TDI veteran, now in Q5

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
Hi! Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm a 2011 Touareg TDI owner awaiting buyback. I couldn't face a future without diesel torque so I just purchased a 2015 Q5 TDI. I am confident that the 3.0l gen 2 fix will leave us in good shape. Also I am betting that good service on the TDI engine will be available either through my Audi dealer or third party mechanics in Knoxville, a city with several Euro-brand independent mechanics. That said, the generous buyback is what enables me to swap into the Q5, gaining four model years and losing 64000 odometer miles (from 72k to 8k).

I know many owners are pissed at VW group, and for plenty of good reasons, but I am trying to make the most of this weird situation. Most people, I think, would agree that the 3.0 TDI is a beautiful beast of an engine.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
My wife and I both have Q5 TDI's and love them. I've had mine for about a year and a half, but we recently purchased hers when we sold the Passat TDI back to VW. What color did you get? Do you have any plans to modify it?
 

RebelTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
TDI
2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
Once you drive a 3L turbodiesel, it's hard to go back to the smaller diesels. The 3L is so much more powerful and smoother. You don't take a big hit in terms of mpgs. My Q5 gets upper 30s on the highway and the 535d gets mid 40s. It's a case of having your cake and eating it, too:)
 

bioburner

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Location
Out there
TDI
02 Wagon 285k - Gone ‘10 JSW - Gone '13 Q7 145k
I'll join the party here, the dieselgate forum is such a downer. Had exceptional service from an '03 wagon, bought a JSW post dieselgate (that's going back next week for a nice profit) and couldn't resist getting a Q7 for a very reasonable price. I look forward to the extended warranty that will come along with the "fix". The 3.0 is very satisfying to drive. Thanks VAG for making outstanding vehicles .
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
My wife and I both have Q5 TDI's and love them. I've had mine for about a year and a half, but we recently purchased hers when we sold the Passat TDI back to VW. What color did you get? Do you have any plans to modify it?
Cuvée silver with chestnut interior, sport package, technology package, 20 inch wheels. Beautiful car. It'll take some adjusting back to a knob and button approach to the infotainment, since the Touareg has a touch screen. On the trip back from the dealer I was going faster than I intended...forgot I was hauling like 1000 less with the same engine!
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
I've also made the move from the 2-liters to a Q5 TDI--a 2014 in my case, Monsoon Gray with gray interior and the Prestige package. I do miss 40+ mpg, but the Q5 is a very nice ride.
 

RebelTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
TDI
2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
Audis are really nice. They do an interior right. What's the plan for the A3?
 

DanB36

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Location
Savannah, GA
TDI
2014 Q5 Prestige TDI, Monsoon Gray
The A3 has replaced my wife's Mustang. A very different car, but she's happy with it. I was thinking I might have to spring for an S3, but maybe we'll look at a tune for the A3 once the fix is sorted out.
 

psd1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Location
OR
TDI
2006 Jetta 2013 Passat SE 6Man
Us too!

Interesting, we bought a 14 Q5 Prestige TDI on the 2nd to replace the 12 Touareg we bought in November to replace the 13 Passat that we sell back in March. Now we will sell back the Touareg and wait for the outcome on the Q5.

The Q5 is a step above the Touareg for sure fit and finish wise and should return better mileage. I would like to look in to tuning it but I will wait for Gen II 3.0 news.
 

aimstylus

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Location
Atlanta
TDI
'12 Golf, '15 Q5
I'm in the same boat!

Purchased a 15 Q5 with the TDi yesterday to replace my 12 Golf TDi

Can't wait to get it tuned and dpf/adblue deleted :)
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
I installed the Chipwerke Pro module on my wife's Q5 TDI last week. It makes a huge difference in the power while improving the fuel economy.
 

RebelTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
TDI
2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
Interesting. Can you give us some before and after mpg data? I've never thought the 3L TDI to be lacking in power, but it must be pretty impressive now.
 

KITEWAGON

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Location
Seacoast, NH
TDI
2014 Touareg Exec, 2014 JSW
Are the Q5 TDI's completely outside of the scandal? Or are they the same as the 2014 Touareg that we just bought with an expectation of a software fix?

A Q5 with a 3.0 TDI must be great fun. I thought that they only offered those with a 2.0 TDI for some reason. They haven't been in the budget so I haven't looked closely at them.
 

Dr Chill

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2016
Location
South Florida
TDI
2016 A8L TDI
I drove a Q5 TDI followed by a Cayenne diesel after learning about my buyback amount for my 15 A3 TDI. Then I made a trip 45 minutes away to drive a 14 A8L TDI. After that I focused only on a facelifted 15-16 A8L TDI until I found the color and price that was right for me. The A8L TDI is an amazing car. The 3.0 liter TDI is an amazing motor regardless which vehicle it comes in. I still can't believe I am getting 38 highway mpg in such a huge heavy vehicle. When my dashboard says 780 mile range when I fill up always brings a smile to my face.
 

lml999

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Location
Boston
TDI
2010 Touareg V6 TDI
Hi! Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm a 2011 Touareg TDI owner awaiting buyback. I couldn't face a future without diesel torque so I just purchased a 2015 Q5 TDI. I am confident that the 3.0l gen 2 fix will leave us in good shape. Also I am betting that good service on the TDI engine will be available either through my Audi dealer or third party mechanics in Knoxville, a city with several Euro-brand independent mechanics. That said, the generous buyback is what enables me to swap into the Q5, gaining four model years and losing 64000 odometer miles (from 72k to 8k)..
I'm thinking about the same move, from a '10 TDI with air suspension. Do you find much difference in ride or handling in the Q5 versus the Touareg? Did you consider a newer Touareg?

