Which 6 cylinder diesel all-rounder - high(ish) annual miles

[Spudmaster]

Hello all,

I am looking to move on from my Volvo V90 D5 CC (Lovely place to be, but seriously dull to drive), and sign up to another 'do-everything' vehicle for all work and family duties, (SUV or estate). Due to the constraints of my quite generous car allowance, I am restricted to maximum 5 year old car - so I am looking to buy at 9 - 12m and run for 3-4 years subject to reliability and running costs.
Averaging 25-30k miles per annum, diesel is a must - and I really fancy a 6 cylinder; because I don't reckon they will be around for that much longer.
With a budget up to £40k, I have narrowed it down to the following:-

BMW X3 3.0d/M40D, 330D X-drive Touring or 530D Xdrive Touring
AUDI S4 Avant Diesel or SQ5
MERCEDES E400d Estate or All-Terrain

I like driving - and my wife likes SUVs - hence the mix above... I have now driven all of the above (except for MB), and would be quite happy with any so far. However, is there anything obvious that I may have missed off my shortlist?

I would also really appreciate any real-world experience with any of the above - especially around reliability and running costs. I have only averaged 35mpg with the Volvo over 75k miles in 3 years - and I would expect to average similar on the above. However, is there a big increase in servicing, consumables etc over the 4 cylinder equivalents, (before the Volvo I had 520D, MB C220D and Audi A4 2.0TDi)?

Any help much appreciated!
Cheers,
Spud

[Petetamora]

I’ve recently bought a Mercedes GLC350d premium plus - might be worth a look for you - lovely smooth engine with enough power for daily use ( although not as quick as the X3 40d!). It’s a very nice place to sit and has decent space inside.

[ZX10R NIN]

The S4 is the answer the engine a peach & they're a good steer:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

S6 if you need more space:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

No SUV really is what you'd call a drivers car but there are some nice picks:

SQ7

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Or a nice low mileage M50d that's suffered a bit of depreciation:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Cayenne S Platinum Edition the V8 diesel is a very sweet unit.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Not as much performance as the above but it's a great place to while away the miles.

Maserati Levante GranSport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

I have to say if you're getting near 35k a year your biggest cost will be depreciation.