B490MTL

Main family car here too. 2 car seats but mine is a 5 seater so if the family expands, there is trouble. A minivan is always the best family hauler on the market but clearly I do not want a minivan. However to compare, I have a co-worker that was able to fit a 3 seat couch in his Caravan with the tailgate closed!!! absolutely impossible in an SUV except maybe a Suburban.

Giblet

Totally agree on the minivan front. We came from a Honda Odyssey where you could seat 7 and then still pack the luggage for a week stay in the back. The Q7 definitely does not afford that type of room; however, it also is a very different vehicle.

My wife never wanted to drive a minivan but never complained - she figured it was her chapter in life and this is what the story demanded. Once two of the kids were out of carseats, the Q7 was purchased and she is happy with it; even with the reduced room.

We do have a Thule box and also have a tent trailer which has been another efficient way to make due (threw some racks on it for the bikes).

All, in all, the Q7 has truly been very versatile for us but I completely understand those who find its capacity lacking.

Edd W

It is our family car - my wife has an A4 avant and we use that for some journeys with up to four of us - I am 6' 4" as well and my height is all legs so I need the seat quite far back. My son who is 9 and about 4' 10" finds it OK in the A4 behind my seat and loads of room in the Q7. He has his seat slightly forward from the furthest back setting and is still OK.
The rear load space is not as good as my wife's former Touareg but still OK.
I appreciate what you mean though, there is not much interior space for the size of the car, but then again, it is an old design now, first here in the UK in 2006.

Petee_c

To the OP,

You'll be fine. Or get a roof box for long trips.

We are away every weekend in the summer and do fine without the roof box. We have learned to use only 1/2the space behind the 2nd row for stuff, as we have a 55lb golden doodle that travels back there.

We have used the roof box a couple times when we are away for the week, and wanted to bring something extra, like golf clubs.

Peter

sealf76

since 2007, i had the car after my first son born, we use Q7 as a family trip car. we go every weekend to bike riding, fishing, camping, and so on.
we go snow boarding every winter.
we move every 2 or 3 years as pcs.

Our trip was Georgia to texas, texas to missouri, missouri to washington, and louisiana to florida with 2 kids in side, A4(my wife's) on a trailer behind, roof box on the roof. It has 158,000 mile on the dash.

One day i took my son to a combat vehicle trainging trail. the trail has crazy hills, puddle and all the rocky stiff road. while we go though the trail my 7 years old son could not stop saying "oh, my gosh!!".

another day we went to salmon fishing, we had to cross a creek to get there. the water was above knee deep and about 10m wide. we crossed the creek and had a salmon for a dinner.

At last, one winter we went to snow boarding and tubing of course. On a long line of snowey, icy road, there was a jeep slipping down and could not go through the road. We passed the car with no effort, not even an empty spun.

Q7 is great, powerful and enjoyable sports utility vehicle.
It still has power, enough room for family of four and all memories that our family shared.

s5blitzer

Family car for us on those short and long haul trips which is why I don't put enough miles on my S6. Ride is comfortable and diesel power gets us around city and highway driving with the drag of a 5 ton vehicle. Hate the Audi Navigation as it does not give me the best route. Supplement the routing with my google maps on my phone.

I am 6', wife is a lot shorter, son is 5'10" and daughter is average and all love the comfort of the cabin space.

Only real compliant is the trunk space for the longer trips. Wish there was more. Since we don't have a constant need for the 3rd row seat, it is used for extra trunk space.

But I will still get another Q7 TDI once the redesigned body comes out and can't wait for Audi Connect and Sirius to automatically take care of real time traffic conditions.

Fit and finish is far superior to my previous Yukon Denali and much better mileage (city 19-20mpg / highway 25-27mpg) than a regular gasoline SUV.

MrsAdams2007

Great input from everyone. We are enjoying the new car so far and I'm thrilled not to have a minivan!

Only downside is that my daughter is old/large enough to use the seat belt with her car seat, but with my baby's seat in the middle there is no room to reach the belt. I don't think this problem is unique to the Q7 though.