Best 7 Seater SUV under 65k?

[cuban335i]

Hey guys,
My parents are looking for a replacement for the family big suv that we use to haul a bunch of people around or take all my brother's stuff up to boarding school, etc. We currently have a suburban to do the job but we need something new. The SUV needs to fit 7 people, be 4WD, and be able to hold a decent amount of stuff in the trunk at the same time. FYI, my dad will also probably use it to go to work (approx - 100-150mile round trip each day) instead of his Range Rover.

What I'm thinking about is a 2011 Audi Q7 3.0T (same engine as S4). It is around 60k.

Other options could be:
Chevy Tahoe/Suburban
Escalade
Mercedes GL

Any Suggestions?

-Matt

[BMW F22]

BMW X5 or ACURA MDX.

[lyjw88]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

BMW X5 or ACURA MDX.

Extra two seats pop up from the trunk space for X5.
So there won't be enough room to load stuff at the same time.

[TK-421]

I think the Suburban/Tahoe looks way better than the Yukon (including Denali) and Escalade

[TSM330i]

GMC Acadia.

Seriously, look into this. More space than anything you're looking at besides the Suburban. I'm 6'1" and fit in ALL THREE ROWS.

[cuban335i]

Originally Posted by AW325xi

GMC Acadia.

Seriously, look into this. More space than anything you're looking at besides the Suburban. I'm 6'1" and fit in ALL THREE ROWS.

hmm i'm actually going to look into that (I need trunk space though when the third row is up)

edit: i checked it out, and i think the Q7 looks much better and it is much more luxurious

Originally Posted by TK-421

I think the Suburban/Tahoe looks way better than the Yukon (including Denali) and Escalade

yea i think it does too.. but is it better than the Q7 for the price?

Originally Posted by lyjw88

Extra two seats pop up from the trunk space for X5.
So there won't be enough room to load stuff at the same time.

yea those won't work

[bmedude]

you hit the nail right on the head with the Q7 - awesome little car. Another car to take a look at is the Lexus GX

[M3_WC]

GL350 BlueTech diesel or GL450 (4matic awd and 7 seats)

Both under $65k

I am not a huge fan of the Q7 styling.

[cuban335i]

Originally Posted by bmedude

you hit the nail right on the head with the Q7 - awesome little car. Another car to take a look at is the Lexus GX

Just checked out the GX... when the rear seats are up, there is literally no trunk and the bigger SUV from lexus is 77k base which is ridiculous for a Lexus, that comes close to the price of my dad's range rover. So i guess it'll be the Q7. I'm going to check them out next weekend.

Originally Posted by M3_WC

GL350 BlueTech diesel or GL450 (4matic awd and 7 seats)

Both under $65k

I am not a huge fan of the Q7 styling.

yea i checked out the MB's, but the GL450 starts at 61k and it comes with NOTHING (no xenons, no nav, no power seats, literally nothing). so with just the basic necesities, it comes very close to 70k and even a little over 70k.. and my family doesn't want to spend that much on pretty much a beater. The Q7 as of now has the best value for the amount of technology and aesthetic appeal.

[M3_WC]

Originally Posted by cuban335i

yea i checked out the MB's, but the GL450 starts at 61k and it comes with NOTHING (no xenons, no nav, no power seats, literally nothing). so with just the basic necesities, it comes very close to 70k and even a little over 70k.. and my family doesn't want to spend that much on pretty much a beater. The Q7 as of now has the best value for the amount of technology and aesthetic appeal.

I wouldn't doubt it cost more. It is just flat out a much nicer automobile.

You could definitely find one sitting on a lot for under $65k. It is called making a deal.

I just couldn't buy one of those fugly Q7's. Much rather have a Tahoe/Suburban if you are worried about cost.

[Boost Gomez]

100-150 mile round trip? That's a huge range..

[Ryboy98]

My wife's Q7, sorry, fugly Q7 4.2 quattro electronically lowered and on 23"s. We love it, we have 4 kids and all is good. We did test drive an Acadia for a few days and actually almost bought it. Decided to look at the X5 and Q7 before and the drive is completely different in the Q7, typical german vs american ride and handling. 5 minutes in the Q7 on some twisty roads and I was sold, my wife was sold when she saw it on the lot.

The back is not huge but we can get enough baggage back there for a weekend family trip. Sometimes we have to get creative with packing it in but it's ok. I've bought a thule roof rack for it and a closed carrier in case we need to put stuff outside for a longer trip but we've not had to use it yet.

