How Do The Audi Q3, Q5 And Q7 Compare?

Audi is a popular brand among Cartelligent clients and their line of crossover SUVs are always top choices. With the 2015 release of the smaller Q3 and the redesign of the Q7 (which will be available in 2016), a number of clients have asked for help comparing the series. To that end, we've compiled the details of the Q3, Q5 and Q7, so that you can weigh the benefits of each and decide which option is right for you. Q3 vs. Q5 vs. In this article, we've configured a sample vehicle for each car and then examined some of the key differentiating factors of each. We've based our sample models on popular choices among Cartelligent clients. 2016 Audi Q3 Premium Plus: Our sample Q3 is the Premium Plus 2.0 TFSI equipped with a eight-speed Tiptronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive. Added features include navigation and power tailgate. 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus: We've chosen a 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus 2.0 TFSI with a six-speed Tiptronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive. Features include navigation, Bang & Olufson sound and a multifunction steering wheel with shift paddles.

2017 Audi Q7 Premium Plus: We've equipped a sample 2017 Audi Q7 Premium Plus 3.0 TFSI with a eight-speed Tiptronic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive. Features include adaptive cruise control, high-beam assistant, four-zone climate control and ventilated front seats. We'll look at the features of each vehicle side-by-side. The Q3 and Q5 offer identical fuel economy, but the Q5 provides more horsepower. The Q7 has not yet been rated by the EPA. The Q3 provides about 84% of the Q5's cargo volume when the rear seats are folded down. The Q7 offers 29% more cargo space than the Q5 with the second row of seats up, and 25% more with both rows of seats folded. The 2017 Q7 has yet to be rated. Cost to purchase: Q3 vs. First we'll examine the cost of each when purchased. We've assumed an interest rate of 2.9%. All payments represent pricing based on market conditions at the time of writing. Pricing for the Q7 is estimated and assumes an initial high demand for the new model. 8,000 in payments over the course of five years. 20,000 more over the course of the loan. Cost to lease: Q3 vs. Next we'll compare the three vehicles on a three year, 12,000 mile/year lease. 1,750 over the course of the lease. 14,000 over the three year lease. The Q5 is a strong value, especially on a lease, offering greater power and a more spacious interior for only a little more money. Both the Q3 and the Q7 can be a fantastic options depending on your personal circumstances. Your Cartelligent agent can talk you through the pros and cons of each vehicle (as well as any other brands) to help you make an educated decision. Whether you want a new Audi SUV or any other new car, Cartelligent can help you get a great deal on exactly what you want.

Marketing mishegos aside, "Piech's folly" is a superb car: relatively quick, preposterously quiet and completely comfortable. Lest we forget, VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech is something of a master engineer. He was directly responsible for Porsche's 917; a race car so dominant they canceled the entire race series. Piech also willed the Bugatti Veyron into existence. The Touareg V10 TDI was born from the same world-crushing crucible as the Phaeton and the Veyron. So, how does the uber-oil burner measure up? NASA's Saturn V rocket burns fuel at the rate of 20 tons per second. The V10 Touareg isn't far behind. Volkswagen laughably lists the 5,825 lbs. SUV's city mileage at 15 mpg. But there's a real time fuel economy meter informing the pilot that even gentle acceleration results in a wallet-draining 3.6 mpg. Get this: it won't display any lower. The trade off for such irresponsible fuel consumption: power: endless bucketfuls of forward momentum. The Touareg sports a 5.0-liter, 90-degree diesel V10 with an 18:1 compression ratio fed by twin turbochargers. The diesel-fed mega-mill is capable of an impressive-for-a-diesel 310 horsepower. Pfffft. The oil-burning Touareg stumps-up a mind-numbing 553 ft.-lbs.

In any gear, on any incline, on any surface capable of providing what's laughably called "traction," a gentle toe flick sends the Touareg TDI hurtling forward as if it's strapped to the back of a pulling NFL guard. The big VW may not be as quick as the (slightly) lighter Lotus Elise- the TDI Touareg hits 60 mph in 7.5 seconds- but the feeling is equally thrilling. Breaking Newtonian laws always is. And if you're interested, the SUV tops out at 144 mph. I can read your mind: here we are again in Muscle Car Land. In other words, "stick a monster engine in a Sub-Zero and it'll go like Hell- and handle like a refrigerator." Before 2006- when VW redesigned their off-roader with some 2500 parts- you would have been right. When Farago drove the pre-'06 Touareg TDI, he called it The Mother of All Nose-Heavy Pigs. I have no clue how the lesser new Touaregs handle, but the big diesel is shockingly competent. True, the steering, brakes, air suspension (and engine) are all over-boosted.

There's an artificial numbness to the driving experience that's about as far away from "driver's car" as Lincoln Town Car. That said, I was bombing down curvy roads at 80 to 90 mph in absolute control. Roads that challenge my Subaru WRX at similar speeds. Much of this surefootedness comes from the mammoth 275/45/R19 tires and the uber-trick AWD (now called 4XMotion) system. But the aforementioned air suspension also deserves maximum credit. Switching between modes in a car with adjustable suspension is normally an unclothed emperor endeavor. When a professional driver screaming around a test track tells you there's a big difference, you tend to believe them. Not so with the Touareg. Twisting a knob gives you access to six levels of ride height as well as Sport, Auto and Comfort modes. Select Sport mode and the Touareg hunkers down and amps-up the road feel (to the point where there is some). Comfort raises the car up a few inches.