Tested some stuff. SUV shopping for someone. New Q5, CX-5, CR-V... R8 later this week
Q5 -- not bad, 2.0l engine felt punchy for how low of power it is, transmission was nice as expected, interior felt really plasticy and cheap. The fact that the latest Q cars have such nice interior designs made it worse because you have much higher expectations. Cheap looks with cheap materials seems better than expensive looks with cheap materials. MMI click wheel is the loudest knob I've ever heard in a car. I don't know why it clicks like that when it turns. The knob had plenty of feedback such that the clicking was pointless. Didn't feel super snug, but didn't feel very spacious. Maybe this is what mid sized SUVs are supposed to be like, but honestly, I thought it would feel bigger inside. Exterior design is nothing amazing IMO. Decently quiet. Panoramic moonroof is nice, though maybe not so important for people in the front seat. Doesn't offer all the driving aids of the Q7 unfortunately. No remote start! I'd rather have this Q5 than a Macan.
Mazda CX-5 -- really like the exterior design direction for this model. Engine felt average in terms of power. Pretty much what I expected. No paddles for manual mode and weirdly, the manual mode with the shifter has you push up to go to the next gear and pull down to down shift. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like pulling down should be up shift. Infotainment screen looked fine, not nearly as nice as the Audi virtual cockpit though. Selection knob felt good, no super loud clicky noises. Interior also felt snug, more so than the Audi. Didn't feel like i was sitting up that high. Hood length looked massive from the exterior, but driving was fine. Had only one digital display in the dash which showed some sort of driving aids. Strangely it even though I occasionally noticed it emphasizing something, I didn't notice audible queues. Thought it was a little annoying that the blind spot beep went off when I turned my turn signal on. I wasn't changing lanes, I was turning, so it was kind of irrelevant is someone was in my blind spot. Interior materials felt fine. Interior trim felt more solid than the Q5. Q5 just fell really hollow. No Android Auto or Car Play yet, but they're coming. Remote start using an app, I think.
CR-V -- Lowest performance and dynamics. Dash is digital but not a very slick and high-res looking design. Bit dull. Felt a bit more spacious than the others, possibly due to shifter being more on the center console than the arm rest area. Android Auto and Car Play supported. Not a huge fan of the exterior design. Kinda soccer-momish. Wheel design and choices are awful. Both kind of a weird diamond cut and the optional wheels are a whooping $2500 option. That's crazy on a $25-30k car. Has a good amount of driver safety features, has remote start, cameras etc. Overall quite good value IMO.
Winner? Not sure. Wish i could an Audi with a CX-5 bodykit and Honda driving/safety features.
R8 -- will test it later this week. Dealers in the US are more hesitant about testing these kinds of cars. They had two in stock, so I have a feeling they aren't selling that well. This isn't an LA/NY/Miami kind of dealer with high-end buyers everywhere, so having two in stock seems weird. One was technically used, with only 80 miles on it. They were asking $15K under sticker on it. Guy ordered, took it home, brought it back because he didn't like the color.