Ditching the minivan for a fuel-efficient, AWD & maybe luxurious SUV, with room for growing boys' legs!

I bought an Audi Q5 TDI (2014) and love it! I took delivery of the vehicle on August 8th and then took off for a cross country trip...3 months and 11,000 miles later and I still think it is the best SUV on the road. It handles like a car, is very quiet, and you can't beat the fuel efficiency. This diesel engine is responsive and gets better mileage than the manufacturer suggests! It easily transports 4 adults and the back seat has the 60/40 split plus the back seat angle is adjustable. Test drive one and see what you think.

I assume compact SUVs that have enough legroom don't have enough shoulder room to fit three across. Otherwise a Subaru Forester might be a contender.

The 2013+ Nissan Pathfinder has good rear seat space and fuel economy, but the CVT transmission has been finnicky. Few if any outright failures (at least so far), but many complaints about low-speed "shuddering." Until it's clear they've sorted this out it's hard to recommend one.

For the best in-town mpg, the Toyota / Lexus hybrid could be the way to go. I'd just be a little concerned that they're already 5-6 years old.

An Infiniti FX isn't very fuel efficient, and has relatively little cargo room, but they are more fun to drive than the others.

Might a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe be an option? Not outstanding in any particular way, but very good in most, roomier than the Sorrento, and possibly less expensive than alternatives.

My 2011 LX V6 Sorento has served me well with plenty of
shoulder and leg room. This is the first year Kia came out with
the 3rd row seat, whichcan seat 7 adults. At least half the split
3rd row seat does need to be down for any luggage but the
grandkidslike the extra seclusion sitting way in the back. As
the orginal owner, the Sorento has only been in the shop
for oil changes and a flat tire from all the roofing repair in
Fort Collins...13,000 homes affected by hair damage.I mention
this since the dealer screwed up a tire by putting a patch
partially over another patch of theirs.

I recently considered down trading the Sorento, 29K miles,
$18,500 for a midsize 09-11 V6 Accord, Camry, Fusion or
Sonadasince I really have only had the need to seat 6 just
a couple of times. In colorado I consider the 4 cyclinders
pretty gutless but a friend has mentioned his hail damaged,
turbo Audi i4 does do well in the moutains.

I owned a Saturn Outlook in the past but consider the really
mid-sized Sorento the optional SUV size.

What I discovered driving my wife's 2011 loaded Fusion Sport
V6 AWD was fun to drive on our recent 5000 mile trip and with
wintercoming on, seated seats would be nice, and maybe a
backup camera and blind side warning are nice options to have.
Vehicle length is also a constraint since we have a freezer and
shelves in the front ofour garage. I almost traded for a 2nd
Fusion, saw a lot of them back east, but I decided I didn't want
anotherred vehicle...5 in a row is enough and with only 2 low
ball offers in 3 weeks I will keep the Sorento.