SQ5 vs. S4

[importspeed24v]

Hey All -

After much research and analysis, I am considering a new SQ5 to replace my 2010 S4 DSG. Anyone that owns an S4 have a chance to test drive one? Most curious around how the DSG compares to the TRIPTRONIC. Looking forward to checking one out this weekend.

Would love to hear some thoughts.

[laakness]

I'm actually in the process of swapping my car in for one. Test drove it twice and fell in love. More room but pretty much a S4 as a SUV. Wife also loved it.

I don't have a DSG but the Tip was very quick and smooth. Regular driving you can't feel the shifts but when hard on the gas you barely notice it. I should have mine by next week.

[yeps]

i drove one a few days ago, feels very different from a regular Q5. sportier/more reactive and the gearbox is flawless, shifts are seamless in auto or in paddle mode. its certainly a much different beast then the S4 but would be an excellent compromise if you need more room. here are some snaps i got on my phone:

http://i.imgur.com/J1qCiu6.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fP2odakh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0SYytfL.jpg

[scrofas5]

Someone in the family just got one, drove it last night, if ur looking into an SUV , but love ur car I'd suggest it. Very peppy for a truck, very good looking. The tiptronic is not like our dsg's, it's way more smoother and shifts just as fast. As I prefer my dsg in my s5, the AT in the sq5 is nice to drive and very compliant, very well matched to the 3.0t motor.

[laakness]

I'm glad there are some honest opinions so far. I thought some haters would come out right away...

[ahcow]

Tip is a smoother ride than the DSG...when you are just cruising..the DSG is frankly uncomfortable and jerky. I looked into the SQ5...just don't need a SUV at the moment.

[rs4dreams]

I wish Audi would stop fucking around with the US market and give us the S4 avant instead of this! Ok, rant over.

[RickFLS4]

I drove an SQ5 in Dynamic and thought is WAS a DSG. Tiptronic is quite fast shifting. I liked the SQ5 a lot and we may eventually replace my wife's Q5 2.0T with one.

[DFDIII]

Hey All -

After much research and analysis, I am considering a new SQ5 to replace my 2010 S4 DSG. Anyone that owns an S4 have a chance to test drive one? Most curious around how the DSG compares to the TRIPTRONIC. Looking forward to checking one out this weekend.

Would love to hear some thoughts.

Hi Import:

I currently drive a 2011 S4 manual. Lease is up in October. My kids are getting bigger and we just simply need more space, so I have ordered an Estoril Premium+ SQ5. Expect it in the next 30-45 days.

Since I've been driving a manual for the past three years, I can't really comment on the comparison between the S4's DSG and the SQ5's tip, but to me, the shifts were crisp and quick during my test drive several weeks ago. It feels a smidge slower than my S4, but that's to be expected.

The dealerships should have one or two on the lot that you can test drive. I think they all got their initial allotments the same week that I drove it. Of course, some dealerships have already sold what they received. Have you dropped by your dealership to see if they've got one to test drive? If you get the chance to do so come back and let us know what YOU think!

Cheers!

[WAF]

I wish Audi would stop fucking around with the US market and give us the S4 avant instead of this! Ok, rant over.

x2

[tekkie]

x2

X3

[pandi]

I wish Audi would stop fucking around with the US market and give us the S4 avant instead of this! Ok, rant over.

How about a lowered SQ5? Will that suffice?

[WAF]

Some people like lowering suv's, but I dont see the point on lower them i defeats the purpose of having an suv in the first place.

[LYKUNO]

i drove one a few days ago, feels very different from a regular Q5. sportier/more reactive and the gearbox is flawless, shifts are seamless in auto or in paddle mode. its certainly a much different beast then the S4 but would be an excellent compromise if you need more room. here are some snaps i got on my phone:

http://i.imgur.com/fP2odakh.jpg



Can't tell from this shot, but does the SQ5 have the flat-bottomed wheel?

