Anyone bought a Q7 recently...?

[Yazar]

silentbrown said:

NOW is the time to get something just *slightly* practical (a back seat and a boot - RS3 sportback, perhaps?) and upgrade to an S4 or S6 when and if your family grows.

Make sure you get a leather interior, though.

Now is the time to get a sports car with small rear seats that kids can fit into comfortably.

As once they are older, they won't fit so it will hatchbacks, 4x4s and saloons until they can drive themselves!

OP - Ditch the Q7 idea and buy a 911

[Adrian E]

A decent boot is a necessity these days with a sprog, particularly if it's your only car. What's striking when you go looking is how broadly similar cars have very different split between bonnet/interior/boot space. We looked at coupes before buying the Sportback and the 6 series and merc coupes are too restrictive in the rear seats for adults but the smaller 3 series was a serious option.

Hatchbacks are handy for the depth of their boots and ease of squeezing stuff in compared to saloons. 4 or 5 doors with a baby is a lot easier day to day but there's plenty of interesting stuff about. We did look at S3 sportbacks but couldn't find spec/condition we wanted used. They have decent rear headroom and if you're buying near new you get the latest facelift which is a decent step up from the older q7 electronics albeit with less options available to spec

Best of both worlds? Probably an S4 avant or latest rs6 with the 4 litre twin turbo. Serious but of kit!

[Dr G]

Your suggestion of an SQ5 is good too.

Very similar footprint to an A4 so completely manageable around town but more practical with an upright seating position and both 3.0 TDI Q5s have plenty of performance for a 'normal' car. Notably lighter than a Q7 so 35 MPG not unrealistic.

[silentbrown]

Yazar said:

Now is the time to get a sports car with small rear seats that kids can fit into comfortably.

Good idea, but you'd probably struggle getting a rear-facing infants seat in. And there's also the regulatory approval issue. Our 7-yr old would onlyn fit in the back of a TT *without* a booster seat, but we couldn't get a straight answer about the legality. With a booster seat her head was whacking the rear screen.

[bridgland]

I have a Q7 with the 4.2tdi engine. On long runs I get close to 30 mpg and around town under 20 mpg (keeping to speed limits and not hoofing it too much. To date I have managed 22mpg overall when I did proper calculations, as the computer is a little ambitious. I have older kids the amount of space for passengers on a long trip was key, which the Q7 supplies admirably (rear seats also recline slightly too. I found my late 2008 model with loads of extras (look for my topic on this). Things like the reversing camera and AMI high were mandatory. The extra grunt from the 4.2tdi is lovely and these cars are rarer but generally loaded with goodies for not much more than a 3.0tdi.

If I change the car in the future (no plans yet until the kids start driving themselves) I would be very tempted with the SQ5 as it has some impressive performance numbers.

Just changed my tyres to Michelin Latitude Sport 3s and hope to get 12,000+ miles from them as long as I keep an eye on the pressures and swap them front to back at some point.

The only thing that really surprised me was the poor turning circle (need to plan for a 3 point turn well in advance).

[Kell]

Dr G said:

zedstar said:

Low 20's? Thats pretty dire actually, thanks for the info....

2.5 tons in traffic.

I get low 20s in traffic with my 3.0TDi A6.

I'm convinced that big diesels and town driving aren't good bedfellows.

My last three 'big' cars have all been diesels and they're all just as bad (A6 3.0TDi Auto, BMW 530d Auto, A4 2.5 V6TDi Manual).

Also, I struggle to top 40 on the motorway, so I'd expect slightly worse with the Q7.

[Kell]

silentbrown said:

Yazar said:

Now is the time to get a sports car with small rear seats that kids can fit into comfortably.

Good idea, but you'd probably struggle getting a rear-facing infants seat in. And there's also the regulatory approval issue. Our 7-yr old would onlyn fit in the back of a TT *without* a booster seat, but we couldn't get a straight answer about the legality. With a booster seat her head was whacking the rear screen.

You could get kids in the back once they were in forward facing seats, but from 0-9 months, in rear facing seats? Forget it. I hung on to ours with the promise that once my daughter was in a front facing one, it would work, but the passenger seat was so far forward, my wife's eyelashes were almost touching the windscreen.

But, as other people have said, you don't need a huge car, you just have work out exactly what you need to carry. I know people who've managed with Minis before now.

[Adrian E]

Friend of ours (over 6 foot as well!) managed with a Ford Puma when their 1st was born! Needless to say it was a compromise on what got taken anywhere - sometimes one of the parents wouldn't fit....

[silentbrown]

Adrian E said:

Friend of ours (over 6 foot as well!) managed with a Ford Puma when their 1st was born! Needless to say it was a compromise on what got taken anywhere - sometimes one of the parents wouldn't fit....

Mrs SB switched her Puma for a highly practical Fiesta ST when SB minor arrived. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth... The Puma was always an event, (nothing quite like the feel of a cold aluminium gearknob on a frosty morning) but as I'm 6'3 it was a little challenging for me to drive regularly.