SUV - Stupid Unnecessary vehicle, Which one?

[Cornishfowler]

Evening readers, 

This isn't a standard which one to buy as it has a twist of 'is it stupid'!

Due to a change of Job I find myself about to give up a company car and the next option is an allowance so the choice of vehicle is mine. At the moment for work I have a new Polo which in 6 months has done 10,000 miles I believe that in my new job I would also travel a similar amount of miles circa 20,000 a year. 

I am in the predicament where I would like a suv for the following reasons but do a lot of miles and my daily commute would also involve driving into a city (so slow traffic) and parking in car parks. 

I live rurally, collect fire wood for logs, shoot (so drive places to shoot and carry equipment), would like to stalk more (carry carcass and visit places), play golf so have clubs, have dogs and like the idea of being able to go on greenlanes maybe overland and tow small trailers. At the moment I also have an old Skoda Octavia which fulfils most of those needs along side the polo although I think the octavia is a long car as 90% of the time it is just me driving it.

Is there a vehicle that could meet all of those wants but also be pleasant to drive long distances and in citys and preferably an automatic. If they still made the Skoda Yeti I think that would be the perfect car. 

I probably wouldn't buy a new car but maybe under 5 years old and a budget unto circa £12K.

Would a Vitara or Duster be the way to go or is it actually stupid? (and a slight vanity project of wanting to fit in when in the country).

 

 

[JohnfromUK]

17 minutes ago, Cornishfowler said:

Evening readers, 

This isn't a standard which one to buy as it has a twist of 'is it stupid'!

Due to a change of Job I find myself about to give up a company car and the next option is an allowance so the choice of vehicle is mine. At the moment for work I have a new Polo which in 6 months has done 10,000 miles I believe that in my new job I would also travel a similar amount of miles circa 20,000 a year. 

I am in the predicament where I would like a suv for the following reasons but do a lot of miles and my daily commute would also involve driving into a city (so slow traffic) and parking in car parks. 

I live rurally, collect fire wood for logs, shoot (so drive places to shoot and carry equipment), would like to stalk more (carry carcass and visit places), play golf so have clubs, have dogs and like the idea of being able to go on greenlanes maybe overland and tow small trailers. At the moment I also have an old Skoda Octavia which fulfils most of those needs along side the polo although I think the octavia is a long car as 90% of the time it is just me driving it.

Is there a vehicle that could meet all of those wants but also be pleasant to drive long distances and in citys and preferably an automatic. If they still made the Skoda Yeti I think that would be the perfect car. 

I probably wouldn't buy a new car but maybe under 5 years old and a budget unto circa £12K.

Would a Vitara or Duster be the way to go or is it actually stupid? (and a slight vanity project of wanting to fit in when in the country).

 

 

I can't really add much useful information, but I can give a thought or two;

• At 20,000 miles a year, economy of running would be a factor (I do under 4,000 a year, so was much less of an issue for me)
• A number of the 'estates with 4WD' such as Subaru, Skoda Octavia Scout and similar all seem to have a following
• There are the 'small 'crossover' models like Toyota RAV4 and Virata which are quite popular - there is a thread here from someone who has a Duster I think.
• The bigger more serious 4 x 4s tend to be quite a lot thirstier, more expensive on tyres and servicing - which would be a disadvantage on higher mileages
• Do also check insurance costs before taking the plunge as some are considered very high theft risk - reflected in premiums.

[Codlord]

I assume you want 4x4? Ones I personally would consider:

Skoda Karoq 4x4.

VW Tiguan/Touareg.

Lexus NX/RX. I think some if not all are non-plug-in hybrids which might help a bit of city driving.

Merc M Class.

[Scully]

Subaru. 

[Yellow Bear]

42 minutes ago, Scully said:

Subaru. 

Forester for preference (better ground clearance)  --  did 70K in 2 years with a diesel and got 50+ mpg.

dropped to a Yeti diesel which was nearly as roomy when I retired and got good mpg  - now on a petrol Vitara where the boot is a little smaller but as milage is low diesel not really an option.

All nice cars to drive 

[Ultrastu]

Sounds like you need a part time 4 wd  system. Not a full time 4x4  for fuel economy . So a rav 4 .suzuki .mazda cx5  is a good option pretty economical too in diesel. 

Awd mazda cx5 in derv is supposed to to around 56 mpg   

Edited March 4 by Ultrastu

[Poor Shot]

13 hours ago, Codlord said:

I assume you want 4x4? Ones I personally would consider:

Skoda Karoq 4x4.

VW Tiguan/Touareg.

Lexus NX/RX. I think some if not all are non-plug-in hybrids which might help a bit of city driving.

Merc M Class.

