So I tested out the Q5 & the H3T this morning.
They SLASHED the prices on the H3T they have in stock to the point where I am almost falling over. The final price with tax is less than the sticker price by like 3K!! Plus they are going to pay the first two payments for us... then we will pay it out with a transfer of cash.
The H3T was starting to scare me a bit; the more I thought about it I kept seeing this huge truck with crappy fitment, quality and a lack of power. Combine that with the shitty visibility I remembered from the H3 SUV version and I almost didn't even go.
Ok, but now I am glad I did!
The visibility is much better with the truck version. Huge mirrors were added for the tow package & with the rear window right there it made it way easier to see out.
I was getting ready for a sloggy drive when suddenly I realized it had a reasonable amount of power... turns out the 4-speed automatic is a total hog and most of the reviews done panned the power as a result; now on the other hand the manual tranny makes the 5-cylinder much better. It was a very well mannored manual to be honest.
Fitment... I looked carefully for plastic shittyness but found none. The dash is faily upscale with a nice brush nickle finish around the gauges. I found a bluetooth control button hidden away on the left side (yah!) and noticed a mike right above the driver to talk. Power seats, comfortable & bolstered... although not leather. The steering wheel was a suprise, it was smaller than I expected, but it was very thick and meaty feeling. The seating position was even a bit more car-like than the Fit! My only real complaint was the shift knob... which luckily can be changed
On the road I was really suprised, the front and side visibility was good & the truck handled suprisingly well. I like that the window is a bit forward as it kept the sun off me while I was driving. The rear seats had TONS of space, more than most crew cabs IMO.
Whoops, lunch... will talk about the Q5 in a bit