Hi everyone,

I am looking at buying a used Q5 3.0 or possibly stretching to an SQ5 and need a bit of advice from fellow forum members.

When I bought my A4 Avant a few years back, I nearly bought a 2.0 Q5 instead, but got an incredible deal on the Avant so went with that (vs no deals on the q5, at the time). I'm now in a position to update the car and I am looking at Q5's again. The Avant will be given to my wife as it's still a great car. This time round I'm thinking of getting something a bit quicker.

Looking at the price difference between the 3.0 and SQ5 an a 64-65 plate, it doesn't look as big as I thought. I do about 14k miles per year commuting across the Peak District national park. I expect social use will push it to about 20k miles in total per year. This will be 20,000 miles a year involving lots of hills and corners rather than motorway miles.

i was hoping to look for one with a panoramic roof and tow bar, to fit a bike carrier

Onto the questions..
- Is this type of use likely to cost me a fortune in fuel and tyres?
- The road surface can be quite bad in parts - does Audi drive select make a big difference to ride quality vs a standard 3.0tdi s-line?
- Are there any high-mileage problems with these cars I should be aware of?
- I fit winter wheels and tyres to my fwd A4. Will I need them on the q5 Quattro and are they mega expensive for the SQ5?

i did look at a new q5 but I believe they don't come with reclining rear seats. Is this right? I have 2 kids aged 6 and 9 and the reclining seats would be useful on long journeys.

Many thanks in advance.


D.