Meh... (post 2018 SQ5 test-drive)
05-16-2017, 09:14 AM
#1
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Meh... (post 2018 SQ5 test-drive)
The good news - 2018 SQ5's have finally hit dealers here in the US (in limited numbers and configs, tho).
The bad news? (well, not really bad news, per se, but...) I have to be 100% honest - I'm not totally loving the new power plant
Having logged approx. 46k glorious and enjoyable miles in my 2014 SQ5, there is a very noticeable (and, not desirable, in my opinion) difference between the supercharged and new turbo engines. There is supposedly 23 more lbs. of torque in the new turbo unit...but, if a hadn't been told that, I would have thought it had 23 LESS. Seat-of-the-pants feel in my SQ is honestly more fun vs. the 2018. Perhaps after a solid period of break-in, the turbo engine will sweeten up a bit, but driven back to back - I prefer my SQ all day long.
Which leads me to response time. Turbo lag? Sadly (and surprisingly), yes. Those that have said there isn't any noticeable lag must not have been paying much attention (or experienced the immediate power of the supercharged variant). Mash the throttle from a stand still, and....wait for it......ok, THERE it is. Tap the throttle just a tiny bit to pass on the highway (as is so effortless in my SQ), and...wait some more. I know the new turbo will improve efficiency overall as compared to my thirsty supercharger, but I would be hard-pressed to give up what I have currently.
The upside? The new tech (virtual cockpit, car play, etc) is awesome and the redesigned interior is fabulous (in my opinion, of course). Still not completely ready to jump into bed with the redesigned exterior, tho. She's not a 10...but she's not a 2 either. And, those (fake!?!) exhaust pipes???? What was Audi thinking? The new exhaust SOUNDS wonderful (which is typically harder to accomplish with a turbo engine), but it's just like a push-up bra! From far away - wow :0 - but up close and personal = fake!
Oh well, maybe I'll grow to love the 2018 in time, but for now, I see no real reason to toss aside my steady and fulfilling relationship with my best girl
Would love to know/hear the thoughts of others who are currently supercharged but were a little curious and took the new turbo unit out on a date. Lol!
The bad news? (well, not really bad news, per se, but...) I have to be 100% honest - I'm not totally loving the new power plant
Having logged approx. 46k glorious and enjoyable miles in my 2014 SQ5, there is a very noticeable (and, not desirable, in my opinion) difference between the supercharged and new turbo engines. There is supposedly 23 more lbs. of torque in the new turbo unit...but, if a hadn't been told that, I would have thought it had 23 LESS. Seat-of-the-pants feel in my SQ is honestly more fun vs. the 2018. Perhaps after a solid period of break-in, the turbo engine will sweeten up a bit, but driven back to back - I prefer my SQ all day long.
Which leads me to response time. Turbo lag? Sadly (and surprisingly), yes. Those that have said there isn't any noticeable lag must not have been paying much attention (or experienced the immediate power of the supercharged variant). Mash the throttle from a stand still, and....wait for it......ok, THERE it is. Tap the throttle just a tiny bit to pass on the highway (as is so effortless in my SQ), and...wait some more. I know the new turbo will improve efficiency overall as compared to my thirsty supercharger, but I would be hard-pressed to give up what I have currently.
The upside? The new tech (virtual cockpit, car play, etc) is awesome and the redesigned interior is fabulous (in my opinion, of course). Still not completely ready to jump into bed with the redesigned exterior, tho. She's not a 10...but she's not a 2 either. And, those (fake!?!) exhaust pipes???? What was Audi thinking? The new exhaust SOUNDS wonderful (which is typically harder to accomplish with a turbo engine), but it's just like a push-up bra! From far away - wow :0 - but up close and personal = fake!
Oh well, maybe I'll grow to love the 2018 in time, but for now, I see no real reason to toss aside my steady and fulfilling relationship with my best girl
Would love to know/hear the thoughts of others who are currently supercharged but were a little curious and took the new turbo unit out on a date. Lol!
05-16-2017, 01:15 PM
#2
AudiWorld Super User
That is unfortunately the reality with turbo engines and also why I'm not looking forward to the new engines. They have been improving with putting smaller turbos inside the Vee, but there are still lags. To me it's extremely noticeable coming from such a responsive naturally aspirated engine as the 4.2 V8 in the RS5. Even the supercharged V6 lags in comparison. It's the same story with the 2.0T. The only current Audi engine that's passable is the 4.0T V8, because outside of boost it's still a 4.0 V8 with decent torque.
