- It is no match for my BMW 430i but the acceleration is so neat and quiet that it makes you feel that you are driving something luxurious.
- Mercedes C300
- Audi A6
- Alfa Romeo Giulia
- Alfa Romeo Stelvio
- Mercedes GLC
- Lexus NX 350h AWD
- Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro
- The Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro
- Delivery Experience
- First Impressions
- Driving Experience
- Rear Space
It is no match for my BMW 430i but the acceleration is so neat and quiet that it makes you feel that you are driving something luxurious.
BHPian chaith.turbo recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
In September of this year, I had to return my company-leased BMW 430i. So, I started searching for a new car and this time wanted to buy directly and not through my company.
In this post, I will be talking about why I went with Audi Q5 and I will only talk about a few experiences on Q5. Since there are multiple threads on the Q5 review, this is not a full-blown ownership review.
So living in Germany, I always loved driving a Sedan over an SUV and the 430i was perfect for the Autobahns. And this time, I thought of trying out something outside BMW and below are some cars I test-drove/almost bought.
Mercedes C300
- The new C class was just launched and I visited the showroom in April this year. The moment I saw this, it was an absolute stunner. The style and the interiors especially were two levels above the competition.
- Just looking at this, I almost decided, “Ok, this is it. I’m buying it”.
- But as soon as I sat in the rear seat, it felt like my Grand i10. It was a total disappointment, huge tunnel, and the leg space was not enough even for my height (I’m not tall).
- So C class was out!
Audi A6
- Having driven the A4, I wanted to see how the A6 drives. So I got a half-a-day test drive of the A6 from Audi Munich, the first thing that I noticed is that though the interiors are superior compared to my BMW, it is nowhere close to Mercedes C class or E class. But Audi has granted more space and everything is very functional oriented over form oriented.
- The drive was very smooth, and the acceleration was very linear. But is NOT a BMW, not even as exciting as 430i which is a segment lower.
Alfa Romeo Giulia
- Alfa Romeo is not very common on roads here, but whenever I see one, it was a total head-turner.
- And I always had a soft spot for the Giulia. So with a lot of excitement, we walked into the Alfa Romeo showroom, spoke to the salesperson, and saw the car. And it was “WOW”. That’s exactly what came into my mind, Alfa Romeo has speed in its DNA and this car flaunted it without shame. Giulia Veloce was a 280 Bhp 400 nm Torque beast.
- Sadly though there was not a single test drive car with any Alfa Romeo dealer in Munich. I however got a good quote and a delivery promise in three weeks.
- The only minus was, I wanted something that didn’t look like BMW and the interiors were almost exactly like BMW. Even the transmission was the same ZF box as 430i.
- But I was fine with that and almost decided to go for this till a new milestone happened in our family.
Now while all of this was happening around the beginning of the year, just a couple of months before we had a new member in the family. We adopted a Black Labrador and she had grown up so much.
This made us realize that Sedan is probably not a good idea. So sadly I had to let go of the idea of the sedan and start looking for SUVs.
Below are the SUVs/Crossovers I test-drove.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio
- When I visited last time, I noticed another stunner which was the Stelvio. This one was again a beauty to look at and a beast to drive. But again there was no test drive vehicle and I could only imagine how a 300 BHP mid-segment SUV would drive.
- The interiors were again very similar to BMW, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted something different.
- The salesperson gave me a good quote and promised four weeks of delivery. This was impressive because the auto industry was in crisis for issues in the supply chain and you will see below almost every car had a 9 – 12 months waiting period.
- Only two things went against this car, one was that the rear seating space was not as much as I had expected. Second, my wife didn’t like the styling of Stelvio.
- But I had anyhow almost made up my mind to buy the Stelvio.
Mercedes GLC
I again went back to the Mercedes dealer and asked for a GLC test drive. They very promptly arranged one for the whole weekend, so I could drive this car for two full days which was very nice of them. Sadly the car was not as nice as the dealer’s.
Below are my findings after I drove the GLC 300e.
Positives
- Interiors were again best in class, no other car in the segment could beat this.
- Decent front and rear space so that was good for traveling with my dog.
Negatives
- The drive experience was very disappointing. The car simply struggles to accelerate beyond 160.
- The build quality didn’t seem to be of Mercedes quality,
- Engine noise was too loud. I was driving with music and it felt like driving a truck.
So this one was definitely out of my list. At this point, I’m quite disappointed with Mercedes.
Lexus NX 350h AWD
I never had Lexus on my initial list, but my son bugged me to test drive this. So we simply walked into a Lexus showroom and had a look at it and I must admit it was quite good-looking. Very different to the European designs.
