Comfortable Daily Driver £18k - 20k pa

[Colin_86]

With my current Golf R estate lease being collected at the end of this month I'm in need of a new daily driver.

Due to a change in circumstances my daily commute has now increased to 65 miles per day which will also bring my total yearly mileage to around 20k . The commute is made up of fast A roads and a few motorway miles.

I also now own a Lotus Elise so I'm wanting to go for something that's more focused around economy and comfort rather than driver enjoyment however I'd still like reasonable performance.

Budget is up to £18k or less.

Requirements...

- Reasonably economical...average of 40+MPG
- Reliable
- Automatic
- 4/5 Doors
- Comfortable and refined
- Android Auto or similar
- Not too big due to a small drive

Look forward to hearing your suggestions and thanks for reading.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Golf R?

[Sporky]

Golf Alltrack.

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say these fit the bill:

Alfa Giulietta Speciale

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Q30 AWD Sport/Premium in touch

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Premium Tech FWD

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

V40 D4 R Design Pro

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Golf GTD

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[MrGTI6]

M140i? There are a handful of decent-looking examples right at the very top end of your budget. 40mpg might be a push, but it should get reasonably close if driven sensibly.

If driving sensibly isn't your kind of thing, for £500 Litchfield will get another 100bhp out of the standard engine.

Edited by MrGTI6 on Monday 9th September 21:56

[Colin_86]

MrGTI6 said:

M140i? There are a handful of decent-looking examples right at the very top end of your budget. 40mpg might be a push, but it should get reasonably close if driven sensibly.

If driving sensibly isn't your kind of thing, for £500 Litchfield will get another 100bhp out of the standard engine.

Edited by MrGTI6 on Monday 9th September 21:56

Thanks for the suggestion. I do like like the 140 but assume it will be very similar to the R which I'm moving away from in terms of economy and comfort. I can achieve 40mpg on a long motorway run but the average over the last two years is around 30mpg so I'm thinking diesel may be a better option for now.

[Composite Guru]

My weekend toy is an Elise and I drive a Volvo V40 R Design Pro daily.

Great car, comfortable and has most of the toys too.

[Sporky]

Colin_86 said:

Thanks for the suggestion. I do like like the 140 but assume it will be very similar to the R which I'm moving away from in terms of economy and comfort. I can achieve 40mpg on a long motorway run but the average over the last two years is around 30mpg so I'm thinking diesel may be a better option for now.

Hence the Golf Alltrack suggestion. You get pretty much identical interior and ergonomics to the R estate, keep the AWD system, and mine does 43mpg average - a mix of stop-start commuting and a few longer runs a year. 50mpg is easy on the motorway; 55mpg isn't unusual on a good run. My best was just over 60mpg on a long motorway trip where I barely had to slow down for the whole journey (apart from the wiggly bits at each end, of course).

[Herbs]

6 Series would be a nice place to spend that time plus plenty of poke and gadgets.

[Colin_86]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

I do like the V40 and it would seem to fit the bill perfectly however the interior lets it down in my opinion. Also, from what I can see there was never an option for Android auto which I'd find it hard to live without now.

I'm also very keen on the Q30 however the WhatCar review doesn't rate it well for either comfort or refinement. I'll have to try one and decide for myself.

The Gold GTD is another strong contender but also thinking I should check out the usual 3 Series, C Class or A4 and see how these compare.

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say test drive the Q30 most people that try them like them but the Q50 is the better car out of the two & well worth a test drive while you're trying the Q30.

The Premium have a softer suspension set up but even the Sport models have a softer setup compared to the AMG Line/S Line/M Sport models.

Q50 Premium

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Sport Tech with adaptive cruise

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[kieranblenk]

Audi A3 or A4 if it will fit on the drive. I adore my A4, it just eats up miles without breaking into a sweat.

[AAD44H]

E350 or a 530d?

[Colin_86]

AAD44H said:

E350 or a 530d?

A little too large for my needs and drive at the moment unfortunately.