Comfortable Used Motorway Cruiser £10k

[philbo27]

Hi all,

Long-time lurker, first-time poster and hoping to tap into the collective wisdom here for ideas on a used car that will suit my use case.

My daughter plays a lot of football and has just joined an academy, the slight catch is that the journey to training is a 120-mile round trip, four / five days a week. So roughly 500 miles a week of driving, almost entirely motorway with just a short 10-minute stretch near home that isn't. It's a commitment I'm more than happy to make but will need to get a different car to do it!

Here's what I'm working with currently at home:

Nissan Leaf 40kWh - love it around town and for some longer runs, but these trips feel right at the edge of it's range when it gets to winter. It already requires charging when I get there to make it back home again in this nice weather.

Imported Nissan Elgrand 3.5 V6 petrol - comfortable and the family love it, bought to go on camping trips in, but at 19-20mpg it's absolutely ruinous on the wallet.

So, I'm in the market for a dedicated motorway mile-muncher. Budget is circa £13k and I'm after something that ticks the following boxes:

- Very comfortable on long runs
- Cruise control
- Good sound system
- Safe and reliable – high-mileage, all-weather commute
- Estate, SUV or saloon – all considered. Practicality of an estate may be helpful.

Cars I've been looking at so far:
Volvo V70 – seems a natural fit; comfortable, lots of room, safe reputation. Not sure about reliability?
Volvo S80 – saloon option of the above. Look good value and under budget, but there may be something I'm missing?
Skoda Superb – seems to offer a huge amount of car for money, especially in L&K trim?
Lexus RX 450h – attracted to the hybrid economy and Lexus reliability (and the Mark Levinson sound system!)

I'd welcome thoughts on any of the above – which generation/spec to aim for, what to avoid, known issues, and whether any of them are better long-haul motorway cruisers than the others. Anything else I should be considering?

Budget is around the £10k mark, max £13k.

I'm also open to an electric vehicle if there's one that stacks up for this kind of weekly mileage? I do like the idea of lower running and maintenance costs. The slight complication is that I live in a terraced house, so home charging isn't an option – I rely entirely on public on-street charging, which thankfully is reasonably plentiful where I live, though not exactly cheap. So the EV economics aren't quite as rosy as they might be, but I'd still consider it if the range and comfort / reliability makes it workable.

Any and all suggestions gratefully received. This forum has sorted out countless mates of mine over the years and I've always read it with interest. I'm hoping you can work the same magic here.

Many thanks in advance!

[Skodillac]

There was a similar EV ask posted recently, with some replies you might find useful:

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

VW ID3 would be my choice I think:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510307...

You might even get away with a 58kwh model too, but as a 77kwh is within your budget, I'd get the one with the biggest range.

Edited by Skodillac on Monday 1st June 15:03

[SWoll]

For your mileage and circumstances I wouldn't consider an EV TBH, too expensive and too much hassle if no home charging possible.

[Neil-nvaua]

For your stated criteria I'd go for the Volvo V70, though I have owned a Skoda Superb myself in the past and currently own a Volvo albeit an XC60.

I find the Volvo is better put together and the seats are more comfortable. The Skoda wasn't the paragon of reliability I was lead to believe it would be. The drivetrain was fine but there was always something niggly needing fixed.

V70s seem to rack up interstellar miles and always have good resale even when older and high miles, and seem more resistant to rust as well (my Skoda was getting crusty underneath).

[philbo27]

Skodillac said:

There was a similar EV ask posted recently, with some replies you might find useful:

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

VW ID3 would be my choice I think:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510307...

You might even get away with a 58kwh model too, but as a 77kwh is within your budget, I'd get the one with the biggest range.

Edited by Skodillac on Monday 1st June 15:03

Thanks for this and I’ll take a look at that thread.

I hadn’t considered the ID3, for some reason I thought it was too small to be good on a motorway run but perhaps I need to rethink that?

[Skodillac]

philbo27 said:

Skodillac said:

There was a similar EV ask posted recently, with some replies you might find useful:

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

VW ID3 would be my choice I think:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510307...

You might even get away with a 58kwh model too, but as a 77kwh is within your budget, I'd get the one with the biggest range.

Edited by Skodillac on Monday 1st June 15:03

Thanks for this and I ll take a look at that thread.