We got to drive for three hours and below are my impressions.
Positives
- The car is built like a Tank. Definitely better built than any German one.
- Interiors are a beauty and the fit n finish were top-notch.
- Almost zero noise creeping into the cabin.
Negatives
- The drive was so boring and sedated that I’m sure along with the quiet cabin it will put everyone in the car to sleep. I’m sure this is a top accident causing issues for Lexus.
- It’s a shame the acceleration of a Hybrid car is so slow. Maybe because the car is quite heavy.
- The design was not really to my taste.
- Delivery wait was one year.
Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro
This was my final car on the list to check and to be honest, I was not that hopeful. So anyhow when we visited the showroom, my wife and son were immediately impressed by the car.
- I on the other hand couldn’t find a difference between Q3 and Q5. I must say Audi designers are some of the laziest designers in the auto industry. The Q3, Q5 and Q7 all look jarringly similar. Same problem with A3, A4 and A6 they all look the same.
- Even now when a Q3 passes by on road, I simply can’t say if it is a Q5 or a Q3.
- Also, the design of Q5 is very classic and understated. But it is indeed a timeless design.
- Not a head turner but also not forgetful.
- Unfortunately, they didn’t have a test car. I actually wanted the Q5 50TFSIe which is a plug-in hybrid, but Audi had stopped taking bookings for the whole year.
- We sat inside the display car and the interiors were very good. Spoke with the salesperson and he gave me a 9000€ discount on the variant I selected and 5 month delivery period, which was decent considering all other cars had an almost 1-year waiting period.
- So this was a Q5 45 TFSI with 265 BHP and 370nm Torque, so not far from Stelvio.
So after some discussions of Stelvio vs Q5, we decided to go for Audi Q5 45TFSI Quattro. A typical mind-winning-over-heart decision!
The Audi Q5 45 TFSI Quattro
Delivery Experience
This was by far the best delivery experience of any car I have bought till now (period).
The delivery was at Ingolstadt Audi forum which is next to the factory itself. It was a half a day experience which included a factory tour, an Audi Museum tour and free lunch buffet. The car was delivered on time with all feature explanations.
Thumbs Up to Audi on this.
First Impressions
The most amazing thing about Audi is, how much attention to detail they have given. For example, every button you press has the nice click feeling and they all click the same way (even the button on the boot). The feeling of opening the door and closing is also thought about so much. They really do what they talk “vorsprung durch technik”.
Driving Experience
- Speaking of the driving experience, Audi Q5 45TFSI comes with a 7-speed Dual Clutch with Quattro. This car is no match for my BMW 430i, and that is also not what Audi wants to do with this. However, the acceleration is so neat and quiet that it makes you feel that you are driving something luxurious and expects you to take care of her.
- It does 0-100 in 6.4 seconds, not fast but more than an average SUV.
- The NVH levels are top-notch, and it is not as silent as the Lexus NX, but no complaints here.
- One sore point however is that the car feels it could have an extra gear. Sometimes the shift between 5-6 feels noisy and not as smooth as expected.
Rear Space
Speaking of space, my dog is definitely happier to sit in the Boot with Glass all around her. Rear seat is more relaxed and roomier than Stelvio. So, no regrets here.
Sufficient leg space. Plus the seats are adjustable for inclination and front-back positions. However, the massive tunnel is a letdown. I don’t understand why Auto companies still haven’t figured out a way to eliminate this.
Since I opted for a 3-zone AC, rear passengers can set their own temperature as well.
Infotainment
Q5 comes with a massive 10.1-inch central infotainment. The interface is super smooth and supports both Apple Car and Android Auto. I was surprised that the voice recognition can understand my German which is in an “Indian” accent. Well done Audi!
However, the infotainment is touch screen only and I hate this. I really want to meet the guy who first came up with the idea to make an infotainment touch screen only and ask him “What were you thinking?”. It is so hard to use the navigation while driving or if I want to scroll through the songs, it’s just a bad idea.
This is my favourite view of the Q5. The rear view is the best angle of Q5 in my opinion.
I’m in love with this cockpit design. Looks very cool and very helpful while driving.
The lovely buttons are nicely placed and have a luxurious feel when you press them.
I took the S-Line exterior and Interior package. So it comes with Leather sports seats with S-line engraved in it.
The boot is the official seat for my Dog. It has enough space to carry airport luggage for three people.
So overall, I’m loving the car and I can’t wait to do my first long drive in December. Will probably post more about the experience later.
Keyword: Getting an Audi Q5 in Germany: Buying experience & initial impressions