Latest news with #SQ5
Miami Herald
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Shopping for an Audi Q5? Check Out This Special May Lease Offer
While new car buyers love the freshest sheet metal, a better bet is to buy a vehicle that's been on the market for a while, whose foibles are known and bugs are fixed. That makes Audi's Q5 lease deals well worth considering. Having debuted for 2018, a newly engineered third generation is arriving in dealer showrooms as the old model exits. Confusingly, though, Audi is selling both old and new Q5s as 2025 models. But that shouldn't dissuade you from considering the older one, for it's still a techy, modern, desirable SUV that remains Audi's top seller in the U.S. market. It's easy to see why. Offered as the Q5 and SQ5 with a traditional SUV body or as the Q5 or SQ5 Sportback, with a sportier body and a sloping backlight, all models come standard with all-wheel drive. The Q5 40 and 45 are powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Q5 55 e quattro is offered as a plug-in hybrid, while the more powerful SQ5 55 is powered by a turbocharged V6. Each model is offered in Premium, Premium Plus, or Prestige trim. So, if this appeals to you, you might want to check out these deals. Residents of South Florida can get a 2025 Audi Q5 45 S line TFSI quattro Premium at $589 per month for 36 months with $3,799 down. That's a monthly cost, including security deposit, of $695. In Dallas, the offer is slightly different, at $599 per month over 36 months with $4,225 down, or $716 per month. In Detroit, you can nab one for $609 per month for 36 months with $3,495 down or a monthly total of $706. If you prefer the Premium Plus trim, it will cost $659 per month for 36 months with $3,445 down, or $755 per month. In Manhattan, the only deal is on the Premium trim, which runs $549 per month for 36 months with $4,405 down for a monthly cost of $671, the lowest lease payment here. Prefer a plug-in hybrid? In Miami, you can get the 2025 Audi Q5 55 TFSI e quattro Premium Plus on a 24-month lease for $624 a month for 24 months with $4,199 down. That's a total monthly cost of $799. In Dallas, that same vehicle runs $649 per month over 36 months with $4,199 down, or $766 monthly. In Detroit, it's $719 a month for 24 months with $3,385 down or $860 per month. If that's too pricey, consider the Q5 55 TFSI e quattro with the lower-level Premium trim. In Detroit, that will run $619 per month for 24 months with $3,485 down, or $764 monthly. In Manhattan, the only deal is for the Premium Plus trim, which costs $619 per month for 24 months with $4,474 down, or $805 monthly. For something sportier, the 2025 Audi Q5 Sportback S line 45 TFSI quattro is available in South Florida for $630 a month for 36 months with $3,899 down for a total monthly cost of $738. In Dallas, it will run you $655 a month for 36 months with $3,899 down, or $763 per month. Neither Detroit nor Manhattan offers any Sportback deals, and there are no special Q5 lease offers on the West Coast, nor are there special lease deals on the SQ5. The offers that are available end on June 2, 2025. Audi offers plenty of variety here, depending on how hard you want to punish the pavement. The base Q5 and Q5 Sportback 40 model comes with a 201 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and an 8-speed automatic transmission that provides adequate power. Step up to the Q5 45 instead, and you'll get the same driveline tuned for 261 horsepower, enough to make for a luxury vehicle experience. The top-of-the-line Q5 55 is a 362 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder plug-in hybrid with an estimated 23 miles of range and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The high-performance SQ5 offers a 362-horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard on all models with a towing capacity of 4,400 pounds. We greatly appreciate the Audi Q5 and Q5 Sportback for their beautifully balanced performance. Cutting edge? No. But the Audi Q5 does possess sophisticated drivelines and driving dynamics that are engaging, with a build quality and design that have a timelessness that ages well. When leasing, take into account the monthly payment cost, taxes, and fees before signing. Lease offers vary by metro market. Check your local pricing here: *Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. The information presented herein is based on manufacturer-provided lease offer information, which is subject to frequent change and may vary based on location, creditworthiness, and other factors. We are not a party to any lease agreements and assume no liability for the terms, conditions, availability, or accuracy of any lease offers mentioned. All terms, including but not limited to pricing, mileage allowances, and residual values, require direct verification with an authorized local OEM dealership. This article does not constitute financial advice or an endorsement of any particular lease or vehicle. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Telegraph
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
How to buy a cheap luxury car
