To "S-Line" or Not To "S-Line" That is the ?
 

so I'm new here, and new to audi, driving a lexus RX for many years. It's been love hate... the car has a lot to offer and served me well, but the drive experience... well there is no driving experience. I was looking for something that would hit the mark in multiple areas... utility, all wheel drive, styling, fuel economy and performance. My research led me to diesel as an alternative I hadn't considered and then I finally drove the Q5. Needless to say I had no idea what I was missing! Why we aren't seeing more diesels in the US is beyond me, but it seems the europeans have figured this out. It feels like the trend is picking up steam with VW, MB, Audi, and BMW all offering more oil burners in 2014. So fast fwd a few weeks and I put an order in for my Q5 yesterday. Lava Gray/Black Leather, Premium Plus, S-line Plus, MMI Nav, B&0 stereo. However I see very few Q5's on the road or in dealerships with the S-Line Plus package so I'm doing this a bit sight unseen. I wonder if there is any feedback on what the combination looks like in real life? I want the suspension options, but I wonder if the black exterior trim and brushed aluminum interior trim will bother me over time. Any feedback?

From what I've seen of pictures on this site, the S-Line Plus trim package looks really sharp and I think it would look great on Lava Gray. Sorry but I don't recall in which thread I saw the trim but you could try doing a search for it or you could scroll through the q5/SQ5 Picture thread.

Congrats on the car, I'm sure you'll love it.

Steve

Yeah seems I saw some pictures yesterday on my cellphone but I can't find them anymore... I'll keep searching. Thanks for the feedback

Congrats on the Order.

I am sure you will Love it.

Here is a link to a gallery with Sline Plus in Black:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...16854116286577

And in my signature is a gallery to my Glacier White in Sline Plus.

My vote is for Sline!

The wheels, Steering wheel and blacked out look are great additions that set the Q5 apart from non Sline models.

Not only does S-line look better than the standard run of the mill Q's, it rides a lot better too. The black lines look great, the rims look great, it adds a nice stealth sexy look to the vehicle. The adaptive suspension gives a much better steering feel and a better suspension. You can stiffen it in the curves or soften it on a rough road. It's very much worth it. The sport seats are also very very comfortable, especially on long trips and the thick flat bottomed steering wheel feels great in your hands. The black headliner also makes the inside feel larger.

We would have almost the same car if you had chestnut seats. lava grey is a very nice color.

I'm big fan of the S-line trim, especially the black headliner. The adjustable steering is nice, but in my area the roads suck it stays in comfort. Without the sport Seats, steering wheel and the 20" wheels I would not have been happy with my Q5.

I've had the pleasure of owning a Q5 with and without the S-line package. Trust me, the S-line package is worth the additional money. Visually, the aluminum interior bits add a sport touch and the smaller diameter, thicker flat-bottomed steering wheel feels great in the hand. Sport seats are very comfortable, black headliner gives the interior a more "finished" appearance and the ability to adjust the suspension and steering inputs are welcome. Transmission flicked into Sport mode can be done on either model trim. Plus, the exterior trim pieces and larger diameter wheels complete the visual appeal of the Q.
The TDI drivetrain is simply fantastic.....especially if you plan to tow anything, but I find myself flipping into Sport mode and launching on green lights like some young hooligan just for the thrill factor..........and shocking a few in the process.

Coolieman, do you have pics of your lava gray S-Line?

Thanks for the feedback. The suspension and steering adjustments are what I want to try, but I can't find an S-Line to test drive around here yet. Will keep looking

I've been an Audi owner for some time (currently have an A4 and sold an S5). Bought a CRV to replace the S5 since we were having a kid and didn't want to spend the money on a Q5 at the time. I still test drove the Q5 for fun and loved it. Fast fwd 2 years, tested out the new Q5 and I immediately felt at home in it...so I traded the CRV in for a Daytona Gray Q5 TDI, S-Line, Sport Interior (should arrive mid March). Definitely S-Line it for maximum fun factor of having a Q5 that doesn't look like most Q5's on the road as well as the personal engagement of choosing how you want to drive the Q5 with drive select. I test drove all drivetrains to include the SQ5 (no intention of buying that but wanted to check it out). The TDI just put the biggest smile on my face because I was simply NOT expecting the power of that car!! So the dealer found one with the package I want that was in transit and saved me a long wait of ordering one. Reading all these threads about the Q5 TDI makes me extremely anxious about mine :-) By the way, the SQ5 I drove was Lava Gray with the S-Line, looked nice on that color but my wife thought it looked more "brown" than gray. I've always wanted the Daytona Gray color so I went with that.