I currently drive and 09 335xi 6 speed. I have a baby on the way. About 7 months or so till the baby is born. My gf wants me to trade in my car for something that is auto. I was leaning towards an CX-5 or maybe a used X-1 or a used Q5 or possibly a 4 door sedan with awd. Any thoughts or suggestions would appreciated.

 

are you planning on having more than one kid? If so i'd grab something with a little more trunk.

 

All depends on what your budget is... X1 is a wee bit too small IMHO, but everyone's different. I'm 6'1 and by the time I adjusted the front seat to my liking, there was 0 leg room in the rear seat lol. Q5 is definitely nicer when fully loaded versus the X1. We fell in love with the '12 GLK350 4Matic w/ AMG Sport Pkg... Drive one and you'll see why - trust me

Since you're already use to German engineering, I'm sure you won't stray too far from one of the three mentioned above.

Good luck & congrats on the addition to the family

 

Are you planning on having more than one child? If so, when? You don't necessarily want to go bigger than your 335, but not big enough - unless you want to do this again in 2(ish) years. Plus with the baby not due for another 7 months, you have time to decide.

 

Toyota Sienna minivan.

 

I was going to suggest a minivan but not many folks take to kindly to hearing that - even though it is the most logical choice..........

 

I recently drove a '14 CX5 Touring FWD. It had a lot more space than I thought it would. Bose audio was nice. I even chirped the tires without trying. It rode well too, not sure how the loaded GT model rides with the '19's

If I needed a small, budget minded SUV, the CX5 would be my first choice

 

We have 2 kids now (1,3) and our 06 Rav4 is great but we're planning on another so a minivan is in our future.

What about an allroad.

 

 

I had two kids with a Prius as our main car for almost 18 months. Then moved to a much larger Highlander for 16 months. Both did the job very well, both had pros and cons.

Currently, we have a new jeep cherokee limited which works very well, too. And if you want to keep luxury without spending dimmer prices, I highly recommend looking at the cherokee (not grand) limited model. Jam packed with tech/features with a great interior and great space for newborns/infants.

 

Agreed. With just one kid no need for something too big. I understand the automatic part, so why not just trade for another 3 series... or maybe a pre-owned 5 series?

If you're looking small SUV, Audi Q5 is a great choice. Big fan of that. Porsche Macan would also be high on my list. If that's out of the range, I like the Audi Allroad suggestion. Jeep would be on my radar as well (dat interior )...

I'd also be open to some wagons. Spend some time in the Official Wagon Thread and you may be as well...

 

Yeah most likely have 2 or kids.

Probably like 2 years apart.

Not a big fan of minivans plus my girl would kill me if I got one of those.


I will check that thread out

 

i love and hate the wagon thread. Love most cars posted in there, but can't get most of them in N. America either.

 

We have two kids (9 months and 3 years) and when we found out my wife was pregnant with #2 we upped vehicle sizes. She went from an '01 Corolla to an '09 Rav4 and I went from an '06 Mazdaspeed6 to an '09 Dodge Charger. Both have plenty of room for us and the kids and their millions of kids stuff we have to bring on trips. So either way, a full size 4 door car or a smaller crossover SUV you should have ample room so you won't need a huge hulking SUV.

 

That's the direction I'm headed too

 

Not trying to sound like a salesman too much, but this is just what happened today. There was a customer who had a G37, which is roughly the same size as your 335, that she got when she had her first kid. She had another and the big problem is that a rear-facing car seat barely fits behind her seat which was pushed pretty far up. She went for a drive in a QX60, which is what a ton of people have been getting. Second row is pretty big in my book and there is plenty of room for car seats and if you need, and the third row is actually usable (I'm about 5'10" and can sit back there). Plenty of cargo space if you're not using the third row and you can get the full suite of toys (auto braking, adaptive cruise control, around view cameras, cooled seats, panoramic roof, remote start, dual screens for DVD or AUX inputs, etc.). Base is a 3.5 V6 rather than the 3.7 used in pretty much everything else, but it's not sluggish (well, maybe compared to a 335). I know a lot of people sneer at a CVT, but it's definitely better than I anticipated it being from what I read, and the sport mode really helps it pick up. Hybrid's have a supercharged four cylinder with the electric components.

 

The Mazda if youre on a budget.

The Bimmer and Audi if you have a little more money to play with.

The German suvs are more refined, comfortable, and won't be a big change from the 5. I especially liked the Q5

 

I had two kids for two years with an '04 Accord EX V6 and an '03 Civic. When we decided that we needed more room, we bought a 2010 Chevy Traverse LTZ. Cooled seats, heated seats, nav, DVD, AUX functions,USB, and a LOT of room.

 

German > American

All day everyday.

 

Straight from Germany...

 

And PS...the current Grand Cherokee is based off of the Merc ML and has received tons of accolades in the last several years against its more expensive luxury marque counterparts.

 

I actually like the looks of the Grand Cherokee, no objections there.

At the end of the day, it's personal preference. I'm certain the OP will land something that accommodates all family needs.

