best car for a comfortable 200 mile daily commute
Discussion
Hello all,
Looking for a new/ nearly new car circa 35k with the best self driving tech legal in the UK. Have a 200 mile daily round trip commute and my F10 M5 whilst a great car on big roads, does not love the tighter pot hole infused B roads in the first/ last 20 miles of the journey. It also has only normal cruise control.
I am looking for a car with self driving tech to ease the sting out of the drive. I like going up to the hills/ mountains in my time off and something that would not fall apart at the first sign of a pony/ mud track would be great. I am not expecting total off roading in fields, but the occasional jaunt to places like the hardknot pass
I would like a petrol/ diesel (electrical is not for me) & the only option I am seeing is a 4wd Qashqai / x trail which would handle the horrible pot-hole addled B roads of the midlands as well as being relatively comfy on the long stretches of motorway.
Question is, are there any other cars I should be considering, other than a QQ/ x-trail for a similar price?
Looking for a new/ nearly new car circa 35k with the best self driving tech legal in the UK. Have a 200 mile daily round trip commute and my F10 M5 whilst a great car on big roads, does not love the tighter pot hole infused B roads in the first/ last 20 miles of the journey. It also has only normal cruise control.
I am looking for a car with self driving tech to ease the sting out of the drive. I like going up to the hills/ mountains in my time off and something that would not fall apart at the first sign of a pony/ mud track would be great. I am not expecting total off roading in fields, but the occasional jaunt to places like the hardknot pass
I would like a petrol/ diesel (electrical is not for me) & the only option I am seeing is a 4wd Qashqai / x trail which would handle the horrible pot-hole addled B roads of the midlands as well as being relatively comfy on the long stretches of motorway.
Question is, are there any other cars I should be considering, other than a QQ/ x-trail for a similar price?
I’d get a railcard. 200 miles per day is going to be an absolute s
tshow, with so much time and money wasted on going to work and back. I used to do 96 miles per day on quiet roads and honestly can’t remember how I managed it.
With that in mind, get an E300dh. Plug in diesel hybrid. Good fuel economy and range when on the move, and no need to waste fuel idling the engine when you will be spending so much time sat in traffic.
tshow, with so much time and money wasted on going to work and back. I used to do 96 miles per day on quiet roads and honestly can’t remember how I managed it.With that in mind, get an E300dh. Plug in diesel hybrid. Good fuel economy and range when on the move, and no need to waste fuel idling the engine when you will be spending so much time sat in traffic.
I'm currently doing 110 miles a day in my 2018 x351 jaguar XJ 3.0d portfolio. First thing I do when I set off is put heated and massage seat on, heated steering wheel and melt into the seat. I do between 2-3.5hours commute a day and I'm surprised how little it takes out of me. I also get 650-730 miles per tank so only have to refill once a week.
The Jag has honestly dented my enjoyment of my weekend mustang. The mustang held up well in comfort and enjoyment against my RRS but the jag is other worldly compared to both!
The Jag has honestly dented my enjoyment of my weekend mustang. The mustang held up well in comfort and enjoyment against my RRS but the jag is other worldly compared to both!
Move closer, is that 4/5 days a week?
I do 600 miles a week (286 e/w) plus the distance from second home to work.
It is utterly soul destroying, anything from 10-14 hours a week in the car, one way once took 14 hours.
After 104 weeks I’ve spent over 1000 hours in the car, or 41 full days.
I’ve got 5 months left then I start my new job.
It also destroys your family and social life as everything needs to be crammed into the minuscule amount of free time you actually have.
I do 600 miles a week (286 e/w) plus the distance from second home to work.
It is utterly soul destroying, anything from 10-14 hours a week in the car, one way once took 14 hours.
After 104 weeks I’ve spent over 1000 hours in the car, or 41 full days.
I’ve got 5 months left then I start my new job.
It also destroys your family and social life as everything needs to be crammed into the minuscule amount of free time you actually have.
