Cheers all - it's the end of a very protracted process that started not much after Xmas! We have at times considered Scirocco R, E90 generation 335i in saloon and coupe guise, m3, S4 in saloon or estate guise, Jaguar XF-R and a few other oddities as well!
Having a small child definitely limits your ability to test drive or even view potential cars!
We ruled out small coupes based on our son getting car sick for the first and only time whilst out in the Scirocco! The 335i was ok in coupe form but in the end gaining access to the back with cars parked either side was going to be too much of a pain even if you had reasonable space once in there! What we also found interesting is how some coupes have loads of rear seat space and yet others that are larger externally seem to favour boot space (6 series and Merc options)
The S4 seemed the most sensible choice for us, but some of them don't drive that well and many are poor spec. Given the rear seat is only suitable for 2 if 1 is in a child seat of some sort the lack of a centre seatbelt in the back of the Sportback seemed less of a drawback - after all the S8 covers those occasions just fine
The swoopy Coupe 5 door shape appeals to my wife as being more sporty than the S4 but the practicality of a hatchback with folding seats means it should be perfectly usable for family duties. We'll test that theory in a few weeks once I've ordered some Whispbars and strapped the roof box on
We basically got to the point that our initial budget had doubled, but we'd narrowed our choices down. If a mint s4 with the right options had come along before this S5 we may have been swayed towards it, but the fact I've met the previous owner of this car before he part exchanged it and the fact he'd had it from only a few months old gave me some reassurance it's been properly looked after
Fingers crossed it all gets sorted this week but may have to be patient