Touareg vs Q5

I am seriously considering replacing my Tiguan. I want a diesel, and am tired of waiting for VWoA to bring the Tig TDI here. I spent several days last week with a 2013 Lux, and was impressed. However, the Touareg is larger than I really need. The Audi Q5 is almost spot on size wise, but there are trade-offs between the Reg and the Q5.
Since the drive train is basically identical, my choice becomes more about the amenities of each model, along with the dealer experience. Comparing the top of the line models, there are a few differences between the two. Both the Audi and VW have premium audio, panoramic sunroofs and other niceties. The Audi offers Adaptive Cruise Control and ventilated seats. The VW offers a heated steering wheel. Don't laugh, I have a condition that makes my hands and feet extremely cold, and a heated wheel would be nice. The VW has more storage room with the seats up, while the Audi is a little more compact. The Audi will also get better mileage.
And then there's the dealers. I have a fantastic relationship with my VW dealer, and they bend over backwards for me. I visited the Audi dealer and remembered why people hate car salesmen so much! All he wanted to do was sell me the car I was testing, not one the way I wanted.
So, knowing you all are likely driving a VW and not an Audi o), what's the consensus here comparing the two? I realize the size difference makes this an apples to oranges comparison, but it's the two I will be deciding between. That is, unless I decide the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel would be ok as well!

Touareg. I personally like the looks better as well as the fact that Q5 and Tiguan just seem too small yet too big at the same time. The Touareg looks more "honest" to me.

Also if you have a great relationship with the dealer that goes a long way. Ventilated seats did nothing for me, personally, but I would love a heat steering wheel!

I'm a little in the same boat. My priorities are:

#1 diesel.

# 2 size--I'm more comfortable in a bigger car, also my adult kids as well as my golf buddies are 6 footers, so it's nicer to have a roomier back seat. After 4 years in a Jetta I'm ready to back to an SUV, also I need the 4WD in Pgh.

#3 same boat as you, great VW dealership, marginal audi dealership in my area.

I'll check out the Q 5 at the auto show in a couple of weeks, but I'm pretty well set on the Touareg.

When i bought the A6 I test drove a Q7 and could not fathom driving another suv. The sales guy said the Q5 drives more like the A6 from the Q7 but around my area the people who drive Q5's are younger and enjoy knowing they drive an "audi". Nothing wrong with that but I don't like to associate with those kinds of folks so I chose the A6. I would recommend you the Toureg. I think very little people know how nice they are. The T-reg was on my list, but a SUV was now no longer a necessity so on came the car.

You all pretty much are echoing what I have been feeling, but it's nice to hear it from you all. Even if none of you actually drive a Touareg right now!

Blankthis: I don't feel my Tiguan is too small, other than the "trunk" space. My 06 Jetta had more space back there, and it would be nice to have a little more room for my monthly trips to Sams Club.

I've had one nasty winter here in Seattle since I bought the Tig (2011). Nasty ice storm and lots of snow. I never felt once I couldn't get where I was going with my 4Motion. I'm sold on having AWD now.

It seems the majority of reviews I have read on the Touareg have called it a budget Porsche, since it is so similar to the Cayenne. And those descriptions were meant as a complement. Kind of puts the price in a little better context.

Thanks all!

Show us the new car when you get it!

P.S. I saw an R Touareg at my local dealer yesterday... GET IT.

We have a Touareg, but I've never driven a Q5 so I didn't want to comment initially. We also test drove a number of Tiguans as that was what we first were looking for. The Touareg feels large at first, especially compared to a Tiguan, but we've found it is none too large at all. There are times when the whole family takes a long trip that I wish there were more luggage space, and the driver has to come out of the golf bag for it to fit flat in the rear compartment. Our 09 Touareg is very manuverable, drive/rides well and we are very happy with it. I wish it got the fuel mileage of the newer models, but it still does well for such a heavy AWD SUV. Frankly I'd drive the Q5, research them both heavily, and do what I felt was best for me. Good luck in your search, it doesn't sound like you could go wrong with either one.

I have a 2012 Touareg TDI Sport with Nav. It is a bit over 2 yrs old and has about 38K miles. It has not needed any repairs so far. I chose this model because I did not want a panoramic roof. The added bonus is that the 18 inch wheels have tires that yield a better ride and longer life. On the down side, no memory for the power seats. I do not care about leather or wood trim. It gets about 30mpg on the highway. This model shares its platform with the Porsche Cayenne. The Q5 shares its platform with the A4. I believe you can delete the roof option on the Q5. It depends on how much room you need, mostly. The Touareg is actually comparable to the Porsche, MB ML, BMW X5. My opinion is that Diesel is the way to go for an SUV.

