NY2CA2AZ

I am sure this has been asked many times, many ways, but...

My 2008 VW Passat VR6 4mo is not coming home. Issue with cam shaft makes repairs too costly for me to undertake with 124K on the car. I loved the way that car drove. Acceleration and handling that were delightful. First car I have have been passionate about from beginning to end...

This is all happening very fast so I don't have time to do all the research on my own, especially after going through the better part of the vehicle world and the commensurate hours spent, to narrow it down a Q5. I actually started there, but needed to have a lot of drive by disappointments before I just had to give up and know that none of the those other cars would make me happy in the long run and I keep cars until 120K miles (loved the VW so much, I broke my rule, and look what that got me!).

2011- 2012 Q5 with either engine (maybe a 2013 or 2014, if I can find one super-reasonable with under 40K miles).

If I were able to have a conversation with you, I would ask the questions below (and buy you a cup of coffee).

Which engine and why? Which year and why? (both focusing on engines, technical/mechanical things, and reliability)

What features are awesome, what features are annoying?

Did any come with light carpet and interior plastic? (my Passat was blond throughout except for the dash)

Did any come with brushed chrome interior trim instead of the wood? (again on my Passat)

Would you buy the car again? How has the reliability been?

How would it compare to say, a 2011 VW Touareg?

gmen75

good Q's.. bump.. also looking at Q5 - any problematic issues? thanks in advance for the responses

Hockeymonkey

If you are looking at a used Q5 I would go for a 2012 Q5 over the 2011 and the 2.0T over the 6 cylinder. Consumer reports reports claimed the 6 cylinder was troublesome. On this forum it seemed that the 6 cylinders were more prone to the oil burning problem as well (but on the reverse my A4 2.0T engine burned oil). My 2012 Q5 2.0T was solid. Small changes to the lights that I also liked in that year. Not sure if much else was really different.

acadianbob

I'd go with a 2013 as there were changes and they ride better IMO.

Ours came with aluminum rather than wood. We like the look.

6 Cyl can be either a 3.2 normally aspirated or a 3.0 supercharged. I was never a fan of the 3.2. We have the 3.0T and love the quiet, smooth, torquey power delivery. But, the 2.0T is quite torquey and more than adequate from the most part. Both are great engines IMO.

uberwgn

NY2, welcome aboard! If you're coming off the 3.6L V6, I'd suggest spending some time behind the wheel of the 4 cyl Q5. It's just a tad sluggish off the line but feels like it has reasonable power around town. I'd say it's right on the edge of not having quite enough power. I "raced" an old, rusty Mazda pick up last week and could barely outpull him...

The newer Q5s will also offer the V6 diesel or supercharged engines.

Our '06 wagon has the 3.2L engine. It's right around 100k miles now, doesn't consume a drop of oil. Never had an issue with it. It does have the carbon build up concern, though.

The build quality and the reliability appears to be very good on these vehicles. If you've found the VW experience to be satisfactory, you're more than likely to find the Audi experience to be outstanding in many ways.

drunkenup

CR is the worst automotive media outlet. Next to no oil burnt in my 3.2, everyone knows the VAG I-4 turbos have a long history of excessive oil burning. Try all of the options

Hockeymonkey

If you really are looking at newer (in the post you said used MY11-12) I would try the TDI. My wife and I were focused on the 2.0T and 3.0T and totally against anything that even mentioned diesel....until we drove one and to me is the best combo of high mpg and super torque.
As another poster stated above, MY 13 gives you the 3.0T option which is a great one.

idale

That sucks. I had a 2002 1.8T wagon that I loved. Only replaced after 8 years to get something bigger due to the massive amount of stuff that babies need hauled around with them on trips.

3.2 is more-prone to carbon buildup on the intakes, and are as close to an "avoid" as anything just due to the cleaning costs involved.

2.0T can have oil consumption issues, though it's supposedly gotten better over time (I think 2013 or thereabout was supposed to have fixed the issue?).