I hadn t considered the ID3, for some reason I thought it was too small to be good on a motorway run but perhaps I need to rethink that?

Yes, it's a good motorway cruiser, my friend has one to do Berks-Manchester and back regularly. More roomy inside than you'd imagine, that's one of the benefits of EV drivetrains. In general they'll be more reliable than an ICE car at this price point too. If you can manage the charging thing then I'd say it's more than worthwhile considering.

I've got an ID5 which is great on motorway runs (been to south of France and back 2 weeks ago). If you can find an ID4 or 5 at the budget, then have a look, but they'll probably be high milers at that price. Which isn't necessarily a deal killer, they're reliable and battery deterioration isn't the big deal it's made out to be. You'll have more choice of ID3s at more reasonable mileages though.

[philbo27]

Neil-nvaua said:

For your stated criteria I'd go for the Volvo V70, though I have owned a Skoda Superb myself in the past and currently own a Volvo albeit an XC60.

I find the Volvo is better put together and the seats are more comfortable. The Skoda wasn't the paragon of reliability I was lead to believe it would be. The drivetrain was fine but there was always something niggly needing fixed.

V70s seem to rack up interstellar miles and always have good resale even when older and high miles, and seem more resistant to rust as well (my Skoda was getting crusty underneath).

Thanks, that s helpful to hear. I had a 2015 XC60 for a couple of years and it was great on the motorway and incredibly comfortable seats for long journeys (although I found it very frustrating around town!). It was that which made me think of the V70s / S80s as a possibility. Can I ask what year your V70 was?

EDIT: sorry misread your post, realise you said you have an XC60 (not V70!). Thanks again

Edited by philbo27 on Monday 1st June 16:12

[SWoll]

Skodillac said:

Yes, it's a good motorway cruiser, my friend has one to do Berks-Manchester and back regularly. More roomy inside than you'd imagine, that's one of the benefits of EV drivetrains. In general they'll be more reliable than an ICE car at this price point too. If you can manage the charging thing then I'd say it's more than worthwhile considering.

I've got an ID5 which is great on motorway runs (been to south of France and back 2 weeks ago). If you can find an ID4 or 5 at the budget, then have a look, but they'll probably be high milers at that price. Which isn't necessarily a deal killer, they're reliable and battery deterioration isn't the big deal it's made out to be. You'll have more choice of ID3s at more reasonable mileages though.

Had an ID3 for a few months and IME they aren't great for long distance cruising. Naff seats, poor sound insulation and relatively harsh ride.

And as above, I think you'd have to be mental to buy an EV with a 500+ mile a week mileage requirement and no home charging available.

[sjc]

Firstly good luck to your daughter,the academy system is brutal at times I've been through it with my son on his journey in Cat A and Cat B academies. It can put strains on personal relationships, you have to try and balance time with your other kids if you have them,the players themselves get shattered (homework in the car etc) and you have to watch them like a hawk so you notice when your daughter might be struggling with the pressure, which will undoubtably happen at some point. I did 60K miles in the first 2 years just on my sons football, let alone my daughters sport on top and socialising etc. A Rover 75 bought for buttons was ideal,comfortable,quiet,with enough toys,no depreciation and if you're unlucky just chuck it and get another one. An XJ would be another big comfortable mile muncher, along with a CLS

[E-bmw]

Having owned a V40 & 50 I would say modern Volvos just have the best seats.

For those sorts of mileages a 2.0 diseasel will do well over 50 mpg & be reliable if well serviced, either in your list (on budget) will tick all the boxes you mentioned, if it were me I would stay away from autos as some (not sure which) are a bit patchy.

[Skodillac]

I think OP needs to rank his priorities in order for us. Reliability, running costs, comfort, purchase price, fuelling convenience.

I note he mentioned the Lexus RX450h for its hybrid fuel efficiency. Well that's not really going to be the case on a motorway run - the hybrid system there doesn't give much of an advantage in fuel consumption, if any.

If running costs are the top consideration, it has to be EV for both fuel and maintenance costs, but he'll have to accept an amount of fueling inconvenience.

If comfort is the top priority, he'll have to accept running costs (both fuel and maintenance) are likely to be highest as it means a big diesel or petrol car (petrol is pricy, MPGs will be low, and diesels will have DPFs and all that rubbish to consider, plus AdBlue, ULEZ considerations etc), and reliability at this price point a bit of a lottery due to the age of the vehicle he'll have to consider.

