pissedpuppy

wife has a Volvo XC70, she loves it (the safety aspect of it), I hate it (the soccer mom looks and boatlike feel), regardless, she's looking to replace it.

she drives a lot for work, so she wants a newer version of the same car. I'm hoping she'd consider a Cayenne, BMW or something as an alternative - again, "consider" is the key word.

Any of you with SUV, wagon experinces would be appreciated. Wifey is sold on Volvo, of which I am not totally opposed to, but of course I'd rather she get something a little more fun, sporty with equal size (for her to load up with work gear) - so size does matter. Would like to get some informed oipinions of similar sized cars, etc.

thanks, and Happy New year everyone!

David

MLindgren

Let her make the choice. If you do it your way you'll here about it every time she has to visit the dealership for service

Happy wife=happy life.

Leader

We had an '06 Cayenne S, which we loved, but it just guzzled gas, especially the way we used it (errands around town, mostly).
Two years ago we swapped it for an Audi Q5. Still "sporty," but much more realistic gas mileage without a huge loss in the performance department.
Might be worth looking at in your situation.

oh58driver

My wife just decided on the BMW X5. It's nice but if it was my car I would have gotten the Audi Q7.

pissedpuppy

oh, it's totally her choice, and I'm sure it will likely be Volvo - I just don't know much about them, would like to get an informed opinions on price, alternatives, etc., etc.

but yeah, it'll be her choice entirely

ELUSIVE

My wife drives an Audi A4 Avant manual and loves the heck out of it. She wants to keep it forever. LOL
They don't make the newer ones in a manual anymore, but they are roomier and nicer looking. Every time I drive that car, I love it too. It does so many things so well.

Have her drive the latest offerings from Volvo, BMW, and Audi and see what she likes to drive the best.

91469972

I was driving an Audi Q7 and bought the Porsche for my wife (Sure she says). She now drives the Q7 and we both love it. With the adjustable suspension I leave it in Sport mode and it drives great very aggresive. I also use it to tow my 20' business trailer and it drives better then my employees Ford pickup with the trailer attached. We rented a Ford Edge while in Maui and I was really impressed with the ergonomics, quality and ride. A gentleman at my Golf club just purchased a new Edge Sport that has a factory Aero kit with 22" rims and a 305 HP V6. 0 - 60 in 6 seconds! Once again I was impressed. Ford has come a long way and they didn't take any money from our government! Just a thought!

Mike in CA

I've been buying wagons for years, including two Volvos, and have owned multiple SUV's as well. My '06 Audi S4 Avant with the V8 was one of my all time favorites, of all the cars I've had, not just wagons. But my current Cayenne S tops the "utility car" list. It's comfortable, hauls my stuff, has towed a 3 ton excavator, gets close to 24mpg cruising the freeway, is as fast as the S4, handles almost like a sports car, and is an absolute delight to drive. It does come at a price, however. I don't know if it squares with your cost/benefit situation, but it's a great car.

RudyP

My wife drives a Volvo XC60 T6 - she likes it and I think it is fine when I occasionally have to drive it. The turbo motor is fairly fun. I still prefer my cars but since they are all sports cars, it's nice having something bigger when we need to get big items or to take the dog in.

mdrums

Audi Q5 maybe....it's safe and the T4 have good accelleration but on the highway has even better MPG. Lots of get wagons and small SUV's to pick from.

sclemmons

We had an Audi V70R and it was a blast to drive and a total freaking nightmare to maintain. It was such a lemon they gave us an extra year of warranty and the dealership still couldn't fix it; this is the BMW dealer here so I am biased against a new BMW although the Biturbo Diesel X5 would be worth a look. My brother just bought and loves an Audi Q5, which would be worth a look. Business partner bought a Subaru; she loves it but it is not me. My wife just bought a Mazda 3, after deciding that an Audi 3 was not worth the up charge. The guy I respect the most just bought a 7 passenger Mercedes which I would have to take a look at if I were in the market. I would likely buy a Cayenne GTS if I didn't have to sell the BMW to make a space for it.

Good luck. Let us know what you do and why.

MSR Racer

BMW X5. 4 years trouble-free, hassLe-free running with the maintanence program. Great to drive as well especially if you spec it with sport pkg and other add one

Alan Smithee

I was looking at wagons and small SUVs a year ago. Wanted a German car feel, so that narrowed it down to BMW and Audi (as much as we love our previous generation E-class, the current MB wagons and SUVs are ugly inside and out, and are not at all entertaining).

And as much as I liked the concept of my old S4 wagon (V8 + manual), I did not have a great experience with the car or the local dealers. Looked hard at the Q5 and A4 Avant anyway, but found the Q5's sloping rear compromised utility, as did the A4's ground clearance (high centered th S4 a few times in Sierra snow). I have read the A4 Allroad is coming to the US in 2012, which would have been a great compromise. It would be a good alternative to the XC70...

In the end, I got an X5 diesel. It is bigger than I need, and current BMWs have some UI quirks that continue to annoy me, so I don't love it. But I am addicted to the torque, and it gets the same mileage as the smaller and less powerful 2.0T Audis. I am looking forward to what Porsche does with the Cajun, and if Audi puts their 3.0TDI in the A4 Allroad, I may give them another shot.

sfrank

I just bought my wife a MB GL 550 with every option available. I like it so much I may trade my Escalade for one. Rides like glass, handles like no other SUV....except maybe an X6 but I need more than 4 passengers, and 0 - 60 in 6 secs....not our 911s, but pretty good for a 7 passenger SUV. We didn't care for the 350 and 450 but the 550 has a different front end and wider stance. Happy shopping!

dak911

"WE" bought an 06 Carerra S Tip Cab for me....She was supposed to use the X5 also 06 (3.0 Sport/ Premium)....she "loved" the X5 (before) over her 04 M/B CLK320...guess what, I'm still driving the X5...
The 997 has become her car. Anyway, when the X5 goes, I'll be looking for a Diesel X5...
I've owned about 20 BMW's over the years, always bought about 3 years old and so far (knock, knock) I've had very little in the way of problems.