So, in our opinion its a great little SUV! GL

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by cuban335i

Just checked out the GX... when the rear seats are up, there is literally no trunk and the bigger SUV from lexus is 77k base which is ridiculous for a Lexus, that comes close to the price of my dad's range rover. So i guess it'll be the Q7. I'm going to check them out next weekend.



yea i checked out the MB's, but the GL450 starts at 61k and it comes with NOTHING (no xenons, no nav, no power seats, literally nothing). so with just the basic necesities, it comes very close to 70k and even a little over 70k.. and my family doesn't want to spend that much on pretty much a beater. The Q7 as of now has the best value for the amount of technology and aesthetic appeal.

You should wait until January and buy a leftover 2010 model. MB dealers usually discount their cars like crazy. You can probably get a $70k for about $55-60k.

[lyjw88]

If it is going to be a beater, why not look into preowned higher end models such as loaded MB GL450 with low mileage?

[cuban335i]

Originally Posted by lyjw88

If it is going to be a beater, why not look into preowned higher end models such as loaded MB GL450 with low mileage?

Originally Posted by BMW E90

You should wait until January and buy a leftover 2010 model. MB dealers usually discount their cars like crazy. You can probably get a $70k for about $55-60k.

we might do that, we aren't in a huge rush to buy so that would work.

Originally Posted by Ryboy98

My wife's Q7, sorry, fugly Q7 4.2 quattro electronically lowered and on 23"s. We love it, we have 4 kids and all is good. We did test drive an Acadia for a few days and actually almost bought it. Decided to look at the X5 and Q7 before and the drive is completely different in the Q7, typical german vs american ride and handling. 5 minutes in the Q7 on some twisty roads and I was sold, my wife was sold when she saw it on the lot.

The back is not huge but we can get enough baggage back there for a weekend family trip. Sometimes we have to get creative with packing it in but it's ok. I've bought a thule roof rack for it and a closed carrier in case we need to put stuff outside for a longer trip but we've not had to use it yet.

So, in our opinion its a great little SUV! GL

thanks for the review, we are definitely going german.. i hate how our suburban now drives.

Originally Posted by Boost Gomez

100-150 mile round trip? That's a huge range..

well some days he travels to nyc from central nj, and some days he goes all the way down long island.

Originally Posted by M3_WC

I wouldn't doubt it cost more. It is just flat out a much nicer automobile.

You could definitely find one sitting on a lot for under $65k. It is called making a deal.

I just couldn't buy one of those fugly Q7's. Much rather have a Tahoe/Suburban if you are worried about cost.

yea true true... we'll look into that i guess

[blue2fire]

Look at the MDX. It costs 15k less and comes with most of the optional features (and more) as standard. It also has one of the most advanced AWD systems on the planet.

Plus, the hideous Q7 was rated as one of the most unreliable cars they polled during the last CR annual issue.

[mtla4]

I'm cheap especially on SUV's since I have no interest for them...If I had to own one I would go for something utilitarian like Tahoe/Suburban. Tried tested and true(you guys probably remember those ads from the 90s)

[footie]

If you seriously need the use of the rearmost seats than the Q7 size or bigger is a most, the X5 might offer a 7 seater option but it's a token gesture of extra seats and couldn't really be used on a regular basis.

I also owned a Q7 and though it was brilliant as a family car which could genuinely transport 7 in comfort it was a bit big for our otherwise narrow backroads that we have in the UK. In other words the wife wouldn't drive it because of this.

@OP, if you are looking at the 3.0TFSI unit then don't expect great MPG if you want to use most of that power as in such a big chassis it will drink the stuff. I owned the 3.0TDI version and though a bit slower it's huge torque suited the driving style one adopts with a big SUV and actually feels the quicker in normal driving conditions because of this torque advantage, plus it's engine is silect at speed.

Might be worth checking out as well.

[Voisin]

I'm going through the same decision. For three rows I'm down to an X5 or Q7 (just dont like the boxy look of the GL or the quality of the Tahoe). If I could get away with two rows I'd get the new model Cayanne S, big improvement on both interior and exterior design (not to mention weight loss).

[Silver-Bolt]

Ford Expedition, Toyota Land Cruiser or Sequia.

[MisterSkiMask]

X5d, great mileage for your dad's commute.

I have one that the wife uses as a dd. We have never popped up the third row of seats. Just get a roof pod/rack for the rare occasions that you require the extra space. I don't like driving around in a huge truck for no good reason.

[graider]

MDX.