My 4x4 buying experience
Discussion
My girlfriend is after a new car and so I was happy to help - an afternoon looking at cars mixed with the odd Starbucks in between is an ideal day for me and the weather was good - bonus.
The criteria is her existing car is going back and she wants another 4 wheel drive (it actually has to be 4 wheel drive rather than a 2 wheel drive version of a 4x4 if you know what I mean).
The contenders were:
Jaguar F Pace - her favourite as it's pretty new, pretty rare and she likes the looks
Discovery sport - Evoque and Range Rover ruled out as her best friend has an Evoque and her sister has a Range Rover (I know it doesn't matter but it matters to her as she doesn't want to copy!)
Volvo XC90
BMW X3 or X5
Lexus NX
First up was the Jaguar dealership where I was immediately drawn to the F Type and started telling her how she didn't need a 4x4 and that an F Type was what she really needed but no, back to task. The car in the showroom looked good from the outside and even when sat in the car she loved it and liked the interior. So, first dealership and she felt her thoughts had been confirmed and that was that. But we had set the morning aside to look at them all so we thought we'd just go and see the others to make sure. The dealership had a whiff of old MG Rover about it with old skool car salesmen in cheap suits all standing around and coming over to tell us what we already knew and talking at us whereas we really wanted to just look at the car which was a little off putting but hey ho.
Next was the BMW dealership and instantly the minute she sat in the X5 said that it made the Jaguar 'look cheap' and I had to agree. The X5 felt a league above in terms of space, interior quality and design and so on and so we agreed that the BMW, surprisingly, beat the F pace hands down (exterior looks aside). I wouldn't have realised that had I not sat in them back to back but what a difference. Having sat in the X5 and then sitting in the X3 the X3 was immediately discounted as it felt less quality which is a shame as the X3 is cheaper
. The dealership was good, helpful and well stocked.
The next stop was Volvo and I really wanted to like the XC90 hybrid - it gets rave reviews online and it is 400 plus BHP and looks amazing from outside so I thought this could be a contender. Sitting in it, however, it felt the size of a bus and the interior quality didn't live up to that of the X5 - there is also a weird crystal like gearlever which stands out like a sore thumb in an interior full of drab plastic. The dealership felt like Jaguar - a little unloved, a little 1990's and a bit like a used car lot rather than a decent dealership that you get from the likes of BMW, Mercedes and Audi. The salesman came to greet us in the worlds most creased and crumpled polo shirt and it all seemed a bit sloppy - where I buy the car from wouldn't bother me but it's quite interesting how much this appeared to sway my girlfriend (a non car lover) so I can now see why brands spend good money on these fancy dealerships.
The Lexus dealership was nice and we took out the NX for a spin and I wanted her to like this car as I think the idea of it is good but the technology seemed so outdated now and the interior looked old fashioned not to mention the car (the hybrid one) was slow and didn't seem to go any quicker when you put your foot down, it just made a little more noise and the CVT gearbox isn't to my liking. Also, these cars as standard don't come with leather or sat nav etc - I thought Lexus were supposed to load their cars full of toys but hey ho. This was dismissed as being too 'boring'.
Finally, the Land Rover dealership and the Discovery Sport. Wow, what a disappointment. Perhaps the biggest shock. Did Land Rover really think that interior looks modern and contemporary? It almost looks like they have deliberately designed it to be cheap and utilitarian, is that what they've done? It was like stepping back in time to an old 4 wheel drive 20 years ago. That ruled that one out.
So, after all of that we went back to BMW and the order was placed yesterday afternoon for an X5 M Sport in black - went for the hybrid option although beginning to think that the diesel would have been more practical but she liked the idea of the quietness of the hybrid as the reviews I've now read online seem to say the X5 only does 25mpg when the battery is low so i'll forever be being sent to the petrol station as that gets classed as a mans job in our household
Let's hope it's reasonable to drive as the only one we actually test drove was the Lexus!
