Recommendations: £15k quiet comfy motorway cruiser

[thargon]

I'm going to be doing about 300 miles a week, 250 of them on the motorway, and I've decided I want something appropriate to leave me fresh after the drive to/from the office. My criteria:

Quiet
Comfy ride
Economical (diesel likely I guess) - no EVs
Auto preferable
Saloon/estate sized. Rather not have an SUV, but could be convinced
£15k ish, could go a little higher

I was thinking along the lines of 5 series, Skoda Superb, Volvo, etc. Am I missing obvious other options? Recommendations please!

[Vsix and Vtec]

Jaguar XJ or XF.

Lets be honest, nothing much beats a big Jaguar for smooth long distance drives.

[jaydeeuk1]

Vsix and Vtec said:

Jaguar XJ or XF.

Lets be honest, nothing much beats a big Jaguar for smooth long distance drives.

Id just cut out the middleman and buy an ex Greenflag truck

[ZX10R NIN]

A8:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401075...

Xj Portfolio:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402036...

XF Portfolio:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403047...

S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311063...

Maserati Ghibli:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310183...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403187...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308070...

CLS 350d AMG Line Premium Plus:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310062...

E350d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402076...

530d GT, these for me are a nicer place to be than the regular 5 series.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401215...

530d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402156...

[thargon]

jaydeeuk1 said:

Id just cut out the middleman and buy an ex Greenflag truck

I'm happy someone else said it. That was my worry.

[E63eeeeee...]

640d.

Go for the GC if you might want to put humans in the back.

Quick, comfortable, good range, big boot, 40mpg, ludicrously good value for what you get, lots of toys and a lovely place to sit.

[Vsix and Vtec]

thargon said:

I'm happy someone else said it. That was my worry.

You'd both be wrong. Buy sensibly and you'll find owning a Jag no more costly than anything else in its segment. The petrol V8 in particular are very good, with few issues. The X351 is not your grandads 2.9 XJ40. Avoid the Ingenium 2.0 diesel and you avoid the biggest reason for any trouble. Even the 3.0 TDV6 is actually quite reliable. The EGR and DPF are no more troublesome than in a BMW or Mercedes, and the XF and XJ don't seem to stress the crankshaft as much as the Discovery so consequently the crankshaft wear issues don't appear anything like as frequently. Service it properly, spend what needs spending and you genuinely need to look at Bentley or Rolls to rival the experience.

Once you get past the tired old sniggering from decades past, and actually look at the product, you'll find the value is really rather good.

[NomadicTurbo]

I recently bought a 530d for motorway miles (and ferrying the dog around)

I mainly do big miles, 400-500 miles once a week for client visits and it's been perfect for that use case.

[thargon]

ZX10R NIN said:

A8:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401075...

Xj Portfolio:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402036...

XF Portfolio:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403047...

S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311063...

Maserati Ghibli:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310183...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403187...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308070...

CLS 350d AMG Line Premium Plus:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310062...

E350d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402076...

530d GT, these for me are a nicer place to be than the regular 5 series.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401215...

530d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402156...

Ah yes, I like the 530 GT actually, forgot about them. Part of me likes them because of of their sheer pointlessness Reviews say the ride is disappointing though, so I'd be tempted just to go for a standard 5 series I guess.

Like the 350 too. Not sure about the giblets.

Are any of these particularly known for quietness? That's probably my top criterion.

[thargon]

NomadicTurbo said:

I recently bought a 530d for motorway miles (and ferrying the dog around)

I mainly do big miles, 400-500 miles once a week for client visits and it's been perfect for that use case.

Yeah perhaps I just go with the obvious choice. Got to be plenty to choose from.

[thargon]

E63eeeeee... said:

640d.

Go for the GC if you might want to put humans in the back.

Quick, comfortable, good range, big boot, 40mpg, ludicrously good value for what you get, lots of toys and a lovely place to sit.

Another option I'd definitely consider.

[thargon]

Vsix and Vtec said:

You'd both be wrong. Buy sensibly and you'll find owning a Jag no more costly than anything else in its segment. The petrol V8 in particular are very good, with few issues. The X351 is not your grandads 2.9 XJ40. Avoid the Ingenium 2.0 diesel and you avoid the biggest reason for any trouble. Even the 3.0 TDV6 is actually quite reliable. The EGR and DPF are no more troublesome than in a BMW or Mercedes, and the XF and XJ don't seem to stress the crankshaft as much as the Discovery so consequently the crankshaft wear issues don't appear anything like as frequently. Service it properly, spend what needs spending and you genuinely need to look at Bentley or Rolls to rival the experience.

Once you get past the tired old sniggering from decades past, and actually look at the product, you'll find the value is really rather good.

Fair enough. Not as many XJs about these days though, which is definitely what I'd want if I went Jag.

[silentbrown]

Vsix and Vtec said:

Jaguar XJ or XF.

Lets be honest, nothing much beats a big Jaguar for smooth long distance drives.

250 motorway miles a week is only a 25 mile commute. Hardly needs a big barge.

[thargon]

silentbrown said:

250 motorway miles a week is only a 25 mile commute. Hardly needs a big barge.

Actually I had my figures wrong now I check but it's 80 motorway miles each way to the office at least once a week, possibly twice a week if I choose to come home instead of staying over (in the office two days a week), hence the desire for a barge.

[Alickadoo]

Lexus NX or RX.

[thargon]

Alickadoo said:

Lexus NX or RX.

Interesting, but can't see myself in one, especially the NX which looks wise leaves me cold.

[Mad Maximus]

Depends on priority.

Brand new or second hand luxury
Diesel economy or petrol fun (or bev?)

My money would be on a ipace. Just about creeping to budget.

[thargon]

Mad Maximus said:

Depends on priority.

Brand new or second hand luxury
Diesel economy or petrol fun (or bev?)

My money would be on a ipace. Just about creeping to budget.

Actually we have charging at work, so maybe I should think again about an EV

[cerb4.5lee]

Try anything with the BMW 30d/35d/40d engine in it, and also try any Merc with the 350d engine in it as well. However make sure that they have the smallest wheels going if you appreciate ride comfort though for sure.

[samoht]

thargon said:

Actually we have charging at work, so maybe I should think again about an EV

I definitely rate EVs for being quiet, comfortable and leaving one feeling fresh at the end of the trip. It would also save money on fuel. If you charge at both ends, anything would do 80 miles; a longer range would let you use work's electricity in both directions.