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Hardy Kornfeld, 03/19/2016
updated 03/22/2022
2014 Audi Q5 TDI Premium Plus quattro 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 8A)
67 of 67 people found this review helpful
This is my fourth update on a review posted shortly after I bought my 2014 Q5 TDI. I loved the car then and I still do today, despite Audi's diesel fiasco. Pros: 1. This is a comfortable car on long hauls. The front seats are great unless you thrash it, in which case they lack lateral support. The Q5 does its suburban transport function perfectly well and the panoramic roof glass gives an airy feeling. The driver's sight lines are excellent. 2. The fuel economy is outstanding. In the mixed driving it got 31-33 mpg measured at the tank (the low end in winter). High 30s with highway driving. [2019 update - fuel economy dropped by 0.4 mpg after the NOx fix per the optimistic trip computer, I averaged over nearly 20,000 miles. It now stands at 32.2 mpg]. 3. My Q5 tows 1000 pounds of motorcycle plus trailer with barely any hit on fuel consumption. 4. Driving dynamics are good within limits. Body roll is minimal for an SUV, the steering is quick and accurate w, braking effort is linear and absolute stopping power is good but not stellar. Ride quality is very good. While I rarely spin the engine over1800 rpm, when acceleration is called for at any speed, the torque surge is amazing. 5. The Q5 is good in winter, particularly with Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tires that give shorter braking distance in snow. Excellent ground clearance, the wheel wells don't pack up with snow and the traction control is effective without being intrusive. A locking center diff would be nice but Quattro is fine for most snow conditions. The defroster does a good job but a windshield heating option would be welcome. 6. [2019 update - The VWAG compensation plan for the 3.0 liter diesel scam worked out really well for me. Between the initial debit cards, the VWAG settlement and the Bosch settlement I netted roughly $9,000. That equates to discount of ~17% off the purchase price for a car that I anticipate keeping for a quarter of a million miles. After the fix, the engine idles and shifts at slightly higher rpm until it is fully warmed up but that doesn't noticeably detract from the driving experience. It won't respond to manual shift requests until warmed up but it can be induced to shift at a bit lower rpm when cold if I lift off the throttle. Once warm and responsive (sic) I sometime use manual mode to short shift. The engine rarely spins above 2,000 rpm and can pull strong from off-idle in nearly any gear]. 7. [2019 FINAL UPDATE. Our much loved Q5 TDI got totaled by someone who ran a red light at ~30 mph, hitting the right side about 70% front fender and 30% leading edge of the passenger door. The force pushed us across an intersection and the nose of the car center-punched a utility pole. Airbags deployed no injury beyond mild whiplash (driver) and right leg abrasions (passenger). Amazingly, the passenger door still opened. We were impressed with how well the car protected us from what could have been far more serious collision. We leased a Honda CR-V EX, which has been perfectly adequate with somewhat better driving dynamics than the Q5. Leasing because we're building a net zero home with large PV array. Our next SUV will be an EV, with Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 leading contenders at present. The Audi EVs are too expensive, too bloated, and too inefficient. Cons: 1. The steering has poor on-center feel which is a bit irritating when I set out on highway driving although after a bit of time I stop noticing it. 2. While the stopping power is adequate, the initial brake feel is spongy. I much prefer brakes that have a strong initial bite and linear rise in stopping power, like those on my Audi S4. [2019 update - brake feel and power didn't change much when the car got new rotors & pads at about 50,000 miles. The rotors lasted longer than those on the Toyota RAV4 that I owned before, but replacement was more expensive]. 3. The defroster is adequate but in very snowy conditions it would be nice to have a heated windshield base or heated washer fluid. 4. I would prefer to have engine stop start switch in a better position. The system itself is not bad; the engine restarts quickly and smoothly. But I only want to use it when I anticipate stopping more than 7 seconds, based on an Engineering Explained video. So I turn the system on and off multiple times in local driving. It's hard to find the switch without taking my eyes off the road. 5. The interior trim on the driver's side door and left front of the dashboard reflects sunlight on the instruments and windshield under some circumstances. It's an occasional minor irritation. Overall, it's hard to find much to complain about with this car! 6. 2019 update - this car has been quite reliable with the exception of a self-inflicted windshield washer issue when I put in RainX fluid and a failed O2 sensor that occurred after the NOx fix and was repaired under the extended warranty that came along with the settlement.
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TDI engine is a superstar
wolvesq, 04/27/2014
2014 Audi Q5 TDI Premium Plus quattro 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 8A)
65 of 66 people found this review helpful
I cross-shopped the Q5 against the X3 35i, XC60 T6, Range Rover Sport, and Cayenne. All had their strengths, but I fell in love with the Q5's TDI engine. In short, it provides the best of both worlds. It explodes off the line like a rocket thanks to its considerable low end torque, but also returns fantastic mpg, often reaching 35 mpg on the highway. I had no idea diesels were so much fun -- I preferred it to the petrol inline sixes in the XC60 and X3. You can get the same basic TDI engine in the Cayenne, but it's at least $20k premium over a similarly equipped Q5. And just so you don't think I'm too easy of a grader when I say it "explodes" off the line, I'm coming from a C63 AMG.
