Fast estates?

[tmck]

Hi All

Thanks, in advance, for any replies/suggestions.

So, my M235i lease comes to an end in 3 months.

Time to play the Replacement Game.

One thing I've really noticed is that the M235i is reasonably quick in a straight line but can be embarrassed, quite easily, on damp roads by Golf R or anything with trick/clever front diff. I live in Scotland so damp, greasy, roads are an (almost) everyday occurrence. Grip in the dry is not an issue.

This has led me to consider what to get next.

I've always been drawn to small, fast cars.

However, now I'm in my mid-50's I fancy something fast, comfortable and, if possible, interesting. Must accommodate 2 adults and two (tall) teenagers.

Google has proved a rich hunting ground for the inquisitive mind.

My budget of ~£25-£30k has unearthed some interesting options.

1. The easy option would be to lease a new Golf R. They are great. I had an R32 for years because I loved it and didn't know what to replace it with. I know not £25k but PCP/lease monthlies would be similar.

2. RS6 Avant C6. Looks and sounds fantastic. Big and maybe a bit uninvolving but you'd never get fed up with the acceleration.

3. S4 Avant B8 + APR Stage 1 + APR Dual Pulleys upgrade. Sleeper. Smaller. Fast with ~450hp. Space for golf clubs and a dog.

4. C63 Estate. N/A version. Sounds like God clearing his/her throat. Not sure about the slush box, though.

5. BMW 3.0 Csi. Left field, off brief, but utterly, utterly gorgeous. Aware that this would be a project car but not too put off by that. Buy a banger to fill in while "work in progress".

What do you think?

Any other suggestions?

[clockworks]

Skoda Superb estate. The 280 and 272 petrol versions are basically Golf R driveline in a bigger body shell. Ridiculous amount of rear legroom, 0-60 in under 6 seconds, and size-wise externally somewhere in between a 3 series and a 5 series.

Falls down a little in the "interesting" stakes, but that's what I like about mine. Looks quite unassuming, but goes like stink.
Cheap to insure too, for the performance that's on tap. I'm paying just £240 this year, the least I've ever paid for a "big" car.

[Glenn63]

If you haven’t driven a C63 I’d suggest you try one as the engine is a master piece that every petrolhead should experience! The gearbox isn’t the sharpest but I found it fine in comfort for pottering about and then manual (paddles) good enough for a nice blast.

[Martyn76]

How about the Merc version of the S4? V6,

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

[ZX10R NIN]

With a 30k budget & two tall teenagers that will only be getting taller I'd say rather than a C63 sized car I'd go a size up they won't be as dynamic but they'll be more suited to your usage.

CLS 63 Shooting Brake The 5.5TT is bombastic & a proper furnace of a unit, it's not as sweet as the N/A but it's still a beast of an engine.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

E63 AMG more practical version of the above

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

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

N/A Version

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

The C6 RS6 is a great car but they can drain a wallet like no other car I can think of:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

I'd suggest looking at the S6 the 4.0TT is a very good engine it's not the most dynamic but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it, take it to someone like STaSIS for some suspension (as well as a remap) work & you'll have a very nice one:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

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

Leftfield:

Polestar V60 check for legroom

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

[tmck]

clockworks said:

Skoda Superb estate. The 280 and 272 petrol versions are basically Golf R driveline in a bigger body shell. Ridiculous amount of rear legroom, 0-60 in under 6 seconds, and size-wise externally somewhere in between a 3 series and a 5 series.

Falls down a little in the "interesting" stakes, but that's what I like about mine. Looks quite unassuming, but goes like stink.
Cheap to insure too, for the performance that's on tap. I'm paying just £240 this year, the least I've ever paid for a "big" car.

Hi Clockworks

Thanks for the response. We've had various Skoda's in the family - a Scout which was written off on black ice and an Ovtavia VRS which needed a new engine after 6 months/4k miles.

Notwithstanding, I'm quite a fan of the brand. My only worry is that the Superb is a bit of a barge (not intended to demean as, for some, the barge'ness is one of it's greater virtues).

BTW...is there a better value brand out there for new purchases/lease? Terrific value, I think.

[tmck]

Glenn63 said:

If you haven’t driven a C63 I’d suggest you try one as the engine is a master piece that every petrolhead should experience! The gearbox isn’t the sharpest but I found it fine in comfort for pottering about and then manual (paddles) good enough for a nice blast.

Hi Glenn63
I'm starting to look for one in my area to test drive. I should be able to plot a test route between petrol stations.

[tmck]

Martyn76 said:

How about the Merc version of the S4? V6,

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Hi Martyn
The link seems to point to an expired ad. Which model were you thinking of?

[hondafanatic]

tmck said:

Glenn63 said:

If you haven’t driven a C63 I’d suggest you try one as the engine is a master piece that every petrolhead should experience! The gearbox isn’t the sharpest but I found it fine in comfort for pottering about and then manual (paddles) good enough for a nice blast.

Hi Glenn63
I'm starting to look for one in my area to test drive. I should be able to plot a test route between petrol stations.

