Results 1 to 13 of 13
-
10-25-2017, 01:14 AM #1
Comparing the 2018 Audi SQ5 to the Mercedes-AMG GLC43 and Porsche Macan S
The Audi SQ5 gets a big update in getting the single turbo top mount twin scroll turbo 3.0 liter V6 out of the B9 Audi S5 and S4. Rated at 354 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque it certainly has a lot of potential.
For some reason though, it is not impressing in stock form. The SQ5 is the slowest of this trio to 60 miles per hour. Being in the heaviest chassis at 4429 pounds doesn't help things.
The Mercedes-AMG GLC43 gets to 60 in 4.3 seconds. Much quicker than the 5.1 for the Audi. The Macan S splits the difference with a 4.7 second sprint.
Acceleration is one thing but how about how they drive? The Macan S is said to have the best steering feel. The Audi is said to have the worst steering feel by Car and Driver. Also the worst brakes. Also the worst handing. What is going on here Audi?
The Audi finishes last in this comparison. It understeers, it's slower, it's heavy, and it isn't as much fun to drive.
Surprisingly, the fun to drive Macan S finishes second. It has the best steering, brakes, feedback, and chassis feel of the group. It also offers a dual clutch transmission. It seems to be punished for its cost more than anything else.
Car and Driver chooses the GLC43 as the best. It is the lightest and quickest of the group. It also offers more usability than the Macan which is important but that does not make it more fun to drive.
The BoostAddict choice would be the Macan S.
2018 Audi SQ5 2017 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 2017 Porsche Macan S VEHICLE PRICE AS TESTED $65,800 $71,055 $64,905 BASE PRICE $55,275 $55,895 $55,450 DIMENSIONS LENGTH 183.9 in 183.5 in 184.3 in WIDTH 74.5 in 76.0 in 76.1 in HEIGHT 65.3 in 64.1 in 63.9 in WHEELBASE 111.2 in 113.1 in 110.5 in FRONT TRACK 63.9 in 64.5 in 65.2 in REAR TRACK 63.6 in 65.2 in 65.0 in INTERIOR VOLUME F: 55 cu ft R: 47 cu ft F: 51 cu ft R: 47 cu ft F: 52 cu ft R: 44 cu ft CARGO BEHIND F: 60 cu ft R: 27 cu ft F: 57 cu ft R: 19 cu ft F: 53 cu ft R: 18 cu ft POWERTRAIN ENGINE turbocharged DOHC 24-valve Miller-capable V-6
183 cu in (2995 cc)twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve V-6
183 cu in (2996 cc)twin-turbocharged DOHC 24-valve V-6
183 cu in (2997 cc)POWER HP @ RPM 354 @ 6400 362 @ 6000 340 @ 6500 TORQUE LB-FT @ RPM 369 @ 1370 384 @ 2500 339 @ 1450 REDLINE / FUEL CUTOFF 6500/6500 rpm 6500/6500 rpm 6800/6800 rpm LB PER HP 12.5 11.7 12.8 DRIVELINE TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic 9-speed automatic 7-speed dual-clutch automatic DRIVEN WHEELS all all all GEAR RATIO:1/
MPH PER 1000 RPM/
MAX MPH1 4.71/5.6/36
2 3.14/8.3/54
3 2.11/12.4/81
4 1.67/15.7/102
5 1.29/20.3/127
6 1.00/26.2/127
7 0.84/31.1/127
8 0.67/39.0/1271 5.35/4.2/27
2 3.24/7.0/4
3 2.25/10.0/65
4 1.64 /13.8/90
5 1.21/18.7/122
6 1.00/22.6/132
7 0.86/26.3/132
8 0.72/31.4/132
9 0.60/37.6/1321 3.69/5.2/35
2 2.15/8.9/61
3 1.41/13.6/92
4 1.03/18.6/126
