Q5/SQ5 MKI (8R) Discussion Discussion forum for the First Generation Audi Q5 SUV produced from 2008 to 2017

What are your gripes about the Q5?

Old 12-14-2009, 10:21 AM
  #1  
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
koobah's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 711
Likes: 0
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts
Default What are your gripes about the Q5?

Please share your annoyances/disappointments about your car. Although I'm not a Q owner yet (looking to hopefully ordering one soon), I've read complaints about the rear cargo cover design and heated seats that only heat the bottom part of the seat.
Old 12-14-2009, 10:53 AM
  #2  
DrV
AudiWorld Senior Member
 
DrV's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 861
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Interesting request. Actually for me there are very few and very insignificant gripes compared to the delight, pleasant surpises and enjoyment of owning a Q5. More storage spaces would have been nice, standard (or factory installed) towing package would have been great, but for what it is, its amazing. Besides some owners that may have had the bad luck of a defective component, bad customer service or personal dislikes, gripes really are not too plentiful.
Old 12-14-2009, 12:19 PM
  #3  
AudiWorld Super User
 
larryV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 14,988
Received 41 Likes on 24 Posts
Default

Here's my list. I will go into detail but none are a big deal really. Just minor nitpicks from an otherwise awesome car.

1) Lack of option for thigh bolsters for front seats (like on euro spec Q5s)

2) Aluminum S-line trim is too soft and dings easy. Had mine replaced 2 weeks after taking delivery (labor intensive and expensive), then dropped my keys on it again last night and it's dinged again. WTF? Soda cans are stronger than this aluminum trim.

3) Cannot close hatch with remote or from switch on driver's door.

4) Fabric panoramic roof shade is flimsy and not effective at actually keeping sun or excessive wind noise (with roof bars installed). At least on my former X5 with panoramic roof, there was a more substantial opaque plastic/fabric shade that actually blocked light 100% as well as reduced noise when I have load bars installed.

5) Street names on 3G MMI aren't refreshed enough or displayed properly. Most cross streets are omitted and aren't displayed in 2D view even when zoomed in.

6) Rear cargo cover is large and unwieldy. Even when folded, it's still large and cannot be stowed in the Q5 without taking up needed cargo space. Yes you can stow it behind the rear seats but that will cost you rear seat legroom space from sliding them forward. A roller type cover like on the X5 and ML suvs would've been more efficient.

7) Female voice on MMI Nav sounds like some hick with an accent from Buffalo, NY. No offense to anyone from Buffalo. I lived there for 5 years.

8) Seat heaters default to on when left that way even after startup from shutdown. I wished it was more like Mercedes and BMW where the seat heaters default to off after startup and over time will reduce heat intensity as the seat gets warmer.

9) Audi Drive Select always defaults to Auto. This kind of defeats the purpose of a customizable Drive Select function to cater to the driver, especially the lazy driver. The ADS settings should've been assignable to each key like on BMW's with M-drive. Example: when my gf drives my M3 with her own key, it not only remembers and sets the seat and mirror positions, it also remembers the HVAC temp settings, the radio/sound system settings, and the suspension, transmission, steering assist, etc as customized via M-drive (BMW M's versions of ADS). This is how it should've been done in the Audi.

10) Side mirrors are huge!

11) Shift paddles feel flimsy. They need to be larger and perhaps made of metal. The shift paddles on my PS3's driving wheel feels more substantial than this
Old 12-14-2009, 12:35 PM
  #4  
AudiWorld Senior Member
 
PeteDin206's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 797
Likes: 0
Received 10 Likes on 6 Posts
Default

I wish you could alter the voice on the MMI like you can with the VW GPS. I miss the posh english accent of my old GLI (we named her Lily). I refuse to name the robotic voice, it just dosen't seem right.
Old 12-14-2009, 12:58 PM
  #5  
AudiWorld Senior Member
 
kleinbus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: USA (& Finland)
Posts: 757
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

By LarryV list...


1) Call Audi NA and bitch them as it is same thing with VW, there is an moron who decides packages imported to NA. In most of EU countries they can have option by option...

2) Can't say much about that, mine is wood

3) Safety first especially in this paradise of lawsuits....

4) X5 roof is not as big as Q5, where the heck you hide hard shade as there is no large roof panels to hide it?

5) Didn't like Audi navi so I didn't get it, my Garmin haves bigger touch screen and bling bling Audi doesn't offer.

6) Each of their own, I like the hard cover as wifes pillow and planket is there (preggy ladies have weird desires).

7) I like my Garmin lady

8) No complains.

9) I don't have it so I skip this....

10) Side mirrors are just perfect and even bette for towing (I just drove 2010 A4 and man those mirrors are tiny)

11) I don't have it so no complains
Old 12-14-2009, 02:26 PM
  #6  
AudiWorld Super User
 
bob m's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Glen Ridge, NJ
Posts: 2,528
Received 49 Likes on 34 Posts
Default

To add to Larry's list that :
1) Lack of option for thigh bolsters for front seats (like on euro spec Q5s)
- Would probably have made the longer rides more comfortable.

