Looking for feedback on Q5 - First time buyer

[HardHitter]

I'm looking for an SUV for my wife and were pretty much set on a 2017 Mazda CX5. I've kept my eyes on Q5 prices and cars available and it looks like there is a 2013 Q5 3.0T Premium Plus available with a $27,500 asking price. Details below:

- 2013 Q5 3.0T Premium Plus with S-Line Package
- Options include MMI Navigation Plus, Sport Interior Package, Bang & Olusfen system, heated front seats, panoramic moon roof, etc.
- Clean carfax (2 owners) with all maintenance done/documented at Audi dealership
- 32,000 miles
- CPO car with 100K mile warranty through 6/2019
- Audicare 35K & 45K maintenance is prepaid and can be used at any Audi dealership

Thoughts on the asking price of the car? I'll likely end up checking it out sometime this week.

[Plumpzz]

Good price. Best high power suv you can buy at that price point. We test drive other cars and they couldn’t compete with reliability, comfort, interior or power. After a year of ownership my only criticism is that the trunk could be larger.


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[BlackSVT]

Based on the cars you've owned, I'd say this is a great choice! The 3.0Ts are real detuned sleepers woken up to 400+hp with nothing more than a Stage 1 or 2 tune... but I digress
The price actually seems pretty solid given the warranty, low mileage and paid maintenance

I have my '13 since new, and I'm usually pretty impatient about getting into something different after a couple of years. Not so this time. In fact, I'm starting to get a bit concerned because I'm pushing 80k and nothing in sight looks even remotely attractive
Good Luck!

[SQive]

^ WORD ^

[VroomVroom]

Sounds very similar to my '13...which was only replaced because of my lust for the S prefix. All the right confidence boxes are clicked here - two service visits covered, and just under 18 months of warranty coverage. If your Mrs. enjoys it, I'd recommend it without hesitation. Good luck.

[BierJager]

I'll play the foil.
I've owned a couple Mazdas. We looked at, but ultimately didn't drive 2017 CX9. I had heard stories about paint quality on the wheels and such and wasn't sure about first gen production.
I think you'll find the CX-5 to feel more nimble and lighter and it will get better mileage. While nice inside, the interior quality won't be similar level to the Audi which is great and sold me quite hard. The Q5 will have a tremendous torque advantage even stock and feel loads faster to drive around town. If this is for your wife and the Audi prestige doesn't push buttons and the power doesn't matter that much or she'll never use it, you might consider the less expensive Mazda a better route.
My wife's last car was a 2010 CX-9 and my last car was a 2009 Mazdaspeed3. When I drive her Q5 3.0T I burn more gas than she does in three days. It pulls much like my Mazdaspeed did ( when it was stock ) but it slays in the snow. I think she just likes the Q5 because of what it is, not as much for what it does, and a CX-5 probably would have done the job for us. I do agree we often want more rear storage when 4 of us are in the Q5. If she likes the Mazda more and it has enough room, you might follow her lead.

[HardHitter]

I'll play the foil.
I've owned a couple Mazdas. We looked at, but ultimately didn't drive 2017 CX9. I had heard stories about paint quality on the wheels and such and wasn't sure about first gen production.
I think you'll find the CX-5 to feel more nimble and lighter and it will get better mileage. While nice inside, the interior quality won't be similar level to the Audi which is great and sold me quite hard. The Q5 will have a tremendous torque advantage even stock and feel loads faster to drive around town. If this is for your wife and the Audi prestige doesn't push buttons and the power doesn't matter that much or she'll never use it, you might consider the less expensive Mazda a better route.
My wife's last car was a 2010 CX-9 and my last car was a 2009 Mazdaspeed3. When I drive her Q5 3.0T I burn more gas than she does in three days. It pulls much like my Mazdaspeed did ( when it was stock ) but it slays in the snow. I think she just likes the Q5 because of what it is, not as much for what it does, and a CX-5 probably would have done the job for us. I do agree we often want more rear storage when 4 of us are in the Q5. If she likes the Mazda more and it has enough room, you might follow her lead.

