[ando]

Looks awesome with the 21s and I like the Audi black panel instrument cluster better than BMW. Congrats

[vladberca]

SQ5 arrived earlier.
In terms of performance will be behind the M40i.
For the rest of the facts, the next comparatives will highlight the positive aspects of each car.
Just curious to see the final facts

[jjl]

For people like me with kids - 29.1 Cu ft cargo capacity for M40i vs. 26.8 for SQ5. My brother informs me the cargo area in his Q5 is really small, partly due to the sloping rear hatch. M40i wins on this alone for me.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by damnitBobby

I'll post what I liked and disliked about the Macan S and GLC43 below. But keep in mind you can't go wrong with any of these cars they are all very good. The order of my test drives was SQ5 --> GLC43 --> Macan S.

The GLC43 has a noticeably stronger motor. It pulled harder and had a more hardcore feel to it. The exhaust note was also more raw and raspy. The exterior was not my taste though. The dotted front grill was an eye sore and kept reminding me it's not a real AMG. The rear exhaust tips look like someone melted them. I loved the meaty tires though gave it a nice aggressive look from behind. The interior was good but the front passenger area felt smaller compared to the SQ5. Seats were cushy but the leather quality wasn't as good as Audi. I despise the Command system so that wasn't helping either. The transmission was quick when driven fast but felt laggy when you drove casually. I didn't like it very much. It had more noise inside the cabin compared to the SQ5. The air ride was nicely sprung but it didn't have the adjustability like the SQ5. The SQ5 is very cushy in comfort mode but gets reasonably firm in Dynamic mode.

The Macan S was a fine driver's car. The motor was slick and loved to rev. In fact I thought it was lacking some grunt down low and you had to constantly rev it out. It definitely felt the most agile. The air ride was comfortable though I'd say about as on par with the SQ5. The interior felt a little dated, though it was composed of good quality material. The buttons up and down the center console made me laugh. It's just ridiculous to have that many buttons. The transmission was great fast when you wanted it and smooth when driven normally. The cargo area was smallest of the three and rear seat area was somewhat cramped. The test car had a $79k price tag and it didn't even include keyless entry! Similarly equipped a Macan S is about $18-20k more expensive (not including the additional maintenance costs). Overall a good car but I simply could not find the value in it.

The SQ5 just did everything so well and for a reasonable price. The interior is modern and solid, the ride quality is superb, the tech is best in class, and it's quick enough for me. Also worth mentioning is the fuel mileage I'm getting. Going 65mph and 75mph I get 31mpg and 27mpg respectively. That's significantly better than the EPA rating of 24mpg highway. Even C&D got an observed 75mph highway mileage of 28mpg. Just another way the SQ5 has impressed me.

Interesting...I was between the SQ5 and Macan S as well. Sat in the Audi and it didn’t wow me as much as the Porsche. The seats weren’t as comfortable and the rear seats were a bit annoying with that large hump on the floor. Didn’t test drive it though mainly due to what we felt in it. Sounds like I should go back and test drive it.

[seis-speed]

This thread is perfect for me.

I am looking for a stiff/sporty 5 passenger SUV that will drive like a car. My DD currently is an M3 and I hall three kids in it for trips, but I want to be able to haul skis on the roof, bikes on a hitch, and have AWD for snow and ice. I will never go off-roading so the air suspension for me would be set to dynamic and never changed. I also plan to lease since both are new models.

I have kind of narrowed it down to the X3 and SQ5... Am I headed in the right direction?

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

This thread is perfect for me.

I am looking for a stiff/sporty 5 passenger SUV that will drive like a car. My DD currently is an M3 and I hall three kids in it for trips, but I want to be able to haul skis on the roof, bikes on a hitch, and have AWD for snow and ice. I will never go off-roading so the air suspension for me would be set to dynamic and never changed. I also plan to lease since both are new models.

I have kind of narrowed it down to the X3 and SQ5... Am I headed in the right direction?

Per this thread I went back to an Audi dealer to test drive and SQ5. I was pretty disappointed. There was a constant droning noise in all driving modes. Steering feel was alright. Suspension I felt was pretty comfortable. Did not like the seats at all. Maybe I just have different taste than you guys but I felt the leather seats were a bit too sporty (not much cushioning). Overall, for an SUV, I actually liked the Q5 better than SQ5. If your kids are small and you don’t need the most space available or all the bells and whistles, then look at Porsche Macan. It drives incredibly well (much, much like a car).

[Transfer]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

This thread is perfect for me.

I am looking for a stiff/sporty 5 passenger SUV that will drive like a car. My DD currently is an M3 and I hall three kids in it for trips, but I want to be able to haul skis on the roof, bikes on a hitch, and have AWD for snow and ice. I will never go off-roading so the air suspension for me would be set to dynamic and never changed. I also plan to lease since both are new models.

I have kind of narrowed it down to the X3 and SQ5... Am I headed in the right direction?

I love my SQ5 but I bet you would regret it. M40i or Macan will likely better suit you. The Audi is fast but not hair on fire fast and it?s more about a luxury experience that can get a little wild if you want to rather than a stiff and sporty canyon carver.