Tiguan and other VAG cars on the same platform (Q3, Kodiac, Ateca and Yeti) are good cars, the Haldex 4wd systems are surprisingly good but don't expect it to be scrabbling over boulders or transversing a swampy field with a horse trailer attached. They have open differentials front and back and rely on the car sensing and then braking any wheels which break traction to make the opposite wheel turn. 

Your budget may get you into a good example of the last of the facelift first generation or early second generation tiguan. It'll have a 2.0 diesel which is fairly robust along with most of the bells and whistles you need if you buy right. 

Avoid R-Line models as these do look the best, they will come with alloy wheel sizes that don't have any options for all terrain or off road tires. 

If you do buy, get the Haldex system serviced immediately. This doesn't appear in the service plans and get missed by most every day buyers and as a result the filter in the Haldex system becomes blocked and the car reverts to permanent 2wd. Its cheap as chips providing the Haldex pump hasn't been cooked and is just an oil and filter change. 

If you can get over the slightly odd looks then a Skoda Yeti would be my suggestion. 

[JohnfromUK]

22 minutes ago, Poor Shot said:

If you do buy, get the Haldex system serviced immediately. This doesn't appear in the service plans and get missed by most every day buyers and as a result the filter in the Haldex system becomes blocked and the car reverts to permanent 2wd. Its cheap as chips providing the Haldex pump hasn't been cooked and is just an oil and filter change. 

I'm sure that is good advice and I have seen that posted in several places.  I've not had a Haldex equipped vehicle ever myself, but there are You Tube of where the Haldex filter is and how to access/clean it for DIY.  It is really strange that it is omitted from the manufacturers service schedules as it would seem simple, cheap and very necessary to have it serviced.

[Poor Shot]

4 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

I'm sure that is good advice and I have seen that posted in several places.  I've not had a Haldex equipped vehicle ever myself, but there are You Tube of where the Haldex filter is and how to access/clean it for DIY.  It is really strange that it is omitted from the manufacturers service schedules as it would seem simple, cheap and very necessary to have it serviced.

It's all down to cost. 

If you were to compare the service schedules for a VW and Landrover for example, the Landrover will be age/ mileage based servicing with mandatory actions at set age/ mileages whereas the VW will be engine oil and filter one year and Engine oil, filter and cabin filter the next with anything else like brake fluid, gearbox fluid, transmission fluids being optional at extra cost if the dealer will even entertain changing them at all. 

The downside of this is that the annual service for the landrover will be anything from £450 for the basics to over £2000 for the years where engine oil, all filters, brake fluid changes, transfer case and differential fluid changes all coincide at the same time. The VW will be £180 one year £240 the next, alternating for the life of the car. If you were to opt for longlife servicing then that would be every other year. VW (and pretty much every other manufacturer) don't really care that optional service items are missed as most will last the 3 year/ 60k warranty period without servicing at which point it becomes someone else's issue.

Pretty astounding that your average £45-£50k SUV may only be serviced once during its warranty period. Compare that to cars prior to the 00's where you'd be fighting early signs of terminal corrosion at the 3 year/ 60k miles mark and an engine that uses more oil than fuel due to wear. 

[islandgun]

Ive an old honda crv, 2.2 diesel for the last 5 yrs, regularly serviced and never been any trouble

[Penelope]

Toyota Rav4.

[Cornishfowler]

Thank you all for the replies... A lot to mull over and going to go and see some cars in person too. 

 

I was looking at a Seat Ateca (essentially an ibiza on stilts obvs no 4wd) to get the SUV shape but then I went on a car size comparison website where you can align different vehicles together and I realised the seat and the suzuki are practically the same size. Which was slightly surprising so what would be the point of getting that sized vehicle and not getting the Allgrip model to cover the just incases. 

 

That or a standard estate 

[shaun4860]

The ateca can be bought with 4 wd 

[Houseplant]

Don't apologise for needing an SUV. If you need one, you need one. I need one and a pickup truck/ute would be even better. Boat launching, off roading, transporting animal carcasses, sleeping in on occasion. Not to mention surviving NZ roads and kamikaze drivers. 

Edited Saturday at 04:52 by Houseplant

[lister1]

I was in the same position recently. I do a lot of miles for work but need the big boot with the dog, kids etc. 

I was looking at Nissan Xtrails, Mazda CX5 all the usual cars.

I ended up with a Renault Koleos, 2ltr diesel, 4 wheel drive in the for of a AWD system which can be deleted to 2nd. Heated leather seats and various mod cons. 
CVT transmission is smooth on the long run. So far I’m pleased.

it’s a Nissan Xtrail underneath but has better interior.

[ph5172]

I have a vehicle that also comes in an SUV variant. 
as in bigger wheels and different body shape but essentially the same. 
 

I had cause to drive one the other day. The MPG was shockingly different 

my advice  

go with an estate version (mine has selectable AWD) unless you really need the (minimal) extra ground height of an SUV