5 0.79/24.3/156
6 0.63/30.5/156
7 0.52/36.9/156FINAL-DRIVE RATIO:1 3.20 3.69 4.40 CHASSIS SUSPENSION F: multilink, air springs, anti-roll bar
R: multilink, air springs, anti-roll barF: multilink, air springs, anti-roll bar
R: multilink, air springs, anti-roll barF: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll barBRAKES F: 13.8-inch vented disc
R: 13.0-inch vented disF: 14.2-inch vented, cross-drilled disc
R: 12.6-inch vented discF: 13.8-inch vented disc
R: 13.0-inch vented discSTABILITY CONTROL partially defeatable, competition mode, launch control partially defeatable, competition mode partially defeatable, launch control TIRES Pirelli P Zero PZ4
255/40R-21 102YContinental ContiSportContact 5P
F: 255/40ZR-21 102Y
R: 285/35ZR-21 105YMichelin Latitude Sport 3
F: 265/45R-20 104
R: 295/40R-20 106YC/D TEST RESULTS ACCELERATION 0–30 MPH 1.7 sec 1.6 sec 1.6 sec 0–60 MPH 5.1 sec 4.3 sec 4.7 sec 0–100 MPH 13.0 sec 11.6 sec 12.4 sec 0–120 MPH 20.2 sec 17.8 sec 19.1 sec ¼-MILE @ MPH 13.7 sec @ 102 13.1 sec @ 105 13.3 sec @ 103 ROLLING START, 5–60 MPH 6.1 sec 5.5 sec 6.4 sec TOP GEAR, 30–50 MPH 3.4 sec 3.3 sec 3.3 sec TOP GEAR, 50–70 MPH 4.0 sec 3.9 sec 4.1 sec TOP SPEED 127 mph (gov ltd) 132 mph (gov ltd) 156 mph (drag ltd, mfr's claim) CHASSIS BRAKING 70–0 MPH 148 ft 154 ft 155 ft ROADHOLDING,
300-FT-DIA SKIDPAD0.93 g 0.93 g 0.91 g 610-FT SLALOM 43.9 mph* 45.4 mph* 44.8 mph* WEIGHT CURB 4429 lb 4237 lb 4347 lb %FRONT/%REAR 54.3/45.7 55.0/45.0 56.9/43.1 CG HEIGHT 24.0 inches 25.5 inches 24.5 inches FUEL TANK 18.5 gal 17.4 gal 19.8 gal RATING 91 octane 91 octane 91 octane EPA COMBINED/CITY/HWY 21/19/24 mpg 20/18/24 mpg 19/17/23 mpg C/D 700-MILE TRIP 19 mpg 18 mpg 17 mpg PRACTICAL STOWAGE NO. OF 9 X 14 X 22-INBOXES, SEATS UP/FOLDED 6/20 7/19 6/16 LENGTH OF PIPE 125.5 in 124.0 in 122.0 in LARGEST FLAT PANEL, LENGTH X WIDTH 68.0 x 40.3 in 66.8 x 42.8 in 66.0 x 40.5 in SOUND LEVEL IDLE 37 dBA 40 dBA 43 dBA FULL THROTTLE 76 dBA 80 dBA 75 dBA 70-MPH CRUISE 66 dBA 69 dBA 67 dBA *stability-control-inhibited Tested by JOSH JACQUOT and DAVID BEARD in Chelsea, MI
Final Results Max Pts. Available 2017 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 2017 Porsche Macan S 2018 Audi SQ5 RANK 1 2 3 VEHICLE DRIVER COMFORT 10 8 7 9 ERGONOMICS 10 7 6 7 REAR-SEAT COMFORT 5 4 3 2 REAR-SEAT SPACE* 5 5 4 5 CARGO SPACE* 5 4 2 5 FEATURES/AMENITIES* 10 10 5 8 FIT AND FINISH 10 9 8 8 INTERIOR STYLING 10 8 7 8 EXTERIOR STYLING 10 8 9 7 REBATES/EXTRAS* 5 0 0 0 AS-TESTED PRICE* 20 18 20 20 SUBTOTAL 100 81 71 79 POWERTRAIN 1/4-MILE ACCELERATION* 20 20 19 17 FLEXIBILITY* 5 5 3 5 FUEL ECONOMY* 10 9 8 10 ENGINE NVH 10 9 8 7 TRANSMISSION 10 9 9 7 SUBTOTAL 55 52 47 46 CHASSIS PERFORMANCE* 20 20 19 20 STEERING FEEL 10 8 9 7 BRAKE FEEL 10 8 9 6 HANDLING 10 8 9 7 RIDE 10 8 8 8 SUBTOTAL 60 52 54 48 EXPERIENCE FUN TO DRIVE 25 19 22 15 GRAND TOTAL 240 204 194 188 * These objective scores are calculated from the vehicle's dimensions, capacities, rebates and extras, and/or test results.
