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This may not be a big deal to many, but does anyone know if the new Q50 will have a split fold-down rear seat? I've had one in previous German sedans I've owned, as well as my current G Coupe and it is a very useful feature.
Originally Posted by LH1
Not sure yet, but I'd be very disappointed it they left it out again.
2 words - structural rigidity
Sure, there are ways to compensate if you have folding seats, but a (mostly) solid rear seat back is the best.
I currenty own a 2012 G37 and a 2013 S5. There's no comparison - the S5 is much more fun, but it also cost $18K more, so not exactly a fair comparison. I would actually even take an A4 or an A5 over a G37 6MT, mostly because of the much better clutch in the Audi, but also the better interior/electronics, lower NVH, and the road grip of the Quattro.
S5, yes. Duh. I'm jealous.
But the A4 6MT? Haha, no. Totally soft, boring, dull, staid, sleep-inducing... take your pick. Had a fleeting moment when I was thinking Audi before getting the G, but a quick test drive of the A4 6MT put that to bed pretty quick.
The A4 is a car for the office park, not the open road.
The keyword is long term. Short term is covered under warranty which is not a concern of ownership expenses.
So far Bimmers with the N55 engine and Audis with the 3.0 TFSI and 2.0 TFSI engines seem to be reliable, but they've been around for only very few years. We'll have to see about the long term... The BMW N20 engine is too new to say anything about even the short term.
The different variants of the VQ engine have certainly shown awesome reliability, starting with the VQ30DE of the 4th generation Maxima.
But the A4 6MT? Haha, no. Totally soft, boring, dull, staid, sleep-inducing... take your pick. Had a fleeting moment when I was thinking Audi before getting the G, but a quick test drive of the A4 6MT put that to bed pretty quick.
The A4 is a car for the office park, not the open road.
You might be right about the A4/A5 - I haven't actually driven those, but could they really be so much worse than the S4/S5?
Maybe what I should have said is that I would take a stripped S4/S5 rather than a fully-loaded G37S, in which case the price difference wouldn't be so bad.
I do love the S5.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the info about the Q50.
Oh I have. I just find them too numb for my tastes. I'm more of a Bimmer camp kinda guy.
Except for the R8. I loved driving that car but that's another beast entirely.
The only thing that might be considered numb about the S4/S5 is the steering. I don't know how it compares to current BMW steering which is also electrical - I heard it suffers from a similar lack of feel. The hydraulic steering of the G37 is really the only thing I like better about the G37 than the S5.
I wonder if the Q50 still has hydraulic power steering.
01-13-2013, 09:33 PM
