Okay, so just going through the process of doing research and getting ducks sitting in rows so when the chickens come home to roost I will be ready to strike with the hot iron.....sorry I could not resist.
I am looking to buy a car in the country. For the first time in a long time a new car looks like a very nice proposition. I have been looking at a fairly fully loaded Audi Q5. Let's pretend that the finances, insurance, gas and maintenance will be affordable. Let's also pretend that I have good reasons to want/need a car, and a car like this. My questions are:
1. What sort of costs will I be looking at that I have not thought of or know about, like road taxes, etc.
2. Does anybody have experience of the Q5s or Q7s and or Audis in general as this would be my first SUV and my first Audi.
3. What are people's general experiences of owning this sort of car in Switzerland?
But, if you don't have a small willie, why buy an SUV? Audi make an excellent range of saloons and sports hatches including 4 wheel drive, if you really think you need it, that will actually fit into one parking space at the supermarket...
On a serious note: Do not even think Q7 - the average Swiss parking lot is just a tiny bit bigger than an A4, so if you do not want to end up like the weekend shoppers in Glatt that need ten attempst to make that SUV fit the spot...
I do not like SUVs either, but the Q5 is borderline ok. If you need space, I would rather go for an A6 station wagon. And they come in "fast" as well: for the price of a new "naked" Q5 you can get a saloon with low kms, fully loaded and a Lamborghini engine...
2) Nope. But the Q7 hasn't had the best reviews - considered oversized by European standards. Q5 is highly rated in the small SUV category
3) Audis are 10 a penny in Switzerland - they seem to be everywhere - and the Q5 is popular. You should have good residuals on the car - especially if you choose a diesel
4) Closest rival is the X3 - new model released this month.
If the car comes with a service pack (IE free servicing) remember that it will still cost 300-400chf for fluids.
I would advise having a good test drive in the car on a mix of roads - checking how the economical it is (Audi engines in general are thirstier than BMW's), how is the ride? How are the seats? How easy is parking the car? Etc
A good salesman will give you plenty of time to test drive the car - for example I took a car for 2 testdrives on Saturday - both for 30mins. I walk out of the show room 3 hours after arriving having bought the car!
Q5 and Q7 both fit into single spaces - Q5 is the same size as an A4 Kombi.
I don't like the obsession with SUVs - but I understand why people choose to buy such cars. As is later pointed out, many family sized cars are also available with 4wd - and would be equally (if perhaps not better) equipped in bad road conditions. (Lower centre of gravity).
The latest 320xd is a superb example of a family estate, with 4wd and excellent economy. Pretty much all the BMW dealers currently have stock of these cars - and I believe they were "encouraged" to hold a number in the run up to this winter - on the back of a strong marketting campaign.
The OP might not want 14l/100km fuel consumption figures - and the V10 isn't technically the Lambo engine. The block is built on the Audi line using the standard V angle - 90 as opposed to 88 (or the other way round - I forget). The engine is actually a lot closer in design to the 4.2 FSI engine - but with another cylinders. The S6 was also slated in pretty much all the reviews for having zero levels of excitement.
Are you sure? I could have sworn that the A6 I test drove was longer than the X5. Which means that it is longer than the Q5. It even feels wide, especially when you count the side mirrors as well (but the auto-folding thing is handy...).
Good thing that finances are no issue. We got the Q5 on lease in April. After the sticker shock for the monthly lease payments, the only costs have been road tax and winter tires, plus gas (diesel). The biggest "extra" was the GPS, but thank goodness for that. I have a BMW 5-series in the States and went for the quattro for handling and to transport the dogs. Not very high powered, but pretty much what we needed. Even with the size, parking is still tight at times. Good luck.
You have to show me that academic girlfriend that likes to be seen in a shoebox with 4wd... let alone if it says FIAT at the front. (the 500 on the other hand is ok, but only if you are female...)
And where exactly would the OP put the kids he was talking about?
Long, yes - never a problem. I looked up the width: The Q5 is only slightly wider than the A6 - the few cm should not make a difference. It really is smaller than it looks... (and I would still not buy one.)
I am not sure as I have not really run a lot of comparisons...he-he.
Need/want SUV because have places off road that I will want to/have to visit, need the space and need something a bit more rugged than a "normal car" and will possibly want to tow some stuff as well...no, not a caravan.
Drive her to the Glattzentrum on a Saturday morning and let her watch how the other ladies try to park their Cayennes. That should help. If not, let her test drive one and include a full shopping center in the test drive... if she does manage to park it, she will have to do the limbo to actually get out of it...
You'll be surprised where a 4wd equipped car will take you!
As for towing - most large estates are now capable of towing 2000kg - which is a match for the Q5. If you need more capacity - the R32 and R36 Passats will tow 2200kg - otherwise you'll need a full size SUV with a low range box - for 3500kg.
Beyond that - there are some Landcruisers, Patrols and G-Wagon with air brakes fitted - which takes you to 6000kg
My old V70 D5 (205ps/460nm) towed 1800-2000kg with no problems - but to be honest the X-Trail 2.2 (136ps/300nm) never struggled doing the same thing - despite being 200kg lighter.
Thanks all for the good stuff so far. Some comments:
No kids....sorry, family means me and my father. Extended family, which do include kids when wanting to go away, visit, do stuff in the mountain, etc. so it is an irregular factor thus wanting something with a 7 seat option.
The BMW definitly looks like an option although I would be worried about the clearance as well as the loss of the option of the two extra seats. I guess it is just a flexiblity issue. I am pretty comfortable driving small non 4WD drive vehicles in very challenging off-road conditions in Africa so not too much of a concern to look at alternatives. I am not the sort of person who believes that an SUV is necessarily a good off-roader. Don't need to tow anything above 2000kg I am pretty sure.
For the Panda, I don't know, I certainly loved the Suzuki Vitara (proper little offroad version) that I had in Iceland. It was great off road because of its very light weight and fun as all hell...Only problem, it was not comfortable for long trips and very cold temperatures. My dad is getting on and I think we would appreciate the heated seats, especially having lived his whole life in SA but now having to move to Switzerland.
You may recall this pic I took of two SUVs using 4 standard parking places in Zurich and posted under 'fail of the day' some while back. This may help SUV decision makers:
I don't understand people who buy SUVs which are basically saloons on stilts.
Unless you really want >5 seats, then there's lots of "normal" cars that are rugged, have 4x4, power to tow and carrying space. I genuinely don't see the point of paying a premium (purchase price and fuel) for an SUV with no benefit over a saloon/estate car.
That said, I have a Disco 3, with 7 seats. It was the 7 seats combined with 4x4 and need for car-seat space (we have three young children who all need large car seats due to regulations) that drove the decision as we often need them due to frequent visits from grandparents.
Consider also, that if your father is getting on, getting in and out of an SUV is going to get more difficult.
Oh, & heated seats front & back are available in most full spec saloons