Could I really buy an Audi?

Doesn't that just sum up world of SUV right there ?
My wife likes them, says they're easier to get in and out of, my arthritic knees disagree but hey ho. The act of lifting knees and ankles too outside knee height is not the easiest during a flare up.
Anyhoo, all the SUVs we've looked at, regardless of powertrain have been big on the outside and relatively small on the inside.

I suppose the Enyaq and Q4 count as SUVs too; the BMW iX certainly does and the space in all those is very good - although it ought to be in the iX as it’s pigging enormous. Those are all pure EVs, though; the Q8 is not, nor is the much-mentioned iX3, which is surprisingly adequate rather than spectacular inside. I like the iX3 interior much more than any of the Audis, though - perhaps it’s just conditioning after 9 years as a BMW owner.

As for ease of access, I don’t find either of mine difficult - yet - except occasionally the CLS in a narrow space, when I have to do a lot of neck- and back-folding to get my head under its lowish roof. (This is where frameless windows can really help.) Out of curiosity, I measured them: the i3’s seat is 63cm above the ground and the top of the door opening 146cm; the CLS is 45cm and 131cm. I expect the Q4, Enyaq and IX3 are all a bit higher than the i3.

Gawd - it’s really only the mummywagon looks and excessive height (the car’s, not mine!) that’s holding me back from an iX3. And the dingy colours, I suppose. I ought to drive the Audis because I might love them - or one of them - on the road. But this morning’s visit makes me think I’d rather have my Audi as a Škoda.

How have they coped for half a century or more ?

With modern mobile phones having wireless connectivity, a purse fits easily into the centre console for those drive-thru coffee or burger moments. The kitchen sink carrier can be stowed safely out of harms way in the dedicated luggage carrier. With an EV you get the choice of using the froot or brunk.

My employer’s leasing company keeps sending me promotional offers on the EQA and EQB. (The EQC seems to have quietly disappeared.) Even at salary sacrifice rates, it’s not enough to make either appeal to me.

Yes, the iX is bulky. Too bulky to be sensible for the number of four-up journeys we'll do in it. It even lacks range compared to the iX3. But it has the design-object fun factor that the iX3 is missing (and the i3 has in spades.) And visible carbon fibre in the door openings, just like the i3. (And a silly-shaped steering wheel that seems to have been dropped from new cars.) And it’s getting quite affordable now. I have to admit, I’m tempted.

Coming?

Except it’s not really about maths of any kind, except to check that whatever I choose represents reasonable value for money. The rest is about how it suits our practical needs and nice-to-have wishlist.

But I showed the iX to MrsB1 and she wasn’t appalled; quite the contrary, in fact. She likes the black and white and the i3-luxe interior.

Where there might be some maths to do is to see whether there’s a case for taking a sal-sac lease on a new one, with a round wheel and the even nicer blue and grey textile interior. Probably not but…

I did the sal-sac sums last night and they don't really work, especially once you factor in the escalating BIK from 2025. Which makes sense: heavy depreciation is the reason I can consider buying one of these at barely two years old, so it would be surprising if choosing to fund that depreciation myself could cost me less.

Is it too big? Bigger than we strictly need, certainly, but it's the same length as the CLS, a touch - 86mm, quite a big touch - wider (not one to take across Marlow Bridge or into the width-limited back streets of Wokingham) and, of course, significantly taller. But - unlike, say, a Discovery, it converts that bulk into a lot of usable passenger space. It's reasonably aerodynamic, too, and comfortably outdoes the similarly commodious Etron for efficiency and range.

Given MrsB1's unexpected enthusiasm, much more than she evinced for the iX3, the idea may have legs. She's up for a trip to Leicester to see the one with the brown interior. Whether I talk her into continuing to Sunderland to see this interior is another matter. usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/202401306040112

Sunderland ! 😱
You'll not be needing raw meat. Unfed, very hungry lions is what you'll need there.

If you've got a load of cash burning a hole how about £96k on a Volvo EX90 ? I'll just walk away, quietly whistling to myself. Cd 0.29 apparently, must have figured out how to de-seam a greenhouse.