Again, congrats on the new addition

 

lol sure, at least until it's not under warranty anymore.

OP, I recommend looking at the JGC Eco Diesel. Will cost you ~$50k for a JGC Limited with diesel but it returned 34+mpg and can tow damn near everything.

The German SUVs suck. They are nothing more than high riding wagons that are completely incapable on anything other than pavement. You are better off getting the wagon version of any of them than the SUV. For example, instead of X1/X3, get 3 series wagon. Diesel one gets 40+mpg and has tons of torquey goodness. Instead of Q5, get A4 Avant TDI (is this available here yet?). Same space, better mileage, better drive, cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure, more capable on pavement.

Even though I stated all German cars above, I'd never buy any of them unless I was going to get rid of it just as the warranty expires. The new RAV4 Limited is where I'd be going without a second thought. Wife is looking for a small SUV for the AWD function and we went out and compared CX5 GT, CRV EX-L, Escape Titanium, and RAV4 Limited. The RAV4 won hands down with the Escape coming in second. CX5 feels cheap and the CRV needs a good refresh badly as it really shows its age.

 

Mid-size crossover SUV will serve very well for 2-3 kid family.
My wife hated minivans, so instead of a Ody we got a Pilot in 2002. 1
2 years and 240K later it's still serving us well with now moving our daughters into college.
Highlander, Explorer, Pilot, MDX, ... all work pretty well for that role.

 

Why would you post if you don't know if the vehicle is available here?

Audi stopped offering the A4 Avant in the States after the 2012 MY. Now, only the Allroad is offered, which is basically a A4 Avant on a Q5-esque chassis. The entry-level Allroad starts at $3k MORE than the Q5, and the Q5 offers more interior cargo room than the Allroad.

A TDI Allroad has been rumored for the 2015 MY, but nothing has been confirmed.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a HUGE wagon fan, but you should do your homework before you make assumptions and make a post

 

Sorry don't get all butthurt because I didn't do some research, I at least asked if it was around instead of stating it existed.

allroad is more expensive but it comes with more features than the Q5. Granted this also means that it has more stuff to break but the cost justification is up to whoever is buying. Judging by the fact I see a million Q5s around and nearly zero allroads, I'm guessing people can't justify it. At least not in this country.

There were no assumptions for BMW SUVs vs wagons though.

 

I'm not butthurt whatsoever. I just think it's funny when people don't do their research before posting what they believe is fact.

I accept your apology.

 

I would skip the mazda. All sources say they aren't reliable at all.

 

You might want to also look into the Volvo XC60 with the new turbo-supercharger 4 banger.

 

Thanks I like new JGC alot. It looks nice. I'm gonna test drive one here in the next few weeks.

50k is out of my budget unless I get one used or preowned.

I do like the pilot. I owned a few hondas so I know they will be reliable.

Not a big fan of volvos. Worked on a few that the turbos go out because of oil consumption problems.

 

Our old 09 MDX base worked out so well as a family hauler, we swapped it for a 12 MDX Tech. While fuel economy is an underlying caveat, it does everything superbly: looks good, quick acceleration, handles better than any other SUV that's not a Cayenne or X5, and has plenty of cargo space with the third row folded down.

....and having driven the new redesigned 14 MDX, it seems to have improved on an already great SUV!

 

Regular jeep Cherokee (not grand) limited with v6, nav, and luxury package.

Telling you. Luxury, great, ride, decent mpg, tech galore. Great price. Works fine with my 3 year old twins.

 

It depends on your budget. I personally think for the 30k range the CX5 can't be beat (got one in the family) if you like driving, this is the best car for the money for the enthusiast, 40k range go for a MDX/RX, if you can swing 50k you got a lot more choices, shop around and see what fits you. Bring a stroller and car seat along.

 

i will be in the market for an MDX in the next month or so... my buddy has a '14 model and i love it, but can't swing a brand new car... so i'll look at a '11-'12 model...

 

We have a navigator now, but frankly the car seats stay in the accord 90% of the time.

Actually looking for a new SUV this weekend, either a new Tahoe/MDX/Explorer, etc

 

Just moved into a X3 M Sport from a E92 coupe. Thought about the X1, but couldn't continue to stay in a E series cockpit, so I upgraded a bit.

 

I've owned many different vehicles over the years but my 12 Tech is my favorite. Now that the 3G is on the market, you should be able to find some great deals on the 2.5G MDX.

 

Love the Navigator, I have an Expedition and the only reason I didn't get a Navi is because of the air suspension. Loved everything else though.

The new Navi and Expedition are coming only in EcoBoost twin turbo V6 that get better gas mileage and more torque. Definitely something to look at over the ones you already noted.

 

In Maryland you can pick up a new 2014 Pilot EX-L 4WD for ~$32K

 

The wife and I looked at the Pilot before procuring our first MDX. Experiencing the SH-AWD in the latter ruined that consideration. But the Pilot definitely beats my MDX when it comes to utility. IMHO, the Pilot is the best way to go when you don't want a minivan or full size SUV.