[Aurum]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Lovely and congratulations. What is the final final exact costing you managed to get? Car and service plan separately? And which variant is this? No idea if Audi has multiple variants or just one for the petrol. Thanks

Effectively below 60 on-road for the Technology variant, and service Plan on top. If you want more details, please PM me.

Originally Posted by Epic

Hey congratulations!! So just wanted to know the reason for your decision. So where did the Q5 score over the rest and what were the key factors that made it win as a replacement of the Jetta which is a very difficult car to replace?

Firstly, we had late stage SUV disease. A sedan in the same segment would always be more comfortable, but with a young family, we wanted to experience the SUV life at least once. So sedans were ruled out. To be honest, I was tempted by the A6 and 3GT deals last year, but didnt go through with it.

Secondly, we were clear it would be German (or similar) - both our cars are VW. Having driven and sat in the Fortuner/ Endeavour, it was not exactly our type. So it had to be between the Tiguan, Kodiaq going up to X1, XC 40 etc.

The Tiguan was just too similar to the Jetta, and so probably didn't get a fair chance. The Kodiaq was lovely and under consideration till the end. We loved the X1, but always had the feeling that it wasnt a car we were willing to love with for 5-7 years. We would outgrow it. Similarly for the XC40. The Q3 and GLA were never under consideration.

So we delayed the car purchase by a year and said we would save up for the next segment. The XC60 was the initial car of choice when its introductory pricing was in the mid-60s OTR in Mumbai. By late this year, at around 72 lakhs, it had priced itself out (was only interested in Inscription variant). The GLC looked beautiful but was a little underwhelming on a lot of other counts. The Q5 in diesel somehow didn't click, and we ruled it out very early. In hindsight, I cant remember exactly why. The X3 was an instant hit with everyone in the family. However, the diesel wasnt all that fun. We decided to go for the petrol. Of course, thats where this thread started. An exciting good car (X3) vs a practical good car (Kodiaq) + 20 lakhs in pocket.

The end of this story would have been different if the 30i was actually available or if there was any visibility to the Kodiaq RS. This is when the Audi sales guy called to see if I wanted to drive the Q5 petrol. I drove it a couple of days back and we really liked it. It may be slightly less engaging than the X3 (very small difference), but scored on a lot of other counts, including the availability of Android Auto. Also, the deals were great, and the colour of our choice was available. So choice came down to "Buy X3 30i in 3-4 months at 66-67 lakhs (lower discounts)" vs "Buy the Q5 now for below 60". On balance, we took the latter call.

PS: The X5 DPE deals also tempted us momentarily until we drove it. Way too much for us apart from stretching the budget.

[nikhil_pon]

That's a brilliant deal, Congratulations Aurum! Hope the vehicle delivery process happens smoothly. There is a lot a thought and details you have been through in this thread.
I rue the Bangalore prices being so high, there are hardly any discounts from Q5 petrol here as dealer says it is fairly newly launched.

[Aurum]

Originally Posted by nikhil_pon

That's a brilliant deal, Congratulations Aurum! Hope the vehicle delivery process happens smoothly. There is a lot a thought and details you have been through in this thread.
I rue the Bangalore prices being so high, there are hardly any discounts from Q5 petrol here as dealer says it is fairly newly launched.

Thanks! I'm surprised about the deal situation in B'lore. We had all sorts of colour options available here in Mumbai at deal prices. I dont think there is a shortage in the Audi system. If you are really keen, look at other cities (I can help with Mumbai).

As we go through with this, a couple of random observations:

- If, like me, you would like to finish off the loan as soon as possible without pre-payment penalties, apparently SBI is the only way to go. No lock-in, no pre-payment or foreclosure penalties. I can close the entire thing in less than a year if I'd like. Because they can fund 85% of the market on-road price, at current discounts, you could just pay the booking amount of a couple of lakhs and get the rest funded.

- We saw the exact same looking car (Q5 Navarra blue with Beige) parked in our building parking. Only TDI Premium Plus. Need to find out who this kindred soul is.

[Aurum]

Pretty much every source I meet (including people in the industry) tells me that they haven't seen discounting like this in a long time across brands and models.

So, if you are on the fence, would suggest you consider this year-end cycle seriously. It might go beyond the next 3 days to the next couple of months depending on stocks, but please do explore in-depth.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

Did you TD Q5? I have a feeling that it is going to be your next car.

What did I say?

Originally Posted by Aurum

Paid the booking amount yesterday for the Q5 petrol (Navarra Blue) including the 5 year Comprehensive Service Plan (Want a zero headache experience with my first luxury car).

Thanks to all of you for helping me along the way!

Every single input makes you think, whether you agree with it or not, and this whole thread has resulted in a lot of thinking. As a result, when I was booking it yesterday, I was pretty comfortable with the decision.

Congratulations!!

Q5 is definitely a super choice at that price. I have always liked it over X3 (diesel and petrol) for reasons unknown to myself.

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by Aurum

Suddenly got a call from the Audi guys. The petrol Technology version is available at really attractive prices (good enough to close immediately).

Hi, Can you PM me the discount offered on ex showroom price of Q5 Petrol technology? Thanks in advance.

[Aurum]

I have the vehicle with me now finally! It went directly from the dealer to the 3M workshop for PPF, not without adventure though. Will write about it when I start the ownership thread. I wish I could have said that all's well that ends well, but not yet...

The Q5 comes with a tyre repair kit under the boot mat that includes an air compressor. Its missing now. I was shown the kit when I inspected the car last Sunday. The car was with the dealer for two days after that. And with 3M for another 3 days. I picked it from 3M Friday evening but didn't check for this. Come Saturday, when I was casually checking the boot, the kit is missing.

Of course, the dealer says they have no reason to take it out (I did see it on Sunday), and 3M says the same. Am pushing both of them to check all sources, but its an unhappy situation.

PS: My Jetta has gone to another BHP-ian who will really take good care of it.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by Aurum

Of course, the dealer says they have no reason to take it out (I did see it on Sunday), and 3M says the same. Am pushing both of them to check all sources, but its an unhappy situation.

Sorry to hear about it but don't let a minor incident take the new-car-fun away from you.

Congratulations once again!
Eagerly waiting for your ownership review.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Aurum

Of course, the dealer says they have no reason to take it out (I did see it on Sunday), and 3M says the same. Am pushing both of them to check all sources, but its an unhappy situation.

Congratulations on the new child but sorry to hear about the missing kit. Hope it's resolved.

Do post some pictures pending your ownership thread!