05-16-2017, 07:35 PM
#3
AudiWorld Member
I'm mostly interested in the transmission and suspension. Those are my only complaints with my 2014 SQ5. Did you drive one with air suspension? How does the transmission programming compare to the 1st gen in D mode? Better downshift blips in manual?
05-17-2017, 09:11 PM
#4
That is unfortunately the reality with turbo engines and also why I'm not looking forward to the new engines. They have been improving with putting smaller turbos inside the Vee, but there are still lags. To me it's extremely noticeable coming from such a responsive naturally aspirated engine as the 4.2 V8 in the RS5. Even the supercharged V6 lags in comparison. It's the same story with the 2.0T. The only current Audi engine that's passable is the 4.0T V8, because outside of boost it's still a 4.0 V8 with decent torque.
05-22-2017, 11:36 AM
#7
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I'm definitely with ya - posted this in the MK II section this morning:
Thread: 2018 SQ5 - not impressed
I think the originator touched on some important topics here so no need to flame. I had the pleasure of having a 2018 SQ5 for the weekend, and unfortunately I have to concur w/some of what was talked about. I've had 4 Generations of Audi's [not all Q's - my 14 SQ5 is my 1st Q5], and I have to say that this is the 1st time I've felt less than impressed w/this new generation overall - unlike prior were each new generation was a clear upgrade/improvement across the board.
Likes:
- MMI/Telematics integration - probably one of the best systems out there.
- B&O - great upgrade from the last system, that was great as well.
- The overall look is growing on me and that's good.
- Air suspension is fantastic and makes great work of the 21” rims.
- Assembly quality seems very Audi, but time will give a clearer picture on this.
Likes/Dislikes
- The floating screen is surprisingly effective and not as crappy feeling as when I 1st seen it, but what's with the large bezels ? Why not an edge-to-edge screen ? It looks outdated design wise already because of this.
Dislikes:
- What's three left to say about the exhaust pipes. I can see it on the standard but on the SQ5 ? [F] for effort and [F] for execution. Definitely feels and looks cheap/out of character.
- Outside door handle movement. This is an answer to a Q no one asked. I can see this working a lot better on the R8 and lower to the ground cars as it seems more intuitive to pull up on the handle when the car is lower. In this case it seems odd and counter-intuitive to a high riding vehicle. Same goes for the new moon roof controls. The older style multi-function wheel was way more intuitive and more “Audi”. Now it’s a set of low quality switches like Ford, et’ al. Even the MMI wheel and some of the other ***** now sounds and feels hollow. If you have owned a MB you know what I’m talking about here. The paddle shifters are absurdly cheap; why was this changed over the previous gen that are very nice.
- HARD plastic interior. Yes the plastics are of high quality and assembled correctly but nonetheless they are hard and all over. All Audi had to do was at least expand the optional leatherette surfaces to cover at least the lower part of the dash and the upper part of the door panels - and even the upper port of the dash would be nice but not needed. On my current 14 SQ5 the binnacle is covered in leatherette; but the new design it's one piece and it's not even a clean semi-circle. So the overall look seems odd and looks average. I've had other Audi vehicles with full [optional] leatherette surfaces, why not here? Even a Buick has leatherette all over now …
- New turbo v6: Not sure if it's just this vehicle but driving both my ‘14 SQ5 and the ‘18 SQ5, there is a distinct difference in drivability especially the lower revs around town. There is a surprising dead pedal [turbo lag] in the lower RPM range; surprising given it’s documented that full torques is available @ 1,400 rpm, but in real driving it definitely does not feel that way. Yes there are adv/disadv from supercharger to turbo, but the new motor feels so much different that I was not expecting – given the increase in torque. My '14 just seems to be "ready" at a moment’s notice and overall feels quicker regardless of the rpm range it’s in. I think if this new motor was bi-turbo it might feel much better. Both vehicles were set to Trans/Exhaust/Steering: Auto/Auto/Dynamic.
