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1st Place: Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG
Certainly not the most “mature” crossover here, the GLA45 AMG’s playful demeanor and serious performance cred earn it the gold.
2nd Place: Porsche Macan Turbo
The tremendously capable (and tremendously expensive) Macan Turbo misses out on first place by a nose—and about 20 grand.
3rd Place: Audi SQ5
That Porsche is nice, but if value were a larger part of the equation, the SQ5 might have shaken things up a bit more than it did.
4th Place: BMW X4 xDrive35i
The BMW X4 is neither a convincing coupe nor a true performance SUV.
The Porsche beating the Audi is no surprise. I wouldn't consider the CLA45 AMG a small SUV though. As its been discussed here, it's more of a hot hatch.
In my test driving, I definitely liked the SQ5 more. The BMW felt a little cold, while it handled well and was quick, it just lacked the gut punch the SQ so happily doled out on a hard launch.
Road & Track had a quite a different take on it!
GLA45: Coarse and delayed power when called for. A small station wagon!
Porsche: Best performance but Overpriced and overpriced options.
SQ5: Best space, luxury, visibility and fairly priced. Stops faster than an R8 V10 Plus!
Only mistake was they thought the roar only comes from the Audio System.
"ONE THING THAT WAS IMMEDIATELY CLEAR was that the Audi SQ5 is the most luxurious, sumptuous chariot of these three German crossovers. Editor-in-Chief Larry Webster calls it "perfectly posh, perfectly comfy, impossible not to warm up to." It has the biggest and most comfortable back seat, the most usable cargo area, the best outward visibility, and one helluva powertrain. Oh, that powertrain. Dangling far ahead of the front wheels is Audi's familiar 3.0-liter supercharged V6, which taunts turbo engines with immediate response and 354 hp of linear pull. The V6 is attached to the same ZF eight-speed automatic we're always going on about. No mere dual-clutch transmission can match its smoothness or the off-the-line waft that comes courtesy of a torque converter.
Nail the throttle and the SQ5 wastes no time before squatting back onto its rear end and lunging forward like a sports car. Our initial acceleration runs proved more tepid than we'd expected, as we hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. Then we discovered the secret code to unlock quicker upshifts: Put Audi Drive Select in Dynamic and ESP in off-road mode, and the silky smooth shifts turn crisp. Sixty mph arrives half a second sooner.
Dynamic mode also increases the engine-noise enhancement coming through the speakers. The SQ5 is quiet when you're loafing along, but keep your foot in it and a haunting, hollow, surprisingly tenor bark fills the cabin. We can't object to fake engine sounds when they're this good, but if you're dead set on honest-to-goodness actual noise—and lots of it—head over to AMG."
The SQ5 has the biggest front brake rotors—enormous 15-inch saucers, squeezed by four-piston fixed calipers—and it stops in a mere 200 feet from 80 mph. That's an excellent showing but the least impressive performance of our threesome. The big brakes won't overheat even under extreme use, but the pedal becomes mushy the harder and more often it's being applied. Sudden brake applications often cause the Audi to pitch sideways as the ABS kicks in, which can be disconcerting."
"The SQ5 stops shorter than an R8 V10 Plus."
...In my test driving, I definitely liked the SQ5 more...
You're not the only one. Check the comments on that MT test - the majority think the SQ5 is the clear choice, and wonder what MT was thinking ranking the vehicles the way that they did...
Yeah this is a rather pointless comparison. SQ5 vs Macan and X4 I get that, but the GLA has no business in this comparo. Why not just throw the Golf R in there while they're at it? Macan Turbo loaded up with air suspension, wheels, exhaust blah blah blah is one of few "perfect" cars for me but at $100k optioned up... forget it!
Isn't the more comparable MB SUV the GLK? I guess it would have been dfl against the other 3. Steve
Yep, the GLK (to be renamed the GLC) is the Q5-like. As Transfer says, the GLA is more of a Q3. There's no GLK/GLC AMG yet that I know of, and no performance models from competitors of that size, so maybe that's why they're comparing the compact CUV against more-midsize CUVs? Still seems an odd lineup, especially since the X4 isn't an M and would be like comparing the AMG and Porsche Turbo against a regular Q5.
Agree that the GLA has no business in this comparo. I actually sat in one at the dealership today while I was getting my SQ5 inspected (dealer is a MB, Audi and Porsche dealer, but sadly no Macans in stock) and it was a very small car. As others have posted, the GLA competes more with the X1 and Q3.
The rear hatch area in the GLA is way too small for this segment the back seats are made for kids, not adults. Additionally, I found the interior to be very cheap, not on the same levels as the other three cars.
Yep, the GLK (to be renamed the GLC) is the Q5-like. As Transfer says, the GLA is more of a Q3. There's no GLK/GLC AMG yet that I know of, and no performance models from competitors of that size, so maybe that's why they're comparing the compact CUV against more-midsize CUVs? Still seems an odd lineup, especially since the X4 isn't an M and would be like comparing the AMG and Porsche Turbo against a regular Q5.
There were some spy shots of what is supposed to be the GLC63 AMG. I'll be honest, if they put the same V8TT that's in the E63 in a GLC, I'd lust after it big time. Heck, even with the 450 HP C63 variant it would be a killer truck/suv/cuv.
It's funny. I actually cross-shopped those four mini SUVs for my wife (except the Macan S, not Turbo). My wife actually like the SQ5 the most of the four. Not to mention that the GLA45 was $900 per month to lease, as was the Macan S, and she just didn't like the lines of the BMW X4. Said it was too boring for her.
04-14-2015, 02:48 PM
Motortrend Comparison: SQ5 vs. X4 xDrive35i vs. GLA45 AMG vs. Macan Turbo