Fancy buying a used car for a lot less than you might normally pay? It's possible but with catches: you'll need to do some work to find the car you're after. If you do discover a motor made for you, it may be slightly damaged. And it will almost certainly have an 'interesting' history. More people than ever are choosing to buy cars that have been seized and then re-sold by the authorities, often using either the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) or the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). You can get some real bargains I spotted a 2018 Audi SQ5 Quattro on the RAW2K Vehicle Auctions website. It was deep metallic blue, had done only 31,000 miles and I could overlook its 'bling' side steps for an initial high bid of £13,600. For comparison, on a popular sales website, a similar 68-reg SQ5 that had done 57,000 miles was selling for £28,320. Others were £30,000-plus. With half an hour of its auction to run, the SQ5's price remained encouragingly low. Then the sale lit up. Increasing in increments of anything from £10 to £200, bidding eventually stopped at £17,310. Including VAT plus the 6 per cent buyer's premium and £25 release fee, the total cost was £22,048 – so at least £6,000 cheaper than buying a similar example from a dealer. At the same time, a 2019 Citroen Relay 35 van that had done 48,000 miles was going through. Bidding started at £180 and it eventually sold for £3,260 (£4,248 including VAT and fees). Although tatty around the edges, that's still only about two thirds of the price of a much higher mileage version on a van sales site. There are big savings to be made On the face of it, an Audi with structural damage for 20 per cent less than a cheap 'legit' one might not look that appealing. But it starts to make sense provided you can carry out any remedial work yourself. And in terms of 'seizure bargains', the Audi looks like an outlier; the Citroen more usual. Mark Bennett, head of RAW2K, told us: 'Typically you can get a car for 60 per cent of its CAP value [the guide most dealers use]. Some will have a full MOT, be in very good condition and have a standard mileage. 'We get a lot of private individuals buying and fixing them up as a side hustle, plus businesses which turn them round and sell them.' And with seizures frequently being high-end models from prestigious makes such as BMW, Audi and Bentley, they can be an attractive potential money maker. Addison Pye, the director of auctioneer John Pye and Sons, revealed: 'We're selling more vehicles on behalf of the government and police authorities each year, both due to increased supply as well as our success in securing government contracts.' But there are catches… If you're considering going down the route of buying a police seizure, it's not all cheap cars for no effort. The Audi I was interested in was a Category S write-off, so requires professional repair before it can be legally put back on the road. And since these are online auctions, the website is clear that you can't see the cars in the metal – let alone drive them – before bidding. Also, both the Audi and Citroen were located in Preston, so not particularly convenient for where I live on the south coast. And if you win the auction, the cars cannot be driven away so you need to arrange transport to your home or workshop. But at least both cars had keys with them, which isn't always the case. Bennett said: 'You'd think we must have the keys but actually about 50 per cent of the cars we sell don't. They often get lost in the process [by the police] or perhaps the car's owner wants to be a nuisance and throws them away.' Cars will also have a variety of damage. Bennett added: 'Some will be clean, others will have minor damage, some major. But it's often just cosmetic bumper damage or similar.' Where do cars seized by the police end up for sale? There are a number of auction houses that feature sales of vehicles seized by the authorities. RAW2K disposes of seized cars from 26 of the UK's 45 police forces. According to Bennett, around 18,000 cars a year go through its sites around the country, about 95 per cent of them being police seizures. John Pye and Sons works with more than 25 police and government authorities. These seizure contracts make up around 75 per cent of the 15,000 vehicles it sells annually and the number is growing. Some police forces even have their own Ebay shops for selling POCA seizures and other surplus equipment. Sussex Police, for example, had a set of Skoda Octavia locking wheel nuts for £10, although it doesn't sell complete cars this way. 'Cars that can be re-sold as working go through Brightwells (auctions),' a spokesperson told us. How can police sell stolen cars? Pye explained: 'POCA enables authorities to seize and sell assets, including vehicles, that are linked to criminal activity. This can happen through confiscation orders (after conviction) or civil recovery (without conviction). 'John Pye auctions sells these vehicles on behalf of UK law enforcement agencies, such as the police, HMRC and the National Crime Agency (NCA). The proceeds from these sales are typically reinvested into crime prevention, law enforcement or public services.' Auction houses also get vehicles that are taken as evidence through PACE but are never reclaimed. And, of course, as these vehicles come via the police, you're never going to buy a cloned car from one of these auctions. There can be downsides, however. 'We did have one car that had a turtle in a tank in its boot,' Bennett said. 'And vans tend to have lots of rubbish in them.' The auction houses clear out personal belongings and retain personal belongings such as driving licences and bank cards in case they are reclaimed. But they do draw a line: 'Cars with needles from drug users in them are crushed, as is any vehicle that's got blood splattered around it,' Bennett said.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Audi SQ5