If purchase price is the main consideration, again reliability is going to be compromised.

If reliability at this price point is number 1, it has to be EV.

If fueling convenience is king, then obviously not an EV without a home charger set up.

Speaking in general, of course. There might be a magic miracle answer to square these requirements, but I can't think of it.

Only the OP can make the balanced judgement on his personal peccadillos here. And he's got some EV experience already so knows what he's dealing with there so doesn't need lectures from the anti-mob.

The other thing OP hasn't said is if he has to hang around whilst the daughter trains. If so, there's his charging window for an EV.

Edited by Skodillac on Monday 1st June 17:21

[popegregory]

Have a look at what sort of 5-series you can get for that money as well as they’re very pleasant, or if you can make it to a V90 as I find long distances fairly effortless in mine

[Shooter McGavin]

philbo27 said:

My daughter plays a lot of football and has just joined an academy, the slight catch is that the journey to training is a 120-mile round trip, four / five days a week. So roughly 500 miles a week of driving, almost entirely motorway with just a short 10-minute stretch near home that isn't. It's a commitment I'm more than happy to make but will need to get a different car to do it!

On the car side I'd go for the V70 OP. I think you will become a slave to public charging and in the depths of winter you just want to jump into something warm and dry and know you can cruise home without worrying if using the heater will give you range anxiety.

Cars aside, have you properly explored the whole 'academy' thing? Our son is 11 and has been playing football with the local community club since he was 5, during which time some of his mates have been picked up and let go by academies. I'm talking journeys from Reading to Chelsea, Southampton and QPR, so similar to your proposed usage.

All of the kids are no longer with these academies. Of the parents that I know, they soon got the feeling that although their kid was 'good', they were basically just there to make up the numbers for teams to play in for the improvement of other, better kids. The release process for young kids can be brutal. The father of the best kid in my son's team has experience of three academies as a parent and he doesn't speak highly of the effort versus reward equation.

I know that as a parent you will do anything for your kids, but this seems to be an immense amount of time to be spent on the road for a schoolkid.

[Neil-nvaua]

philbo27 said:

Thanks, that s helpful to hear. I had a 2015 XC60 for a couple of years and it was great on the motorway and incredibly comfortable seats for long journeys (although I found it very frustrating around town!). It was that which made me think of the V70s / S80s as a possibility. Can I ask what year your V70 was?

EDIT: sorry misread your post, realise you said you have an XC60 (not V70!). Thanks again

Yes, XC60 (my second), Volvo seats are the best I've experienced and I do 15k-20k miles each year so thay have to be. Don't get me wrong, I never had any problem with the seats in my Skoda Superb - they were fabric and super comfy and hard wearing, just not quite as good as the Volvo seats. I'd say the same for my E-Class seats, had a few of them and a possible contender for you as they wear the miles well.

[philbo27]

sjc said:

Firstly good luck to your daughter,the academy system is brutal at times I've been through it with my son on his journey in Cat A and Cat B academies. It can put strains on personal relationships, you have to try and balance time with your other kids if you have them,the players themselves get shattered (homework in the car etc) and you have to watch them like a hawk so you notice when your daughter might be struggling with the pressure, which will undoubtably happen at some point. I did 60K miles in the first 2 years just on my sons football, let alone my daughters sport on top and socialising etc. A Rover 75 bought for buttons was ideal,comfortable,quiet,with enough toys,no depreciation and if you're unlucky just chuck it and get another one. An XJ would be another big comfortable mile muncher, along with a CLS

Sounds like very good advice, thank you. And that’s quite a sobering mileage you racked up! We have travelled quite a lot with her football over the past few years but this will be tough at times I’m sure. We have a similar setup to you, my son also playing sport and trying to juggle everything. I’ll look up the XJ and CLS

[philbo27]

Skodillac said:

I think OP needs to rank his priorities in order for us. Reliability, running costs, comfort, purchase price, fuelling convenience.

I note he mentioned the Lexus RX450h for its hybrid fuel efficiency. Well that's not really going to be the case on a motorway run - the hybrid system there doesn't give much of an advantage in fuel consumption, if any.

