Q5 Diesel Review =) 3.2 > 2.0t > TDI
12-26-2013, 06:18 AM
#1
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
Q5 Diesel Review =) 3.2 > 2.0t > TDI
F inally picked up our 2014 Audi Q5 TDI. It was delivered on Monday but I’m now able to finally write a reivew about it. Been a busy holiday season.
We ordeded this Q5 back in October:
2014 Audi Q5 TDI Premium Plus
Lava Grey w/ Chestnut interior
S-Line Package w/ Sport interior
Audi MMI w/ Bang & Olufson
Tow Hitch
First off, let me say that this car is beautiful. Since the Q5 has been on the market, it has sold very well. You see many of them on the roads but they all look the same. Generic dealer stocked models for people to buy but when you get the s-line, It really makes it look amazing. The 20” rims are goregous and so is the body accents as well as the blacked out chrome trip pieces. Lava grey is a really nice color. It has so many different colors in it, depending on the light, it’s really hard to tell what color it really is. The chestnut interior is also nice, my only gripe is that with the s-line, I had to get an aluminum accented interior. Wood grain would look a lot nicer.
This is our 3rd Q5. First was a 2009 Premium Plus 3.2. Second a 2012 Premium Plus 2.0t. The 3.2 was really nice, the engine for its day was not bad at all. It was aging, but aged well. Decent mileage, great power, it sounded nice too. The car felt sturdy and solid as well. The 2012 2.0t was a piece of junk. The engine didn’t get much better mileage, didn’t sound good either. It prefomed when you forced it to but the trade off was poor mileage. For the mileage I’d get, the 3.2 would have been better. I must say this diesel model is the best thus far. The torque is phenomenal. Haven’t opened her up yet but there is no need to because it has so much power down low. A bit of lag compared to my 335d. Maybe that’s because of single turbo vs. sequential turbo? The passing power is excellent and the engine has a nice grunt to it as well.
The 3.0t and the tdi I test drove both did not have s-line. The s-line package not only looks damn good but the adaptive suspension controls really work. The steering is nice and stiff despite being a fully electrical unit. It isn’t vauge, it communicates well and feels great. Even with the 20” rims, I find it rides better than the 18’s due to the suspension improvements. It’s nice and stiff when needed but also smooth. Thus far, this is the best Q5.
This is also my first Q5 with MMI. I wish the screen was bigger. The color screen on the dash is a nice touch. Lots of info displayed there. The navigation is ok. I prefer BMW’s idrive to Audi’s MMI. The route times seem to be calculated very slow. I usually beat the eta by more than a few minutes. The google maps bit is nice too. If the car had a 4g connection, the whole sim card bit might be a better idea. It’s nice to be able to have your family able to use their ipad on a road trip….but then again how often do you go on a 2+ hour trip?
The sport seats are nice. They feel way better than the regular seats. The bolsters aren’t as narrow as the ones in my 335d but they do hol d well in a corner. The thigh support is always nice. The interior color is nice and so is the black headliner.
All in all, it’s a great vehicle. Very content. My winter setup is on order for her now. Gonna try to get her tinted this evening. Debating 35 or 20 as usual. I’ll also fill up her first tank this evening. For a while it was giving me 600-650 to a tank but then I went on a nice ski trip and drove her a bit aggresively so I’m at like 520. I’m looking at 25-26 mpg which is not bad at all and way better than the 2.0t. Diesel mileage improves with time though so no worries. I’ll post some pics later.
I did start a thread about long cranking during cold starts. Not a long wait for glow plugs, but a long engine crank time. I also have to cut my hitch cut out but i’ll post that in another thread.
Pics are below and some fuel info thus far.
We ordeded this Q5 back in October:
2014 Audi Q5 TDI Premium Plus
Lava Grey w/ Chestnut interior
S-Line Package w/ Sport interior
Audi MMI w/ Bang & Olufson
Tow Hitch
First off, let me say that this car is beautiful. Since the Q5 has been on the market, it has sold very well. You see many of them on the roads but they all look the same. Generic dealer stocked models for people to buy but when you get the s-line, It really makes it look amazing. The 20” rims are goregous and so is the body accents as well as the blacked out chrome trip pieces. Lava grey is a really nice color. It has so many different colors in it, depending on the light, it’s really hard to tell what color it really is. The chestnut interior is also nice, my only gripe is that with the s-line, I had to get an aluminum accented interior. Wood grain would look a lot nicer.
This is our 3rd Q5. First was a 2009 Premium Plus 3.2. Second a 2012 Premium Plus 2.0t. The 3.2 was really nice, the engine for its day was not bad at all. It was aging, but aged well. Decent mileage, great power, it sounded nice too. The car felt sturdy and solid as well. The 2012 2.0t was a piece of junk. The engine didn’t get much better mileage, didn’t sound good either. It prefomed when you forced it to but the trade off was poor mileage. For the mileage I’d get, the 3.2 would have been better. I must say this diesel model is the best thus far. The torque is phenomenal. Haven’t opened her up yet but there is no need to because it has so much power down low. A bit of lag compared to my 335d. Maybe that’s because of single turbo vs. sequential turbo? The passing power is excellent and the engine has a nice grunt to it as well.
The 3.0t and the tdi I test drove both did not have s-line. The s-line package not only looks damn good but the adaptive suspension controls really work. The steering is nice and stiff despite being a fully electrical unit. It isn’t vauge, it communicates well and feels great. Even with the 20” rims, I find it rides better than the 18’s due to the suspension improvements. It’s nice and stiff when needed but also smooth. Thus far, this is the best Q5.