There's a very small detail on the new-generation Audi SQ5 that I think means a great deal: the red Audi Sport oblong is back. This oh-so-subtle differentiator could for a very short amount of time be stuck on the back of anything that had four rings at the front. Then Audi got rid of it entirely. Now it's back on a proper S car. It would be a reach to say this ties up with Audi Sport returning to form, but this SQ5 is certainly good and much more of an S car than Audi's latest electric cars. With the EV stuff, S variants have been a touch meh – more of a trim level with a few nice bits, rather than the toned-down RS experience that we had all come to enjoy. Sure, the S6 E-tron is quicker than the regular Audi A6 E-tron, but with an EV it's a bit like, so what? Plus it has a notably shorter range. By contrast, the SQ5 is notably different to the regular Audi Q5. The new SQ5 largely follows the latest Audi design language. The front features Audi's 'Singleframe' grille and thin lights, while the shoulder-line is typical family SUV. As standard, all SQ5s get 21-inch wheels, adaptive suspension, S badges, red brake calipers and Matrix LED headlights. There's a Sportback model too. This, slope-roofed variant was first introduced in 2021 and in continental Europe it actually outsells the SUV. Not for us Brits. Must be something to do with less space for more money thing going on. Admittedly the difference in boot space between SUV and Sportback is barely worth mentioning. Basically if you like the looks, go for it. The interior is very much like the Q6 E-tron. Up front there's a 11.9-inch virtual cockpit (the screen behind the steering wheel) a 14.5-inch display (the screen in the middle) while the SQ5 also gets Audi's Passenger Display (the screen on the passenger side) as standard. They're all suitably slick, easy to control and logical. The passenger side screen can be used to alter the nav or radio in real-time, helping the driver, or to watch videos on. The latter of which can't be seen from the driver's point of view. No Tiktok while behind the wheel, thank god. Like with the Q6 E-tron, the SQ5 has very few physical buttons. The climate controls are on the big central screen. It gets its own dedicated bar at the bottom, is shown permanently, and responds quickly. But it's still not ideal. At least they're not haptic like Audis of old - so you don't need to press it down hard like you're trying to delete an app on your phone. Material quality seems fine - just fine - and to my eyes and hands the tiny little drive selector nicked from a Skoda Enyaq that you pull back or push forward feels cheap and a bit apologetic. The gear paddles are tiny and plastic. They would feel just about okay for a Skoda. But they're not befitting of a £50,000 Audi Q5 and they're nowhere near the quality I would expect for a £75,000 Audi SQ5. Pull your hand away from the Temu paddles and you will find another peculiarity in the interior: a control panel where you might expect to find the window switches. Those switches are there too but accompanied by quite a few other buttons. Those for the foglights, for instance. This isn't so bad in isolation, but if you don't tend to close car doors using their handles, you will end up turning the fogs on – as I and several other testers did. The previous-generation SQ5 was supplied by the black pump, but Audi has seen fit to change it to a 3.0-litre V6 petrol – a 362bhp affair with 406lb ft of torque. It's a great unit, pliable with a wide band of operation and a real turn of pace. The torque levels mean that if you want to treat it like a diesel, you can. Lots of low-down pull makes it easy to drive and to drive quickly without using too many revs. It can spin past 7000rpm but peak torque is achieved below 4000rpm. Its journey to these numbers is linear and non-fussy. It's not theatrical like Alfa Romeo's V6 or quite as lovely or as offbeat as Audi's own five-cylinder engine, but it has its own personality. And when Dynamic mode is selected, there's even a bit of drama with a few exhaust crackles. Sure, it's as digitally augmented as a Black Eyed Peas song, but it's subtle enough for it to not be too cloying, unlike a Black Eyed Peas song. It has a bit of mild-hybrid tech: a pair of electric motors (one on the engine, one on the automatic gearbox) and a 1.7kWh battery. This adds 24bhp and apparently allows for some electric-only running. I did not experience said electric running. The integration works fine when you're going but causes a problem when you're stopping: there's a bit of a pedal push needed to get onto the disc and the force needed isn't always the same. The problem isn't insurmountable, just slightly irritating. Not being 100% sure on how hard to press the brake pedal isn't great in a car that's as large and as powerful as this. The SQ5 comes with air suspension as standard. Some petrolheads sound like broken records when it comes to Audi suspension, repeating old lines about shattered teeth, largely associated with S Line cars of a decade ago. But the SQ5's set-up is lush. Even in its firmest setting, I could use it day-to-day. It all feels very connected, well thought out. Comfortable but with enough heft and damping to not make it feel like a burly, two-tonne SUV. The steering is a touch light but feedback is strong. Dynamic mode adds a bit of heft and a bit of feel too. Its surefootedness means you have to go a bit Asbo to have much fun driving it, but fun is possible. The square steering 'wheel' is easy to use on a set of flowing bends, but I found it difficult to use on roundabouts. It almost forces you to not shuffle the wheel at all, which really isn't ideal, because I, like most SQ5 drivers, am not blatting through Tertre Rouge but negotiating a Tesco car park. When left to its own devices, the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is pretty handy. When the drive mode selector is switched to Dynamic, it changes down quickly and with gusto; in Comfort, it's less keen to swap cogs. Things begin to fall down when you change gears yourself. Pull the left shifter in Dynamic when approaching a corner and you feel the whole car jump forward ever so slightly. It's a BMW-esque thump in the back that's supposed to say 'hey, kiddo, you're driving a performance car', but it's just jarring to me. It's a really solid car, this SQ5. And one befitting of its performance-oriented badging. It's fast, comfortable and practical and the Sportback shape is innovative and adds a bit of surprise-and-delight. Criticisms? The powertrain and suspension add up to a £75,000 experience but the interior has too many small foibles – ones that, that when tallied, make the price tag questionable. ]]>
