Large Estate, Nice Interior, Reasonably Economical and Fun ?

[redgriff500]

The above were my criteria and I bought an E46 328 Touring.

I hate it, its dull, dull, dull, yet I quite liked my E36 coupe.

So what should I have bought ?

It must be at least as big, a nice interiour (so the cheap plastic mondeo is out) manual, 30mpg would be nice but 25 is acceptable (so Impreza / Legacy Turbos are out) up to £5k as its a third car.

A quick look through A trader suggests:

A6 1.8T
Saab 9-5
Mazda 6
Passat 1.8T

Do any of them drive better than the E46 ?

Thanks

[kambites]

I don't think there are any estates that do all of those things better than the BMW. You could better any one of them but only at the expense of the others.

[MK4 Slowride]

Peugeot 407SW 2.2d Sport.

[GravelBen]

redgriff500 said:

30mpg would be nice but 25 is acceptable (so Impreza / Legacy Turbos are out)

My Legacy GTB (280bhp twin turbo) averages around 27mpg in mixed use, 30-33 is easy to achieve on a run while still making 'reasonable progress' . In my experience a lot of the people who talk up how thirsty they are have never even driven let alone owned one.

ETA: Complements my MX5 nicely too

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 14th July 21:34

[HRG.]

E39 5 series?

[BoRED S2upid]

What kind of MPG does a Subaru give?.

My other half drives a Signum, maybe not big enough but its a rather good drive, half leather and a reasonably good 2.2TDI engine, they also do a 3l V6.

[Goochie]

Skoda Octavia VRS Estate?

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/SKOD...

or

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/SKOD...

Edited by Goochie on Tuesday 14th July 13:18

[podwin]

Don't get a Passat if you want fun.

I find mine capable but very dull.

[redgriff500]

Surely the Skoda isn't better than the Audi ?

Are the Jag X type estates any good ?

[Matt UK]

If you think the 328i is dull, I'm not sure what you are looking for in the other 4 you have picked. None of which steer or sound better than a 328i.

I've had spells in all of those cars, albeit with different engines.
A6 1.8T - big and very, very dull to drive.
Saab 9-5 - comfy but creaky and not much fun to drive anywhere other than the mway
Mazda 6 - not a bad chassis but noisy, unrefined and cheap looking and feeling inside.
Passat 1.8T - VAG at the height of dull-ness. Based on the old A6.

Maybe you could expand on your definition of 'dull'? Are you talking performance? Interior/exterior looks?

Edited by Matt UK on Tuesday 14th July 14:33

[cptsideways]

Volvo V70's have the nicest mostly logically laid out & comfy interiors period IMHO. You get a mint T5 for half that money too, they are have the best seats in the world & can be surprisingly eco

[Matthew_Eames]

Alfa 156 2.4 JTD Sportwagon + Remap

[marsred]

redgriff500 said:

Are the Jag X type estates any good ?

I've got a 2.2d version at the moment while my Accord Type S Estate is being repaired. I cannot wait to get my Accord back.

Its expensive for what it is, the handling's not up to much, its dull, the boot space is pittyful (compared to the Accord) and my wife thinks its ugly. Just IMO of course.

The 4x4 is supposed to be better, so my grandad tells me (he has one).

[redgriff500]

Matt UK said:

If you think the 328i is dull, I'm not sure what you are looking for in the other 4 you have picked. None of which steer or sound better than a 328i.

Maybe you could expand on your definition of 'dull'? Are you talking performance? Interior/exterior looks?

Well there is no engine noise, I fitted a Schnitzer back box and I still can't hear much at all.

The engine power is linear and doesn't feel like it wants to rev.

The steering transmits no information to me, nothing about the car makes you want to drive it quickly. Given the choice of an A road or Motorway, I'd choice the Motorway in it and thats not good.

My other car is a modified MX5 but my wife's XC90 is about as much fun as the BMW and I'd suggest her A6 Diesel was too. Her (04) Mondeo was definately a sportier drive but the interior plastics were horrid.

I'd think that there was something wrong with it but it all seems fine.

Edited by redgriff500 on Tuesday 14th July 14:33

[RicksAlfas]

Matthew_Eames said:

Alfa 156 2.4 JTD Sportwagon + Remap

Just get the 20valve - no need to bugger around with it.
Lovely car but will it be big enough for the OP?

[Menguin]

MX-5 with a trailer

[clonmult]

RicksAlfas said:

Matthew_Eames said:

Alfa 156 2.4 JTD Sportwagon + Remap

Just get the 20valve - no need to bugger around with it.
Lovely car but will it be big enough for the OP?

Bootspace in the 156 will be about the same as the E46.

I considered the 156 for a little while, but the boot just didn't have enough room.

So went for an A6 Avant. Only the 1.9TDi, but it handles better than a barge that size has a right to, averages just short of 50mpg. Apparently a remap taking it up to around 160 brake will actually improve economy.

But as its a diseasel, you won't ever get a decent sound out of it.

So maybe the A6, either 1.8T or get one of the silky smooth 2.4 or 2.8 V6 models?

[lord summerisle]

if you have a MX5 then the best choice is the Saab 9-5 - there seems to be alot of us on the MX5 forum who also have SAABs of one form or another.


the 9-5 i think it very nice inside, especially with the leather interior.
we get about 33/34mpg on the daily commute around the M60 car park. then on a long motorway run we'll see a good 38-40mpg (from the 150bhp 2.0lpt petrol engine)

Tis fun to chuck around the bends for a big car - the brake pedal isnt over servoed so you can HnT (have to be more deft tho than the more firm pedal of the mk1 MX5) and can be quite entertaining once you know how the car handles.

[GreatGranny]

I like Volvos so here a couple

Nice 850, overpriced but very stealthy



http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VOLV...

V70 T5



http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VOLV...

[scott_i]

ever considered these?

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/MITS...



http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/MITS...