[laakness]

Yes

[WAF]

That pic looks a lil weird, or I've had too much to drink[:p]

[scrofas5]

It got flat bottom and the updated shifter and the updated paddles. I never cared for the new paddles , but after driving the sq5 I might have to retrofit it :(

[gringoloco2000]

My buddy has a 3.0T S-Line Q5. I am not sure how much more tweaked the SQ5 is, but his is very nice and very fast. He has APR Stage II on it and it has put down some impressive times. I told him to provide some feedback here. The transmission is very impressive. In sport mode it shifts very fast and smooth.

Here he is beating a SRT8 Jeep.

http://youtu.be/Dk8OVLSEm-o

[scottisha]

My Q5 has the new Tiptronic and in manual mode, letting it shift itself, it definitely shifts fast and hard. Even makes a similar "DSG" type of fart sound between shifts.

These can be made to be very peppy.......

Here's a few videos of mine over the past couple of months:

Exhaust......You can hear how quick it shifts and this was in sport mode. shifts a tad quicker in manual.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrJlyjaJKOU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk8OVLSEm-o

same day , but from gopro on my Q5


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ach7LyVjK7s

Lots of fun!!!! Definitely a sleeper, when tuned.

I think the SQ5 would probably be close to the power of regular Q5 3.0T with APR Stage 1. (but obviously under warranty) :)

[gringoloco2000]

Scott, I thought the Jeep was closer. The side view made it clear that he was pretty far behind. I expected him to start to pull closer further down the track with the V8 beast. Guess not.

[scottisha]

Scott, I thought the Jeep was closer. The side view made it clear that he was pretty far behind. I expected him to start to pull closer further down the track with the V8 beast. Guess not.

I was pretty surprised too. I thought it would be a much closer race.
He said he was still learning the launch control, but that would only explain the time. His mph was only 100, which is indicative of power.
He throws a supercharger on that thing and he walks me. :)

Scott

[Wusty]

^^Your Q5 is super impressive. Nice stuff.

[MrFunk]

They are ok. I never liked any of the loaner ones I've gotten, but those are base models...

One thing that was a major annoyance was the side mirrors. I'm not sure if I'd be able to get past them. WAY too big and reduces forward visibility at intersections and turning drastically.

[scottisha]

They are ok. I never liked any of the loaner ones I've gotten, but those are base models...

One thing that was a major annoyance was the side mirrors. I'm not sure if I'd be able to get past them. WAY too big and reduces forward visibility at intersections and turning drastically.

I had a loaner Q5 on my last visit and there's a night and day difference between the base 2.0T and S-Line 3.0t.

I agree though, with the side view mirrors. around some corners I feel like there's a blind spot, depending on the angle of the bend.

Scott

[SwankPeRFection]

Hey, those of you with SQ5s, how big is your tank? If it's as big as the normal Q5, that's some serious fill up spending since the 3.0T can eat up some fuel. How's your fuel mileage in comparison to an S4?

[moose_head]

Hey, those of you with SQ5s, how big is your tank? If it's as big as the normal Q5, that's some serious fill up spending since the 3.0T can eat up some fuel.

The Q5 and SQ5 both have 75 L tanks (19.8 US gal)
For comparison, S4 is 61 (16.1)
-source: the web

[scottisha]

Hey, those of you with SQ5s, how big is your tank? If it's as big as the normal Q5, that's some serious fill up spending since the 3.0T can eat up some fuel. How's your fuel mileage in comparison to an S4?

I'm seeing an average of 21 mpg between fill-ups.
Keep in mind, I drive fast.
The few times I have driven easy on the throttle, I've seen 24-25mpg avg per tank.

Scott

[sliner32]

I agree s4avant

[dropshadow]

I wish Audi would stop fucking around with the US market and give us the S4 avant instead of this! Ok, rant over.

This x ∞. Save some money and buy a Q5 3.0T and chip it. The SQ5 doesn't have nearly enough visual cues to differentiate it from a standard Q5.

[scottisha]

This x ∞. Save some money and buy a Q5 3.0T and chip it. The SQ5 doesn't have nearly enough visual cues to differentiate it from a standard Q5.

I'm not going to judge anyone who spends the extra money getting the SQ5 over the Q5 3.0T, but I'm not sure I could justify the expense.
The biggest benefit is no issue with voided warranties while having decent enough power to keep up with most decent cars.

Does have a sweet interior though...