Thanks!
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
You’ll feel the difference going down from a large SUV to a midsize. On the one hand the Touareg is large, a bit slower in the corners, but unquestionably dependable in wet and snow. On the other hand the Q5 is faster, handles better, gets ridiculously better mileage, but smaller and doesn’t tow. For me, the Q5 drives better and is a more refined car. The smaller size and having to be a little more cautious in wet and snow were acceptable trade offs. I love my Q5 even more than I did my Treg.
 

tobianogreg

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Location
Kamloops BC Canada
TDI
2013 Jetta returned
Doesn't tow? I'm considering a Q5 TDI and am wondering about this statement. Is the problem the tail wagging the dog scenario with the shorter wheelbase cause it sounds like Q5's have the torque for it.

Thanks.
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
The Q5 is capable of towing a modest load, 4500 lbs if I recall correctly. The Touareg has a tow rating of 7600 lbs and can tow a two slot horse trailer or a decent sized boat. Yes, the torque is there but if you drove both cars you’d sense the difference in vehicle weight, stability, and suspension.
 

bhuizer

Well-known member
Joined
May 26, 2017
Location
Iowa
TDI
2014 Toureg TDI, 2014 Q5 TDI, Past: 2012 Touareg TDI, 2012 Jetta TDI
We have a 2014 Touareg TDI and a 2014 Q5 TDI. If I had to pick one vehicle to own it would be the Touareg hands down because it can do anything. However, if you ask my wife she would pick the Q5 because of it's nimble handling and power. They are similar, but two totally different cars. If you spend most of your time on the highway or in the city, the Q5 would be a good choice. If you want to use it for anything utility wise (towing, hauling, offroad driving) then I would go with the Touareg. It also has noticeably more interior room. On the flip side the Q5 is a beast, gets excellent mileage (35mpg on the highway), and the Bang and Olufsen stereo is awesome in the Audi!

I guess you could just be like us and get both! Lol
 
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BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
We love our Q5 TDI’s. My wife and I both have one. The only issue that we’ve had was with the backup camera on both vehicles. I noticed that my wife’s camera stopped displaying in color so I took it to the dealership and they changed it. While it was there they checked a few others that were on the lot and they had the same issue. About a month later my Q5 had the same issue and the service manager told me that I was the first to bring one in for the issue, but they’d seen 10+ vehicles since then with the same issue.
 

av8r

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Location
Lost Wages
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI (#23rd in prod), Black. 2014 Audi Q5 TDI, Black
I'm in. Picked up a 2014 Audi Q5 TDI to replace the VW Jetta TDI. All I can say is WOW!
 

IA DPE

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Location
Iowa USA
TDI
2009 Jetta (sold back 08/18); 2014 Q5 (totaled 12/19😥); 2013 Dodge Cummins
I'm in. Picked up a 2014 Audi Q5 TDI to replace the VW Jetta TDI. All I can say is WOW!
The smile will grow with time. I did the same thing two years ago and am still happy with the decision.
 
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av8r

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Location
Lost Wages
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI (#23rd in prod), Black. 2014 Audi Q5 TDI, Black
Yep, plenty pleased. Just avg'd 30MPG on the last tank (manually calculated). Most impressed with the performance and the typical German cockpit bells and whistles--the thing is loaded!
 

Pat Dolan

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2002
Location
Martensville, SK
TDI
2003 A4 Variant, 2015 Q7
I drove a Q5 TDI followed by a Cayenne diesel after learning about my buyback amount for my 15 A3 TDI. Then I made a trip 45 minutes away to drive a 14 A8L TDI. After that I focused only on a facelifted 15-16 A8L TDI until I found the color and price that was right for me. The A8L TDI is an amazing car. The 3.0 liter TDI is an amazing motor regardless which vehicle it comes in. I still can't believe I am getting 38 highway mpg in such a huge heavy vehicle. When my dashboard says 780 mile range when I fill up always brings a smile to my face.
That was my struggle. I really WANT an A8tdi, but since we added a small farm to our list of things we need to take are of, the Q7 with great cargo area won out. Wife's '03 Jetta wagon will get a turn through the shop this winter (I hope) and I will add more boost, bigger injectors and more IC, plus take care of the ravages of 360k of hard use. I woship the simplicity of the ALH, and admit to be **** scared of all of the electronics/emissions crap on the 6 banger, but fools rush in.....
 

Pittdawg

Veteran Member
Joined
May 28, 2018
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
2014 Audi Q5 TDI
You’ll feel the difference going down from a large SUV to a midsize. On the one hand the Touareg is large, a bit slower in the corners, but unquestionably dependable in wet and snow. On the other hand the Q5 is faster, handles better, gets ridiculously better mileage, but smaller and doesn’t tow. For me, the Q5 drives better and is a more refined car. The smaller size and having to be a little more cautious in wet and snow were acceptable trade offs. I love my Q5 even more than I did my Treg.
I'm in Socal so no experience with the Q5 in snow and very little with rain; so what's the issue with the Q5 in wet and snow? It's still AWD...
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
I'm in Socal so no experience with the Q5 in snow and very little with rain; so what's the issue with the Q5 in wet and snow? It's still AWD...

The weight of the Touareg and the wider stance make it more surefooted in snow. Not that the Q5 is not stable, but this is another level. As for rain, since I changed tires my performance in rain has been excellent in the Q5.
 
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