Overpromised and underdelivered seems to be the name of... - MPillai
Overpromised and underdelivered seems to be the name of the game here. My primary concern when leasing my next vehicle was that the specs on my new SUV had to match my previous vehicle's specs, at minimum. This concern was NOT met with my new SQ5 lease. In other words, the SQ5 contains less tech features than my old Q7. I was led to believe that the SQ5 and the Q7 were practically similar in features because my Q7 had the Premium Plus package, and the vehicle sticker on the SQ5 stated that it, too, had Premium Plus. As such, I thought the SQ5 would have the same features as my Q7, at minimum. However, this was not the case. My frustration lies in the fact that Grant (my sales advisor) openly disclosed only 1 feature not in the SQ5. I don't get why Grant didn't tell me upfront that the below features in my Q7 were not in the SQ5.
I test-drove a Q5. Immediately after I test drove it, I was told it could not be sold due to a recall. I was presented with an SQ5 that cost $15k more than the Q5.
First, the only feature explicitly disclosed to me regarding its presence in the Q7 and not in the SQ5 is the Audi Phone Box (wireless charging). Grant told me this is due to the chip shortage. I appreciate being told this in advance of signing the lease docs.
One main feature I used on my Q7 is parallel park assist. The SQ5 does not have this feature. I was shocked to see this option was not in the SQ5 when I was driving around in Charlotte within the first day of having the vehicle.
Another feature on my Q7 is traffic sign recognition. With this traffic sign recognition comes the ability to detect curves in the road and if the vehicle is on adaptive cruise control, the vehicle will automatically slow its speed. It wasn’t until AFTER I specifically emailed Daniel (sales manager) about whether the SQ5 had the traffic sign recognition that I was told this option was not available on the vehicle.
The Q7 allowed the driver & front row passenger to adjust their fan speeds separately. Also, in the 2nd row, each side could adjust its temperature and fan speed accordingly. The SQ5 does not let the driver and front-row passenger adjust fan speeds separately, only the temp. In the rear, there's only 1 temperature control setting, and no fan speed adjustment (Just the standard manual vent dial).
The Q7 had heated rear seats. The SQ5 does not.
Additionally, the Q7 Side Assist was almost always accurate. There were very few instances when a vehicle was not detected. Often, the SQ5's Side Assist is not accurate. It lights up when it detects the highway shoulder/median. Also, there have been numerous instances where the side mirror does not light up when there is a vehicle in my blind spot.
Another issue is the SQ5’s keyless entry. In the Q7, I could have my key fob buried at the bottom of my tote purse, under my laptop, water bottle, and wallet, and the vehicle could still be unlocked. In the SQ5, even when I hold the key fob directly in front of the door handle, the car will not unlock. I am not sure if a sensor or a battery needs to be replaced. Nonetheless, this has been extremely frustrating. I’ve had keyless entry in 4 different vehicles that either my father or I have owned/leased and there has never been a vehicle whose keyless entry acted as inaccurately as the SQ5’s does.
Lastly, the pairing b/n my phone & the SQ5 via the myAudi app has not worked since 12/24/21. I brought the vehicle to Audi Charlotte in January, and the problem was not resolved. I have waited 4 weeks for a response from the dealer. I contacted corporate shortly after my January visit, and resolved the issue in 3 days.
I was not expecting there to be such a contrast b/n my Q7 & SQ5 , especially in light of paying an extra $15k than originally anticipated, which is roughly an additional $500 in my monthly payment. It is disheartening I’m paying more than I previously was for a vehicle with less options.
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