Beware timing chain tensioner at 75k miles!!
Peter Pan, 01/30/2018
2014 Audi Q5 2.0T Premium Plus quattro 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
31 of 31 people found this review helpful
The 2.0l engine has a poorly designed timing chain tensioner which is prone to failure around 75k miles - and will take your engine with it. There is a class action lawsuit about the problem (google it). The car also does not hold its value well - I’m told due to lack of reliability and sky high repair costs. That said, until the timing chain failed it was fun to drive and had been pretty reliable. However, at 74k miles when the timing chain tensioner failed, the engine repair costs exceeded the blue book value of the car (4.5 years old). The navigation system was clunky, it had no USB ports, and poor user interface for such an expensive car.
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Audi Q5 TDI - Better mileage than advertised
darioa, 03/25/2014
updated 03/27/2017
2014 Audi Q5 TDI Premium Plus quattro 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 8A)
40 of 42 people found this review helpful
My new 2014 Audi Q5 TDI has a little over 1700 miles. I've been very careful during the break-in period, which happened during extreme cold temperatures and much snow and ice on the roads for a few weeks in February. The car would start flawlessly every time even at temperatures of -20 F in the mountains of Colorado. I've averaged 25.5 mpg in the city during cold weather and snowy roads. On a 180 mile round trip from Winter Park to Steamboat Springs, where you start at 8800 ft, go down to 7000, then up to almost 11,000 ft and then down to 6,800 ft I averaged 35 mpg with 5 people in the car, skis on the roof and a fully loaded trunk. From Boulder to Colorado Springs and back I averaged 41.5 MPG. Update: After owning this vehicle for two years I'm just hoping it is not too good to be true with the diesel scandal. I bought it because it had power and speed to spare while using very little fuel and polluting less than a gasoline car. That may still be true for CO2 emissions, but it is not true for NOx emissions, and that is very disappointing. I'm hoping the fix will not reduce my power or fuel economy. I've averaged almost 31 mpg over 25,000 miles, with no mechanical or electrical problems. My biggest complain is the Google Earth based GPS. The time to arrival algorithm is not very accurate, especially when driving in the mountains. It can be 30 minutes off on a two hour drive. In the city though, it is accurate enough. I bought snow tires to get one more season out of the all seasons it came with, but I still think the original tires will not last as long as expected. The Audi Q5 is excellent in the snow with these new snow tires. I did notice an appreciable difference in traction, but it does not corner as well as with the all seasons, as expected. Last year we drove the car from Colorado to California and from Colorado to the East Coast. It was such a pleasure we may do it again this year. The seats get a bit hard after 6 hours drive, so we bought a seat cushion for long trips after the first one and our bottoms thanked us. Update: The major change I've seen is my mileage has increased to an average of 31.6 of combined driving in the third year, from 30.8 the first year. I don't know if that's due to the engine loosening up and becoming fully burned in, or because the original tires are getting worn out. I have 34,000 miles and I have measured up to 40.5 MPG on one trip. Usually the computer is off by up to 1 mpg, so figure at least 38-39 mpg on the highway through 3 Colorado mountain passes. I hope Audi can fix the diesel cheating problem without affecting performance. I don't know of any other car that can perform similarly or better (range, MPG, AWD, ground clearance, acceleration, comfort, luxury, quality). Maybe next year the plug-in hybrid can come close or surpass it. Update (Mar 26, 2017): Audi may offer to buy back my 3.0 TDI Audi Q5 if they cannot solve the diesel problems by December 2017. I would take them up on the offer if I could find another vehicle that performed equally or better than what I have for a similar price. I don't think there is one, if I want similar range (600+ miles), acceleration (6.2 sec 0-60 mph), fuel efficiency (30.8 MPG combined, down a bit because of the use of snow tires), road clearance (7.9 in) , turning diameter (38.1 ft), and combination of length and cargo space on an AWD car. I am very happy with this vehicle after 38,500 miles but I don't want the pollution stigma.
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Agile and sporty but not a sedan
seattle_driver, 10/14/2014
2014 Audi Q5 TDI Premium Plus quattro 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 8A)
36 of 38 people found this review helpful
I have had my 2014 Q5 TDI for around 6 months now so feel comfortable writing a review. Overall it's a great car: it's fun to drive and it feels agile and sporty. The mileage is generally better than advertised: we took a 2,000 mile road trip this summer and with 4 people and luggage we averaged just under 37 MPG -- going through the Canadian Rockies. I liked this car better than the other smaller SUVs I test-drove (Lexus, Cadillac, BMW.) On the down side, the steering can feel remote and the center of gravity is definitely higher than my 2000 Mercedes E 320 sedan (or maybe I'm just used to it) I ordered all of the options, including the tow hitch, which made the car rather expensive.
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