Nevertheless, I plan in letting the production cycle 1 full yr or so as I’m still interested in the mythical RSQ5, so perhaps some of these initial issues will be addressed later in the cycle. This is not a bad vehicle by any means, just less “Audi” than I was expecting and more corporate VW feeling; and not worth upgrading from my '14 a the moment. Audi used to be the best in executing the “details” – looks like perhaps the VW “diesel gate” is biting them harder than I realized –vs moving Q5 assembly to Mexico. "
Thread: 2018 SQ5 - not impressed
I think the originator touched on some important topics here so no need to flame. I had the pleasure of having a 2018 SQ5 for the weekend, and unfortunately I have to concur w/some of what was talked about. I've had 4 Generations of Audi's [not all Q's - my 14 SQ5 is my 1st Q5], and I have to say that this is the 1st time I've felt less than impressed w/this new generation overall - unlike prior were each new generation was a clear upgrade/improvement across the board.
Likes:
- MMI/Telematics integration - probably one of the best systems out there.
- B&O - great upgrade from the last system, that was great as well.
- The overall look is growing on me and that's good.
- Air suspension is fantastic and makes great work of the 21” rims.
- Assembly quality seems very Audi, but time will give a clearer picture on this.
Likes/Dislikes
- The floating screen is surprisingly effective and not as crappy feeling as when I 1st seen it, but what's with the large bezels ? Why not an edge-to-edge screen ? It looks outdated design wise already because of this.
Dislikes:
- What's three left to say about the exhaust pipes. I can see it on the standard but on the SQ5 ? [F] for effort and [F] for execution. Definitely feels and looks cheap/out of character.
- Outside door handle movement. This is an answer to a Q no one asked. I can see this working a lot better on the R8 and lower to the ground cars as it seems more intuitive to pull up on the handle when the car is lower. In this case it seems odd and counter-intuitive to a high riding vehicle. Same goes for the new moon roof controls. The older style multi-function wheel was way more intuitive and more “Audi”. Now it’s a set of low quality switches like Ford, et’ al. Even the MMI wheel and some of the other ***** now sounds and feels hollow. If you have owned a MB you know what I’m talking about here. The paddle shifters are absurdly cheap; why was this changed over the previous gen that are very nice.
- HARD plastic interior. Yes the plastics are of high quality and assembled correctly but nonetheless they are hard and all over. All Audi had to do was at least expand the optional leatherette surfaces to cover at least the lower part of the dash and the upper part of the door panels - and even the upper port of the dash would be nice but not needed. On my current 14 SQ5 the binnacle is covered in leatherette; but the new design it's one piece and it's not even a clean semi-circle. So the overall look seems odd and looks average. I've had other Audi vehicles with full [optional] leatherette surfaces, why not here? Even a Buick has leatherette all over now …
- New turbo v6: Not sure if it's just this vehicle but driving both my ‘14 SQ5 and the ‘18 SQ5, there is a distinct difference in drivability especially the lower revs around town. There is a surprising dead pedal [turbo lag] in the lower RPM range; surprising given it’s documented that full torques is available @ 1,400 rpm, but in real driving it definitely does not feel that way. Yes there are adv/disadv from supercharger to turbo, but the new motor feels so much different that I was not expecting – given the increase in torque. My '14 just seems to be "ready" at a moment’s notice and overall feels quicker regardless of the rpm range it’s in. I think if this new motor was bi-turbo it might feel much better. Both vehicles were set to Trans/Exhaust/Steering: Auto/Auto/Dynamic.
Nevertheless, I plan in letting the production cycle 1 full yr or so as I’m still interested in the mythical RSQ5, so perhaps some of these initial issues will be addressed later in the cycle. This is not a bad vehicle by any means, just less “Audi” than I was expecting and more corporate VW feeling; and not worth upgrading from my '14 a the moment. Audi used to be the best in executing the “details” – looks like perhaps the VW “diesel gate” is biting them harder than I realized –vs moving Q5 assembly to Mexico. "
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05-22-2017, 04:48 PM
#8
AudiWorld Senior Member
You did they go away from supercharger? That was one of the reason's I wanted a used SQ, I hate turbo lag. Every car/suv I test drove and had read reviews about no lag was wrong.
05-23-2017, 05:49 AM
#10
AudiWorld Super User