The criteria is her existing car is going back and she wants another 4 wheel drive (it actually has to be 4 wheel drive rather than a 2 wheel drive version of a 4x4 if you know what I mean).
The contenders were:
Jaguar F Pace - her favourite as it's pretty new, pretty rare and she likes the looks
Discovery sport - Evoque and Range Rover ruled out as her best friend has an Evoque and her sister has a Range Rover (I know it doesn't matter but it matters to her as she doesn't want to copy!)
Volvo XC90
BMW X3 or X5
Lexus NX
First up was the Jaguar dealership where I was immediately drawn to the F Type and started telling her how she didn't need a 4x4 and that an F Type was what she really needed but no, back to task. The car in the showroom looked good from the outside and even when sat in the car she loved it and liked the interior. So, first dealership and she felt her thoughts had been confirmed and that was that. But we had set the morning aside to look at them all so we thought we'd just go and see the others to make sure. The dealership had a whiff of old MG Rover about it with old skool car salesmen in cheap suits all standing around and coming over to tell us what we already knew and talking at us whereas we really wanted to just look at the car which was a little off putting but hey ho.
Next was the BMW dealership and instantly the minute she sat in the X5 said that it made the Jaguar 'look cheap' and I had to agree. The X5 felt a league above in terms of space, interior quality and design and so on and so we agreed that the BMW, surprisingly, beat the F pace hands down (exterior looks aside). I wouldn't have realised that had I not sat in them back to back but what a difference. Having sat in the X5 and then sitting in the X3 the X3 was immediately discounted as it felt less quality which is a shame as the X3 is cheaper
. The dealership was good, helpful and well stocked.The next stop was Volvo and I really wanted to like the XC90 hybrid - it gets rave reviews online and it is 400 plus BHP and looks amazing from outside so I thought this could be a contender. Sitting in it, however, it felt the size of a bus and the interior quality didn't live up to that of the X5 - there is also a weird crystal like gearlever which stands out like a sore thumb in an interior full of drab plastic. The dealership felt like Jaguar - a little unloved, a little 1990's and a bit like a used car lot rather than a decent dealership that you get from the likes of BMW, Mercedes and Audi. The salesman came to greet us in the worlds most creased and crumpled polo shirt and it all seemed a bit sloppy - where I buy the car from wouldn't bother me but it's quite interesting how much this appeared to sway my girlfriend (a non car lover) so I can now see why brands spend good money on these fancy dealerships.
The Lexus dealership was nice and we took out the NX for a spin and I wanted her to like this car as I think the idea of it is good but the technology seemed so outdated now and the interior looked old fashioned not to mention the car (the hybrid one) was slow and didn't seem to go any quicker when you put your foot down, it just made a little more noise and the CVT gearbox isn't to my liking. Also, these cars as standard don't come with leather or sat nav etc - I thought Lexus were supposed to load their cars full of toys but hey ho. This was dismissed as being too 'boring'.
Finally, the Land Rover dealership and the Discovery Sport. Wow, what a disappointment. Perhaps the biggest shock. Did Land Rover really think that interior looks modern and contemporary? It almost looks like they have deliberately designed it to be cheap and utilitarian, is that what they've done? It was like stepping back in time to an old 4 wheel drive 20 years ago. That ruled that one out.
So, after all of that we went back to BMW and the order was placed yesterday afternoon for an X5 M Sport in black - went for the hybrid option although beginning to think that the diesel would have been more practical but she liked the idea of the quietness of the hybrid as the reviews I've now read online seem to say the X5 only does 25mpg when the battery is low so i'll forever be being sent to the petrol station as that gets classed as a mans job in our household
Let's hope it's reasonable to drive as the only one we actually test drove was the Lexus!
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hstewie said:
hstewie said: How do you spend £50k on a car just by sitting in it? 
I wouldn't but, to be fair, she isn't going to test the handling, do 0-60 sprints in it and so on. Her words were that she just wants it to go and stop and that she would feel too worried about crashing a car that's not hers when a salesman is sat next to her talking in her ear! X5TUU said:
I would have thought the SQ5 or RSQ3 may have been in the running as well?!?
