DHS

Friends, I am in the market to replace my beloved '09 S5 that met its demise on a lonely stretch of Maine road, in a disagreement with a large deer. I had 206k miles on it. So sorry to lose that V8/6speed - the last of the breed. Before that I had an '01 S4 that ran 265k miles. And a '99 A4 before that with 155k miles. As a change of pace, I have been spending a few days in an '18 BMW M40i. It specs out great and, to my eye, is a real looker. But on the 3 hour ride home, my feet went numb and back was killing me. The seats are not the standard ones that come with he car but have the ventilation option which is a totally different seat. It is hard, flat and lacks any meaningful contour. My gold standard for seats were those in my S5. I could drive all day and then jump out of the car. To be sure, the BMW goes like stink. Acceleration is astounding, as is the tech. But the ride on the 21" wheels sucks - at least on the rural Maine roads where I live. I do not know about such things, but it the combination of a very stiff suspension and 20" low profile tires makes the car feel like a truck on the frost heaved roads where I live. I have to keep two hands on the steering wheel to keep the car from twitching and following imperfections in the road. It is like "squirrel," and the car is off and running. Much as I want this car, because there is much to love, there is no way I could live with it for 200k+ miles which is my usual practice.
So the SQ5 is the Audi competitor. I have no doubt that the seats will be fine, just as they were in the three previous Audis that I have owned. But what of the 21" wheels. To those of you with that build, and have driven the car on far from perfect roads, do you find that it wanders and that you have to be on top of it all the time? Finally, I do have a set of OEM 18" S5 wheels that I used for dedicated snows. Would those fit the SQ5? And other observations about your ownership experience would be most appreciated.

HDEddie1

I've test driven the BMW M4.0i and currently own a '16 BMW X5. Despite my X5 having M adaptive suspension (air suspension and electronic adjustable shocks) and wide 20" wheels, my Audi SQ5 on 21" wheels (at 36# PSI all around) rides better. It is quieter, does not trammel on the highway nor does it make a harsh noise over tar strips on the road. Full disclosure...I live in Nevada and drive to California, both states known for good roads. My 2 cents for folks that drive on bad roads : 1) Avoid car brands with run flat tires or ultra performance tires (like any BMW M car), 2) aim for a car with air suspension and adjustable shocks (options on most BMW, Audi, and AMG) 3) or drive a Lexus SUV...so quiet and soft riding I almost fell asleep test driving one.

Note: My SQ5 has Pirelli P Zero "Sumer tires", which is fine for where I drive. Summer tires might be problematic where you live (snow and ice) so check to see what Audi ships on cars selling back east.

Back to your concern... make sure the SQ5 you test drive has the "S Sport Package" (red brake calipers, sport adaptive suspension, and sport differential) option. It is the Sport Adaptive Suspension of this option that will allow you to configure your ride, sporty or comfort, and switch between the two on the fly. Make sure your sales person can demonstrate how to use this feature (or check out youtube)....it might just make the difference in you car selection.

Make the time to test drive it thoroughly. I've had many cars in the past and the few I ended up disappointed with were those I bought on impulse and did not take the time to try out the features on a thorough test drive. Good Luck!

OPPS! I need to edit my comments. Just got back from an afternoon drive in the BMW X5 with the wife and I set the suspension to "comfort" mode and it rode like on clouds (as much as a BMW can). So my SQ5 does not ride better than the X5...but it is still a comfortable ride on 21" tires as I wrote earlier. Just wanted this edit lest there be a BMW fan on this forum that nails me for my bad call. Nevertheless, the common thing both my cars have is that air suspension, that's the key to a good ride. Incidentally, I recently had an A5 Sport Back "S line" loaner to drive all day. It rode on 19" wheels and it was on steel springs (apparently, air suspension is not an option) . I could notice the difference in ride and handling right away, My SQ5 on 21" rode and handled better, IMO. Again, try to spend some time test driving and see for yourself.

greasykid

An aside. I have a 2016 w/20" & 255/45/20 Conti DWS-06 tires. Also have H&R sport springs. Long story short. I get sporty handling with still getting a comfortable ride.