Is it true that the Q5 isn't available with a heated steering wheel? From what I've read here and on the Audi website, there's no sign of this important (in cold climates) feature.

I was shocked to read about this omission as well! Presumably this is an oversight Audi will address in the next model year, but what were they thinking? All they had to do was look at the feature set of the competition to know that a heated steering wheel (among other features) should be an option in a vehicle of this class.

By the way, when you are this late to the (luxury compact SUV) party it is not enough to simply copy or match the feature set of the competition; you have to surpass it by a significant margin. I remember when Lexus first came on the scene they brought literally dozens of innovations and features to the luxury car segment that have now become standards (because everyone else copied them).

In other words Lexus made a splash by taking the lead. Audi, it seems, is content to play catch up. :(

I for one, am not dying to have a heated steering wheel...never had one before...dont plan to in future. As long as the butt warmer works quickly..I am good.

I would love to have that option as the people who have it love it.

I dont even think I have been in a car that had a heated steering wheel.

Roots from Colorado - and cold weather vs being a Bay Area whimp :) my daughter in Fremont complains when your temps are 55°F

I guess still no heating steering wheel? BMW now offers that in every model. It's a really nice feature, not that luxurious per se, but make the winter months much better tolerated.

Not True
and why is the headlight washers only available with the S-line?

Front and Rear on Mine Prestige Pacakge with a OffRoad Package

BCD-1

I dont even think I have been in a car that had a heated steering wheel.

It is worth every penny when it's -30 degrees celcius outside. We got down to -48 with the windchill and after scraping the windshield my fingers in gloves felt like they were going to explode. The heated wheel brought the blood back in shoot order. My truck has it and it is the one option I was very disappointed was not available.

I will just add it if it comes Available

BCD-1

I remember when Lexus first came on the scene they brought literally dozens of innovations

Heated steering wheel important? Give me a break :)

When was the time Lexus invented anything? They like to copy other people's technology but Honda have more inventions than Toyota. Most of latest automotive technologies are inevented by the Germans and than the Japanese copy it and try to improve on its reliability.

Heated steering wheel important? Give me a break :)

Dude, NOW YOU ARE TALKIN :D

Some of you complaining about the snow, com' on guys, your neighborhood doesn't even stay white all winter and after snowing all you have is few days white and then roads melt back to bare wet pavement and you call that winter? LOL

Hey Philippines haves winter too (temp is just 60 with rain season instead 100 at summer time)

allroad has heated steering wheels and ColoradoMark loves it on his. I would add it as a option too if I could

Some of you complaining about the snow, com' on guys, your neighborhood doesn't even stay white all winter and after snowing all you have is few days white and then roads melt back to bare wet pavement and you call that winter? LOL)

Come pay us a visit next February when the outside temp is around -20C during the day and -30C during the night. During those few (40-60) days, I year gloves while driving, not because I wanna look cool, but because I need to! Would have been nice to have heated steering wheel, but I would not trade off my heated seats for that!!!

Some of you complaining about the snow, com' on guys, your neighborhood doesn't even stay white all winter and after snowing all you have is few days white and then roads melt back to bare wet pavement and you call that winter? LOL

Nope, I call this winter... For a place that gets into the 40's Celcius+ in the summer we get more than half 4 months of the white crap in the winter. Longest winter I could remember lasted almost 6 months. I wish it would all melt after snowing, best we can hope for is for the level to decrease a little, which thankfully is usually does or we'd be under about 10-18' of snow by winters end. Yes -40 Deg C is very cold and quite honestly, it's 50/50 if a vehicle left outside for a week will start without a block heater or even with one for that matter... While I am sure we don't get as much snow as say... Alaska, I'd say -40 is cold enough for a heated wheel and boy to do I love that wheel. It's cold enough that heated windshiled wipers make a huge difference.

The door and windows are over 5' off ground level. Snow drifts were about 1.5-2' in this one. Damn snow drifts.

http://a.imageshack.us/img97/8093/snow2p.jpg

http://a.imageshack.us/img405/4577/snowf.png

Come pay us a visit next February when the outside temp is around -20C during the day and -30C during the night. During those few (40-60) days, I year gloves while driving, not because I wanna look cool, but because I need to! Would have been nice to have heated steering wheel, but I would not trade off my heated seats for that!!!

Matrin, I'm just down the road from you in the Capital. These #'s are bang on, although windchill during the coldest months can make -20 look like a warm afternoon. Gotta love those winter weather warnings, where they round up the homeless people and issue skin freeze warnings, that unexposed skin can freeze in minutes.

Well, here's one opinion from Alaska... I'd love to have a heated steering wheel. I would never give up the heated front seats (and please give us US folks heated backseats!), so if I had to choose one over the other the heated seats would win. But, if the heated steering wheel were an option I'd shell out the money for it in a heartbeat.

I don't know how I missed this when going through the feature list on my new Q5. On my BMW, I remember when the sales guy talked about it, I was thinking could I get rid of it to save $$ cause it sounded silly. But after using it winter after winter, it should be standard. It's the best in cold weather.

Rather that then cold/heated cup holders.

I don't know how I missed this when going through the feature list on my new Q5. On my BMW, I remember when the sales guy talked about it, I was thinking could I get rid of it to save $$ cause it sounded silly. But after using it winter after winter, it should be standard. It's the best in cold weather.

Rather that then cold/heated cup holders.

At least with the heated cup holders I could keep one hand warm... :D But they are not available in Canada!!!

At least with the heated cup holders I could keep one hand warm... :D But they are not available in Canada!!!

I wonder if the heated cupholder could be used to pre-warm gloves or mittens. ;)

Heated steering wheel is a $190 option on BMWs, so it's not that expensive.

Even VW Tourag has heated steeing wheel option.

Even VW Tourag has heated steeing wheel option.

Touareg and its brother Cayenne have not only very nice heated steering wheel option, but electrically heated windshield as well. Why Audi would not put those options in its option list - that's the question...

Touareg and its brother Cayenne have not only very nice heated steering wheel option, but electrically heated windshield as well. Why Audi would not put those options in its option list - that's the question...

I'd love a heated steering wheel too, but it would have to be the "right" wheel for me - 3 spoke, partially perforated. I think at least part of the problem is that Audi offers so many different wheels for the Q5: 4-spoke, 3-spoke, some fully perforated, some partially perforated, some not perforated at all. If you've ever bought an Audi wheel, they're expensive! Maybe Audi doesn't want to to stock/offer/support another 3 or 4 wheels for the Q5?

With BMW, you can get heat on the regular or Sport steering wheel. Just some heating element inside. If a car needs AWD, that means it needs a heated steering wheel.