This is also my first Q5 with MMI. I wish the screen was bigger. The color screen on the dash is a nice touch. Lots of info displayed there. The navigation is ok. I prefer BMW’s idrive to Audi’s MMI. The route times seem to be calculated very slow. I usually beat the eta by more than a few minutes. The google maps bit is nice too. If the car had a 4g connection, the whole sim card bit might be a better idea. It’s nice to be able to have your family able to use their ipad on a road trip….but then again how often do you go on a 2+ hour trip?
The sport seats are nice. They feel way better than the regular seats. The bolsters aren’t as narrow as the ones in my 335d but they do hol d well in a corner. The thigh support is always nice. The interior color is nice and so is the black headliner.
All in all, it’s a great vehicle. Very content. My winter setup is on order for her now. Gonna try to get her tinted this evening. Debating 35 or 20 as usual. I’ll also fill up her first tank this evening. For a while it was giving me 600-650 to a tank but then I went on a nice ski trip and drove her a bit aggresively so I’m at like 520. I’m looking at 25-26 mpg which is not bad at all and way better than the 2.0t. Diesel mileage improves with time though so no worries. I’ll post some pics later.
I did start a thread about long cranking during cold starts. Not a long wait for glow plugs, but a long engine crank time. I also have to cut my hitch cut out but i’ll post that in another thread.
Pics are below and some fuel info thus far.
Last edited by Coolieman1220; 12-26-2013 at 04:48 PM.
12-26-2013, 08:20 AM
#2
AudiWorld Senior Member
Nice write-up. I really like your color combo. My interior is black (1st one in a long time) and I really miss a more interesting color. Enjoy the new ride.
I think the assessment that the 2.0t is a piece of junk is a little harsh. For light loads and normal driving it's more than adequate. I agree that at times you have to wring it out a bit for better performance. Just a matter of ones needs and preferences I guess.
Since the advent of the 2.0t & 3.0t, and hopefully the TDI and SQ5 Audi's reliability scores have risen nicely. The Q5 offers a great variety of drivetrain choices.
I think the assessment that the 2.0t is a piece of junk is a little harsh. For light loads and normal driving it's more than adequate. I agree that at times you have to wring it out a bit for better performance. Just a matter of ones needs and preferences I guess.
Since the advent of the 2.0t & 3.0t, and hopefully the TDI and SQ5 Audi's reliability scores have risen nicely. The Q5 offers a great variety of drivetrain choices.
12-26-2013, 08:35 AM
#3
AudiWorld Senior Member
Great write up Coolieman, I'm sure you'll love the TDI (we do in our Q7 and I look forward to getting into a TDI Q5 in the future). 
Eagerly awaiting pics....that combo (lava/chestnut w/sline) is one that would be at the top of my list.
Congrats!
-tgt
Eagerly awaiting pics....that combo (lava/chestnut w/sline) is one that would be at the top of my list.
Congrats!
-tgt
12-26-2013, 04:45 PM
#4
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
Here are some pics.
Also I filled her up. Got 26.7 and thats with some high speed cruising to go skiing. I was expecting 25 or so but got near to 27!
Also I filled her up. Got 26.7 and thats with some high speed cruising to go skiing. I was expecting 25 or so but got near to 27!
12-27-2013, 04:19 AM
#7
AudiWorld Super User
This is also my first Q5 with MMI. I wish the screen was bigger. The color screen on the dash is a nice touch. Lots of info displayed there. The navigation is ok. I prefer BMW’s idrive to Audi’s MMI. The route times seem to be calculated very slow. I usually beat the eta by more than a few minutes.
BTW, it's interesting that you feel the i-drive is preferable to the 3G MMI Nav Plus. Most reviewers have commented otherwise when comparing the two. With three ways to enter destinations, control entertainment and operate the phone (touch pad, controller and, especially voice command), the Audi MMI for the most part, does a pretty slick and comprehensive job getting things done.
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12-27-2013, 04:49 AM
#8
AudiWorld Expert
When I read your posts I always at first think you mean "greater than" by your ">", and know that csnt be right 
Perhsps "->" would help as im sure others think you're saying 3.2 is thd best
Agree completely with differences the Sline makes. The nav is quite pessimistic about eta. Long trips it can be an hour off of my impressively-accurate Garmin. I also ran Waze on my phone and garmin/waze were similar and audi was off. I wish audi used Google routing/eta and not just google msps overlay.
Check my posrs on "miles per tank" and see that's alsi ibflated during a tank so dont expect to ever get what it says mid-tank. Furthermore, adjust your mpg accuracy in trip computer with vagcom to get that more realistic which will help some with the miles remaining accuracy.
Perhsps "->" would help as im sure others think you're saying 3.2 is thd best Agree completely with differences the Sline makes. The nav is quite pessimistic about eta. Long trips it can be an hour off of my impressively-accurate Garmin. I also ran Waze on my phone and garmin/waze were similar and audi was off. I wish audi used Google routing/eta and not just google msps overlay.
Check my posrs on "miles per tank" and see that's alsi ibflated during a tank so dont expect to ever get what it says mid-tank. Furthermore, adjust your mpg accuracy in trip computer with vagcom to get that more realistic which will help some with the miles remaining accuracy.