I had the 6.2 N/A C63 estate for about 8 months before redundancy made me sell it sharpish...I have had faster, quicker B road cars, cars with nicer media systems, cheaper to run cars obviously...but I'd have another in a heartbeat for the sound alone...I wasted so much petrol inducing the sound (never in town before anyone jumps on me). It's a car that made me smile so much. And the only car I've had that you could watch the petrol gauge move as you drove it.

The only thing to think about is the cost of parts eg brakes.

[tmck]

ZX10R NIN said:

With a 30k budget & two tall teenagers that will only be getting taller I'd say rather than a C63 sized car I'd go a size up they won't be as dynamic but they'll be more suited to your usage.

CLS 63 Shooting Brake The 5.5TT is bombastic & a proper furnace of a unit, it's not as sweet as the N/A but it's still a beast of an engine.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

E63 AMG more practical version of the above

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

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

N/A Version

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

The C6 RS6 is a great car but they can drain a wallet like no other car I can think of:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

I'd suggest looking at the S6 the 4.0TT is a very good engine it's not the most dynamic but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it, take it to someone like STaSIS for some suspension (as well as a remap) work & you'll have a very nice one:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

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

Leftfield:

Polestar V60 check for legroom

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

Hi ZX10R NIN

Thanks for some interesting thoughts.

I think I have to scratch an itch for a slightly modified car, hence the S4/S6 leaning.

I have a small worry, however, that it's pointless modding an S just to deliver a similar experience to an RS. The saving grace is that an S will be less bling than an RS, so a bit more of a sleeper/surprise.

A friend has a Golf R estate with an Abt stage 1 tune. That's a surprisingly spirited car!

Interesting times ahead.

[tmck]

hondafanatic said:

I had the 6.2 N/A C63 estate for about 8 months before redundancy made me sell it sharpish...I have had faster, quicker B road cars, cars with nicer media systems, cheaper to run cars obviously...but I'd have another in a heartbeat for the sound alone...I wasted so much petrol inducing the sound (never in town before anyone jumps on me). It's a car that made me smile so much. And the only car I've had that you could watch the petrol gauge move as you drove it.

The only thing to think about is the cost of parts eg brakes.

Thanks Hondafanatic

The sound of a N/A C/E/63 is primal. I don't think anyone with a hint of petrol in their veins can deny that it would make them smile.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

C class is not an option for carrying normal sized humans in the back. With the seat fully back, my wife's c350 can't even fit our 10 year lad in the back. You'll need an E.

Another option is the seat (golf r) estate.

[tmck]

take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:

C class is not an option for carrying normal sized humans in the back. With the seat fully back, my wife's c350 can't even fit our 10 year lad in the back. You'll need an E.

Another option is the seat (golf r) estate.

Thanks for the insight TGCOTFD.

I hadn't planned to take the kids on a test drive but it now looks like an important step in the process..

[PomBstard]

Def take one of the kids with you to test the space. I’m getting to the point of a similar dilemma albeit with about 2/3 your budget - my musings and findings here...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Shaoxter]

E61 M5 with some winter tyres for when it's cold.
I've done a Scottish road trip in a V10 M5 and it was epic, I don't think a Golf would have given the same thrills... You don't have much traffic up there so the SMG box would be fine.

[tmck]

PomBstard said:

Def take one of the kids with you to test the space. I’m getting to the point of a similar dilemma albeit with about 2/3 your budget - my musings and findings here...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Interesting reading.

I had not considered a Holden'esq car. Probably rarity has edited them out of my mind.

My need to ferry teens about is infrequent and for short journeys. My wife has a LR Disco Sport (previously discounted in your earlier post - quite rightly, it's a tractor). It does most of the ferrying duties. It's the odd occasion when 2 seats are impossible and 4-5 small seats are temporarily uncomfortable.

Let me know whet you end up with.

[tmck]

Shaoxter said:

E61 M5 with some winter tyres for when it's cold.
I've done a Scottish road trip in a V10 M5 and it was epic, I don't think a Golf would have given the same thrills... You don't have much traffic up there so the SMG box would be fine.

Hi Shaoxter

V10 M5 would be a great ride but is the V10 not a fragile engine?

I seems to recall lots of posts about unreliability.

[Martyn76]

tmck said:

Martyn76 said:

How about the Merc version of the S4? V6,

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Hi Martyn
The link seems to point to an expired ad. Which model were you thinking of?

Oops, it was suppose to be the Mercedes-amg c43 wagon : https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/c-class-amg-es...

[Glenn63]

tmck said:

hondafanatic said:

I had the 6.2 N/A C63 estate for about 8 months before redundancy made me sell it sharpish...I have had faster, quicker B road cars, cars with nicer media systems, cheaper to run cars obviously...but I'd have another in a heartbeat for the sound alone...I wasted so much petrol inducing the sound (never in town before anyone jumps on me). It's a car that made me smile so much. And the only car I've had that you could watch the petrol gauge move as you drove it.

The only thing to think about is the cost of parts eg brakes.

Thanks Hondafanatic

The sound of a N/A C/E/63 is primal. I don't think anyone with a hint of petrol in their veins can deny that it would make them smile.

Have to agree with the smile inducing, just starting it up always leaving the door open makes a bad day better! My only gripe was the thimble fuel tank so if do decent millage feels like your at the petrol station daily.

[Novexx]

B8 S4 tunes very well, grip not an issue & plenty of space.