Pratfall

So after five years of driving a 911 and an AMG -- i.e. fun cars that are basically toys -- life circumstances demanded it was time to get something more practical.

And with that I just picked up my Glacier White TDI. This even though a month ago I was 90% certain I would end up in a Volvo XC60. The enthusiasm here and in various reviews convinced me to test drive the TDI, and after about five minutes behind the wheel that was that. I echo most of the sentiment here. The engine just perfectly matches the purpose of this car -- good low end power with great mileage. It was the best all-around package of any of the small utes I tried. My premium plus car came with the options I considered mandatory: sport package, MMI, and B&O, and 2 I could have lived without: 20 inch wheels and side assist. Black interior.

This is my first white car and I'm starting to see what the fuss is all about. I've driven mine through two rain storms and it shows virtually no grime. My old black and blue cars looked awful after even a minor drizzle. Just a supremely practical color.

Fwiw, here's my take on other vehicles in this class for anyone else who might be cross-shopping. I test drove all of these at least once:

Cayenne Diesel: I really wanted to hate it. But I couldn't. It was actually my favorite -- even preferred it to the Q5. But getting one with comparable tech to the Q5 requires a roughly $20k premium at least. Not worth it to me atm, but if money is no object, this is magnificent.

2014 Volvo XC60 T6: my favorite of the smaller SUV petrol models. Love the styling, slightly offbeat personality, safety, value, and smooth inline six. Came in second to the Q5.

2014 Range Rover Sport V6: Some hate the new exterior styling, but I loved it. A really distinct and attractive look imo. Interior was super comfortable with a sparse, space age look. V6 had sufficient punch. Downside is typical Rover questionable reliability and high price. I preferred the Cayenne Diesel at this price range, though I'd take the RRS over the petrol Cayenne V6.

BMW X3 335i: Nice -- well built with sharp handling but lacks the personality of the Q5 and XC60. I'd take the XC60 T6 over this, especially since it costs a good deal less.

2014 Subaru Forester XT: most probably won't cross shop this, but I was actually really impressed. The turbo 4 has great punch, car has great visibility, and the whole thing feels solid. If looking to spend less, I imagine you could be perfectly happy with it.

Anyway my two cents. I think my ideal car would probably be an A6 Avant TDI, which of course they don't sell in the States. So I will be happy with my Q5. Thanks to the community for all of the input and enthusiasm for the model.

tgt

Congrats and welcome! Drove the TDI and agree, it's a great engine for the Q5.

-tgt

soonerfan

Nice review! I'll agree 100% with you concerning the A6 Avant TDI…….I'd be on that like a duck on a june bug. Welcome to the family, btw.

Mark P

Congrats and welcome! I assume when you say sport package, you mean the sport interior package (Front sport seats, 3-spoke steering wheel with shift paddles, Four-way power lumbar for front seats), and not SLine, right? Since you note 20" wheels separate, I think that's the case.

Sounds like a great car/combo, though I may be slightly biased

Please update here with your fuel economy as you go, and ideally get a fuelly.com account and keep it there (and add the "badge" to your sig) to add more data to the collective pool.

Congrats again!

914Audi

Pratfall:

Congratulations on your decision and welcome to our little club here. You will find it's a great group to bounce ideas off, compare/contrast perspectives, and share mutual interests.

If you haven't already done so, search the recent forums for topics such as diesel mpg (Mark keeps great data btw), or the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) as items unique to the TDI experience.

Enjoy!

ps. You will notice by my closing that I still haven't figured out how to correctly add the little Fuelly icon like the cool kids do. ;-(

Coolieman1220

I feel the same way. The cayenne is super nice but super pricey. Even the X5 35d and the ML350 Blutec are expensive when you get them with some nice features. it sucks.

Pratfall

Exactly, sorry for the ambiguity. I have the sport interior package, not the S line. Sport int. was a must for me because of the steering wheel (I have weird taste and the standard one looked gloopy to me) and the sport seats. My last car had a flat bottom steering wheel, though, and I kind of miss it. Not enough to have sprung for the S line, but still.

brutus23079

Prat,
good review. I went through a similar line of thinking before deciding on the Q5 TDI. As always, it depends on your priorities. For me it was: 1. Gotta comfortably tow our 3200# travel trailer. 2. Get great mileage. 3. Compare how meeting requirements of #1 derail #2. 4. Not break the bank. #4 ruled out the new X5 and ML350. Both are great vehicles, just too pricey for me. If I needed more second-seat room (as in three-across), the BM or Merc probably would have won the day...

visualguy

How responsive is the engine on the TDI? On-ramp acceleration? Highway passing? I'm concerned because of the low HP and low redline of this engine, although I realize it has a lot of torque.

DennisMitchell

Yep, very satisfied. I think both of those factors are more real world than 0-60 mph times.