She is fairly hooked on the idea of getting a sport utility, and we kinda like the new XTerra for practicality and room, as we recently had our first baby. I bought her a 99 Jetta GLS...but it is not big enough...I messed up that purchase I guess. I am a BMW/Audi guy (99 328i)...and strongly believe that the Audi Avant will have enough room for her the baby and the stroller and still seat some other passengers. Can anyone with an Advant confirm this? Anyone have more than one kid with an Advant? How are you guys liking the Avant? Well thanks again for the help...Don't give her flames please. Ps...i drove a friends 00 S4 this weekend....awesome car...and for the same price as my 328i...it is a definite winner. (I will still hold out for the '01 M3 though I think)
Cheers lads

german vs. ughh japan? who is the better quality control race?

Japan is known for very high standards of quality control and reliability. My brothers Camry is 300k+ and still going strong. My moms Corolla is nearing 200k and has never needed any thing besides normal maintenance. I would still buy the Audi however...and I did!

Look at actual volume information on both. It's surprising how much the Avant has compared to the smaller SUV's.

Good luck :-)
Amro

The problem with driving a Camry 300,000 miles is who would want to drive a Camry that much.

Quicker, safer and more kid room. although a stiffer ride.

not driving dynamics. Japanese cars tend to be quite reliable. That's a point that is hard to argue.

BDW

very tight. Once you put a baby seat in the middle, two adults on either side would be VERY UNHAPPY for more than a few minutes. Don't let anyone here tell you that an Avant is a totally suitable substitute for even a small sport ute. It isn't. It's a great vehicle, but people around here tend to think it's all anyone needs for a family hauler, and that's just nonsense.

One thing to remember about the Xterra, though. First model year, YIPES. Look out for that. And, it is supposedly a tough little machine that can go off road since it is built on a truck frame. But because it's built on a truck frame, it will ride like a truck. You'll have to live with that. If I'm not taking the little sport ute off road much or in a very limted way, I'd rather have one built on a car platform so you get a much more comfortable ride . Thus, I have a Honda CR-V EX that I like very much for this purpose.

Good luck.

BDW '99 1.8Tqms

Nissans are extremely reliable. The Maxima has often been THE MOST reliable midsized sedan as ranked by Consumer Reports. The Altima is very well regarded as well. I owned have owned two Maximas, two Hondas (one just new) and a Toyota and all were bulletproof reliability wise. Subarus score fairly high as well. And of course the premium brands (Acura, Lexus, Infiniti) are very highly ranked. The only Japanese maker that has had some recent reliability woes is Mitsubishi.

BDW

the A4 also won best in class safety ratings.

On the other hand, the Xterra can go off roading. And she probably likes that rough and tumble image, plus the high driving position, right?


DOH!!!!

If you have a child - you are most likely concerned with safety and ease.

That Exterra is a piece of ****! The back seat is made of sponge. it is rickety and has no 24-Hour Roadside Assistance -- Very Important for women...and men too...

While the backseat of the Avant is tight the entry is pretty easy and it has those new carseat hookups.... The back door of the XTerra is narrow and I wouldn't put my dog - let alone my child on those cheap-ass seats.

I tried both and went with the Avant - It is a little bit more expensive, but 20 times nicer on the interior. The drive is better and a heck of a lot more fun.

My Girlfriend ia also very happy with the choice and all of our friends are glad that we are not polluting the air, or the roads with yet another, lumbering, cumbersome SUV.

And in the grand tradition of Nissan, it is pure crap. Hollow, tinny and cheap. But if you like that sort of thing, then it is the perfect vehicle for you. Just yet another "off-road" looking SUV marketing scheme that will rarely see any dirt with 98% of its drivers. You know a vehicle is sorry when the commercials push waterproof neoprene seats and first aid kits as a selling point. Can you say SUV market saturation?

I think Avants are one of the coolest cars on the road right now. Screw Stupid-Useless-Vehicles, get something "different", go for the Avant. From the sound of it (being a BMW owner), you are a driver, you like to drive, don't waste your time with the XTerra. Just go test drive both of them and I bet you'll fall in love with the Avant. The Avant is a driver's wagon whereas the Xterra is just a tin can on four wheels.

