Reisen

We went through the same thing ourselves (getting a Q5 after having a baby).

First, we did the entire first year with a 2 door E46 BMW. Not always fun, but it's do-able. Rear-seat legroom doesn't vary as much as you might think it does. We were surprised at some very large cars not having much larger backseats!

I think, realistically, if we could swing it, the X5 would probably be our first choice. But you're right, that it's expensive, especially once you start adding options.

In terms of the Q5, and having a baby in general, you're right to think about what else will be in the car. When we head to my in-laws for weekends, we're packing the baby (ha!), her Recaro infant seat (in the back middle seat at the moment), her Bumbleride Indie stroller, my golf clubs, three duffelbags of clothes (one for each of us), and a diaper bag. With the cargo area of the Q5, I reasonably think that should fit, although I'll let you know for sure when we get it.

We're also big skiers, and it's not a vehicle we could reasonably keep the skis inside: we'll need a roof rack, which isn't a huge deal. Still, one of the advantages of my parents' X5 over their X3 is being able to keep the skis inside. They'll take a little bit of abuse on a roof rack on long interstate drives, plus the noise and fuel efficiency penalty.

Having a second kid, or putting an adult back there with the first, starts to get tight. As long as the oldest is front-facing, it should be fine, though. Front-facer sits behind the driver (hopefully not kicking the seat!), and rear facer sits behind the passenger. We test-fit this at the dealer, and like another poster, my wife had to move the seat up a little, but not to the point where she was uncomfortable (she's 5-9).

Two kids back there, along with an adult, would just be too tight, IMO. I'm also not sure about more than one set of golf clubs along with a stroller and other gear. I suppose you could get a roof carrier, if you needed.

After two kids, you're probably looking at a full-size SUV with third row seating, where I think the Q7 would be a great option. But there's no reason to jump straight to that...

Edit: Oh yeah, I, too, would do an A6 Avant. I didn't seriously look at it because A- It's more expensive, and B- the new one is coming out next year, and we needed a car now.

The G Man

Did you notice in the RX there is no hump in the middle of the second row seat flooring. Thats because there is no center differantial in the RX with the electronic AWD system which allow the the trunk floor to be lower a few inches. Also, for some reason, Audi wall off the wheel well in the trunk area which makes the truck really narrow, that is a real bad design by Audi.

The A6 advent is one heck of a car, I test drove one last year and almost bought it. My wife had the Q5 at that time so I bought the A6 sedan instead. One draw back is that the A6 advant is in real short supply which means less room for negociation.

Reisen

I didn't notice the hump, but you're right that I definitely noticed Audi walling off a significant portion of the trunk area wall. I had the same thought. I wonder what's behind there...

In my E46, the battery is back there!

jeff968

My family is in the process of downsizing. Back in 2002 there were 5 of us so we purchased a new MB ML320 with 7 passenger seating. It served us very well for 7 years and 140K miles. With two of my kids in college we just weren't using all the utility of the ML. I really liked the Q5 and when it showed up with the 2.0T I knew it would be our next vehicle. I sold the ML (to another family) and we ordered our Q5. We now have 8K miles on it and love it. We have traveled with all 5 of us once and it will do the job but we were tight. It is a lighter vehicle then the ML so I'm running a true snow tire during the winter. We are certainly enjoying the gas mileage improvement. We are getting 23mpg vs 17mpg with the ML which is saving us $25 a week!!! The Q5 is a great vehicle for family duty.

hernan1304

I didn't see you mention Land Rover. I've said this before - downsized from an LR3 to a Q5 and I miss it every day. The LR4 is beautiful, huge, versatile, comfortable, safe, and is $60k with all the options except the rear seat DVD. Much cheaper than an X5.

hernan1304

And my wife LOVED it and misses it every day too - which is a lot to say since she doesn't really like cars much.

The G Man

The hump is back there, take a look next time you are in the car. In the Q5, the battery, Navi, amp and compressor is back there.

hawke94

We have a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. The forward facing car seat is behind the front passenger seat and the rear-facing carrier is behind the driver. My wife can sit between the two. A bit of a tight squeeze, but manageable on short drives. BTW, we found this to be true of the X5 also. We were surprised that the X5 did not have more room. You should do what we did and take your car seats to the dealer and try them out. We tested our two car seats in the X5, 535xi, Q7, A6, and A8. We almost gave up until the salesman suggested trying the Q5. Perfect fit! Only the A8 had more rear seat room. By perfect fit, I mean either I or my wife could sit between the car seats reasonably comfortably and the head rest fit right over the top of the forward facing Britax seat. Impossible to do in the Q7, so keep this in mind if you have Britax seats. I will qualify this by saying I and my wife are not tall, about 5'7" or so. On weekend trips, we are able to fit two strollers, 3-4 overnight bags, and still have room for purchases or other stuff. So bottomline: the Q5 is viable for a family of four but depends on your lifestyle as others have noted.

Prime Time

Thanks for all the info, keep it coming!

What about the A4 Avant? An A6 Avant will run me in the mid $50s so at that point I would rather have a X5 or some other SUV.

As for the Land Rover I'm going to pass on that. Unless it is a Range Rover and I have $100k to drop on it I've known a few people with Land Rovers and both had tons of issues, one even caught on fire!

Any experience with a GMC Acadia?

The G Man

The A4 advant is pretty small as you know. As good as the 2.0T engine is, its no match for the 3.0T. The A6 advant invoice for $51500, there is also a $3000 Audi loyalty rebate, which brings it down to $48500.