How many of you use the Q7 as the family hauler?
 

I just got my Q7 on Wednesday and had a slight twinge of buyer's remorse that it might not be big enough for myself, my 6'4" husband, and my 5 year old and 2 month old. I drove just about everything in the segment and couldn't find the space I wanted without sacrificing the drivability...like tahoe, acadia, etc. Just wondering how many of you haul kids around and what your thoughts are!

The vehicle has been the family hauler for the past 5 years. I currently have a 14, 11 and 7 year old and on the weekends, it is the car we use.

Often one of the kids have their friends tag along as well and it does just fine.

You should be set for quite some time with just the 2 kids at the moment. Also, you will feel quite happy with your choice should you live in an area that gets actual winter weather. The Q7 does great.

We use the Q7 as the family hauler. We have two children, ages 5 and 2. If we had another child, however, I don't think it would suit our needs any longer.

We're on our second Q7 and as the kids get older, the toys they and I want to take on trips grows and grows. Between bikes and other necessary items, we fill up the Q7, a Thule Roofbox and a full bike rack on the trailer hitch when we go on an extended trip. It's the perfect size for a family of four with recreational equipment.

The major storage issue is that the minute you raise any part of the third row to accommodate a third passenger in the back, you lose almost 50% of the storage space in the vehicle. Although the Q7 is a huge vehicle, space is devoted more to passenger space and comfort in the front and the second row. The third row seating is barely useable and obliterates all the storage in the back.

If you have two children in car seats (with as massive as car seats are today), there will not be room for another passenger in the middle of the second row. Furthermore, you can only barely fit two Britax car seats in the third row. We did it successfully on our last trip, but because the third row seats don't adjust and the headrest is immoveable, our convertible booster car seat didn't fit very well and our five year old literally had zero leg room.

TL;DR: Q7 is perfect for a family of four. Get a roof box if you have more than average stuff or if you have a family of five. I don't see how a family of more than five could use the Q7 on a regular basis.

I stand by my comments in my post above, but I will add that when you get rid of car seats and the kids are able to climb into the third row, the story probably changes considerably. Still, without a roofbox, I don't see how you have room for five people and all their stuff to go on a trip.

The Q7 is small for a family car IMO.
I have one 9 year old and when I got the Q7 last year she would scrape here knee on the back seat metal rails the move the rear seats back and forth, be careful with that issue. The rear A/C controls are also in a bad position and can be bumped as well. Over all the backseat is not a good place in a Q7. Also the car is pretty low to the ground and make it hard to get kids into car seats. I see you mentioned the Acadia, we still have ours from 2008, about to sell it but the car is the BEST overall family hauler for small kids. So easy to strap them in and plenty of room in the back, get the Captain Chairs on the second row option.
The Q7 is a drivers car, it happens to have 3 rows, but that's a joke.

I noticed behind the driver's seat that my daughter has literally inches because of her car seat and how tall my husband is. I fit in the backseat fine for now because my baby is in her carseat in the middle. Ugh, I really hope I won't regret this purchase. I loved my Q5, but it was way too small and although we took several test drives before purchasing, on the way home I started to feel like it wasn't actually much bigger at all...gulp!

We are a family of four who rarely needs a third row. Obviously, a Yukon or Tahoe are bigger but I didn't notice much more leg room. Basically they are for bigger people (width, not height). I really like how the Q7 drives vs the others. My wife can fit between two car seats in the back when we have 5 people.

We just came from a newer Escalade to the Q7. The Q has far more leg & head room in the front seats - about the same in the middle row - & actually about the same leg room in the third row (less head room though). We only use the third row about 6 times a year & the fold down seats are infinitely more convenient that having to lift two 50lb chairs in & out every time you need the back row. The third row in the Escalade was probably a little easier for my 11 & 14 yr old grandsons to access because of the captain's chairs, but the overall fit, finish & technology of the Q7 makes the Cadillac look like a 41 Ford.

my Q is the family hauler, as my 2nd car is an AMG SLK55 2 seater….never felt there wasn't enough room…I'm not interested in Tahoe like boats that wallow and drive like barges…the Q7 is a pleasure to drive and I've never regretted getting one…and as noted the fit/finish is great…the dealer experience excellent as well...

Q is the main family car here, 3 carseats across the snd row.