Agree about Volvo dealers mind, imho the staff always seem to have been pulled through a hedge to work in semi-sportswear
Yeah I like the idea of something with as much bhp as possible - she has sat in a Q5 and didn't like the interior although I could have been tempted. I also thought a Macan could be a good shout. It's awkward though isn't it, I had/have my opinions but it's not my car so I was just trying to be as balanced as possible rather than just looking at which ones were over 300 bhp Agree about Volvo dealers mind, imho the staff always seem to have been pulled through a hedge to work in semi-sportswear
Willy Nilly said:
The Jag dealer was spot on given the section of hair dressers cars she looked at.
Man buys new X5 and worries about 25mpg. Jesus.
ouch. sorry if I've offended. I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean by the Jaguar dealer being spot on?Man buys new X5 and worries about 25mpg. Jesus.
I didn't buy the car, she/her business did and we aren't specifically worried about 25mpg but my concern is that if her fuel is low she will leave it for me to fill up unless of course she needs to fill up to get home and this may mean that I have to fill it up more often which is a hassle. Plus, of course the less fuel used the better as we don't like spending money for the sake of it - we are tight Northerners now!
jonah35 said:
The criteria is her existing car is going back and she wants another 4 wheel drive (it actually has to be 4 wheel drive rather than a 2 wheel drive version of a 4x4 if you know what I mean).
Is there a specific use-case why is it has to be 4 wheel drive?jonah35 said:
Finally, the Land Rover dealership and the Discovery Sport. Wow, what a disappointment. Perhaps the biggest shock. Did Land Rover really think that interior looks modern and contemporary? It almost looks like they have deliberately designed it to be cheap and utilitarian, is that what they've done? It was like stepping back in time to an old 4 wheel drive 20 years ago. That ruled that one out.
Everyone says that about Discovery Sport. The issue is that if they made it too good it would take sales away from Discovery, RRS and even FFRR.I'm sure even LandRover wouldn't attempt to pitch DS against a £50K+ X5.
Sheepshanks said:
jonah35 said:
The criteria is her existing car is going back and she wants another 4 wheel drive (it actually has to be 4 wheel drive rather than a 2 wheel drive version of a 4x4 if you know what I mean).
Is there a specific use-case why is it has to be 4 wheel drive?jonah35 said:
Finally, the Land Rover dealership and the Discovery Sport. Wow, what a disappointment. Perhaps the biggest shock. Did Land Rover really think that interior looks modern and contemporary? It almost looks like they have deliberately designed it to be cheap and utilitarian, is that what they've done? It was like stepping back in time to an old 4 wheel drive 20 years ago. That ruled that one out.
Everyone says that about Discovery Sport. The issue is that if they made it too good it would take sales away from Discovery, RRS and even FFRR.I'm sure even LandRover wouldn't attempt to pitch DS against a £50K+ X5.
yeah, the discovery sport felt poor sadly but I can see why now you mention it
jonah35 said:
ouch. sorry if I've offended. I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean by the Jaguar dealer being spot on?
I didn't buy the car, she/her business did and we aren't specifically worried about 25mpg but my concern is that if her fuel is low she will leave it for me to fill up unless of course she needs to fill up to get home and this may mean that I have to fill it up more often which is a hassle. Plus, of course the less fuel used the better as we don't like spending money for the sake of it - we are tight Northerners now!
Tight northerner buys 50k car which does 25mpg and yet says doesnt like spending money for the sake of it. Lad at work his Merc GLA 4x4 does upwards of 50mpg and didnt cost 50k to buy... Probably does the same job as the X5. I didn't buy the car, she/her business did and we aren't specifically worried about 25mpg but my concern is that if her fuel is low she will leave it for me to fill up unless of course she needs to fill up to get home and this may mean that I have to fill it up more often which is a hassle. Plus, of course the less fuel used the better as we don't like spending money for the sake of it - we are tight Northerners now!