In defense of the Xterra, it is the only real SUV in its price range. To get another body on frame truck, you have to move up to a 4Runner. If you want a truly off-road capable truck, the Xterra is the only way to go for under $30k. I don't mention the Jeep Cherokee for reliability reasons, although it is an excellent off-roader.

Yes, the Xterra is rather cheap inside. I was bothered by that as well. All Gen-X, "Mountain Dew" advertising aside, the Xterra is the reiteration of the original PF, and I have to give Nissan a thumbs-up for a back-to-basics, real "truck" SUV. Those CR-Vs, RAV4s and the like can stay on the road where they belong, freaks that they are.

You're comparing apples and oranges anyway. You can't compare a truck to a car, regardless of the similarity in price. The original poster has a weird dilemma- I'd say go for the Avant.

As for derogatory Nissan comments, you must have never owned one to talk like that. My '87 PF has been flawless for 13 years, and I plan on running it for another 7-10 years. Nissan and Toyota trucks are some of the best trucks out there. If I had the money, I'd get an FJ80 Land Cruiser. For on-road use, they suck. Sure, they're not built for hauling groceries. A lot of misguided people use them that way now (and I am guilty of that as well).

If you want a solid sports sedan (or wagon), I'd take the A4, though. Great car.

TM
99.5 1.8TQMS Avant

nt

..but that wasn't the point. The point is that the car is extremely reliable.

...I can tell you that it is a pretty tight fit, especially with our Britax car seat facing rearward in the middle of the back seat. We have the car seat just slightly off center so the driver seat can clear if we move it back, but it means the passenger seat is pretty far up. We did manage to put two car seats and another passenger in the back, but it was TIGHT. One car seat and one passenger in back is more tolerable.

In spite of the lack of room, I wouldn't want any other vehicle to haul around my family. Pretty soon my son will be facing forward, which will allow both front seats to move back as far as we want. The awesome handling, compact size, brisk acceleration, great looks, quattro, solid construction, and all the really well thought out design details make this the ideal vehicle for us. Ours is pretty loaded with the 2.8 V6, 5sp, sports suspension, sunroof, bose, leather, and heated seats, which really makes this car a perfect blend of utility, safety, style, luxury, and sportiness. The final stamp of approval is that my wife LOVES to drive it. If you don't need the huge ground clearance of an SUV, I wholeheartedly recommend the Avant. For a little less money, I'd take a good look at the Passat wagon, especially if space is important.

My $.02.
Mario

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I have an Avant and a 9 month old daughter. The two don't mix very well. As others have mentioned, if you put a rear-facing baby seat in the center rear, you have to push the front seats way forward. Depending on the brand of seat, this can mean that anyone taller than about 5'5" to 5'7" will not be able to drive the car for anything longer than short-haul trips without some discomfort and/or cramping. I do not put the baby/seat into my car unless it is an emergency.

But safety on the Avant is so far ahead of the XTerra it isn't even a fair comparison. The Avant has a normal center of gravity, whereas the XTerra is a top-heavy roll-over prone SUV. The XTerra will not handle or brake as well as an Avant in emergency situations. And all of the latest model VW/Audi chassis designs have passed the IIHS offset-impact tests with flying colors. No entry-level Nissan is going to have that kind of safety built in. The last IIHS test of a Pathfinder got a "marginal" rating--and the XTerra is a rung down from the PF!!

And having moved from a Nissan Pathfinder to my current Audi, I can tell you that regardless of the Audi rep for maintenance-prone cars, the Nissan is gonna see a lot more shop time per mile driven than an Audi.

If you need to keep the budget at or under the mid $20K's (ruling out the A6 Avant), I think the Passat wagon is probably your best bet. It won't handle quite as nice as the Avant, but it is bigger than an Avant and far safer than an XTerra. If you are not very tall, and don't have plans to take adult passengers in the back seat, go for the A4 Avant--safety, build quality, handling and a luxury nameplate.

...for taking into the hills or whatever, the Exterra is a pretty nice package. It is not in the same class as an A4, by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not supposed to be. I think Nissan was trying to give the public something simple that could be useful and not fancy like all the others. Besides that, I think it's kind of cool!

Charles