And another hat in the ring

Today BMW announced the 2015 X3, hitting dealers this spring. Big news: the same I-4 diesel that is now in the 3 Series. Base price of $43K undercuts the Q5, and certainly the Touareg. Have to see how it prices out with options. Knowing BMW, they can add up in a hurry.

I did a quick web pricing using the 2014 X3 i28 and added the appx $2K price over the '15 i28. Assuming roughly the same option availability and pricing, a diesel X3 they way I'd like would be just over $51k. That beats the Q5 TDI Prestige pretty handily. Does anyone know what HPFP BMW is using for the I-4? I wonder its the same family of Bosch pumps VW is having so much trouble with. I haven't heard of any BMW diesel pump issues, but did hear of trouble with their gas engine.

I wanted a Tiggy diesel, settled for a Touareg TDI, No regrets in the last 80k.

x3 with diesel option is great. Smaller engine is great too.

So couple of more options for you to consider
BMW 328d wagon xdrive 2l diesel
Mercedes GLK 250 4matic 2.1l diesel

Both lot better then the 3.0l tdi when it comes to fuel economy.

As I was reading through the posts, I was thinking you should add either Mercedes ML350 Bluetec or their new GLK250 Bluetec. My wife and I (mostly me, I'd like to stay VW) were back and forth between the ML and a t-reg. Now that MB offered the GLK with a smaller diesel, mileage should be better as well as price and that has made us reconsider the larger ML350. Add in that the BMW X3 and you've got more decisions to make.

I would recommend against the Jeep. They just have never put out a proven stable diesel option IMO. If they had, they'd still be selling a Liberty and GC and maybe would have done what they do in Europe and offer the Wrangler with a diesel as well.

Bill W said:

As I was reading through the posts, I was thinking you should add either Mercedes ML350 Bluetec or their new GLK250 Bluetec. My wife and I (mostly me, I'd like to stay VW) were back and forth between the ML and a t-reg. Now that MB offered the GLK with a smaller diesel, mileage should be better as well as price and that has made us reconsider the larger ML350. Add in that the BMW X3 and you've got more decisions to make.

I would recommend against the Jeep. They just have never put out a proven stable diesel option IMO. If they had, they'd still be selling a Liberty and GC and maybe would have done what they do in Europe and offer the Wrangler with a diesel as well.

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One big negative for me with the MB Diesels is their lack of a spare tire and the use of runflats. The use of ruflats and lack of spare is also one reason I would not consider BMWs ( I am not sure about hteir SUV Diesels). The Touareg TDI uses regular tires and an inflatable spare. The regular tires will give you a better ride, last longer and are cheaper to replace.

If you have a good relationship with your VW dealer, why not see if they will broker the Audi Q5 deal for you. Longer term, do the service for you. If not, for a host of reasons, you can research the Audi dealer you "like". Almost any to all dealerships that I have EVER dealt with have mentioned that in passing they can happily broker during the "process". Indeed I got my first TDI @ a GM dealer in a so called "rural" area.

The Audi Q5 TDI ($47,395 MSRP) and VW Touareg TDI are WAY (way, way,) different animals than your Tiquan ($24,170 MSRP) They are different animals between the two! !! This is not to mention the TDI DIFFERENCE !!! You really need to make sure you both understand all that , and probably more importantly are @ comfort with those differences and distinctions, longer term. Price differences are probably issues. So it will affect/effect what you actually compare.

An easy one is the Tiquan weighs 3,300#'s, with the 2.0 gasser engine. The Audi Q5 is at 4,050 #'s with a 3.0 L TDI with 428 # ft !!!!! The VW Touareg is @ 4,975#' with 3.0 L TDI 406 # ft !!!

Even right now, the 2014 VW Touareg TDI has and will have better incentives than the Audi Q5 and Q7. This is not even to mention it CAN be way cheaper, to WAY more expensive ! The VW TDI has three trim levels: Sport, Luxury, Executive, There is also a so called R- line. The 14 also has a commemorative TDI model. For further TMI and complications: Porsche Cayenne has a semi customizable TDI option !!!!! Needless to say pricing is and can be all over the map.

Bill W: I considered the GLK, but I pointed one out to my wife and she said no way! Also, my boss had one (gas engine) and ended up trading it for a Tiguan just like mine. He likes the VW better! The ML is closer to the Touareg than my Tig, and the size is the one reason that I hesitate to pull the trigger on the Egg.