To be honest, when we started looking at cars I started off asking what it is she wants in a car. She said for it to look cool...so yes, not much. She doesn’t care about power and feature wise she said she wants Bluetooth so she doesn’t need to use an AUX cable. Yes low expectations since that comes standard in all cars now haha.

So to let you know, I can get a 2017 new fully loaded Mazda CX-5 for about $30k to $32k out the door. Incentives so far are 60 month 0% and their warranty. My guess is maintenance wise the Mazda will be cheaper. Although this is her car, I sort of am looking at this as a car for myself as well even though I’ll rarely drive it (I have a 2012 Mazdaspeed3 for my daily and 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo for my fun) but I probably shouldn’t and be happy that she rather take a Mazda over an Audi instead of automatically wanting the prestige of an Audi vs Mazda.

[JonS4]

......but I probably shouldn’t and be happy that she rather take a Mazda over an Audi instead of automatically wanting the prestige of an Audi vs Mazda.

The Mrs. drives a 2013 Q5 3.0T, bought it new. Being a 20 year Audi guy and already with a 3.0T in the garage, she initially humoured me in going for a test drive. Now, you couldn't pry her fingers off the thing. Added an EPL tune and the thing is amazingly smooth and responsive and she absolutely loves it. Nothing to do with prestige, she just loves the ride and competence it shows getting her from A to B. We do use the Q for roadies and ski trips and to tow the boat trailer coupla times a year so maybe our use is a bit different than yours. But for $27.5K and a big wack of depreciation off the thing, I would be giving it a fair road test before passing judgement.

[Pro Stock John]

As I've gotten older I have tried to keep pre-owned miles to under 25K, but you have that warranty through 2019 and you could even probably extend that I'm guessing.

I have a buddy who is a senior dealer tech for a local Audi dealer and he told me to just do 2 oil changes a year and it will last a long time. That said, our S line 2017 2.0 is our first German car and we like it alot. Previously had a 06 MDX that we sold after 10 years that I put $1000 into total.

[BierJager]

To be honest, when we started looking at cars I started off asking what it is she wants in a car. She said for it to look cool...so yes, not much. She doesn’t care about power and feature wise she said she wants Bluetooth so she doesn’t need to use an AUX cable. Yes low expectations since that comes standard in all cars now haha.

So to let you know, I can get a 2017 new fully loaded Mazda CX-5 for about $30k to $32k out the door. Incentives so far are 60 month 0% and their warranty. My guess is maintenance wise the Mazda will be cheaper. Although this is her car, I sort of am looking at this as a car for myself as well even though I’ll rarely drive it (I have a 2012 Mazdaspeed3 for my daily and 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo for my fun) but I probably shouldn’t and be happy that she rather take a Mazda over an Audi instead of automatically wanting the prestige of an Audi vs Mazda.

Your guess? My guess is everything for the Mazda will be cheaper!
I'd say if you are itching to get a Q5 3.0T so you can mod it for yourself, and that's the itch you're wanting to scratch, but you're getting it for your wife to drive and she doesn't care about the power? Well dude that's where I'm at. Personally I gave up on that idea because I don't get to drive it enough and when I do, we're together and she does not enjoy me having fun driving. That was something I loved about my MS3 I drove every day by myself. I could mod and play and mod and play and really enjoy it.
So I have decided to leave our Q5 stock at least until the warranty is up and my car is ready for replacement.

[CoDRoX]

My memory is hazy from the time we got the wife's CPO allroad 3+ years ago, but I think the sales guy told us that a car cannot be sold as CPO if it has had 2 owners. I could be wrong but might be worth confirming.

A colleague and I happened to ride in each other's cars on back to back days while going for lunch (he has a CX-5). He said he was amazed by how quiet and effortless my Q5 sounded. So the next day I tried paying attention in his car - don't know if it was his driving style or what, but it definitely sounded like the engine was working hard. Good luck!

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[CoDRoX]

My memory is hazy from the time we got the wife's CPO allroad 3+ years ago, but I think the sales guy told us that a car cannot be sold as CPO if it has had 2 owners. I could be wrong but might be worth confirming.