If running costs are the top consideration, it has to be EV for both fuel and maintenance costs, but he'll have to accept an amount of fueling inconvenience.

If comfort is the top priority, he'll have to accept running costs (both fuel and maintenance) are likely to be highest as it means a big diesel or petrol car (petrol is pricy, MPGs will be low, and diesels will have DPFs and all that rubbish to consider, plus AdBlue, ULEZ considerations etc), and reliability at this price point a bit of a lottery due to the age of the vehicle he'll have to consider.

If purchase price is the main consideration, again reliability is going to be compromised.

If reliability at this price point is number 1, it has to be EV.

If fueling convenience is king, then obviously not an EV without a home charger set up.

Speaking in general, of course. There might be a magic miracle answer to square these requirements, but I can't think of it.

Only the OP can make the balanced judgement on his personal peccadillos here. And he's got some EV experience already so knows what he's dealing with there so doesn't need lectures from the anti-mob.

The other thing OP hasn't said is if he has to hang around whilst the daughter trains. If so, there's his charging window for an EV.

Edited by Skodillac on Monday 1st June 17:21

These are good points.

I think I m caught in two minds over whether to take the risk and go lower budget, £5k-£7k perhaps, for a well-specced diesel, high mileage already, that I can add 20k miles to in a year and hope it is reliable (with some of the money saved as a reserve in case things go wrong)?

Or a longer-term, reliable family car that I ll keep for longer. This would be at the top of the budget - £13k - and an EV in this scenario gives me more peace of mind, feeling like it s less of a risk than a used ICE car at a similar price? Less to go wrong and less maintenance etc (and I can deal with the pain of having no home charger). So far my experience of EVs with the Nissan Leaf has been overwhelming positive, I love it.

(And I probably should have said that the new car will replace one of our existing two cars. On a two car limit!)

To answer the ranking question, I think:

Comfort
Reliability
Purchase price
Running costs
Fuelling convenience

Thanks again, a useful exercise to do.

EDIT: and yes re the charging window, I’ll be hanging around whilst she trains so there’s circa 2.5hr window to charge

Edited by philbo27 on Monday 1st June 23:21

[philbo27]

Shooter McGavin said:

On the car side I'd go for the V70 OP. I think you will become a slave to public charging and in the depths of winter you just want to jump into something warm and dry and know you can cruise home without worrying if using the heater will give you range anxiety.

Cars aside, have you properly explored the whole 'academy' thing? Our son is 11 and has been playing football with the local community club since he was 5, during which time some of his mates have been picked up and let go by academies. I'm talking journeys from Reading to Chelsea, Southampton and QPR, so similar to your proposed usage.

All of the kids are no longer with these academies. Of the parents that I know, they soon got the feeling that although their kid was 'good', they were basically just there to make up the numbers for teams to play in for the improvement of other, better kids. The release process for young kids can be brutal. The father of the best kid in my son's team has experience of three academies as a parent and he doesn't speak highly of the effort versus reward equation.

I know that as a parent you will do anything for your kids, but this seems to be an immense amount of time to be spent on the road for a schoolkid.

Yes agree it can be brutal, several of our friends children have been through retain / release and found it very difficult, so we are going in with eyes wide open. It’s a years contract (U16) and our emphasis is on enjoying the experience whilst it lasts, and that her school work is equally important. Easy to say of course! But we mean it and hopefully with lots of support she can maintain them both. She’d like a career in football if she can achieve it but knows that she’ll need a plan B (which I think will also involve sport in some way!).
Thanks for the Volvo V70 recommendation, seems to be a lot of love for that model. They look well-specced too but trying to get my head around the different engines

[stevemcs]

You will get a much newer Mondeo or Insignia for your money, both better than the superb, the v70 will be older and need more money to maintain it too.

[E-bmw]

stevemcs said:

You will get a much newer Mondeo or Insignia for your money, both better than the superb, the v70 will be older and need more money to maintain it too.

Not arguing the point, just summising.

Isn't the v60/70 basically a Mondeo anyway?

I know the v40/50 platform was a Focus as it even had many parts with "FoMoCo" stamped into the castings.

[stevemcs]

V60/70 very loosely around the mk4, for 10k the op would pick up a mk5 and there is nothing Volvo about them.