3) Cannot close hatch with remote or from switch on driver's door.
- No biggie, but agree.

5) Street names on 3G MMI aren't refreshed enough or displayed properly. Most cross streets are omitted and aren't displayed in 2D view even when zoomed in.
- Haven't noticed, but if true (I'm sure) could be improved.

6) Rear cargo cover is large and unwieldy. Even when folded, it's still large and cannot be stowed in the Q5 without taking up needed cargo space. Yes you can stow it behind the rear seats but that will cost you rear seat legroom space from sliding them forward. A roller type cover like on the X5 and ML suvs would've been more efficient.
- Agreed.

7) Female voice on MMI Nav sounds like some hick with an accent from Buffalo, NY. No offense to anyone from Buffalo. I lived there for 5 years.
- Agreed, but no biggie for me.

8) Seat heaters default to on when left that way even after startup from shutdown. I wished it was more like Mercedes and BMW where the seat heaters default to off after startup and over time will reduce heat intensity as the seat gets warmer.
- Would be nice.

A. Let me add the lack of rubber weather-stripping around the trunk area which allows the sides of the trunk to get soaked after you raise the trunk as soon as it rains or the car is washed. Probably more annoying than that, is Audi's absolute and total lack of response to this issue.

B. Interior shade of "brown" on dash and carpet.

C. Lack of matching color all weather mats for "brown" carpet.

D. Lack of pushbutton style "presets" for the radio stations. I know I am a nontechy guy, but using the MMI for this usually involves taking my eyes off the road. Along that line, how about a DVD explaining the whole MMI/NAV/MUSIC thing?

E. Not specific to the Q5 - or even to Audi, but how about some type of minimal bumper protection? I know it may take away from that "smoooooooooooth" look, but using it real world, that bumber is prone to the pings and dings (not just from a @$!%$@# leafblower either)!

Having said all this, these are (mostly) minor quibbles, just trying to get a great car perfect. But, let me say flat out, this is the best car I have ever driven and would buy it again in a second if (God forbid) this was totaled or stolen.

Bob
Old 12-14-2009, 02:32 PM
  #7  
AudiWorld Member
 
GenSpec's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by PeteDin206
I wish you could alter the voice on the MMI like you can with the VW GPS. I miss the posh english accent of my old GLI (we named her Lily). I refuse to name the robotic voice, it just dosen't seem right.
My wife named her "Mrs Spell" wife of Mr. Spell a much loved yet antiquated child education tool.
Old 12-14-2009, 05:07 PM
  #8  
Audiworld Junior Member
 
sound44's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

I think these are sorta biggies(some just 2nding earlier poster):

1. Some Q5's have a very loud "whine" sound to the engines. Almost an ugly sounding turbo sound. I test drove another Q5 when I took mine in to be serviced and the sound I'm referring to was almost non existant. Final Audi decision was that it was within factory limits even though service tech grimaced when he initially heard it.

2. Aluminum S-line trim is too soft - I noticed multiple dings in center console after I took it in for service. By then I was tired of being at the dealership so I let it go(thinking I could replace it cheap when I felt like it... your comments seem to indicate otherwise). In any case, dropping keys on it shouldn't dent the thing.

3. Fabric panoramic roof shade is flimsy and not effective at actually keeping sun out. From other poster, sounds like this is an engineering issue, but from my standpoint, there is simply too much light coming through regardless of what the reason is. At first I thought there might be two types of screens because it was so thin. More obvious when you have an all black interior and you have light coming through your roof.

4. No MMI here, but why did they make the center console orange, when EVERYTHING else is red? For some reason it just seems really cheap.

Having said that, I've grown to love this car after a rough start. I will say that I didn't have the same level of disappointment in my previous A6 and A4. I think the Q5 won me over with styling but I wish I didn't have these negative comments.
Old 12-14-2009, 05:50 PM
  #9  
Audiworld Junior Member
 
MCNIERNEYC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by koobah
Please share your annoyances/disappointments about your car. Although I'm not a Q owner yet (looking to hopefully ordering one soon), I've read complaints about the rear cargo cover design and heated seats that only heat the bottom part of the seat.
1. I prefer the hard rear cargo cover over a vinyl retractible.

2. The heated seats (2009 model) heat both the seat and backrest.
Old 12-14-2009, 10:08 PM
  #10  
AudiWorld Member
 
zaki626's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: US by way of Malaysia
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

My quips (I've only had my Q5 for a few hours).

1) More storage space would be nice, but that's never been an Audi strong suit.
2) I agree. Side mirrors could be stand to be smaller
3) I have a P+ w/o Nav. The Nav controls below the shifter looks sweet. It's disappointingly cheap/drab with just the black plastic.

As you can tell, pretty minor annoyances. I'm loving it so far!


---
2010 Q5, Ice Silver/Gray, P+, 19s, don't need no Nav

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Quick Reply: What are your gripes about the Q5?



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:13 AM.