Considering moving to a Cayenne Diesel or Q7 TDI - bad idea?

[danmm7]

Hi fellas!

I know this may not be the best forum to ask this question, but since some of you may have gone through this dilemma already, it's worth asking...

My 2011 S4 with 88k miles is in great shape (EPL Stg 2, TCU, upgraded brakes) and i like it a lot. It's a fun car and aside from the somewhat bumpy ride, so-so noise insulation and 16-17mpg, it's my perfect daily driver.

The key problem is that the rear seat is too small for my 3 kids - all 3 are in booster seats now. I simply cannot fit all 3 of them in a boosters in the S4!!
I am 6'3" tall, my wife is tall, so even the leg room back there is poor, unless i push my seat close to the steering wheel. The S4 is simply not a car for a family of 5. :(

Obviously, i am also approaching close to 100k miles. At the moment the car has ZERO issues and it's very well maintained, but who knows how this will change as i put more miles. It may be the right time to sell it. ?!?

Given the kids' schedule, in the next 6-9 months, i will need the ability to drive all 3 of them to and from school and various activities. This is not a requirement today but i am worried that if i keep the car another 6-9 months, i will get to 100k miles (resell value?) and i may also encounter expensive repairs. Or maybe not.
....

So, I am looking at larger alternatives to my S4 so i can get more rear seat room and hopefully still preserve some of that "fun" element in my new ride OR at least get some real luxury in the car so i enjoy commuting with it daily.

There are 3 options on my radar... and all three are used TDI cars. If i won't be driving a full blown "sports-sedan", I at least want good MPG and the turbo diesel sounds like a great option. Not fast off the line but due to tons of torque, it's a great engine for 95% of all driving situations, yet the gas mileage is in the high 20s...any day. The goal is to keep this next car until at least 150k miles.

Option 1: 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel - not a big SUV, with decent rear seat and actually fun to drive, even as diesel. I like the interior and the seats a lot, but it is not a true luxury car and the rear seat is barely enough for all 3 kids, but will do.

Option 2: 2014 Audi Q7 TDI - bigger SUV than Cayenne, comes with "nice to have" 3rd row seat (we may not need it, since we have mini-van and wife drives 3-row Lexus SUV), a bit cheaper than the Cayenne, but may be less "fun to drive" due to size. The Q7 interior is kind of OLD/dated. The Q7 has been out for many many years. Even if i get a low miles 2014-15 Q7, the interior is still 10yr old design. :(

Option 3: 2014 Audi A8L TDI - not an SUV and not a sports sedan by any means, but this is a true luxury car, with great MPG. The A8L may be almost too big! I cannot find a regular size A8 TDI. The A8L will give me plenty of leg and seat room for all 3 kids. It will have every toy and luxury touch under the sun. But will it be as reliable as the Cayenne and Q7 SUVs? I am a DIY guy with plenty of tools in the garage, but the A8 is one big, complex car. I may be wrong, but it seems to be a lot more complex to work on compared to the Porsche and the Q7.


What do you think?

Should i milk my S4 until the very last moment i can keep it in the family?
If selling it..... what would you get, from the above options?


Thanks!

[4RCFED]

It looks like you have a mini van and a pretty large SUV already, unless I'm missing something. Why not just drive the kids in those?

[mungie]

You should drive all of those to see how different they are from the s4 and if you can stomach the difference. For a less extreme change, check our the macan turbo and GLA45 AMG

[GandalfTheIbis]

I too am a little confused about why you need a third large vehicle if you already have two? Why not simply drive the van on days when the schedule mandates you to serve as the child taxi?

Given the choices you listed, I'd eliminate the Q7. I test drove one in 2014 and it really feels like driving a bus. I like the A8L the most, but I don't know that I see fitting 3 child seats across the back. My brother has three kids, but only regularly has 2 child seats in the back. I've not asked, but I assumed there was a reason for that.

[danmm7]

Minivan is exclusively driven by the baby-sitter/ child care provider - it is not available to us Mon-Fri.
Lexus SUV is my wife's daily driver.

[will13k7]

some dealers still have brand new 2015 Audi Q7 TDI's. they could never sell them. #dieselgate

[CrownSeven]

Porsche will not have enough room. Go for the q7. Although to be honest something like a tahoe may be a better choose re:space.

[doug97gxe]

SQ7

[Blue S4]

What about an ML63? Too much money?

[EstorilS4]

If you provide a car to the babysitter/nanny, I'd make her take the kids to school...

Otherwise, I'd go with th A8L or the cayenne since you already have another 3rd row vehicle in the Lexus. I'd check into the reliability of those motors though. We know the ubiquitous 3.0 TFSI V6 in the S4 is a rock, but not all Audi/VW/Porsche engines are equals in the reliability factor.

[dblvanos]

I just went through a similar experience.

Only one child in a car seat but it was always cramped in the S4, could not get my family of four to the airport with normal luggage unless I was hauling a suitcase on my platform style bike rack.

Ended up with a touareg TDI, honestly not a single regret, I do have a 996 C2 though still as a "fun" car. For daily driving the touareg fits the bill very well. Large enough for all of us, not so large that it consumes my garage or is difficult to park.

With three kids you may want to lean more towards Q7 with third row seating though.

My father just bought a Ford explorer with eco boost, it has third row, and the tech in it is pretty nice and they lease kinda cheap if you shop a dealer willing to discount.