Large car with plenty of boot/rear space. Advice.

[JCKST1]

Hi everyone.


After owning my A6 Le mans for 10 months i have came to the realisation that it has to go.
Its the perfect car overall - performance, looks and economy wise but the rear seats do not fold down. I regularly travel and the car is fully loaded, if the seats went down it would be ideal but when there is stuff in the boot and lying across the back seats its not ideal and I really need the room now.

Been considering a 4x4 which I think would suit me better or possible another saloon but with folding seats.
My top pick so far would be a 2007ish Mercedes ML320 CDI (Maybe ML280 as I have seen a couple of nice ones), plenty of kit, looks nice and is affordable. Downside is poor MPG and high tax band but I could probably live with that.

Possibly a 330D estate but I am not overly fussed on the looks however this offers great performance and economy.

Any recommendations from members?
I do about 20,000 miles per year so diesel is a must, plenty of space and seats must fold down. Some power is needed and as economical as possible. Budget £10,000.


Thanks in advance

[kambites]

If you like the A6, why not get an A6 estate?

[JCKST1]

Not keen on the estate looks.
Plus I would like a change if I am putting money on top.

[Monkeylegend]

kambites said:

If you like the A6, why not get an A6 estate?

Because that's to effing obvious

[bigdom]

330d will be too small if the A6 is fully loaded, so you'll require a 530/535 tourer.

[Dog Star]

V70 AWD ticks all the boxes.

[Jasandjules]

Well, the record is stuck for me again, but a Passat 170 Sport TDi.

[JCKST1]

330D touring would be OK i think.
530D is also a good shout, will look in to them.

Not keen on a V70 AWD.

Passat 170 may not be bad, should get a good one for that money.


Any personal reviews on the ML320?

[BMWE34FAN]

Quite like the look of the latest shape Avensis estate or the Hyundai I40.

[Deerfoot]

If you need space then have a look at a Superb Estate, they are huge.

[rsv gone!]

JCKST1 said:

330D touring would be OK i think.

The BMW is titchy in the back. (I've recently bought an E90).

[D_T_W]

Deerfoot said:

If you need space then have a look at a Superb Estate, they are huge.

Agreed, 170bhp CR TDI 4x4, all the car you will ever need.

[the_lone_wolf]

rsv gone! said:

JCKST1 said:

330D touring would be OK i think.

The BMW is titchy in the back. (I've recently bought an E90).

This...

My boss can almost squeeze his work kit in the boot using the full space of his E91 Touring

I can fit the same amount of kit in the XC70 boot, cover it all with the load cover and still have it rattle around

BMW a great car in many respects, but boot space is laughable for an "estate" car

[gtidreamer]

Stop this nonsense about sensible diesel estates. OP wants the M class and has said so twice.

[Pablo16v]

I didn't like the ride quality of my folks 2006 ML320 CDI as I always thought it was a bit choppy, and it was slow too. Averaged around 30mpg IIRC. They replaced it with a 420CDI which was a much better version. The air suspension gave a much better ride, and it was quick too with 306hp. If you're going to be spending the guts of £500 on tax you'd be asw ell going for the quicker version...if they're in budget.

[Sir Bagalot]

Mondeo estate?

[JCKST1]

Had some spare time this morn so went to a couple of local garages to see if there was anything that took my fancy.
Checked out an ML and ticked majority of the boxes, certainly big enough. Didn't have chance to test drive but will be considering it. Never had a 4x4 before so looking forward to trying it.

Also seen a nice Jaguar XF 2.7D Premium luxury (I think), seats folded down and had plenty of space, bit better on the MPG/Tax and general running cost's so definitely going to put that at the top of the pile unless someone gives me reason not to?

E90 estate is way too small, rear leg room is terrible.

Never seen any 5 series unfortunately but will keep an eye out.



Thanks everyone

[Miglia 888]

Don't forget to check out an R class LWB if you can find one - huge luggage area & rear legroom makes an ML (or E estate) appear cramped in comparison, and it's a 4x4 too - we love ours

R class LWB
Length 5157 mm
Wheelbase 3215 mm
Height 1674 mm
Width 1922 mm
Luggage capacity (all rear seats down) 2385 litres
Luggage capacity (5 seats up) 1067 litres

ML class
Length 4804 mm
Wheelbase 2915 mm
Height 1796 mm
Width 1926 mm
Luggage capacity (all rear seats down) 2010 litres
Luggage capacity (5 seats up) 690 litres

E class estate
Length 4905 mm
Wheelbase 2874 mm
Height 1507 mm
Width 1854 mm
Luggage capacity (all rear seats down) 1950 litres
Luggage capacity (5 seats up) 695 litres

HTH

[AmitG]

If you like everything about the A6 but need folding rear seats - the obvious choice is the A7.

Once you get past all the marketing blurb, it seems to be basically an A6 with better styling and folding rear seats.

The only thing is that they are currently way over budget, AT shows the cheapest used ones starting at 18K. So you might need to wait a bit...

[Rovinghawk]

JCKST1 said:

as economical as possible.

Based on this, the mondeo estate has to be a very strong contender, more so than the more exotic suggestions.