Came to a 2020 MX LR+ in June from a 2014 SQ5. The ‘tine has put a limit on the driving so with only 600 miles or so on the MX, these are only first impressions, but:
- Speed/acceleration- off the line, seems fairly comparable, I always loved the unnecessary power of that SUV. The MX seems a bit “smoother” but that’s likely due to no transmission, which, while I know that ZF transmission is a workhorse and implementations are in BMWs and others, the Audi software controlling it is horrible in terms of gear selection at lower speeds when decelerating and then accelerating. That’s obviously a non-issue in an EV. Acceleration in the MX at speed however, blows the SQ5 away.
- Ride quality- I elected the 22” wheels on the MX, couldn’t give up those looks even though I read about degraded range and ride quality, and of course pricier (and probably more frequent) tire replacement. Honestly, the ride of the MX is on par or better than the SQ5 which was riding on 21” wheels and no special suspension. After reading a bit about it, I think recent adaptive suspension updates on the MX may make a big difference in this area as well. Also, cabin noise is on par with the SQ5.
- Fit/finish/quality- as anyone who is tuned in to the Tesla’s for any amount of time knows, they are not winning any awards in this category and it seems they are pretty inconsistent in this area as well. I think I lucked out in general with my MX in terms of panel gaps and alignment, but the trim is all over the place. I still need to make an appointment, but I’m optimistic much if not all can be remedied by removing/replacing the affected pieces by a skilled tech. The paint finish is also sub-par in my opinion for a car of this price - I have several locations where it looked like tiny air bubbles in the base coat popped and the primer can be seen through in the size of a pinhole and then clear coated over. Also a couple areas where it looked like contaminants between the primer and base coat then cleared over as well as some runs/sags. This is all very minimal overall though and things I didn’t catch till washing and detailing it at home after taking delivery, but still nothing you’d see on an Audi half it’s price.
- Interior is fine- again, not German luxury or quality, especially at the $100k price point, but the bulk is on par with the SQ5 I’d say and quite good.
- Tech- here’s where the largest differences lie and my biggest attraction to the MX, or even Tesla’s in general. My 2014 SQ5 had infotainment that was probably already at least 5 years old when I bought it in 2013 and remains that way today. The Tesla has already gotten 4 software updates in less than 2 months and will continue to do so to keep it relevant and current- I like that.
Time will tell how the Tesla wears and tears, but so far so good, but from a quality standpoint, the SQ5 was honestly top notch and can’t complain.
