Driving a 2011 Audi Q5
Jul. 28th, 2023 11:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerWhile our car is in the shop for maybe a week or longer due to insurance foot-dragging we've got a loaner car. It's an Audi Q5 that my preferred local BMW specialist was kind enough to offer us at no added charge. (I'll note that the dealership with its much higher rates did not offer a loaner.)
The loaner is an older car, a 2011 model with nearly 200,000 miles on the odometer. And unlike the subtle brown shown in the stock picture above, the loaner is covered in a garish half-purple, half-white wrap. Those are the brand colors of the area chain that bought the shop. But hey, free wheels are free wheels. And so far this week I've only been teased once by passers-by about the garish colors.
The loaner is equipped with Audi's optional 3.2L V6 engine, Quattro all-wheel drive, and the S-Line trim. Together those represent a fairly high standard for a 2011 SUV. The vehicle doesn't feel terribly powerful, though. The engine is rated at 270 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration is sluggish off the line but picks up at mid-range if I dig my foot deep into the throttle.
In terms of creature comforts, the Q5 is comfortable. Like I said, it's a higher end vehicle from 2011 so it doesn't feel Spartan today. A few things are quaint, though. The big blank space around the CD slot in the center stack is a reminder that this generation of vehicle was designed to include a 6-disc CD changer. The changer was dropped for the 2011 model year. And the digital display atop the center stack is both small and feature-poor by modern standards. In the photo above it's just showing radio stations. And not even radio stations that actually exist. It's merely listing all the tunable frequencies.
Another bit of quaintness is the push-key starter. The key fob has buttons to lock/unlock the doors and open the rear hatch. In a luxury car today— and indeed even in the higher trims of ordinary cars— you'd expect keyless ignition. I.e., the key is in your pocket or purse, and you push a button on the dashboard to start. Here the key fob goes in the slot... and you have to push it for ignition. That was kind of weird at first but not so bad after doing it a few times to get used to it. Still, I prefer the proximity door locks and ignition of our current car, a 2018 model, and even our previous BMW, a 2008 model.
On the whole, though, I'm pressed with how well this 12 year old Audi with nearly 200,000 miles has held together. Audis don't exactly have a reputation for longevity. Of course, this car's owned by a garage that specializes in German cars, so I imagine that's helped keep it in solid shape. Still, I haven't had a BMW last that long. Hawkgirl rode off into the sunset at 150k after engine repairs got too expensive.
The loaner is an older car, a 2011 model with nearly 200,000 miles on the odometer. And unlike the subtle brown shown in the stock picture above, the loaner is covered in a garish half-purple, half-white wrap. Those are the brand colors of the area chain that bought the shop. But hey, free wheels are free wheels. And so far this week I've only been teased once by passers-by about the garish colors.
The loaner is equipped with Audi's optional 3.2L V6 engine, Quattro all-wheel drive, and the S-Line trim. Together those represent a fairly high standard for a 2011 SUV. The vehicle doesn't feel terribly powerful, though. The engine is rated at 270 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration is sluggish off the line but picks up at mid-range if I dig my foot deep into the throttle.
In terms of creature comforts, the Q5 is comfortable. Like I said, it's a higher end vehicle from 2011 so it doesn't feel Spartan today. A few things are quaint, though. The big blank space around the CD slot in the center stack is a reminder that this generation of vehicle was designed to include a 6-disc CD changer. The changer was dropped for the 2011 model year. And the digital display atop the center stack is both small and feature-poor by modern standards. In the photo above it's just showing radio stations. And not even radio stations that actually exist. It's merely listing all the tunable frequencies.
Another bit of quaintness is the push-key starter. The key fob has buttons to lock/unlock the doors and open the rear hatch. In a luxury car today— and indeed even in the higher trims of ordinary cars— you'd expect keyless ignition. I.e., the key is in your pocket or purse, and you push a button on the dashboard to start. Here the key fob goes in the slot... and you have to push it for ignition. That was kind of weird at first but not so bad after doing it a few times to get used to it. Still, I prefer the proximity door locks and ignition of our current car, a 2018 model, and even our previous BMW, a 2008 model.
On the whole, though, I'm pressed with how well this 12 year old Audi with nearly 200,000 miles has held together. Audis don't exactly have a reputation for longevity. Of course, this car's owned by a garage that specializes in German cars, so I imagine that's helped keep it in solid shape. Still, I haven't had a BMW last that long. Hawkgirl rode off into the sunset at 150k after engine repairs got too expensive.
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Date: 2023-07-29 05:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-30 03:21 am (UTC)Car repairs
Date: 2023-07-29 08:00 am (UTC)Re: Car repairs
Date: 2023-07-30 03:24 am (UTC)