- B -

Nope... I live in the Canyons....

I pull on SQ5s up hills and the mountain grades all the time....while barely slurping fuel....

The TDI was the right engine for me.

Q5 Bob

Well, one thing is obvious. Everyone sure likes their powertrain of choice.

Yoshimura

The only time the TDI would pull harder is below 3000 rpm in first gear. At 4000 rpm, TDI torque has dropped to 315 lb-ft (240 hp / 4000 rpm * 5252) while SQ5 has 347. A few hundred rpm later, TDI shift to second gear and loses 66% of its torque while SQ5 continue to pull with over 300 lb-ft of torque until 6500 rpm. From there, the TDI is always in a higher gear and loses its torque advantage.

- B -

Come on down to the Santa Monica Mountains and we'll see

Any car's performance ultimately depends on the driver,...the specs are only part of the equation.....




Drive what fits you best and what you enjoy the most...end of story.

USAVAGEU

If the best car you can think of for racing through the canyons of the Santa Monica mountains is a diesel powered CUV.....well, let's just drop the whole discussion.

- B -

uh...When did I say the Q5 is the best for racing through the canyons?

My decision to pick the TDI was purely about it suiting my needs for my personal purposes, as well for its combined fuel efficiency and torque...For me, it suited my needs best, but it is different for everyone..... it's not my race car ...I have one of those for that specific reason.... If I happen to be out and about and a little action happens, well that is just typical driving, not racing..... However, if you want to see what a Q5 TDI and SQ5 will do, I'd be happy to oblige. It certainly is no slouch like so many try to make it out to be.


BTW, Did you buy your SQ5 for racing? Seems like an odd choice for anyone to pick the Q5 as a race vehicle, but that is just my opinion.


Personally, I don't know why there is so much hostility towards the TDI. It is a fantastic engine. In fact we have already ordered another for us while we are staying at our home in Europe and more than likely would do it again.

ShouldaGotTDI

Damn y'all need to chill here

Eric_C

Your the one who brought it up.

Diesels are great, but they are not the be all end all as a lot of TDI owners make them out to be.

The turbo lag on the TDi is significant and the impression of speed comes from the torque, not actually being as fast as it feels.

I have spent a lot of time in both Euro and US diesels including a lot of Euro diesels on the road here in the US. The feeling for higher performance is one thing that sells a lot of diesels not to mention the mileage.

We looked at the TDI but the soft suspension, significant amount of lag, couple of extra hundred pounds over the front end, and a lack of concern over fuel economy is the reason we got the SQ5.

You attempted to compare a car that is 30 percent slower in straight line performance and make it sound like it is on par, which it is not.

BlackSVT

Not sure why TDI's awesomeness keeps being forced into these types of threads. It's a fantastic engine...I think most really like it here.

Anyway, to OP's question - I think the precision tool vs sledgehammer point has been made with respect to SQ5 and SRT. That's the best way to describe the difference that I've seen. The SQ5 acceleration is just sweet. Hammer the throttle and it squats and launches like a scalded cat. Perfect trans gearing, quick shifts (all still keeping in mind this is an SUV). You can take off at insane rates with very little drama and without drawing a lot of attention. In my book, perfect for bringing some smiles to my daily drive without tiring me out watching for cops everywhere. For the other 90% of my drive, I can chill out in comfort, snow or sun, kids with me or not.

The SRT is going to draw LOTS of attention if you do attempt the same. Loud, big, and even a touch quicker in most cases, but it's tougher to use without people noticing. Around my parts, the SRT just stands out. It's like the loud little brother roaring for attention. Fun, loud, obnoxious sometimes, but nobody misses it.

At the end of the day, for the way I want to use it (daily driver that can generate some grins), the SQ5 is more what I want. If I had 5+ cars, and room for a more weekend-oriented, play SUV, I'd probably pick the SRT. My neighbor has one, and I've driven it several times. It's a hell of a lot of fun, but I couldn't drive it as my only car. He doesn't either... stepping down to a generic, nameless 4-door for his daily driver.

Again, you really need to see how you want to use it and go from there.

cobrar97

BlackSVT...very much like I said. I notice your name (BlackSVT) and maybe you will notice mine. Having driver loud, fast Mustangs all my life...the SQ5 is very different and pleasantly...I've come to like it better. And I don't smell like exhaust when I get out. As any true Stanger knows...you're gonna smell like exhaust when you get out of the "right" Mustang.