[USAFS4]

Ok, but how do they handle? Without rear diff and higher CoG how is the turn in and rotation at speed? Do they feel as capable at speed as an S4? Or, just how close is the handling?

[scottisha]

Ok, but how do they handle? Without rear diff and higher CoG how is the turn in and rotation at speed? Do they feel as capable at speed as an S4? Or, just how close is the handling?

Depends on what capable is defined as. I feel very comfortable "at speed" in mine. I did lower it a bit with H&R springs and I have the adjustable struts. Saying that, I can't imagine it would be a fair comparison to an S4.

Scott

[s4buckeye]

Pics of the Stg 3 Golf R, plz.

[LakeShow]

I wish Audi would stop fucking around with the US market and give us the S4 avant instead of this! Ok, rant over.

+1...I agree. S4 avant, RS4 avant, and of course the RS6 avant. All we have is the Allroad, even that's not a proper A4 avant.

[scottisha]

Pics of the Stg 3 Golf R, plz.

Audi first, because I love this rolling shot taken from inside my Golf R with my Blackberry.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v336/scottisha/IMG_00000061_zps9f7dc1db.jpg


LOL.... here's a few....and video.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v336/scottisha/IMG-20120926-00317_zps430c0433.jpg

Track video.....skip to 1:30 if don't want to watch a Mazda RX8 do a burnout with street tires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-6X3UWpEGE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7YW0ovY2Z0

Both above videos were on race gas, last year.
I have since had APR do pistons, rods, balance shaft delete, and port the head. Was trapping 121.89 last month in 92 degree heat, but only running 12.0 because I was bogging my launches. Installing a new short shift kit, which I'm hoping will help with my shifting as well....I have to go into 5th a good ways before the 1/4 mile mark. Needs some taller gears. Too much shifting!!!

[scottisha]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v336/scottisha/DSC_0018_zps988b544d.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v336/scottisha/DSC_0009_zpse64d9777.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v336/scottisha/DSC_2602b_zps46703bec.jpg

[s4buckeye]

So is that Stg III + per APR or regular Stg III? Weren't the forged pistons and rods enough that came stock as far as handling Stg III?

Awesome look as to both. Well played.

What wheels are on the Golf? HRE reps? Are those Cayenne brakes painted red on the Q?

[scottisha]

+1...I agree. S4 avant, RS4 avant, and of course the RS6 avant. All we have is the Allroad, even that's not a proper A4 avant.

I agree too... I almost purchased an 05 S4 Avant new, years ago, but chicken out.......
I considered the new All Road, but just can't wrap my head around that 4cyl in such a heavy car...If they were putting the 3.0T in the Cross Road, I would have probably picked that up instead of the Q5.

They would sell the Avant here, easy. They're missing the boat.

[scottisha]

Awesome look as to both. Well played.

What wheels are in the Golf R? HRE reps?

very affordable Miro 111's 18x8.5 with 255/35/18 tires. I run the OEM wheels and tires at the drag strip though.

Scott

[s4buckeye]

very affordable Miro 111's 18x8.5 with 255/35/18 tires. I run the OEM wheels and tires at the drag strip though.

Scott

So is that Stg III + per APR or regular Stg III? Weren't the forged pistons and rods enough that came stock as far as handling Stg III?

Are those Cayenne brakes painted red on the Q?

[scottisha]

So is that Stg III + per APR or regular Stg III? Weren't the forged pistons and rods enough that came stock as far as handling Stg III?

Are those Cayenne brakes painted red on the Q?

Originally, APR called it "Stage 4", but my build has since been demoted. They are working on a new intake with additional port injectors that will allow for a bigger turbo than the GTX2867R, and I imagine once they get the bigger turbo all figured out, they will call that "Stage 4"....... No Stage 3+ with the Golf R, because they didn't see big enough gains with the head porting, to warrant selling it to guys with stage 3. They expect to see gains with the ported head, once they go bigger with the turbo.

