2 month review of B8 SQ5 (new owner)

[blkmz3]

I purchased the 2014 SQ5 with low miles from a forum member in late Jan. Not new to the german car scene as I've had an E46 M3, Stage 2 335i, MKIV GTI, and still have an E30. However, this is my first Audi. Again, these are just some of the things we have noticed while driving the car for the past 2 months. Wife drives it to work everyday and I drive it on the weekends. We both have enjoyed it so far. We also drove the car ~1400 miles back home after purchasing so we had a lot of long distance driving time with it on the 1st day.

Pros:

• Power delivery is great. Previous owner installed EPL Stage 1 tune. I do enjoy throwing it into Dynamic or Sport mode and using the paddle shifters. One of the main reasons I looked at the 3.0T specifically was the powertrain. Thing does pull nice. I also convinced the wife on the Q5/SQ5 as I noticed a strong community on this forum for support/repairs. I will be doing the maintenance and repairs.
• We both love that flat bottom steering wheel.
• We love that pano sunroof.
• B&O sound quality in the B8 is awesome.
• Interior quality is above par. All the buttons and trim pieces seem solid. The seats are comfortable and leather seems durable.
• We love exterior styling. Feel like it has aged well even though the B9 is out. The DRLs look sharp.
• We were able to get 25mpg on our road trip back which isn't bad for a 4500lb crossover.
• The SQ5 has driver assist, parking sensors, and power tailgate which are nice features.
• Ride is pretty quiet and comfortable on the highway.

Cons:

• Sunvisors are pathetic lol. They are really narrow so when you flip them down it doesn't do much when the sun is beaming at you. Could be cause my wife is 5'5 and shorter but I may have to get her those extenders.
• Sunroof was repaired under warranty but when its really cold outside it does have its creaks/rattles. Not that big a deal since it doesn't get that cold for long here in Texas. We also anticipate the pano roof will increase cabin temps greatly since we are in Texas. The shade is not solid but mesh. The previous owner did tint the sunroof which will help.
• We had to get used to the HVAC controls. You have to use the same dial to control temperature, vent mode, and vent speed. We aren't the only ones, my coworker just got a Q5 2.0T and he said the same thing. I guess they were trying to be efficient but its annoying.
• The audi mmi in the b8 is pretty darn slow to startup. I'm already backed out of my driveway and driving before it gets going. The phone takes a while to connect to BT. It's slower than my wife's 2015 Mazda6 which I am driving now.
• Ride is bit harsh. The car came with the popular H&R + Bilstein B8 combo. I know the auto enthusiasts here love the ride quality on these but it still pops you off your seat when you hit a dip in the road. Handles pretty nice tho around corners for a crossover. I plan to get softer sidewall tires on the next round. The 21" oem wheels are wrapped on Michelin PS4s currently. There are also some weird suspension noises here and there with the setup.
• Steering wheel controls for radio station. We have like 8 presets. When you try to use the scroll wheel it shows every radio station on the cluster not the presets to select. It's a poor design that you cannot jump through the presets from the steering wheel.
• OBD tools seem bit pricey for Audi. Everyone on here from what I've read recommend the Rosstech cable with VCDS. Again, I'm new to Audi diagnostics but I will likely go with Rosstech on the used market. When I modded my 335i, all i needed was a cheap K+DCAN cable with INPA for any diagnostics or coding.

[MSq5]

Welcome. You will really like your supercharged SQ5.

Read this before buying a used Ross Tech VCDS. You must re-register and previous owner must agree to transfer or you get no updates or customer support. Updates and revisions happen frequently.

You are dependent on the previous owner transferring ownership and Ross Tech confirming it. At only $199 to buy new it might not be worth the hassle and risk to try and save a few dollars buying used.

https://store.ross-tech.com/shop/vudot/

[MadDawg]

Cons:

• Steering wheel controls for radio station. We have like 8 presets. When you try to use the scroll wheel it shows every radio station on the cluster not the presets to select. It's a poor design that you cannot jump through the presets from the steering wheel.
  

Congrats OP on the new B8.5 SQ5, I think you & your wife are really going to love the platform. Classic styling, comfortable, impressive performance & easily modified for more.

