davidjz

I have been all over the map thinking considering an S4 to SQ5 however i think now i have come to the best compromise (some get up and go with ground clearance and interior space and decent MPG) in the form of a 2014 Q5 3.0T but now the question is gas vs. diesel. I have never owned a diesel but common "cons" I have heard are its harder to find fuel and less people (non Audi service centers) work on them. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with either and/or can shed some light on the pros/cons on one or the other. Ultimately is the added price up front worth it? Thank you in advance for any feedback.

914Audi

Speaking only to the availability, there are some great smartphone apps out there (GasBuddy is my fave) that allow you to search by either distance or price. I live in the metro NYC and I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of stations offering diesel. Diesel is supposedly refined more similar to home heating oil than regular gasoline, so it's not atypical in the NorthEast to find that diesel is more than premium in winter (it competes with home heating oil for refining capacity), and sometimes lower than premium in summer.

Good luck with your thought process. Let us know what you decide and why.

Mark P

Go drive a TDI. I personally love the torque. Obviously try to find a Q5 TDI (rare right now), but if not, try to find an A8L TDI (same weight, slightly less torque), otherwise go drive a Jetta/Golf 2.0TDI. You'll get a similar feel for the torque of the engine, though the 3.0T is much more refined. I'd avoid comparing to the Toureg TDI as it's too heavy and doesn't portray well the enjoyable driving experience as much.

I'm quite excited for the MPG. While I don't drive the 40k/yr I used to drive (I now drive my A3 less than 10k, though I expect we'll shift more driving from my wife's Tiguan to my Q5 once it arrives), I am still excited to get better MPG in a bigger vehicle than my A3 - win win! And also having the enjoyment of the 428 ft-lbs of torque - win win win!

I think overall the Q5 TDI is a great balance of many aspects.

A friend who has road tested the SQ5 and TDI back to back on an enthusiastic course got ~15mpg for SQ5 and ~27 for TDI. Granted it's just one datapoint and you're no longer comparing the SQ5, but figured I'd share for what it's worth. Others on this board are reporting ~30 mpg for their first tanks. MPG should increase over first few thousand miles too.

FYI, my mileage:



I don't disagree with your notes about some mechanics not servicing diesels, and less availability, but whether those averages mean anything in the real world may vary greatly by different customers. So long as there are enough stations where you travel, it shouldn't matter if there are less overall. Similarly so long as the place you go to work on your car services it, no issue there either. You may find higher quality mechanics are the ones that will work on your diesel.

I'm obviously pro-diesel, and all of that comes from my research and other's experience - I have not yet owned one myself - so take that for what it's worth.

I think you'll get all of your $2100 MSRP base price difference back when you sell. TDIs get great resale. You may actually "make" money in that regard (if TDIs sell for more than $2100 more than 3.0T when you decide to sell). Also, you'll save the fuel costs along the way (depending on prices where you live and obtained MPG), but presumably would cover that $2100 difference also.

Good luck!

paudiyeah

Agreed. I just got the new 2014 Q5 TDI just a few days ago. My impression from my 4 days of owning it: the torque is impressive; mpg is also impressive for a V6; went 35+ at least on hwy. Overall control is awesome. Transmission can sometimes be a little jerky esp in lower speed as the 8-speed tiptronic is trying to find the right gear. Otherwise I'm loving it.

davidjz

i very much appreciate the feedback! up front the price difference, the way i have them optioned, is about $2,700. It seems in the end its arguable how long, if ever, given all of the factors such as fuel prices/availability, resale etc, it will take to even out but there is something about getting 30 MPG in a car that should last a very long time! if im going to pay 50k id like be able to keep it a while.

tricky part is i may order one before i am able to drive one...i know thats not the ideal however im trying to take advantage of a buyers program and get EXACTLY what I want. I do realize ACNA offers 6% off and i just became a lifetime member but id imagine than i will be stuck with whatever is left on the lot, good luck finding Q5s configured just the right way (i want the titanium package, upgraded stereo, the sport interior, and am still stuck on Brilliant Black), or ill be waiting for one to come in when i get back to the states which im trying to avoid.

on the S4 or SQ5 i was going to go with an extended warranty option (6yrs/75k) for peace of mind. it runs about $2,800. on either one of the V6s, im assuming they are a bit more reliable, and trustworthy, is there any reason to go/avoid the extension??

macwm

We previously owned a 2011 2.0 Q5 and now have almost 800 miles on our TDI. Here in the N.E. diesel is readily available and is running about 25 cents less than premium this time of year. Of course this advantage will disappear this winter. My wife, who used to complain about the 2.0's acceleration while merging, is in love with it's power. We're averaging almost 31 mpg after two fill ups, and in general the TDI rides smoother and quieter than the 2.0 (I agree with paudiyeah concerning some occasional jerkiness in low gears). I ordered the TDI without a test drive in May and consider this vehicle the finest of the 10 Audi's we have owned or leased. IMO the TDI is more than worth the premium over the 3.0 just for the mileage alone; on Fuely the 2013 V6's are averaging 18.3 mpg. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

jperryrocks

The q5 is a different animal with the tdi.

I've driven all three. The a8 is my least favorite. Its just a bit lackluster for a 90k car. I think it was a mistake to not offer a standard wheel base in tdi. The L just needs something more.

The tdi in the q5 just adds something special to the q5 model range. It add a bit of ***** to try and find a word. The noise is good in all the right places, and I really liked the exhaust note when I got on the throttle.

It seems quieter in the q5. Maybe because its an suv and you expect something a little more aggressive. It just seems to fit perfect in the q5. I didn't want to stop driving the q5 tdi.

I found the a6 somewhat in the middle. I could easily drive one and get use to it. I just prefer the S/C model a little more.