A colleague and I happened to ride in each other's cars on back to back days while going for lunch (he has a CX-5). He said he was amazed by how quiet and effortless my Q5 sounded. So the next day I tried paying attention in his car - don't know if it was his driving style or what, but it definitely sounded like the engine was working hard. Good luck!

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Correction: Didn't find any information on number of owners, but looks like there's a $150 fee for transferring CPO from the second owner to the third (private sale). Doesn't apply to your case since you are buying from the Audi dealer directly.

https://www.audiusa.com/certified-pre-owned

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[HardHitter]

My memory is hazy from the time we got the wife's CPO allroad 3+ years ago, but I think the sales guy told us that a car cannot be sold as CPO if it has had 2 owners. I could be wrong but might be worth confirming.

A colleague and I happened to ride in each other's cars on back to back days while going for lunch (he has a CX-5). He said he was amazed by how quiet and effortless my Q5 sounded. So the next day I tried paying attention in his car - don't know if it was his driving style or what, but it definitely sounded like the engine was working hard. Good luck!

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Correction: Didn't find any information on number of owners, but looks like there's a $150 fee for transferring CPO from the second owner to the third (private sale). Doesn't apply to your case since you are buying from the Audi dealer directly.

https://www.audiusa.com/certified-pre-owned

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What year was the CX5? I know that until they did the whole redesign in 2017, the cabin of the CX5 was very loud and poor sound deadening.

In regards to the warranty, I'll check it out. I will actually be purchasing from a private party if I were to buy this one.

[CoDRoX]

What year was the CX5? I know that until they did the whole redesign in 2017, the cabin of the CX5 was very loud and poor sound deadening.

In regards to the warranty, I'll check it out. I will actually be purchasing from a private party if I were to buy this one.

Will ask him, but I want to say his is either a 2017 or 2016.

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[allroad2go]

Weighing in on this as both a long-time Audi owner (15 yrs with 01 Allroad-- now has 200K) and former Acura owner (01 MDX) and years ago had a Mazda 626.
Fact:
Asian cars are always going to cost less over term of ownership. This is offset by being somewhat boring and ( Mazdaspeed excepted) "meh".

I currently have a new to me (by literally days) 2015 Q5 3.0T S-line with 60K. I paid in the low 20's including shipping from Long Island to Evergreen, Colorado.

I simply love the DNA-- and potentially am a glutton for punishment having owned the AR as long as I have. However, there are few more enticing mountain vehicles with that level of overall performance and utility so despite the cost of maintenance, if you know what to anticipate and are diligent with the things mentioned (oil, coolant, plugs, coils and an occasional control arm) you will be fine. Of course I say this as the AR is sitting in my garage with fresh suspension, new radiator and a misfire I haven't tracked down. However I've also had k04's, GIAC tune for both engine and trans, and exhaust on this car for ten years. It doesn't use oil. Both the 2.0 and 3.0 are outstanding engines and are very tunable-- something else you won't get in the mazda.
Lastly, when I get in this vehicle and it just feels so refined and solid. Smells good too.
Good luck!

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[HardHitter]

I think if the car was going to be something I drove even 25% of the time, then I'd highly encourage the Q5, but again, this is going to be my wife's daily driver. She'll never take advantage or know the performance of the car. I think we will end up going with the CX5. Better MPG, cheaper maintenance, etc.

[VroomVroom]

Just curious (and sorry if I missed it above), has your wife driven both? I ask because I still recall the first time my wife drove my Q and shared her feedback. "Ooh, I get it now."

That said, if she's most happy in the Mazda, I cannot imagine you'll be disappointed. The few folks I know who have them are ecstatic. I've certainly been impressed each time I've ridden in one. Compared to their main (IMO) competition...Honda, Toyota, Hyundai/Kia, Mazda has totally knocked it out of the park. The only critiques I can offer are (a) the MPG difference may not be as great as you expect, and (b) the difference in purchase price may very well be consumed in resale value. That may not matter if you plan to keep this vehicle for a long time, especially since maintenance/repairs are almost certain to be higher on Ze German. Good luck...