Anybody own or lease one? Feedback would be appreciated. The 2014 offers a TDI model, but it comes with this auto start-stop on the engine when you are stopped at a light, in order to improve fuel efficiency. I'd think hat is quite annoying and potentially invites probs down the road. Do other makes have this feature nowadays?
Only if you own. Leasing should be fine. Also, if anything if you're looking for durability I'd go with Japanese cars.
My youngest sister drives the new BMW 3 series and it has this function. She was annoyed too at first, but it does save about 10% in fuel economy in the city - even more during rush hour. If you like instant feedback from your cars (naturally-aspirated vs. supercharger/turbocharger lag), then it might be a problem. You can get it reprogrammed apparently, but this may only be a BMW feature. From personal experience, most slightly prefer the Audi SUV over its MB and BMW competitors. The exterior and the brand stand out more because many in my community drive the latter two. Oh, and one friend in particular hated the Audi dealers in Houston for servicing the car.
We own a 2011 Q5 and its been a great car so far. Audicare will cover almost everything, but its just like prepaying for service. Been very happy with audi everything so far, and will probably continue to buy one for my next car.
Ditto here. We have a 2011 Q5 and my wife and I love it. It is so quite and such a smooth ride. We don not have the feature that improves fuel economy; therefore, I can't comment on that. I live in Illinois, when we got it, there were few on the road (Lexus dominated). Now you see them more frequently. I like the car so much that our next car may be another Audi (A5 or A6). Also, I have a 2002 Toyota Corolla with 140k miles -- it has been reliable but it started to feel loose around 40k miles. The Audi still feels very tight as if the car was brand new. The Toyota is extremely noisy!
I had the Q5 for over 2 years and loved the car/SUV. It was a 2011 model so the start/stop feature wasn't on it, but otherwise a great SUV. I traded it in for an A6 that has the start/stop feature and it works pretty well. At first, it's kind of spooky having the engine stop at a red light/stop sign, but after a few days, you won't even notice it. The car starts up instantly once you let go of the brakes. The feature can be turned off. I'm going on my 4th consecutive Audi and so far no issues, they're good looking, quality vehicles, IMO.
I'm about to hit 225,000 miles on my car and will have a new one by Spring of next year. And hayul no, I ain't gettin' no Audi. lol. If you think a 2 year-old car with no issues is a big deal, then you may do ok. If you want to keep the vehicle for 5-10 years, get something else that will last. If you're leasing, the Audi may make sense, as well. Check out forums like Audizine.com. Also check to see how big a problem carbon build-up on their engines are. Audi had all kinds of problems with some of their DI engines the past few years gunking up on vehicles with less than 50,000 miles, and the cleaning/repairs weren't cheap.
While we're tossing out anecdotal evidence, I know of quite a few Audis with that mileage or higher with no issues and nothing but regular maintenance. My last 4 cars have been VAG cars (Audi A4, Audi TT Roadster, VW GTI, VW Golf R) and my wife's last two have been VWs as well (TDI Jetta and TDI Passat) and we haven't had any issues with any of them. YMMV, of course. Also, I'm pretty sure carbon buildup isn't a problem on the TDI (diesel, you know) engines like the one the OP was referring to.
You know in 2016 the Q5s will be rolling off the production line in Mexico. The two will probably be sharing 75-80% of the same materials.
Did you seriously just compare the Toyota Corolla to an Audi in terms of ride?? Other than the fact that they both have 4 wheels, they are two different things. Corolla - One of the all time best selling cars because of its reliability, fuel efficiency, low maintenance cost, and high resale value. The ride comfort level is not really high on the list of things that a Corolla buyer is looking for. General Audi - An Audi customer is looking for Ride experience (performance and comfort), and some get it for the status symbol. But then they pay for it in terms of low reliability, a lot higher repair and maintenance costs, and lower resale value. After graduating a finding a new job, my cousin got a brand new A4. Since then it has visited the mechanic 2 times for repairs. His father owns an eighteen year old Toyota Tercel which easily has over 200,000 miles and still running strong. And I believe a Corolla is even better than that tiny Tercel in terms of reliability.
