Allroad BiTDI or SQ5
- Thread starter Kwatrow
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What's the point of either?
A fast estate that can jack up at very low speeds or a fast SUV lowered so much it's like a normal car.
Same engine and brakes, but would pass on both personally.
A fast estate that can jack up at very low speeds or a fast SUV lowered so much it's like a normal car.
Same engine and brakes, but would pass on both personally.
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Do you need a big boot? The Allroad is a much longer car than the SQ5! What are your needs exactly? They are two very different cars.
The SQ5 is just an A4 Avant that's been jacked up a bit.... I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, as it's the worst of everything for me.... but that's just my priorities, they're both VERY good cars in their own right*:
* I gladly advised my parents to buy an A6 2.0TDI saloon (2WD) for all their longer road trips and also a TFSI Q5 for their country ramblings (they live in very hilly countryside, do lots of hiking and mountain biking and most of the roads are impassible if there's anything more than a light frost)... those cars suited what they needed. They now do less of the long trips (retired, so they do more flying than driving), so they've ditched the A6.... those cars suited their priorities at the time.
My priorities:
I like a car that feels planted and fairly low on the ground, with ground clearance seldom (if ever) an issue.
I "need" quattro on the odd occaision, but all it ever sees is the odd icy hill / country track and / a few wet / muddy fields... .a decent set of winter tyres would probably suffice, but it's nice to know that it is there the whole time.
I really DO need a big back seat (three child seats) and a big boot (three children's, double buggy, bikes, scooters, etc).
You seem fairly set on the BiTDI, and it's a great engine, so if diesel fits your usage profile, then that's the best big diesel out there: but what little mileage I do consists of a fair number or medium to short trips and the odd really long one, so I would just damage the diesel engine with those short trips and I wouldn't really make use of the extra economy, plus I like the idea of being able to eventually do a cheapish pulley+remap and push it WAY over 400bhp.
The A6 Avant (or A7 as a backup) are the only real options I'd go for with the A6 Allroad/Q7 as outside runners (same size car, but just jacked up: more practical offroad, less practical on road).
Work out (or tell us) your main priorities and then it will help people advise which car is best for you.
* I gladly advised my parents to buy an A6 2.0TDI saloon (2WD) for all their longer road trips and also a TFSI Q5 for their country ramblings (they live in very hilly countryside, do lots of hiking and mountain biking and most of the roads are impassible if there's anything more than a light frost)... those cars suited what they needed. They now do less of the long trips (retired, so they do more flying than driving), so they've ditched the A6.... those cars suited their priorities at the time.
My priorities:
I like a car that feels planted and fairly low on the ground, with ground clearance seldom (if ever) an issue.
I "need" quattro on the odd occaision, but all it ever sees is the odd icy hill / country track and / a few wet / muddy fields... .a decent set of winter tyres would probably suffice, but it's nice to know that it is there the whole time.
I really DO need a big back seat (three child seats) and a big boot (three children's, double buggy, bikes, scooters, etc).
You seem fairly set on the BiTDI, and it's a great engine, so if diesel fits your usage profile, then that's the best big diesel out there: but what little mileage I do consists of a fair number or medium to short trips and the odd really long one, so I would just damage the diesel engine with those short trips and I wouldn't really make use of the extra economy, plus I like the idea of being able to eventually do a cheapish pulley+remap and push it WAY over 400bhp.
The A6 Avant (or A7 as a backup) are the only real options I'd go for with the A6 Allroad/Q7 as outside runners (same size car, but just jacked up: more practical offroad, less practical on road).
Work out (or tell us) your main priorities and then it will help people advise which car is best for you.
I like the torque of the V6 diesel and the idea of the twin turbo version appeals very much indeed, otherwise it would be an A4 Allroad as the option. If the C6 version is anything to go by (which I am familiar with) the Allroad has a very good ride as well as the ability to be raised. I guess that is my only concern about the SQ5 that the ride would be harsh. I don't know how the boot size compares, but either would be adequate.
If the smaller A4 Avant size is as option and the height of the SUV (in carparks / access to the vehicle* / in the corners) isn't an issue, then the SQ5 might be the best option for you.
*again - even "access to the vehicle" is highly subjective: for smaller kids, the regular car is more accessible for climbing UP into, but for much older people (my mum takes 90yr old grannies shopping) - they actually prefer the height of the Q5 to the S-Line A6 as you have to climb UP to get out of the A6 a lot more.
I think all the boots in the Q's tend to be very slightly smaller footprint than their equivalent Avant (Q3 vs A3 sportback, Q5 vs A4 Avant, Q7 vs A6 Avant), however they do have slightly more volume due to the higher load area. If the A4 Avant is okay, I'm sure the SQ5 will be plenty.
One thing that I think will be going massively in favour of the SQ5 is that the Q5's are Audi's best car for retaining value, so I assume a SQ5 would be pretty good in that department!
All that remains is to decide if you're happy with the ride quality.... and there's only one person that can decide that: so call up your local dealer and go and test drive one...
*again - even "access to the vehicle" is highly subjective: for smaller kids, the regular car is more accessible for climbing UP into, but for much older people (my mum takes 90yr old grannies shopping) - they actually prefer the height of the Q5 to the S-Line A6 as you have to climb UP to get out of the A6 a lot more.
I think all the boots in the Q's tend to be very slightly smaller footprint than their equivalent Avant (Q3 vs A3 sportback, Q5 vs A4 Avant, Q7 vs A6 Avant), however they do have slightly more volume due to the higher load area. If the A4 Avant is okay, I'm sure the SQ5 will be plenty.
One thing that I think will be going massively in favour of the SQ5 is that the Q5's are Audi's best car for retaining value, so I assume a SQ5 would be pretty good in that department!
All that remains is to decide if you're happy with the ride quality.... and there's only one person that can decide that: so call up your local dealer and go and test drive one...
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SQ5 if boot size isn't an issue in my opinion. As BahnStormer says above, it will hold value better in the long run also.
The new Q5 is due out next year which will have an effect on the old models prices. My boss went from a Range Rover sport to the SQ5 and is very happy with it. At least the SQ5 has quad pipes which the biturbo doesnt!
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the standard A6 C7 suspension is more than adequate without going allroad air suspension, although you can option air suspension on the A6.
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A bit like asking why there are different colours!
Yes you can jack it up at low speeds which are the sort of speeds you travel at on bumpy roads. Although I could probably do 70 on my drive I wouldn't want to, and it's nice to be able to make it to the house in more conditions than I could in a conventional car. The rest of the time I mostly want an otherwise normal car.
You can also raise the allroad a bit from its lowest setting at motorway speeds, but it's unlikely you'll want to except to help slow it down slightly for exiting etc.
As you can't stack dogs (they choose when...) the A6 suits me better than the Q5 and I read it's also narrower. Still feels a bit too big in some circumstances so it'll be interesting to see how the new A4 allroad turns out.
Oh yeah. Forgot to say that the raised level comes in handy on flooded roads - somewhere I wouldn't want to take an RS.
Same for snow covered roads.
Same for snow covered roads.