Also, what kind of relationship are you in where you have to buy the fuel for the gf's car?! You are more than a walking wallet.
Are you buying the car or the showroom?
I may be a bit cynical about dealers these days but ime the salesman will be spot on if you are buying from him &, rightly or wrongly, disinterested if it's going to come from a lease company elsewhere.
Your girlfriend is going to be spending 2+ years with whatever she buys, so surely needs to drive it? Tell the salesman to STFU & make him sit in the back during the drive, or how about you drive first so he can spout his se then be quiet when she drives.
I've had mixed experiences with most of the manufacturers you mention, BMW, Audi & JLR awful, good with Mercedes & Porsche were sublime when the Powerfully built ones wife decided she wanted a Macan.
Porsche service department was great too when the Tracker went wrong & sorted it, & the Adblu top up without an appointment.
I may be a bit cynical about dealers these days but ime the salesman will be spot on if you are buying from him &, rightly or wrongly, disinterested if it's going to come from a lease company elsewhere.
Your girlfriend is going to be spending 2+ years with whatever she buys, so surely needs to drive it? Tell the salesman to STFU & make him sit in the back during the drive, or how about you drive first so he can spout his s
e then be quiet when she drives.I've had mixed experiences with most of the manufacturers you mention, BMW, Audi & JLR awful, good with Mercedes & Porsche were sublime when the Powerfully built ones wife decided she wanted a Macan.
Porsche service department was great too when the Tracker went wrong & sorted it, & the Adblu top up without an appointment.
Condi said:
Also, what kind of relationship are you in where you have to buy the fuel for the gf's car?! You are more than a walking wallet.
If OP's girlfriend is like my OH it's not the cost of filling up she doesn't like, it's the actual "stopping off at a petrol station and filling up the car whilst the cashier pervs at her" that she doesnt like. Personally I don't know why she gets that impression, he's never done it to me but there you go 
Yes I know, worst "I have a fit wife" post ever.
Condi said:
jonah35 said:
ouch. sorry if I've offended. I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean by the Jaguar dealer being spot on?
I didn't buy the car, she/her business did and we aren't specifically worried about 25mpg but my concern is that if her fuel is low she will leave it for me to fill up unless of course she needs to fill up to get home and this may mean that I have to fill it up more often which is a hassle. Plus, of course the less fuel used the better as we don't like spending money for the sake of it - we are tight Northerners now!
Tight northerner buys 50k car which does 25mpg and yet says doesnt like spending money for the sake of it. Lad at work his Merc GLA 4x4 does upwards of 50mpg and didnt cost 50k to buy... Probably does the same job as the X5. I didn't buy the car, she/her business did and we aren't specifically worried about 25mpg but my concern is that if her fuel is low she will leave it for me to fill up unless of course she needs to fill up to get home and this may mean that I have to fill it up more often which is a hassle. Plus, of course the less fuel used the better as we don't like spending money for the sake of it - we are tight Northerners now!
Also, what kind of relationship are you in where you have to buy the fuel for the gf's car?! You are more than a walking wallet.
Feel free to accuse him of being Pussy whipped though.
Countdown said:
If OP's girlfriend is like my OH it's not the cost of filling up she doesn't like, it's the actual "stopping off at a petrol station and filling up the car whilst the cashier pervs at her" that she doesnt like. Personally I don't know why she gets that impression, he's never done it to me but there you go
Yes I know, worst "I have a fit wife" post ever.
If you had a fit wife, everyone would perv at her all the time. The fact that it's only the Petrol Station cashier would suggest he's got a thing for ugly birds or he's trying to figure out who would marry such a munter.Yes I know, worst "I have a fit wife" post ever.
HTH
Willy Nilly does not approve of modern SUV. He's firmly of an opinion that you need 4WD if you go proper off road, and then you should buy a tractor.
As others have said the Discovery Sport is the price point below. I'm surprised you've not included the new Discovery in your list (or even an outgoing D4).
