eric strauss

... and ultimately a personal choice. While adequate, the 2.0t is not my first choice. I would forgo some of the extra goodies to have the 3.0 or TDI. So many of the additional electronics are dulling the driving experience. The active cruise control, lane departure warning systems, etc. are not necessary and create more items to break later on in the ownership cycle.

I am curious as to whether you have considered a lease? Of my last eight Audi's, seven have been leased - most of them turned in early because of strong dealer incentives . It has offered me more flexibility in choices. For example, I had a 2010 Q5 3.2 and after about two years, when they were scarce in LA, I accepted a $1700 additional buyout and moved into a 2012 A6 3.0T for the same monthly cost as the $10K cheaper Q5.

Cars are almost always depreciating assets and I don't want to pay for the part that I will ultimately lose. I prefer to leave that in the bank or in my 401K. It has allowed me to drive an RS5 as I would never tie up that much cash in a purchase. It was a great lease deal - about the same as a TTRS (which costs $20K less), but the incentives were better on the RS5.

Good luck and happy motoring

Eric