opus360

Well...digging up the old thread for those curious to know what happened.

Wife prefers the Q5 so we did an extended test drive for the wife. She has seen it in person, but never drove it until recently, as we waited for the 2013s to come out. As it turned out, unfortunately, the driving position does not suit her well. The side mirrors block her view. So, I looked at other cars.

BMW X3
+ all round view camera
+ handling
+ front access
- no visor extended or slide on rail
- back seats uncomfortable
- interior design seems 1980s
- interior quality behind Q5

Acura RDX
+ powerful car, very easy to operate controls
- too many ... very ordinary to drive, no height adjust on passenger seats, ride isn't as good as others

Toyota Highlander
+ many plus...smooth engine, very good ride, easy to access front seats
- does not handle well
overall it feels like buying something utility, no emotional excitement

Acura MDX
+ rides well, handles well, very comfortable front seats, some good features such as powered tilt and telescopic steering
- a bit too big, older technology (navigation has no line guide), no start/stop, no keyless entry

In the end, we decided to go the Acura MDX route. It a SUV that does everything well, amid older technologies. Time will tell if the purchase will be a satisfactory one or not.

Lastly, I wanted to say thank you to everyone here. It's a great forum. I'll be back here someday, when time to replace the MDX or to buy another car.

idale

Sorry to hear the mirrors killed the Q5 for her, but of course if you can't get a seating position that gets you good visibility all around then it's an unsafe choice and your hands are tied regardless of how excellent the rest of the package is (some vehicles I swear are unsafe in any position, but the Q5 is pretty good even with the rear rake). Glad you at least found something worthwhile in the MDX (which seems like a well-tested vehicle, so should service you guys well). And who knows, the next-gen Q5 or another Audi may fit your parameters next time around.

opus360

Today, somehow I wondered into this forum again and what someone here said "kind of" stuck in my head. I asked before if three car seats (if I had three kids) would fit, the reply was "that is minivan territory". Well, we have one toddler now. I am glad I got the Acura MDX due to its bigger size. While I travel light, wife travels heavy. Now with a kid, I sometimes wish I had gotten a minivan. (Not that wife would approve of a minivan). It's hard to believe how much stuff you need to haul traveling with a toddler.

idale

We had an Odyssey for four years that we'd filled the entire back of (third row down, stuff to the ceiling). Babies need a ton of crap. Downsized to the Q5 after the baby phase was over since there's less of a need to pack a bunch of stuff on trips now that there's not the playpens and swings and tons of diapers and food and everything else. Both of us tend to travel light, though (our clothes both go in a single regular suitcase, then a small bag for bathroom supplies). So we make trips with the two kids, two pets, and two of us just with filling up the Q5 these days. No roof carrier, even.

But yeah, three kids would be a ton of stuff so you guys would need a huge SUV to avoid the minivan. But my Odyssey wasn't really that bad of a minivan. SUVs are minivans of today anyway, just like CUVs are today's wagons. At least minivans have the sliding doors to make it easier to access the rear. One reason I didn't go with something like a CX-9 at the time.

Good to hear the MDX is still treating you guys well, though!

Geese

2011 Q5 with wife and two little ones is tight when traveling, but since getting a roof carrier is a dream for beach trips. Plenty of room this last trip. Two forward facing car seats really don't take up any extra space, but when the youngest was rear facing, I had him behind my wife's side. I have the seat all the way back due to my height.

Now wife wants a third, and that would most likely mean all new car seats and she swaps her car for a minivan...yuck. No thanks...

Q5 TDI

I'm sure I won't be very popular saying this, but no large SUV is going to match a mini van for functionality and room. I hate mini vans as much or more than anyone, but considering the space they provide, they can't be beat if you have three kids. I owned two different ones when the 4 kids were little - now they're grown, and the mini vans are gone

Two kids a Q5 might work but you need to ask yourself if you're a minimalist or like to bring everything and the kitchen sink with you. If you're the latter - better get a mini van.

opus360

That is so true. Other than the true offroading SUV, most mid-size SUVs are "mid-size minivans"...think Toyota Highlander. The CUV...Q3, Toyota RAV4, etc are the wagons.

I for one would never buy a full size SUV. Minivan can do everything then some a full-size SUV can, except towing a big trailer.

Every time we travel overnight with the baby/toddler, I feel like we are hauling the house with us.

MP4.2+6.0

Wife loves the Q5 now and it competes w/ the A8 for two or three adult road trips. But in kid years we went from mid size wagon to large minivans, even after looking at then current SUV's in the Q5 type sizing. Minivans were and are more practical for kids+hauling, even against unwieldy (and old design) Q7, let alone Q5. Both minivans were AWD to address that need (regular Sierra snow trips), which in today's market pretty much means only the Sienna.

Kids have friends too--whether trips or carpools or whatever--so it's often more than just family count. BTDT, hundreds of times or more w the minivans. And among three row vehicles, unlike many (Q7, at least prior MDX, etc.) they have a real third/back seat row. Without any pretending or wishing away the real compromises, they usable by real adult size people instead of smaller kids, midgets and amputees like many pretend third seaters. Thus, three adults across is the only real compromise back there, not the whole seat area like your typical SUV short of a Suburban behemoth. Plus, with cargo space left over and avoiding the further clunky stereotype roof box.

Post kids, little need for minivan differences, other than Q5 can still only hold about half what minivans did inside in max haul mode.

hmn4858

I got forced into buying one kicking and screaming. Traded in the Q5 back in May of 2012 for an AWD Sienna. I wanted to cry but I could no longer cram three car seats in the back once the kids were out of infant carriers and moved to convertible seats. I looked at pretty much every large size SUV before breaking down and buying a minivan. Well after a month I was like why didn't I do this sooner! The convenience and room are second to none. I thought it would be extremely boring to drive but it actually isn't that bad and I like it much better than the Highlander we also own. It also handles better than some of the SUVs I test drove. Once the kids get older I might switch to an SUV but I'm really in no hurry to do so.

Hockeymonkey

I doubt any Q5 could ever stand up to the abuse my Honda Odyssey took for the last 10 years. 200,000 miles later it never ever let us down; including long cross country trips. Kids, dogs, mud, cheerios ground into the carpet, ice cream and puke this car took it like a warrior. The captains chairs are super comfortable and tons of functional compartments and storage. More importantly it was completely trouble free for the 10 years.
Now with an Audi Q5, my wife will not let us eat in the car