Not that the X3's was at all chintzy, it was not. But for example, the Q5's steering wheel is thicker, softer and leather where the X3' was thinner and plastic I think.
The X3 had a nice feature - where the info that is in the NAV or radio or the mph, show on the windshield - great idea, but wearing polarized sunglasses made the info impossible to see.
The engine in the Q5 seemed smoother, a little more refined. Both had more than ample acceleration and held the road well in the curves, but i can see where many people prefer the "tighter" feel of the X3; I prefer the Q5's immediate "hugging the road" feeling coming from the QUATTRO and the basic solidity of the Q5. Right after test driving the X3, they had a 2011 Q5 that I tried - and it made me rethink getting the X3.
Both were pretty close in price and accessories, but besides the more comfortable Q5 ride, the X3 did not have a back up rear view camera. Say what? In a 49 K car! I have that in my CRV! In today's driving world, that rear view camera is a must - at least for me.
Soooooooooo, I'm leaning way more to the Q5.
Also leaning towards a metallic paint, rather than Brilliant - it just shows way less swirl marks and looks richer.
Anyhow, those are my initial thoughts on the differences. To sum up, the Q5 just had that right balance of ride and handling that I prefer.

Bob

MP4.2+6.0

without being a booster either way. I have mine pending Euro delivery, but appreciated the perspective.

johnowen

Bob nice reviews.

I don't own either car but I went with
The Q5 because it looks better.
It seems richer and less plastic then
The bmw.

My boys said the x3 looks like a
"Girl Car"....haha.

Good luck.

Gossip Girl

I went through the same process and decided on the Q5. I did however choose the 18" tires because the ride was better on those. I liked the ride of the X3, but not the run flat tires. Audi quattro system is better. I think the transmission was smoother on the Q5. My final decision was because I currently own a BMW and 2 Audis. The BMW is always in the shop and that was where I really made the final decision. The BMW is being traded in for the Q5. BMW not not close to as reliable. That is confirmed by service people I know in both brands.

Pauly001

I looked at both, dove both prior to purchasing the Q5. I actually went to a local auto show and my wife and I were able to go between them multiple times to really compare. The bottom line for us was the Q5 was a bit higher, a bit larger, and the seats and interior was no comparison. Truly the X3 we felt was just too compact or it least it felt that way and the long nose of the car looked a bit weird. If we consider a BMW SUV in the future it will probably be the X5 I did this same comparison with the 2011 A4 and 228 and the A4 was slightly bigger and more refined which the A4 is sitting in my garage now, the new 228 is much better. Also, the rear camera is missing but also to get HID headlamps you have to spend much more

Q5 Bob

It seems like a lot of us here have cross shopped the X3 and Q5 - No surprise I guess. When it came down to the time to buy I preferred the X3 (all except the run flats) and my wife preferred the Q5. I actually liked the smooth 302hp V6 in the GLK better than the boosted engines in the BMW and Audi but the styling was too chunky for my tastes. From the info I gathered the reliability of both the Q5 and X3 has been improving. The results from Consumer Reports Owners Surveys shows them both as "Average" and on the upswing.

In the end we got the Audi (no surprise) and we are both happy with the purchase. We like nearly everything about it. Would I buy another? Too early to tell, I'm not real brand loyal and like to try different vehicles.

bob m

Forgot to mention that the other day, when doing the tests drives, I did what I think of as the "bank vault test" - simply closing the doors and listening/feeling for that feeling of solidity - low pitched and solid as opposed to higher pitched and tinny. Neither sounded the latter, but the Q5 had more of the former than the X3.
Another con for the X3 was the run flat tires, I never had such a tire, but they are $400.00 to replace and I have heard that they have a somewhat adverse impact on braking performance.



B

Parsec

Isn't the Q5 also missing the rear backup camera on the Premium model? Anyway, if you look at the 2014's they should all have backup cameras now due to the new law.

bob m

I'm not sure, as I only looked at Premium Plus models. I can't imagine it's the law, as the 2014 X3 did not hae it.

B

Kobi's Q

The two main reasons I went with the Q5 over the X3 were the run flats on the BMW - I just didn't like them at all, I know there more expensive and I have heard people talk about being out in the middle of nowhere and having issues with shops willing to fix a flat on them. I do quite a bit of travel up in the mountains and didn't want that type of issue. The other thing I didn't like about it was the gear shift - to me it reminded me of 1980's flight controller for a video game, I just couldn't deal with that set up. Other than that I thought the interior appeared to be cheaper and not a nice as the Q's. I actually never drove the X3 because of the tires and the interior witht the gear shift - wasn't going to waste my time/money on something I just didn't like the look and feel of.