SQ5 Research

[Looking For SQ5]

Thankyou guys :)

Been really busy so haven't really had time to take some photos or clean it (it's been raining off and on in Melbourne), but see below for a link.

https://ibb.co/Pgp21nT

[Alister]

Nice - they do look good in black. Handy that it's got the tow bar too.

[Fezza]

to chime in, have had my 2014 SQ5 TDI since 2017 with 60K on the clock, and 4 years later with 85K now it's been fantastic with 0 issues (don't have sunroof). recently got a transmission service done just because I like to take care of my cars :) and it's tuned by Ramp Autogroup (they say +80hp and +100nm, haven't scientifically checked the numbers but you can certainly feel it). I always use Mobil1 5-30 ESP with BP Ultimate diesel and have had no DPF issues even though it does 90% short/city drives.

[Looking For SQ5]

Hey guys :)

It's been now over 2 months since I got my SQ5 and I can now provide some more feedback after 5,000kms of driving.

There's both good and bad.

(+)
- Performance - Quick and fast after it responds (after the turbo lag)
- Fuel Economy - Returns around 9L/100km combined with 50/50 city/freeway, but expected it to be around 7-8L/100km considering the official fuel figure of 6.8L/100km
- Higher driving position compared to a sedan, but this is a given as its an SUV

(-)
- Turbo Lag and Throttle Response - Takes a good 1 second to respond to throttle input, both when accelerating gently or planting the foot - definitely not what I experienced in an N/A car
- First start in the morning - When taking off for the first time, a slight 'jump' / hesitation when it reaches 1.5k revs - after that is okay. Sometimes revs also 'bounce' up and down / slight jerkiness when cold and at low speeds
- Rear seats - Rattles and squeaks when going over slightly unsmooth roads, sometimes drives me insane!
- Reverse camera dynamic line guidance - Would have preferred that the line does not move in-line with steering
- Reverse camera takes a good 1 second to engage after selecting 'R'
- Sunroof sunshade creaks when sunshade is half opened
- Sunvisor clips terrible, had to remove them and squeeze with pliers to be able to detach for side shading
- Footwell footrest too low - ie. Should have been thicker so that feet are able to actually rest on it (I'm 6'+ and with my driving position, my feet don't even reach the footrest)
- Footwell too narrow
- Fuel Economy nowhere near as claimed
- When spraying down the car at a carwash, doors constantly lock / unlock due to water being sprayed on door handle
- MMI - controls only on console and not on steering wheel (ie. Changing tracks etc only via the controls on the centre console)
- Bluetooth sometimes taking a minute to connect

Sadly there's more negatives than positives and I do have some buyers' regret...

[jamesatfish]

- Reverse camera dynamic line guidance - Would have preferred that the line does not move in-line with steering

I’m pretty sure this can be disabled with VCDS or OBD11, if you have access to either of those tools.

- When spraying down the car at a carwash, doors constantly lock / unlock due to water being sprayed on door handle

It may seem counter intuitive, but leave the keys in the car in this situation. The car won’t lock with the keys inside the car itself.

- MMI - controls only on console and not on steering wheel (ie. Changing tracks etc only via the controls on the centre console)

The * button can be programmed for a number of functions, including as a “next track/station” button for the MMI. The setting is in the Car section of the MMI. That way you can at least control audio volume, mute and next track from the steering wheel.

[GrimsRaven]

Hey mate,

I just picked up my 2014 SQ5 last Tuesday. Good to read your negatives. I must admit I haven't noticed the turbo lag, however this may be due to never really owning a vehicle with this much power before. I've noticed some of the other stuff ie; the footwell too narrow and the bluetooth taking it's time (figure that's from 7 year old tech), but I like to think of it as part of the character of the vehicle. Kinda like the Millennium Falcon, there's beauty in the flaws.

[Looking For SQ5]

I’m pretty sure this can be disabled with VCDS or OBD11, if you have access to either of those tools.

It may seem counter intuitive, but leave the keys in the car in this situation. The car won’t lock with the keys inside the car itself.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if the car would lock itself or not if the keys are left inside, so I took them and kept them in my pocket just in case.

The * button can be programmed for a number of functions, including as a “next track/station” button for the MMI. The setting is in the Car section of the MMI. That way you can at least control audio volume, mute and next track from the steering wheel.

My model is a 8R model so it doesn't have the programmable "*" button on the steering wheel.

Hey mate,

I just picked up my 2014 SQ5 last Tuesday. Good to read your negatives. I must admit I haven't noticed the turbo lag, however this may be due to never really owning a vehicle with this much power before. I've noticed some of the other stuff ie; the footwell too narrow and the bluetooth taking it's time (figure that's from 7 year old tech), but I like to think of it as part of the character of the vehicle. Kinda like the Millennium Falcon, there's beauty in the flaws.

Hey, congrats on getting your SQ5! My model is also a 2014 8R model.
My previous car was a 2013 50-series Aurion and whilst it is completely different (Sedan, N/A, and purely "a Toyota"), I am actually missing the car and how it drove.
Maybe it's just me and I'm just used to an N/A Petrol drivetrain, and also expecting "so much more" from the Audi, simply because it's a Euro car?

Don't get me wrong, the SQ5 is a great car, but I'm thinking if I got a bad example, considering all the little things that I've mentioned - ie. short flare / hesitation @ 1.5k rpm for the first take-off for the day, rattles in the back seat, bluetooth taking a while to connect, economy nowhere near as claimed etc.

[Alister]

- Reverse camera takes a good 1 second to engage after selecting 'R'
- Bluetooth sometimes taking a minute to connect

FYI there is updates to the MMI firmware which may fix some of this behaviour.

- When spraying down the car at a carwash, doors constantly lock / unlock due to water being sprayed on door handle

Put the key in the driver's footwell/doorcard/centre console when washing it, instead of having it on your person.

[Looking For SQ5]

FYI there is updates to the MMI firmware which may fix some of this behaviour.


Put the key in the driver's footwell/doorcard/centre console when washing it, instead of having it on your person.

I did look into this and saw upgrademyaudi.net as a website with some upgrade options - anyone can vouch for this?

Also, I didn't want to risk being locked out of my car, that's why I kept the key fob on me.

[kookie]

I picked mine up late last year and don't have any of the issues you mentioned.


- Mine sits at a 7L/100km with short trips and on freeways it dips below 6. (Have you checked your tire pressues? mine was at 44psi when I picked it up. Lowered it to 36 and has been fine since)
- Turbo lag = welcome to the boosted club. You should see how much lag is on a toyota single turbo :)
- Parked in the garage so never seen any weird issues on startup. I do let the idle on the car drop below 1,000 rpm before jetting off.
- Only squeak I had was the sunroof, but i lubricated it and has been fine.
- I'm only 174cm tall and the wife is 154 so can't comment on the leg space.

The bluetooth and MMI I don't fuss over normally sits on the radio unless we are in for a road trip.

Hope some of these help you with the issues you have.