Thanks for the great review Farid. Very interesting. I would agree that for a family of four the Q3 would be too small (I fear it would be too small for us and our kids are now adults and have left home, but we need space for a wheelchair). It will be interesting to hear how you find the XC40 as that’s on our list also, but the boot on that looks even smaller than the Q3.
I would have to be honest and say to you that if you are looking for an SUV, you will find them all to be a compromise compared to your E Class, so that problem won’t be unique to the Q3. Until 9 months ago we had been running a private BMW 5 Series and a Motability VW Tiguan side by side. Both were 190PS diesel autos with (on paper) the same power and torque and both £41k on the road (with options). I have to say that the 5 Series felt several classes up from the Tiguan in every single respect, bar ride height (and the ease of getting in and out that comes with it). The BMW was massively quicker, better handling, far quieter, much better quality, bigger and yet delivered 10mpg better fuel economy. Our Tiguan is 4WD so a 2WD one would be better, but not 10mpg better. The other thing that I hadn’t appreciated was how different two manufacturers systems could be, so ticking off the equipment list is only half the story. For example, the Sat Nav on the Tiguan is dire compared to the BMW system and the intelligent adaptive headlights work instantaneously in the BMW but there is an irritating delay on the VW system. Also, I drove the BMW in Eco mode all the time, yet it was s*it off a shovel, never lacking power and never needed putting into sport mode. The VW has massive lag in Eco mode, so I now always drive it in the normal mode and if I need to make a quick overtake have to drop it into sport.
Ride quality in an SUV will never match a quality saloon either, especially if it has sports suspension (which I dislike), but 20” wheels can ruin a ride, as you say. I don’t know why dealers so often add big wheels as it puts many customers off. We came very close to buying a BMW X3 years ago but they gave us an M Sport with sport suspension and ‘upgraded’ alloys and the ride was dire, so much so we crossed it off the list immediately.
I don’t want to put you off the Tiguan, as they seem to be the most sensible choice if you want decent space and good standard equipment, and the build quality is pretty good (if not quite Audi / BMW standard). In fact, much as I’m fed up with them, having had four, and they are not a ‘car persons car’, I can see us getting another at this rate as the other SUV’s on the scheme are gradually falling by the wayside as they are too compromised in one way or another for what we need. I shall be interested to hear your thoughts on the XC40. I bet the seat comfort and ride quality will be excellent, as will the engine I suspect, but I really don’t like the look of it (I know that’s an entirely subjective thing) and the ‘one touchscreen that does everything’ has had bad reviews as being difficult to use on the move.