Regarding your frustrations with the preset station access via steering controls, that one’s easy:

After the car’s started etc, access the radio stations by pressing the Mode button on the left side steering button above the roller select from telephone until the radio screen below. Should look something like this:



Then simply use the left roller to scroll down to Presets & press the roller select (I’ve already rolled down to presets in the pic). It’ll now be on just your preset stations. You can hit mode to go back to whatever dash screen you normally use, & the left scroll still lets you scroll & select just between your presets which will display momentarily in the dash. Actually works really well & convenient. One less issue. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ILVTRANCE]

I purchased the 2014 SQ5 with low miles from a forum member in late Jan. Not new to the german car scene as I've had an E46 M3, Stage 2 335i, MKIV GTI, and still have an E30. However, this is my first Audi. Again, these are just some of the things we have noticed while driving the car for the past 2 months. Wife drives it to work everyday and I drive it on the weekends. We both have enjoyed it so far. We also drove the car ~1400 miles back home after purchasing so we had a lot of long distance driving time with it on the 1st day.

Pros:

• Power delivery is great. Previous owner installed EPL Stage 1 tune. I do enjoy throwing it into Dynamic or Sport mode and using the paddle shifters. One of the main reasons I looked at the 3.0T specifically was the powertrain. Thing does pull nice. I also convinced the wife on the Q5/SQ5 as I noticed a strong community on this forum for support/repairs. I will be doing the maintenance and repairs.
• We both love that flat bottom steering wheel.
• We love that pano sunroof.
• B&O sound quality in the B8 is awesome.
• Interior quality is above par. All the buttons and trim pieces seem solid. The seats are comfortable and leather seems durable.
• We love exterior styling. Feel like it has aged well even though the B9 is out. The DRLs look sharp.
• We were able to get 25mpg on our road trip back which isn't bad for a 4500lb crossover.
• The SQ5 has driver assist, parking sensors, and power tailgate which are nice features.
• Ride is pretty quiet and comfortable on the highway.

Cons:

• Sunvisors are pathetic lol. They are really narrow so when you flip them down it doesn't do much when the sun is beaming at you. Could be cause my wife is 5'5 and shorter but I may have to get her those extenders.
• Sunroof was repaired under warranty but when its really cold outside it does have its creaks/rattles. Not that big a deal since it doesn't get that cold for long here in Texas. We also anticipate the pano roof will increase cabin temps greatly since we are in Texas. The shade is not solid but mesh. The previous owner did tint the sunroof which will help.
• We had to get used to the HVAC controls. You have to use the same dial to control temperature, vent mode, and vent speed. We aren't the only ones, my coworker just got a Q5 2.0T and he said the same thing. I guess they were trying to be efficient but its annoying.
• The audi mmi in the b8 is pretty darn slow to startup. I'm already backed out of my driveway and driving before it gets going. The phone takes a while to connect to BT. It's slower than my wife's 2015 Mazda6 which I am driving now.
• Ride is bit harsh. The car came with the popular H&R + Bilstein B8 combo. I know the auto enthusiasts here love the ride quality on these but it still pops you off your seat when you hit a dip in the road. Handles pretty nice tho around corners for a crossover. I plan to get softer sidewall tires on the next round. The 21" oem wheels are wrapped on Michelin PS4s currently. There are also some weird suspension noises here and there with the setup.
• Steering wheel controls for radio station. We have like 8 presets. When you try to use the scroll wheel it shows every radio station on the cluster not the presets to select. It's a poor design that you cannot jump through the presets from the steering wheel.
• OBD tools seem bit pricey for Audi. Everyone on here from what I've read recommend the Rosstech cable with VCDS. Again, I'm new to Audi diagnostics but I will likely go with Rosstech on the used market. When I modded my 335i, all i needed was a cheap K+DCAN cable with INPA for any diagnostics or coding.

Regarding the temp in any modern Audi I have owned the best way is just setting the temperature you want 68-70f is my personal range, and leaving it on auto. Trying to be specific with the location of air is just a waste of time. The car knows where to vent air depending on temp etc. obviously defrost is the only manual thing to really change IMO.

agreed the MMI is trash and even in 2014 was lagging most competitor car systems. revers camera takes forever *sometimes

[Novarider]

"The audi mmi in the b8 is pretty darn slow to startup. I'm already backed out of my driveway and driving before it gets going."

You should be letting the motor warm up at least until the idle drops by itself before you start driving. By that time the MMI should be up and running.

[choppstixxx]

Slow MMI startup could also be due to a battery that is getting close to the end of it's life cycle. I learned recently that the car will start to shut off or delay non-essential things in the car to save the battery.
When you buy a VCDS cable, you can check the diagnostics of your battery to determine it's status very easily. Especially being a 2014, the OEM battery is close to 6+ yrs old. My 2016's OEM battery was about 70% used up to give you an idea when I replaced it this year.

[dubgli]

2nd or 3rd on that MMI slowness. Their little cousin VW seems to be leaps and bounds better.

Overall, I think the MMI starts up in a reasonable time. Its The phonebook that takes a long time to load for me.