Ruking: I asked my dealer once if he could get an Audi for me, and he said they weren't allowed to. I never used the term "broker" though. Maybe that might trigger an idea for them.

The Tig may have a MSRP of $24k, but my SEL 4motion had a sticker of $37 three years ago. So moving into the $40s or even low $50s isn't that much of a stretch. I also completely understand the different pricing levels. My dealer says I know more about their cars than most of the salesmen! I have also sent them over a dozen different customers over the past 10 years, in addition to the 4 cars I purchased myself.

Since I personally like all the bells and whistles, I don't expect my next car to be under $50k. I'd be satisfied with the Tiguan if it were only a diesel. I expect my next car purchase to probably be my last until (or after) I retire, with will probably be in about 7 years. If it's a diesel, I can probably keep it far longer than that!

mo_focus said:

x3 with diesel option is great. Smaller engine is great too.

So couple of more options for you to consider
BMW 328d wagon xdrive 2l diesel
Mercedes GLK 250 4matic 2.1l diesel

Both lot better then the 3.0l tdi when it comes to fuel economy.

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I want to keep with the CUV/SUV format. At my age (almost 60) it's a whole lot easier to slide into the seat opposed to dropping down into it.

As I mentioned to Bill W, my wife says no way to the GLK. And frankly, it's over-priced. Almost $55k for less equipment than (I estimate) BMW will have for the X3. Based on the announced X3 diesel list price and using current option prices (I'm sure they'll climb slightly) I may be able to get a really nice X3 diesel for about $52K. Better than the GLK, and much better than the Q5 TDI. The Audi would be more like $57k.

Touareg vs Passat

Hey Tom_B, I noticed in your signature line that you own both a PD Passat and a TDI Touareg! I have had my 2005 Passat TDI Wagon since nearly new (now 170k kms!) and have recently been debating moving to the Touareg TDI.

As you have first hand experience with both, I'm curious of your comparison... (performance, daily driving, cargo room, fuel economy, features, farfegnugen?)

Apologies to OP as it's not a comparison to Q5, but hopefully still valid arguments for/against Touareg?

Tom_B said:

We have a Touareg, but I've never driven a Q5 so I didn't want to comment initially. We also test drove a number of Tiguans as that was what we first were looking for. The Touareg feels large at first, especially compared to a Tiguan, but we've found it is none too large at all. There are times when the whole family takes a long trip that I wish there were more luggage space, and the driver has to come out of the golf bag for it to fit flat in the rear compartment. Our 09 Touareg is very manuverable, drive/rides well and we are very happy with it. I wish it got the fuel mileage of the newer models, but it still does well for such a heavy AWD SUV. Frankly I'd drive the Q5, research them both heavily, and do what I felt was best for me. Good luck in your search, it doesn't sound like you could go wrong with either one.

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ruking said:

If you have a good relationship with your VW dealer, why not see if they will broker the Audi Q5 deal for you. Longer term, do the service for you.

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I meant to say something like this yesterday, specifically the servicing since it is more or less a VW with different badges anyways.

The lack of a spare tire in the Mercedes is something I was unaware of though. I just assumed it came with a spare and the salesman never brought it up. One of those little things you never think to ask, at least I don't.

I'd probably go with the Touareg if I wanted to replace the Tiguan now. However, I've read the Tiguan will be redesigned in 2015-16. If replacing my current car wasn't a necessity, I'd likely wait another year or so to see if they put a TDI in it in the US and try to time the end of a 4 or 5 year loan to coincide with retirement, assuming you'd finance the purchase.

If you are looking to stay in the same size vehicle then go with the Q5. Service will remain the same since the Touareg shares a platform with the Porsche cayenne. You will be looking at pretty much the same price for brake jobs etc. (~$1300 or so from what I hear). The 3.0l TDI is a great engine. I have a 2013 touareg TDI and don't regret it one bit, but I needed the extra room. I drove the Q5 TDI and it was a great platform (the 400+ ft/lbs of torque is fun). So if you don't need the extra space or towing capacity (touareg is 7800 lbs and the Q5 is in the 5000 range I believe) then i'd go with the Audi.

The towing capacity of the Touareg is 7700 lbs and only if you are using the factory towing package. If you choose to go with aftermarket your tow rating goes down to 6000 lbs.

I'm not sure about other areas, but in my city as well as surrounding towns, you can't get a Touareg TDI without the tow package, unless you ordered it from the factory that way. And your right, I was off by 100lbs. Thanks. Its good to note also, if you get a factory tow package you lose out on the convenience opening of the rear hatch (use your leg to open it, like on fords). I haven't seen one with it yet, but its in the manual that they come with it. Not sure if its just a euro spec or not, but it is in the manual.