I was pushing 460 hp on 100 octane with stock internals. Now pushing just over 500 hp on 100 octane, so they suggested I upgrade the internals>

Those are the factory Q5 Brembo brakes. I painted them and added the logo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v336/scottisha/IMG-20130508-01909_zps0ab1bd64.jpg


Just looked it up with Neil Brand's help at my store. You are bang on for sizing, both non-SLine and SLine 3.0T Q5's come with the 345mm Brembo brakes in the front. The rear brakes are TRW-Girling made 330 mm

[s4buckeye]

Nice work. There was a time when I was going to go the route you did with a Golf R, but my wife shut me down and I ended up getting the AMG instead.

What is it then that APR is showing at Stg III+ and Stg III GTX?

http://www.goapr.com/products/stage3plus_20_tsi_trans.html

http://www.goapr.com/products/stage3_trans20t_ea113_awd.html

[vwfansince4]

I was pretty surprised too. I thought it would be a much closer race.
He said he was still learning the launch control, but that would only explain the time. His mph was only 100, which is indicative of power.
He throws a supercharger on that thing and he walks me. :)

Scott

Scott - thx for posting that vid, was cool to see the Q5 run a variety of cars. As for the SRT8, I'm not surprised. From what I've read, they'll run around 13.6/13.7 and if tuned maybe 13.4/13.5. So I doubt he'd gain a whole lot by learning how to launch better.

Ryan

[scottisha]

Nice work. There was a time when I was going to go the route you did with a Golf R, but my wife shut me down and I ended up getting the AMG instead.

What is it then that APR is showing at Stg III+ and Stg III GTX?

http://www.goapr.com/products/stage3plus_20_tsi_trans.html

http://www.goapr.com/products/stage3_trans20t_ea113_awd.html

The Stage 3+ for the TSI uses a GT3071R turbo

The Stage 3 for the Golf R uses a GTX2867R turbo

It's been a bit of a learning curve the last 12 months, in regards to the R. There are numerous things about that specific engine that change the dynamics of how it responds to tuning, when compared to the TSI engine.

For example, the Stage 3 TSI engines see a nice gain with the ported and polished head. Do the same porting and polishing to the Golf R head and you don't see significant gains, because it has really been optimized from the factory. It has different cams too, compared to the TSI.

APR is working on making another 100 hp in their in-house Golf R, "Max R". the only details they have released was the fact that they now have a nearly finished intake manifold that will allow for things such as 4 additional fuel injectors (port injection...more fuel and no carbon build up) it will have locations to add water meth and I think NOS......
The details they have not made public are those of the new turbo they are going to bolt onto Max R. I imagine it will be bigger than the 3071 they currently offer in their TSI Stage 3+ kit.

Scott

[riegeraudi]

DSG is faster than the Tiptronic upshifting. Something like 8ms for upshifts compared to 200ms for the tiptronic (I believe it is the ZF 8speed). Downshifts though the Tiptronic is faster as the DSG takes 600ms for downshifts.

[rs4dreams]

I wonder what the drive train loss difference is. I've heard that a wet clutch dual-clutch unit like we have is about 1% more lossy than a manual. Given than manuals are usually around 15% DTL, I've heard that torque converter automatics are around 20%. I wonder if those figures are still true. 5% would make for some measurable difference in acceleration for sure.

[MerkurRS]

I wish Audi would stop fucking around with the US market and give us the S4 avant instead of this! Ok, rant over.

DITTO!!

[scottisha]

I wonder what the drive train loss difference is. I've heard that a wet clutch dual-clutch unit like we have is about 1% more lossy than a manual. Given than manuals are usually around 15% DTL, I've heard that torque converter automatics are around 20%. I wonder if those figures are still true. 5% would make for some measurable difference in acceleration for sure.
I don't recall who told me, but someone had said the new Tiptronic is more efficient and doesn't drain as much power. Still, not as efficient as the DSG trans though.

Scott

[davidrab]

DSG is faster than the Tiptronic upshifting. Something like 8ms for upshifts compared to 200ms for the tiptronic (I believe it is the ZF 8speed). Downshifts though the Tiptronic is faster as the DSG takes 600ms for downshifts.

8ms? Not in mine. Part throttle shifts are about the quickest and they don't seem like .008 seconds. Full throttle shifts seem less quick and are hampered by hitting the rev limiter, short shifting, or doing other wise dumb things like lag. I'd be interested in the ZF even if it is a fraction slower as long as it's better programmed.

