Fast crossover sub £15k

[ldnzed]

So after 18 months with a W204 C63, a little one is on the way and the need to get something more ‘suitable’ (as the wife says) as a one car solution is necessary.

I’m leaning more towards a crossover as I like the slightly higher height and it helps tremendously with the wife’s back issues getting in and out.

Coming from performance cars, I’d still like something with a bit of grunt and have around £15k to play with (less would be great!)

I’ve narrowed down some potentials, but it would be great to see what other’s have done in similar positions.

- SQ5 3.0 BiTDi
- X3/X4 35d
- X3 35i (Jap Import)
- GLA45

I’m leaning towards the 35i as I’d prefer a petrol for day to day duties, and it seems to tick quite a lot of boxes. As much as I like the GLA45, perhaps it’s a little small and screams a little too much ‘boy racer’ especially with the aero pack…

Any other suggestions are much appreciated!

[andy43]

3 litre F Pace is supercharged, fast and sounds pretty good but they’re potentially fragile.
You might scrape a ten year old Macan V6 for 15k I think, maybe even an RSQ3 which would be very nippy but potentially boy racer again. Think I’ve seen an Alfa Stelvio for around that but I don’t know what engines they have.
Or…. physio and a C63 estate

[pb8g09]

Fishing in the same barrel a few weeks back. Not sure where you are but I found the ULEZ being the stumbler for the 35/40d, in that anything 6 seemed like high mileage for the money, albeit cars on the south coast are generally overpriced.

GLA45 without the aero pack can be smart if you get one in the right colour- I don’t think white does it any favours. Alternatively there’s the CLA45 shooting brake.

There were also some very cheap lease deals for 2 years on Smart Brabus models (think £3k down, £280 a month). Perhaps one of those for a couple of years until wife’s back is sorted and then you can get back into something estatey?

[andyalan10]

andy43 said:

3 litre F Pace is supercharged, fast and sounds pretty good but they re potentially fragile.
You might scrape a ten year old Macan V6 for 15k I think, maybe even an RSQ3 which would be very nippy but potentially boy racer again. Think I ve seen an Alfa Stelvio for around that but I don t know what engines they have.
Or . physio and a C63 estate

280bhp petrol Stelvios are available in budget, I looked.

[ldnzed]

andy43 said:

3 litre F Pace is supercharged, fast and sounds pretty good but they re potentially fragile.
You might scrape a ten year old Macan V6 for 15k I think, maybe even an RSQ3 which would be very nippy but potentially boy racer again. Think I ve seen an Alfa Stelvio for around that but I don t know what engines they have.
Or . physio and a C63 estate

I quickly ruled out the F-Pace for exactly that reason!
As much as I’d love a Macan, I think the ones in budget would likely require more money poured in to them - may as well up the budget if that’s the case.
The RSQ3 and Stelvio are great suggestions, didn’t even consider them (apart from the quadrifoglio which is, unfortunately, out of budget )
Haha physio is already in place, the c63 unfortunately won’t be though

[ldnzed]

pb8g09 said:

Fishing in the same barrel a few weeks back. Not sure where you are but I found the ULEZ being the stumbler for the 35/40d, in that anything 6 seemed like high mileage for the money, albeit cars on the south coast are generally overpriced.

GLA45 without the aero pack can be smart if you get one in the right colour- I don t think white does it any favours. Alternatively there s the CLA45 shooting brake.

There were also some very cheap lease deals for 2 years on Smart Brabus models (think £3k down, £280 a month). Perhaps one of those for a couple of years until wife s back is sorted and then you can get back into something estatey?

I’m in London, so ULEZ is a factor. Seeing exactly the same re: the 35d’s on the market right now.
A 2016+ GLA looks quite promising - just not 100% on the boot space for pram etc.
Not wanting to go down the leasing route, thanks for the suggestion though.

[ldnzed]

andyalan10 said:

andy43 said:

3 litre F Pace is supercharged, fast and sounds pretty good but they re potentially fragile.
You might scrape a ten year old Macan V6 for 15k I think, maybe even an RSQ3 which would be very nippy but potentially boy racer again. Think I ve seen an Alfa Stelvio for around that but I don t know what engines they have.
Or . physio and a C63 estate

280bhp petrol Stelvios are available in budget, I looked.

Could be a promising choice!!

[Matt_T]

Just ot of interest I checked to see of there were any Japanese SUVs that were sub 7 seconds 0-60.

Infinity FX was about the only thing that came back.

[Evanivitch]

Brave money... Jaguar iPace. Also Audi e-tron is equally large and slightly more reliable, maybe!

Also Mustang Mach-e also available. All offering 300+ hp.

Even a very mundane Kia Niro EV offers 200hp.

[RizzoTheRat]

Matt_T said:

Just ot of interest I checked to see of there were any Japanese SUVs that were sub 7 seconds 0-60.

Infinity FX was about the only thing that came back.

Rav4 and NX are <6s in PHEV form, with around 300bhp in total.



If you're happy with a PHEV then also consider the XC60 T8 with is <5s for about 450 bhp

Not sure how new you'd get for your budget on any of those, but Toyota and Lexus will extend the warranty to 10 years with main dealer servicing.

[ZX10R NIN]

ldnzed said:

So after 18 months with a W204 C63, a little one is on the way and the need to get something more suitable (as the wife says) as a one car solution is necessary.

I m leaning more towards a crossover as I like the slightly higher height and it helps tremendously with the wife s back issues getting in and out.

Coming from performance cars, I d still like something with a bit of grunt and have around £15k to play with (less would be great!)

I ve narrowed down some potentials, but it would be great to see what other s have done in similar positions.

- SQ5 3.0 BiTDi
- X3/X4 35d
- X3 35i (Jap Import)
- GLA45

I m leaning towards the 35i as I d prefer a petrol for day to day duties, and it seems to tick quite a lot of boxes. As much as I like the GLA45, perhaps it s a little small and screams a little too much boy racer especially with the aero pack

Any other suggestions are much appreciated!

I'd suggest taking a good look at the F Pace:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202508205...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512318...

If you can stretch the budget a bit then this one looks like a good buy:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202508255...

GLC250:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512278...

Leftfield

DS-7:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510117...

[Jamescrs]

GLA will likely be too small, I get it’s a crossover but still little more (if any) space inside. Don’t underestimate how much stuff you end up carrying with a new baby. Push chairs alone are bulky

[mobile chicane22]

I ran a 2015 diesel Macan for 4 years from 50 to 80K miles, the 3ltdi V6 lump is out of the SQ5 and is only about 250 bhp but a tuning box works wonders.

The only Issues I had were the ad blu pipe leaking at the engine which is a common fault and the air suspension beginning to sag as I traded it in.

The transfer case on my one was never an issue but I did have the fluid changed on it as a precaution which may have helped.

If you have a local Porsche or audi specialist they aren't that expensive to maintain and are nicer to drive (IMO) than the SQ5's with which they share a lot of components.