I did a similar commute for about 5 years (Cheshire to Warwick) and despite what some are suggesting here it really wasn’t that big a deal. Left home at 6am and was there by 8am, returned home about 4pm.
Most of it was on motorways so I used a BMW 530d which I thought was perfect for the drive, comfortable, quiet, full active cruise control etc, averaging about 45mpg but still sporty enough for the odd fast bits. When I came to sell it, I think it had about 80k miles and it still went for reasonable money.
I did later think I could have done it equally well in a 520d though.
Most of it was on motorways so I used a BMW 530d which I thought was perfect for the drive, comfortable, quiet, full active cruise control etc, averaging about 45mpg but still sporty enough for the odd fast bits. When I came to sell it, I think it had about 80k miles and it still went for reasonable money.
I did later think I could have done it equally well in a 520d though.
For self drive tech my Kia Stinger is as good as my Tesla was once it’s over 40mph, plus it doesn’t st itself when you’re two lanes away from a truck or when you go under a bridge. Totally useless for rough roads though. Maybe Kia/Hyundai SUVs might be worth a look for the tech, but the max 1.6 sized engines and refinement probably aren’t ideal for long commutes.
Volvo do decent self drive iirc - an S/V90 would be a nice way to travel, and they do allroad 4wd versions I think.
t itself when you’re two lanes away from a truck or when you go under a bridge. Totally useless for rough roads though. Maybe Kia/Hyundai SUVs might be worth a look for the tech, but the max 1.6 sized engines and refinement probably aren’t ideal for long commutes.Volvo do decent self drive iirc - an S/V90 would be a nice way to travel, and they do allroad 4wd versions I think.
soxboy said:
200 miles every day, 5 days a week, no thanks. Premier Inn/ Travelodge loyalty card is more preferable.
I’ve had some terrible commutes over the years but never 200 daily.Agreed, that’s move or get a cheap hotel room territory.
If insisting on driving it every day just be damn sure you like the car and ignore other’s preferences. Because if you compromise on choice you’re going to spend a long time reminding yourself that you did.
Raymond Reddington said:
I'd spend 30k on your main car and buy a backup because if one is down for maintenance or issued then you have to take rime off work.
Isn't that true for everyone? I really don't think that 50k miles per year is that big a deal. It only needs a shade more planning than any other commute.FlyingPanda said:
Isn't that true for everyone? I really don't think that 50k miles per year is that big a deal. It only needs a shade more planning than any other commute.
If you work closer to home generally it would be easier to drop car off at mechanics/borrow a car/get a lift in... and if the average is something like 12k miles per year, then that is a fraction of 50k. Breakdowns/maintenance will be more frequent.Raymond Reddington said:
If you work closer to home generally it would be easier to drop car off at mechanics/borrow a car/get a lift in... and if the average is something like 12k miles per year, then that is a fraction of 50k. Breakdowns/maintenance will be more frequent.
Having done it myself for 5 years, I am happy to report it was never an issue!FlyingPanda said:
Raymond Reddington said:
I'd spend 30k on your main car and buy a backup because if one is down for maintenance or issued then you have to take rime off work.
Isn't that true for everyone? I really don't think that 50k miles per year is that big a deal. It only needs a shade more planning than any other commute.Pica-Pica said:
Indeed. Why spend money on a backup, when the maintenance issue (=service, I assume) can be covered by a hire car, staying for the week at work location, or planned to coincide with a few days break.
Each to their own, I find having a spare car extremely useful and if bought right costs buttons to keep, certainly I've spent less in the last year on mine than a week in the hotel near my work would cost.Raymond Reddington said:
Pica-Pica said:
Indeed. Why spend money on a backup, when the maintenance issue (=service, I assume) can be covered by a hire car, staying for the week at work location, or planned to coincide with a few days break.
Each to their own, I find having a spare car extremely useful and if bought right costs buttons to keep, certainly I've spent less in the last year on mine than a week in the hotel near my work would cost.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff