Best £10k family car: Large estate, SUV or MPV?

[white_goodman]

Which of these types of vehicle is the best family car? The white goodman fleet needs updating. I love driving my Impreza WRX Estate but the boot is far too small for our requirements. We only have one child of 6 months but when we go away somewhere over night, her pram fills up the boot, her high chair has to go in the front (so my wife has to sit in the back) and then they are wedged in with our suitcases. This is far from ideal and if we have another child, there simply won't be enough space!

Space is my most important requirement plus something with good visibility that is easy to park, as my wife will be the main user. She says that my Impreza is too long and finds it too difficult to park! I would like it to be pleasant to drive but I will probably be looking towards something smaller and hot hatchy for my driving thrills!

From a driving perspective, I would prefer a larger estate such as a Legacy, Forester, Octavia vRS, Saab 9-5, 159 or X-Type.

My wife however fancies a small SUV, such as a Freelander (probably a Freelander 1 for our budget). I've driven a few of these and find them pleasant enough but how reliable? I think she likes the idea of the high driving position, as she suffers from travel sickness but didn't when we hired a Type 2 VW camper last year despite negotiating some twisty coastal roads! I guess kids would prefer to be sat up higher as well. I don't want a large SUV, as if I have to put up with 25mpg, I would prefer to have something quick.

However, I'm not convinved that a small SUV would be roomier than a larger estate. I'm not a big fan of MPVs. I've only really driven VW MPVs (Touran and Sharan). The Touran is quite car-like to drive but oh so dull and the Sharan is a very practical vehicle but handling and fuel economy suffers as a result of its size and the back two seats don't fold flat. I don't need 7 seats but they would certainly be useful in some scenarios. I could probably put up with an S-MAX (I love the idea of the Focus ST-engined version but a diesel of some sort is probably a more sensible buy).

So, larger estate, SUV or MPV? Any practical experience of the merits of these types of vehicle, would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by white_goodman on Monday 7th January 22:29

[Bonefish Blues]

We decided on a large estate (LPG'd) when we had your dilemma last year. Mrs BFB really enjoys the drive and isn't intimidated by the size.

[Mave]

Large estate for me, providing she can get on with parking it. Prefer having a more car like feel. Don't forget though that if your little one is in a high chair, you're probably at the point when you need most kit for a while. When you suddenly don't need high chairs, nappies, separate food, etc. you can get away with a lot less stuff. Have you considered a rood box? Cheaper than a new car, we managed to fit our twin boys + all their stuff for a week's camping + walking holiday into a 3 series estate (which has got a pretty small boot) + roof box up until they were 3 years old. This includes 2 travel cots, tent, cooking stuff, ice axes, rucsacs, sledge.....

[white_goodman]

A lex said:

What about a cross over estate along the lines of an Audi Allroad or a Volvo XC70?

Most of the benefits of the 'car' platform, with the bonuses of the raised driving position of the SUV - plus genuine 4x4 capability if needed.....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-06-Volvo-XC70-D5-18...

Thanks. Hadn't considered that option. Quite like the A6 Allroad!

[dai1983]

I'm in a similar situation to yourself. We have a mk2 Leon and its perfect as a family car except for the small boot. We are in the process of adoptiing or buying a dog and we are fed up of squeezing all our stuff in it. My requirements are decent boot and good MPG. So far my list would include:

-Pre-facelift Octavia VRS diesel estate(Had the 2.0T petrol which I wish I'd kept)
-320D Touring (High milage examples for the budget though)
-Legacy Diesel
-Forrester Diesel
-Focus estate diesel (Budget option)

I'd also consider the Skoda Yeti or the Focus Ecoboost Estate but they are new and out of budget. The wife fancies a "soft" roader for the 4x4 ability and she doesnt want a long car. I'm not willing to put up with their negatives for their 4WD ability which we would only use a few days of the year.

[dai1983]

Forgot to mention that you can get those travel high chairs that you strap to an adult seat and they fold away.

http://www.kiddycentre.com/epages/BT3925.sf/?Local...

[white_goodman]

dai1983 said:

I'm in a similar situation to yourself. We have a mk2 Leon and its perfect as a family car except for the small boot. We are in the process of adoptiing or buying a dog and we are fed up of squeezing all our stuff in it. My requirements are decent boot and good MPG. So far my list would include:

-Pre-facelift Octavia VRS diesel estate(Had the 2.0T petrol which I wish I'd kept)
-320D Touring (High milage examples for the budget though)
-Legacy Diesel
-Forrester Diesel
-Focus estate diesel (Budget option)

I'd also consider the Skoda Yeti or the Focus Ecoboost Estate but they are new and out of budget. The wife fancies a "soft" roader for the 4x4 ability and she doesnt want a long car. I'm not willing to put up with their negatives for their 4WD ability which we would only use a few days of the year.

Interesting. Let me know how you get on and what you go for! I presume you were thinking of the current shape Forester (as I don't think the old shape came as a diesel).

[billzeebub]

If you're looking at a Freelander type vehicle then look no further than a Subaru Forester. Estate car the it's got to be the Legacy!

[dai1983]

white_goodman said:

Interesting. Let me know how you get on and what you go for! I presume you were thinking of the current shape Forester (as I don't think the old shape came as a diesel).

I'm only doing a little bit of research at the moment. She has to go back to work before she gets a new car. To me the Subarus are both ugly but vehicles in this group usually are. The 4x4 layout is meant to be decent with centre diffs though. There are a few 08/09 Foresters our there for 10k but all have roughly 80k miles.

[white_goodman]

dai1983 said:

I'm only doing a little bit of research at the moment. She has to go back to work before she gets a new car. To me the Subarus are both ugly but vehicles in this group usually are. The 4x4 layout is meant to be decent with centre diffs though. There are a few 08/09 Foresters our there for 10k but all have roughly 80k miles.

The pre-facelift Legacy estates are pretty handsome. In retrospect, I would have bought one of these instead of my Impreza. The Subaru 4WD system is excellent though (50:50 split).

[bungle]

white_goodman said:

The pre-facelift Legacy estates are pretty handsome. In retrospect, I would have bought one of these instead of my Impreza. The Subaru 4WD system is excellent though (50:50 split).

Looks good? http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

[MC Bodge]

Estate car.

You don't need an MPV with 1 or 2 children.

You could also reduce the baby (and wife) accessories a bit. Put it all out in the living room and leave behind anything that isn't often used.

You can get roll-up travel change mats and baby seats that strap onto normal chairs:

[anonymous-user]

mazda CX-7's are in the price bracket! ticks boxes for both of you!

[Luke.]

Selling my 125,000 mile Outback and looking for a replacement to do exactly the same job, same budget(ish), perhaps a bit more. Any thoughts?

[itz_baseline]

Yep, me too and I can't stop myself from constantly coming back to Forester STIs like this.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/s...

[Luke.]

Ecurie Ecosse said:

Go for a C5 RS6 Avant. Plenty of room in the boot for prams etc.

Already got an old Cayenne Turbo for the silly family wheels, but appreciate the suggestion. Think one liability is enough for me.