[Dippy]

Audi has always been known for its classy and understated designs. Be it the exterior looks or the premiumness and quality of the interior. However, things have taken a downfall in recent times.

While Audi launched several new models last year like the A6 E-Tron, Q6 E-Tron, A5 sedan, A5 Avant, Q5 SUV, and Q5 Sportback, an up-close look at these new cars bring a new issue to the forefront.

The quality of the materials used in the interiors of the A6 E-Tron, and the Q5 amongst others is disappointing compared to Audis of the past. Not much is visible on the surface but things are different once you dive deep in detail. The quality of the hard plastics on the door pads and the glovebox cover leaves a lot to be desired. There are also doubts about how the paint will look over 4-5 years in the car's life.

However, Audi has realized this, and at the drive event for the new Q5, Oscar da Silva Martins, Head of Product and Technology Communication at Audi was open enough to admit, "We have certainly been better in terms of quality in the past, but we will get there again.". He also added that they had slightly underestimated the demands of customers and media when it came to Audi quality.

Going forward, Audi officials have indicated improvements in this area. The newer facelift models should see a return to the high-quality Audi has been known for. It should also be reflected in all new models that come in the future.

Speaking of Audi's rivals, Mercedes-Benz's material quality has seen a decline in the past few years. BMW had seen a dip in quality in the early 2010s when they launched the F30 3 Series. Things, however, have improved since then.

Source: Motor1.com

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[VIN No]

All three of the German marques are past their prime in terms of quality; an Audi from 10 years back would feel more solid than Audis of today. It's a similar story with BMW and Mercedes, all a grade or two below their previous generations.

It's the little things like the lack of felt lining and reflector based headlights, omission of key features present in cars costing 1/3 the price the touch and feel of materials.

[Sid94]

Glad that people associated with Audi at the top level are open enough to admit it. Audi interiors never appealed to me, but I noticed they tend to feel robust even after years of use, unlike Mercedes cars.

I haven't been in BMWs much to comment on them, but both Audis and Mercs are quite poor in quality compared to cars 2 generations prior. While the 'budget-friendly' mass-market cars are improving quality, the Germans are degrading to a point where it might be difficult to differentiate the price points in some aspects. I recently hopped into the driver seat of a BYD for a short drive and was in a friend's GLE the next day - more than half the touch points in the BYD felt more premium and sturdy.

Anyhow, it is great that Audi has realised it cut corners where it made no sense and that they'll improve on things. Hope to see 'well-engineered' cars with some well-engineered quirks

[dragracer567]

Originally Posted by Sid94

Glad that people associated with Audi at the top level are open enough to admit it. Audi interiors never appealed to me, but I noticed they tend to feel robust even after years of use, unlike Mercedes cars.

I haven't been in BMWs much to comment on them, but both Audis and Mercs are quite poor in quality compared to cars 2 generations prior.

BMW and Porsche generally have the most robust interiors matched. I haven't seen the latest G60 but the pre-facelift G20 and G30 had interiors built to last (relatively for a luxury car anyway). Mercedes isn't consistent, their S class, GLEs and GLS interiors are built well but their E class has gone downhill since the W212. I hate the new glossy black interior in the new W214, would take Audi over that anyday.

[Sensible_Speed]

BMW interior has improved over the last few years. My friend owns a 2010 5 series and a 2011 3 series. They both have rattly plastics on the underside of the dashboard. You can hear the little clunks and rattles over speedhumps. In contrast, a 2017 vintage 3 series seems much better put together.

[samitjain]

I have owned a previous gen Q3 and current gen Q5. There is a considerable difference between the quality of each generation of cars. The previous gen Q3 oozed quality at all touch points compared to current gen Q5 even though it belongs to a segment higher. The seat material, plastics touch points, steering touch points are definitely inferior in current gen Q5 being sold in the market.