I'm not a great fan of the X5 after driving one for 2 days last month. Mine was a poverty spec 2.0 hire car which did not help it much to be fair.
Surprised in the XC90 result. I've noticed that I am seeing a lot of these now. They seem to be selling well.
Noticed that Merc were missing in your list?
As others have said the Discovery Sport is the price point below. I'm surprised you've not included the new Discovery in your list (or even an outgoing D4).
I'm not a great fan of the X5 after driving one for 2 days last month. Mine was a poverty spec 2.0 hire car which did not help it much to be fair.
Surprised in the XC90 result. I've noticed that I am seeing a lot of these now. They seem to be selling well.
Noticed that Merc were missing in your list?
eltax91 said:
Condi said:
jonah35 said:
ouch. sorry if I've offended. I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean by the Jaguar dealer being spot on?
I didn't buy the car, she/her business did and we aren't specifically worried about 25mpg but my concern is that if her fuel is low she will leave it for me to fill up unless of course she needs to fill up to get home and this may mean that I have to fill it up more often which is a hassle. Plus, of course the less fuel used the better as we don't like spending money for the sake of it - we are tight Northerners now!
Tight northerner buys 50k car which does 25mpg and yet says doesnt like spending money for the sake of it. Lad at work his Merc GLA 4x4 does upwards of 50mpg and didnt cost 50k to buy... Probably does the same job as the X5. I didn't buy the car, she/her business did and we aren't specifically worried about 25mpg but my concern is that if her fuel is low she will leave it for me to fill up unless of course she needs to fill up to get home and this may mean that I have to fill it up more often which is a hassle. Plus, of course the less fuel used the better as we don't like spending money for the sake of it - we are tight Northerners now!
Also, what kind of relationship are you in where you have to buy the fuel for the gf's car?! You are more than a walking wallet.
Feel free to accuse him of being Pussy whipped though.
jonah35 said:
Willy Nilly said:
The Jag dealer was spot on given the section of hair dressers cars she looked at.
Man buys new X5 and worries about 25mpg. Jesus.
ouch. sorry if I've offended. I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean by the Jaguar dealer being spot on?Man buys new X5 and worries about 25mpg. Jesus.
I didn't buy the car, she/her business did and we aren't specifically worried about 25mpg but my concern is that if her fuel is low she will leave it for me to fill up unless of course she needs to fill up to get home and this may mean that I have to fill it up more often which is a hassle. Plus, of course the less fuel used the better as we don't like spending money for the sake of it - we are tight Northerners now!
As for the fuel, if it's a business vehicle, the company pays for the fuel.
surveyor said:
Willy Nilly does not approve of modern SUV. He's firmly of an opinion that you need 4WD if you go proper off road, and then you should buy a tractor.
As others have said the Discovery Sport is the price point below. I'm surprised you've not included the new Discovery in your list (or even an outgoing D4).
I'm not a great fan of the X5 after driving one for 2 days last month. Mine was a poverty spec 2.0 hire car which did not help it much to be fair.
Surprised in the XC90 result. I've noticed that I am seeing a lot of these now. They seem to be selling well.
Noticed that Merc were missing in your list?
The OP is looking at cars for towing and mentions business use, then puts a load of tarts handbags on the list. If you want a tow car/vehicle for business towing, the first thing yo do is look at commercial vehicles that are suitable, so you can claim the VAT back, not cars are stilts. Discovery Sport As others have said the Discovery Sport is the price point below. I'm surprised you've not included the new Discovery in your list (or even an outgoing D4).
I'm not a great fan of the X5 after driving one for 2 days last month. Mine was a poverty spec 2.0 hire car which did not help it much to be fair.
Surprised in the XC90 result. I've noticed that I am seeing a lot of these now. They seem to be selling well.
Noticed that Merc were missing in your list?
, then if none of those will do a Land Cruiser or at a push a D4.The cars on the list are just that, cars and not work horses.
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