MontreAl

After driving my '03 allroad 2.7 6MT 160k miles, I still like the car. Bought by me just off lease in 2006 with 42k miles, I have been completely pleased with this "swiss army knife" car. Now with 202k miles on the allroad, I have been tempted by the Q5. I drove the new allroad - didn't like it, too small. I found a 2012 Q5 premium plus with the V6 engine and about 50,000 miles.

So, knowledgible Audi owners, what say you? Is the Q5 a suitable replacement for my allroad? Is the v6 engine better or worse than the 2.0L?

Thanks in advance.

MontreAl

ex-quattro PETE

One thing I would point out is that Q5 has less cargo room than your current allroad, so make sure you're fine with it.

As far as engines, it's a personal preference thing and how you define "better." The V6 will have better performance. The 2.0T will have better fuel economy. If you want the best of both worlds, consider the 3.0TDI. Drive them all back to back to see which one "speaks" to you best.

abegwit

Tough call MontreAl. I currently have a 2011 Avant and am awaiting a new Q5 TDI. We drove the current Allroad and almost ordered one before making a last minute switch to the Q5. Bit more passenger room inside the Q5 for sure, mostly due to the additional width, though cargo space isn't much different. I wouldn't let the engine make my decision, it would be more about the car for me. Given your satisfaction with the previous (larger) Allroad, my guess is you'll be happiest with the Q5. Both great cars though.

Q5 Bob

There are questions as to whether or not the Allroad will continue to be sold in NA when the new gen A4 comes out. In January only 220 (-25%) were sold in the US.

Hopefully, Audi will stick with it. BMW seems to be committed to their 3 Series Wagon at least for the time being.

ex-quattro PETE

IMO, current Allroad is a poor value here in the US, but it probably helps AoA sell more Q5s as a result.

MT Farmer

I also have an '03 allroad but I'm sticking with it because nothing new comes with a stick shift. I do have a '13 Q5 2.0T. It's my wife's car but it's very nice. Hate the keyless entry, tho'. Love the scuba blue exterior.

MontreAl

Thanks for everyone's comments. MT Farmer and I appear to love the 6MT in our '03s - it is tough to get a stick in anything more luxourious than an Outback. Maybe the Q5 is my answer. Time to drive one.

Thanks, Montreal

Jay337

are u from montreal ?

idale

What specifically was "too small" about the A4 allroad? The Q5 is very closely related to the current allroad, though the measurements do differ in a couple places (the Q5 is a little wider/taller and the rear bench is placed a little farther back, but isn't quite as long so the cargo area has a little more cubic feet but is closer to a cube-ish shape than the longer, narrower allroad).

As for engines, the 2012 would have the 3.2L (2013 facelift replaced this with the 3.0T which sounds like people both like a lot more as well as should be less prone to excessive carbon buildup). There are 3.2 owners around and it sounds like they're happy with the V6, but as it's an NA engine I'm not sure it'd necessarily compare to your 2.7TT. The 2.0T would be a step down in performance, obviously, but it's a fine engine and if you aren't power-mad then it could be fine. You got a taste of it in the new allroad, at least.

Were it me, if I wasn't having any issues with the A6 allroad (whether excessive service needs or "it's too big" or whatever), I'd probably be leaning toward just keeping it. The current A4 allroad is a poor substitute and keeping the nomenclature as just "allroad" is confusing for the public who wasn't aware there were A4 and A6 versions and which one we got. I still sometimes miss my Passat Wagon, even though the Q5 is better in pretty much every way. You've got a stick in it, and you pretty much can't get sticks in much of anything anymore. The 8-speed Tip is a really nice auto, though I'd personally be unsure that you'd be happy with the 6-speed version (I haven't driven one but I think it's closely-related to the 5-speed I used to have which I needed to have in manual mode to be happy with the selected gear and the shifting was a bit laggy).