dnx3

I'm having a very difficult time drilling down on my next vehicle. I have gone back and forth between the A6, the SQ5, and the Q7 and I'm still on the fence.

For those who have some extended driving experience in the SQ5, how is the ride quality for interstate driving? It's a shorter wheel base so I would expect a slightly different ride, but I'm more curious about the air suspension and in particular how it affects ride quality in its "softest" setting.

Thx!

jeffrey r

The SQ5 is a very comfortable car. I have the Prestige with S sport package (air suspension and sport rear differential). You can drive the car in Comfort mode, and the ride will be, comfortable. You can also choose Auto (balanced) and Dynamic (sporty). It is also very customizable within the Individual mode, where you can tailor a bunch of the drive mode settings to your personal taste. You can generally choose among comfort, auto or dynamic within those customizable settings. You can also make the ride more comfortable with reduced tire pressure. In any case, for your specific question, I find the SQ5 very comfortable and enjoyable for interstate driving.

Bottom line, I would not hesitate to recommend the SQ5 if you are after comfort. You can have that, as well as the sportiness and fun when you want it. One year in, and I still absolutely love the SQ5.

As an aside, I just had my SQ5 in for its first service, and I got an A6 loaner. Boy did it feel weird to be so low again. Personal taste of course, but I much prefer the height of the SQ5. Perfect balance for me.

I presume you have a family if you are looking at the Q7 as well. I generally leave it to my wife to have the bigger SUV with a third row, so that was not really in the cards for me. I'd rather have the more nimble SQ5, which can still tote around a few kids, but obviously can't do the big carpools and such. Good luck.

Rustydog

I make regular 400 miles runs in my 2018 SQ5 and find it a pleasure to drive and comfortable. I have air suspension and drive most of the time in Dynamic. Comfort mode is floating along and very noticeable difference when on the roads get crappy. Auto mode takes care of it for you if you select it.
I run 21" Pirelli Scorpion plus A/S.
I'd buy another SQ5 without hesitation.

Zeus69

For reference, would also be helpful to know wheel sizes (20 vs 21) from those who comment.

UK_Wildcats_Fans

​​​​​​This is my situation as well and completely agree

SLLAuWo

My 2018 SQ5 Prestige with air suspension, 20-inch Pirelli Scorpion Verde summer tires, and Alcantara seat covers is quiet and comfortable, especially when in Comfort Mode. In Dynamic mode, the car is far more responsive and fun to drive.

I recommend 20-inch wheels and all-season tires if you favor a quiet and comfortable ride. The Prestige trim has dual-pane front side windows keeping the interior quiet.

I'm very satisfied with my Audi SQ5. It's been reliable and enjoyable as well as practical.

HDEddie1

My experience mirrors Jeffrey r's post spot on. I'm riding on the OEM 21" Pirellis set at 36 PSI all around. No complaints on harshness or noise with these 21" with 10,000 miles and wear is still at 6/32. The customizable feature of the "Drive Select" on our SQ5 (with S Sport Package) is my most favorite feature. There is a tactile difference you can feel (in a good way) between "comfort" and "dynamic". The Prestige also comes with double paned glass which helps isolate road noise at speed (I'm not sure if that's standard on the Q7 or A6 as well)

Still, I suggest you take the time and drive all 3 cars extensively, explore the features each one has or doesn't have. If ride quality is the very high on your list, make sure the dealer checks the tire pressure on each car you're testing. The last car I test drove (an E43 AMG) was noisy and harsh...it turned out the tire pressure was 9 lbs over OEM spec (yikes!).

I've had many cars in the past and the few that I regretted where those I bought but did not thoroughly test drive. Good Luck!

Benzie

I agree with everything said so far in this thread. I have a prestige SQ5 with sport diff and air suspension. I love driving this car! Interstate driving is easy....not sure if it's my enthusiasm alone that makes the difference, but I travel further and more quickly without getting as tired as I used to in my 2002 allroad. Just be careful with the accelerator because this car is sneaky fast, especially if you're sitting up high you will be going faster than what you think you are doing so keep an eye on the speedo (which is easy to do with the heads up display). You know that Volvo commercial they play a million times about how they built 3 SUV's for everyone? Every time I see it, it makes me think I've got 3 in one with the SQ5, especially with the air suspension you can just switch things around, change it up and it feels like a different car with different capabilities. Put it in comfort mode and the damping and ride height adjusts for a very plush, quiet ride. Put it in Dynamic and it's a sporty animal. Put it in Allroad and now it feels like a very solid jeep/SUV. Audi to me is all about the experience of driving and they got it right, you won't be disappointed however it is you want to drive it, it always excels.

Wires

I have 21" and no air suspension. Ride is very compliant and smooth.

edwyun

Couldn't agree more on the air suspension on 20" A/S tires. In comfort mode, it is very compliant over NYC potholes. What about getting air suspension on the Q7?