I did end up going to look at an SQ5 today and it seems like a fine replacement for the S4.

Scott, your Q5 has some nice 60ft times. Do you brake torque or flash the converter? If you brake torque, what's the stall speed? The tranny gear ratios of the SQ5 look the same as the Q5 but final drive is 3.7xx in the SQ vs 3.2xx in the Q. I can't imagine how that will launch.

[scottisha]

Scott, your Q5 has some nice 60ft times. Do you brake torque or flash the converter? If you brake torque, what's the stall speed? The tranny gear ratios of the SQ5 look the same as the Q5 but final drive is 3.7xx in the SQ vs 3.2xx in the Q. I can't imagine how that will launch.

I think my smaller circumference tires are helping a bit with my 60' times. They are not way way smaller, but my speedo is showing 62 mph when my actual is 60 mph, so there's definitely a difference.
I'm not sure what "flashing the converter" means. I do pre-load the trans by left foot braking and holding the rpms around 1200. seems like that has proven to be my best launch for consistent 1.8xx 60' times.
I imagine the 3.7 final drive will help get this thing out of the hole better. will be really interesting to see a Stage 2 SQ5's 60' time. With the 3.7 final drive, we may see SQ5's cutting 1.7xx 60' times.
It will likely improve 0-60 times too, because even with my 3.2 final drive, I'm still seeing a shift to 3rd gear before hitting 60 mph. So no benefit of one less shift in my car trying to hit 60 mph, due to a taller final drive.....

I'd love to have that 3.7 in mine. The 3.2 is over kill on the highway. At 100 mph, in 8th gear, I'm at 2500 rpms. :)

[Wilbur]

8ms? Not in mine. Part throttle shifts are about the quickest and they don't seem like .008 seconds. Full throttle shifts seem less quick and are hampered by hitting the rev limiter, short shifting, or doing other wise dumb things like lag. I'd be interested in the ZF even if it is a fraction slower as long as it's better programmed.

I did end up going to look at an SQ5 today and it seems like a fine replacement for the S4.

Scott, your Q5 has some nice 60ft times. Do you brake torque or flash the converter? If you brake torque, what's the stall speed? The tranny gear ratios of the SQ5 look the same as the Q5 but final drive is 3.7xx in the SQ vs 3.2xx in the Q. I can't imagine how that will launch.

You guys are dragging trucks?

[scottisha]

you guys are dragging trucks?

and winning! Lol

[Wilbur]

^nice.

[D@Nemesis]

Hey All -

After much research and analysis, I am considering a new SQ5 to replace my 2010 S4 DSG. Anyone that owns an S4 have a chance to test drive one? Most curious around how the DSG compares to the TRIPTRONIC. Looking forward to checking one out this weekend.

Would love to hear some thoughts.

I've spent a good amount of time in the SQ5, and I will say it's pretty bad ass. I was never a fan of the 2.0T Q5's - wasn't enough power for me - but the SQ5 far exceeded my expectations. [up]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/1239399_615082828542489_590527200_n.jpg

[sronin13]

nice

[scottisha]

I've spent a good amount of time in the SQ5, and I will say it's pretty bad ass. I was never a fan of the 2.0T Q5's - wasn't enough power for me - but the SQ5 far exceeded my expectations. [up]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/1239399_615082828542489_590527200_n.jpg

I agree, it's a pretty bad ass SUV. I love my Q5 3.0T S-line. Way more refined and powerful than I had expected...Ironically, I was days away from buy a 2013 Touareg Executive, which would have cost $6k more. LOL

Scott

[laakness]

I picked up my SQ5 yesterday and all I can say is that for my needs it was the right thing to do. The S4 is great but if you are on the fence you should definitely go drive one.

[SwissBliss]

I agree, it's a pretty bad ass SUV. I love my Q5 3.0T S-line. Way more refined and powerful than I had expected...Ironically, I was days away from buy a 2013 Touareg Executive, which would have cost $6k more. LOL

Scott

Just a heads up my cousin has the Q5 S-line 3.0 as well and the pully upgrade is just about to be released, Would be a great add on, for some extra power!