Bill W said:

I meant to say something like this yesterday, specifically the servicing since it is more or less a VW with different badges anyways.

The lack of a spare tire in the Mercedes is something I was unaware of though. I just assumed it came with a spare and the salesman never brought it up. One of those little things you never think to ask, at least I don't.

I'd probably go with the Touareg if I wanted to replace the Tiguan now. However, I've read the Tiguan will be redesigned in 2015-16. If replacing my current car wasn't a necessity, I'd likely wait another year or so to see if they put a TDI in it in the US and try to time the end of a 4 or 5 year loan to coincide with retirement, assuming you'd finance the purchase.

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MB puts the urea tank where spare would go on the ML, the GLK and E250. The Tiquan has beeen declared too expensive by VW for the US market. It will be replaced by a larger, cheaper 7 pass. vehicle made in the US along side the new Passat in TN. My guess is that this new SUV will eliminate the Touareg in the US market as well.

I appreciate all the responses. Thanks!

Since replacing the Tiguan isn't a necessity at the moment, I'm certainly going to wait to see how BMW prices the X3, and if they go too crazy I'll either go with the Audi or wait for whatever VW finally offers in the US (the CrossBlue or some other NA built product). If the Audi dealer keeps acting like a car salesman , then I'll stick with my VW dealer and grab a Touareg. Would just prefer the economy of the 4 cylinder.

canadawest said:

Hey Tom_B, I noticed in your signature line that you own both a PD Passat and a TDI Touareg! I have had my 2005 Passat TDI Wagon since nearly new (now 170k kms!) and have recently been debating moving to the Touareg TDI.

As you have first hand experience with both, I'm curious of your comparison... (performance, daily driving, cargo room, fuel economy, features, farfegnugen?)

Apologies to OP as it's not a comparison to Q5, but hopefully still valid arguments for/against Touareg?

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pm sent.

atc98002 said:

I appreciate all the responses. Thanks!

Since replacing the Tiguan isn't a necessity at the moment, I'm certainly going to wait to see how BMW prices the X3, and if they go too crazy I'll either go with the Audi or wait for whatever VW finally offers in the US (the CrossBlue or some other NA built product). If the Audi dealer keeps acting like a car salesman , then I'll stick with my VW dealer and grab a Touareg. Would just prefer the economy of the 4 cylinder.

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I think it's hilarious that the daughter driving the beatle is the "other daughter." Does she know she's the "other" daughter? Lol

Bill W said:

I think it's hilarious that the daughter driving the beatle is the "other daughter." Does she know she's the "other" daughter? Lol

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Especially since she's the oldest!

I guess I otter change that. Thanks Bill!

After driving both for a considerable amount of time...Touareg TDI anytime.

Yeti35 said:

The towing capacity of the Touareg is 7700 lbs and only if you are using the factory towing package. If you choose to go with aftermarket your tow rating goes down to 6000 lbs.

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I'm in a 2013 Treg TDI Sport w/ tow package. Dealer advises that factory installed hitch not available after 2013 model year. If that's true, it reduces two capacity for 2014 MY to aftermarket tow rating.

mo_focus said:

x3 with diesel option is great. Smaller engine is great too.
So couple of more options for you to consider
BMW 328d wagon xdrive 2l diesel
Mercedes GLK 250 4matic 2.1l diesel
Both lot better then the 3.0l tdi when it comes to fuel economy.

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I wonder if VW monitors the forums at all. My service tech got sent by VW out to Nevada for field testing and training on the Treg vs. what VW considers to be the top two competing vehicles. They consider the Acura MDX and BMW X5 to be the top competition. As I read through the forums where posters are considering different vehicles, I don't see the MDX ever mentioned and only on occasion the X5. Perhaps a part of the reason is that this is a diesel forum, but I wonder if VW truly understands what the competitive vehicles are here.

VW/Porsche Fahrer said:

My guess is that this new SUV will eliminate the Touareg in the US market as well.

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I can't fathom the Touareg is going anywhere except more up market where it was intended in the first place. As long as the Cayenne is being built there will be a Touareg. Problem with the Touareg as well as the past Pheaton is the dealers treated those customers just like their Golf and Jetta customers. That turned a lot of people off. Personally I don't feel there should be different levels of CS, but all should be treated the same in that they take care of you no matter what you drive.
Some dealers are getting better with this, but no all of them.