-
10-25-2017, 03:01 AM #2Member
- Join Date
- Jun 2013
- Posts
- 1,258
- Rep Points
- 719.0
- Mentioned
- 4 Post(s)
- Rep Power
- 8
Wait, the Macan was the cheapest one? Hands down the one to get. They sound good, look gorgeous, and it's definitely the best driver's car there by a mile. Also might be the best offroad, if you're going to do any of that.
Couldn't pay to wake up every day to the other two, the Porsche I'd at least enjoy for a while. Local guy has one with the sports exhaust, it's quite rumbly and loud. I like it, especially with the dark lights and the mesh wheels.
Audi seems to be fully invested in making pretty good cars that are numb and lifeless behind the wheel. Except for the outgoing S8...somehow that seems to be a better driver's car than the B7 or M760. But I'm guessing they'll fix that oversight with the next one.
-
10-25-2017, 03:53 AM #3
-
10-25-2017, 12:20 PM #4Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2013
- Location
- NJ | NYC
- Posts
- 512
- Rep Points
- 202.3
- Mentioned
- 5 Post(s)
- Rep Power
- 3
They should throw the Macan GTS, BMW X4 M40i (N55) in the mix and the new BMW X3 M40i (B58 engine new chassis)
-
10-25-2017, 04:46 PM #5
-
10-25-2017, 08:49 PM #6Member
- Join Date
- Jun 2011
- Location
- Denver, CO
- Posts
- 1,984
- Rep Points
- 2,740.4
- Mentioned
- 16 Post(s)
- Rep Power
- 28
-
10-25-2017, 09:06 PM #7
-
10-25-2017, 09:28 PM #8Member
- Join Date
- Jun 2011
- Location
- Denver, CO
- Posts
- 1,984
- Rep Points
- 2,740.4
- Mentioned
- 16 Post(s)
- Rep Power
- 28
Sure haven't and its likely I won't. The car is slow today, but still fun to drive. I may change my mind, but I don't think I care to risk my warranty for a potentially enormous repair bill and have a car that is still pretty slow at the end of the day. My driving STARTS at 5,280 ft and the fun roads are at 8,000 ft plus. MAYBE the tune gets me back to sea level stock HP to start, but I'm a bit worried about what will happen if the turbos try to reach tuned boost targets at 10,000 ft+. However, I was able to randomly participate in an auto-x over the weekend and have been bitten by the 'I need a toy' bug pretty hard. Been looking at picking up a garage mate for the Macan all week so we'll see where that takes me.
-
10-25-2017, 09:31 PM #9
-
10-25-2017, 09:35 PM #10Member
- Join Date
- Jun 2011
- Location
- Denver, CO
- Posts
- 1,984
- Rep Points
- 2,740.4
- Mentioned
- 16 Post(s)
- Rep Power
- 28
Yah, its tough knowing that its there... but PDK's aren't cheap to repair. My main complaints about the car are both cured by the tune (I think) :
A: Its a turd from a stop. Literally feels like it has 150hp until 3,500 RPM off the line if you don't use launch control.
B: Boost limited to roughly 11psi in first and second. When you shift to third it will get to 15psi and feels like its pulling harder than 2nd. I've asked Cobb about 5 times if they've been able to tune this out with no response.
Who knows... its easy enough to do, but I'm pretty sure this may end up being an 18-24 month car for me that I'm already 9 months into so I might just wait it out.
-
10-25-2017, 09:39 PM #11
-
10-26-2017, 12:27 AM #12
-
10-26-2017, 12:40 AM #13
f30n55, we...
f30n55 is now here!