VAGfan

The Dynamic+ Sway Bar Bundle for B9/B9.5 Audi Q5/SQ5 is Now Available from 034! (audizine.com)

Olddragger

Going to drive one tomorrow .....never know? Different way it handles the 4 wheel drive system equals why the steering is a little different.
Keep those mods coming!
Lol a shop called me yesterday asking about what I did to repair the Macans trans!

VAGfan

I would get the Sportback Prestige SQ5 with the S Sport Package (red calipers, Air Suspension, Sport Rear Diff)....while I am spending your money !!

Olddragger

You may as well everyone else does! I am not buying this month or next....best time to get one would be December but don't know if I can last that long. I would like at least a 2020 year model with warranty of course. No matter what I will miss the Macan Turbo. Not enough buttons to push in the Audi.

VAGfan

What were your SQ5 driving impressions?

Olddragger

Thanks for asking. I drove a 2020 sq5 with the sport package and sport diff. It did of course have the air suspension. To tell you the truth the "cockpit" feel is not the same. The interior is not as well appointed as my turbo with the full leather. I liked the Macans console buttons vs the controls on the Audi. The Sq5 feels bigger but does not drive bigger. The transmission in sport mode shifted faster than I thought it would. The power was similar to the Macan S.maybe a little more. Perhaps it was the 8 speed vs the Macans 7 speed? The handling was on par actually, ( could only drive maybe 3/10 ...I was on the street!) and since it had the sport diff ...mid corner and exit was actually a little better. The steering a little more numb but probably just something to get used too. All in all...I would give the nod to the Macan for the interior, but every thing else was very similar.
Except for one very big thing. There is much more support in aftermarket parts for the suspension and there is transmission tuning availability!! Engine tune ability is better than the Macans. This car ...like you said...is much easier to repair. I did like it.
Thanks for the suggestion it may be the model I get in December.

beibei650

Your lonely, stubborn fight in many ways reminds me of "the old man and the sea". Perhaps make a "the old man and his Porsche" which could be a big hit before Porsche's IPO.

Olddragger

Great analogy! Plan is to get an sq5 and shop for one
this December. Guess I better join the Audi forum lol. I found it very interesting that the 4 cyl q5 comes with the same transmission as ours but if you get the v6 ...same trim level...then the 8 speed is the box behind the engine.

Petza914

Yea, make sure whatever you buy has the 6-speed or 8-speed Tiptronic and not the 7-speed S-tronic (PDK).

beibei650

Yeah that story much inspired me in my childhood. As for the sq5 it may be worthwhile to check leasehackr as I saw a couple at 12% off there. It's probably the last year of production for this generation so I'd expect them to be rock solid.

VAGfan

The current generation Audi Q5 with the 4 cylinder comes with the new 7 speed DSG/S-Tronic/PDK, essentially the replacement for the DL501.

Olddragger

I do not want another dl501 transmission. Lol

stiles_s

There's a huge difference between the B8.5 (through 2016 or 2017?) and B9 SQ5s. I spent a lot of time/miles with a B8.5. Built in germany, S/C 3.0, ZF8. Nice interior (though dated tech). Can be made to handle fairly well but not at Macan levels. Tranny is IMO just as good at Macan. The tradeoff is the Torsen center diff which will understeer more than the transfer-case setup in the Macan but it doesn't break. I have never heard of a torsen driveline breaking. The S/C engines are very tunable and super fun. I sold mine because we have the Macan and they are very close cousins, and somebody offered me a lot of money mid-pandemic.

The B9 is made in Mexico and feels cheaper IMO. It's a single turbo 3.0. Lots of tunes out now. Yes, you can get air suspension and sport diff but it won't have the RWD biased feel of the Macan. And, the drivetrain won't break

Good luck.

VAGfan

Just adding to the DL501 repair knowledge-base here.....

An Audi owner with a 2014 A6 with a DL501 had the harsh 2-to-1 downshift when coming to a stop, only happened when hot. Replaced many parts till he finally found the root-cause of the problem: Fixed it by replacing the gasket between the valve-body halves. Apparently, the fluid attacks the gasket material and causes it to fail at a high differential pressure area at the Main Pressure Regulator.

SK: Harsh downshift from 2-1, occasional 3-2 (OB5/DL501, S-tronic) - AudiWorld Forums

Olddragger

Now that is interesting and makes perfect sense.Kudos for their detective work!
Has anyone ever seen the initial problem I had--- the disenergration of a circuit board and those particles contaminating the fluid causing all sorts of problems?
I finally figured out that the unknown left over slime after the first flush would bind to surfaces through out the mechatronics space when it was cold and this is why my transmission worked well until it got hot. Once it got hot this slime stuff would once again go into solution with the fluid and the problems would return.
But, no one has ever told me why the circuit board "melted, or disenergrated"?!! The fluid could not get hot enough to do what happened.
I do miss the Macan turbo...it was the perfect car for me.