For 2013+ models, the 3.2 is replaced by the 3.0T (older 3.0Ts also had carbon issues, but ours is a newer version that should be safe), and in 2014 we got the TDI (3.0L V6, a newer rev of what the Touareg has). VW TDIs have had rampant issues with the fuel pumps going out prematurely, but on the Audi side it hasn't seemed to have been an issue.

Personally I like the facelifted version (2013+) a little better, but it's a personal choice for the most part unless you're looking at the engines that aren't in common (3.2 vs. 3.0T, and the hybrid and TDI added post-facelift). Facelift did add Audi Connect and a Google Earth view for the navigation, which some people like (and others don't care about). There were minor changes in the standard/option lineup over the years, but I don't think there's much major to be concerned with from one year to the next.

Probably can find people who love and hate any of them.

I love the backup camera since it can be hard to see where your rear end is out the window, but it's bundled with the navigation package and not everyone's a fan of the nav.

Paddles that come as part of the sport package are nice as is the extendable thigh support on the sport seats, but the seats are a little firmer and depending on your body size you might or might not "fit better".

B&O upgrade definitely makes the reproduction clearer (especially tightening up the bass), but there's complaints about the bass not being loud enough (you can turn it up, though, but I find the bass quality very nice even at +0).

Pretty much anything will vary from person to person on what's a "must-have" and what's a "must-pass". I'm sure a base Premium model would probably be perfectly livable, but I do like a lot of the little things like the Advanced Key (keyless entry and start) and hands-free and so Premium Plus trim is usually a good starting point. From there, packages and options get personal.

A facelift beige interior: Pistachio Beige Interior Dashboard for the 2013 Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI quattro #72025116 | GTCarLot.com

Beige has a darker brown dash/door/console plastic, every other interior will have black plastic. Carpets typically match the seat color, other than brown which will have black carpet (only the seats and door insert will be brown there).

The S-Line package came with brushed aluminum trim, but there's also complaints that it's a bit soft and can ding easily (but it's worth it for some people). S-Line is pretty pricey, though, as it changed some of the body trim and suspension. But you can get it.

I'm not a wood fan, but the "natural ash" is pretty awesome as it's basically not coated like the standard walnut trim and is a nice subdued color rather than trying to jump out for attention. It seems to have been a fairly popular option (was a no-cost option) when people weren't going for aluminum.

I'd definitely buy mine again, but I hope to not need to as I'm planning on keeping it "forever". Only 12K on it so a bit new for my personal take on reliability, but at least from what's been posted around here the reliability of most of them has been good. Obviously you'll see some people having some issues, but no major rampant problems or anything. Other than carbon. (And even there, some 3.2 owners might consider it "worth it"? Maybe? I don't know. Don't want to necessarily scare anyone off of them, just go in knowing there'll be extra intake cleaning costs to deal with every so often.)

The Touareg is a truck chassis (full SUV), vs. the car-based Q5. The Q5 is pretty much the CUV version of the A4. It's a little lighter, a little smaller, and it's not as "rugged" and isn't geared to be as big of a tower. I think you can option out a number of things in a Touareg that you can't in a Q5, as well, but it's been forever since I've looked. Fuel economy will be a bit better on the Q5 due to being a car vs. a truck.

Nothing wrong with the Touareg, but it's a different type of vehicle so it's not entirely comparable other than in trying to compare at a particular price point.

If you have particular things you're looking for out of your next vehicle, then it might be easier to compare the Q5 vs. some other options.

NY2CA2AZ

That's what I was thinking... I don't need to explode off the start, but I don't like to feel like I need to get out and help. Hesitation doesn't work for me.

This is what I really want. I understand them to be quick. I am going to wait for a year and see if I can pick up a 2014 at a cost I can afford. Then I can drive it for years and years.....

NY2CA2AZ

Thank you for all that insight. It was really helpful. I am probably going to fix my Passat and hold on for a year until the 2014 TDIs get to be a year older - and cheaper, unless I fall headlong in love with the Q3. Even then, I would wait a year. I sat in one at the dealer (just happened to be there) and I really liked it. It was much more spacious than I anticipated.