£20k mid-size SUV that will actually go off-road (a bit)

[Roger Irrelevant]

Hi all,

I'd quite like to get an SUV (boo, hiss etc), as a second car. We've got an XC70 for family duties so I don't need anything quite as colossal as a RR/Touareg/X5 etc, however if need be I would like to get the four of us plus stuff in it in comfort, so nothing titchy either.

Requirements are:

- Budget £20k-ish, maybe £25k for something really nice
- Quick (for an SUV) - say 6-ish to 60,
- It will be going off-tarmac fairly regularly all year round. Not rockhopping/gripped/sorted stuff, mainly moorland tracks, so while I don't need the last word in off-road prowess good ground clearance (say 200mm), AWD and sensible sized wheels are a must.
- I really would quite like 6 cylinders having had a 6cyl Outback previously. Would actually prefer diesel but petrol is fine too.
- Not particularly bothered about it being 'a good steer', and couldn't care less about tech. I would quite like a pano roof as the kids loved the big sunroof we had in the Outback.

Given that I'm not keen on Audis and don't trust Land Rovers, I don't think there are many cars that fit the bill - in fact my limited research to date makes me think there might only be one that ticks all the boxes. I won't say what that one is as I'd be interested to see if others come to the same conclusion I did...

So over to you, what say you wise people of PH?

[fflump]

X3 XDrive 35d, or X4 if you like the style and don't mind the compromised headroom.

Otherwise....

Diesel Macan.
Audi SQ5
Infiniti QX70 V6 S (petrol)

[GreatGranny]

X3 35d

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103220...

X4 35d

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103049...

Stelvio

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102259...

[Roger Irrelevant]

fflump said:

X3 XDrive 35d

GreatGranny said:

X3 35d

Yep! That's what I keep coming back round to. Well actually, though I would very much like to try the 35d as I've heard such good things about it, I'm not sure I could live with the obligatory M-sport suspension and 19" (or 20") wheels so am thinking a 30d in SE spec may be the way to go - they can still get a shift on. Just wanted to check that I wasn't missing anything, and the suggestions of the Stelvio and Infiniti are exactly the sort of thing I was after, thanks!

[fflump]

Roger Irrelevant said:

fflump said:

X3 XDrive 35d

GreatGranny said:

X3 35d

Yep! That's what I keep coming back round to. Well actually, though I would very much like to try the 35d as I've heard such good things about it, I'm not sure I could live with the obligatory M-sport suspension and 19" (or 20") wheels so am thinking a 30d in SE spec may be the way to go - they can still get a shift on. Just wanted to check that I wasn't missing anything, and the suggestions of the Stelvio and Infiniti are exactly the sort of thing I was after, thanks!

I drive a 330d for a while and it was plenty quick enough-very rarely needed to floor it, and is sub- 6 secs even in an X3-go for x-line rather than M-sport. The Infiniti certainly has rarity value and I like the look. On the down side the stated 0-60 of 6.8 secs for a 320 bhp V6 is not super impressive, and fuel economy even worse.

The Stelvio in both diesel and petrol is a good proposition, depending on priorities. The 2.2D Speciale (210bhp) does 0-60 in 6.6. If you can get one after mid 2018 as they brought the 5 year warranty in then.

This looks great value to me

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103270...

[GreatGranny]

Roger Irrelevant said:

Yep! That's what I keep coming back round to. Well actually, though I would very much like to try the 35d as I've heard such good things about it, I'm not sure I could live with the obligatory M-sport suspension and 19" (or 20") wheels so am thinking a 30d in SE spec may be the way to go - they can still get a shift on. Just wanted to check that I wasn't missing anything, and the suggestions of the Stelvio and Infiniti are exactly the sort of thing I was after, thanks!

That's the issue with SUV's which are tailored for the road.

Not sure if there any non SE spec BMWs out there

Think there are a few with the smaller wheels.

[Summit_Detailing]

F-pace 3.0d?

[fflump]

Summit_Detailing said:

F-pace 3.0d?

Few if any in budget, and if he doesn't trust Land Rovers I presume the same goes for these.

[dmsims]

Why not just use the XC70 ?

[Roger Irrelevant]

dmsims said:

Why not just use the XC70 ?

It's a very good question! Much of this is based on 'want' as opposed to strictly 'need'. At the moment our second car is a Yaris which has done us proud for many years and I would (and have) recommend one to anybody who needs a cheap runabout. However if I list the things I'd really like from a second car then it ends up being basically the same as our XC70. Some may think that having one XC70 is a bit boring, but having two would be criminal. I won't bore you with the minutiae of our daily lives but essentially it would be good for us to have two versatile cars both with a modicum of off-road ability.

[ZX10R NIN]

I'm going leftfield straight out of the gate.

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103120...

Not Mid sized but the V8 4.2d Cayenne is a pretty good option

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010295...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011306...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102179...

Infiniti QX50 3.0d GT Premium might not be quick enough but a map may get you there.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010094...

QX70 3.0d Ultimate

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103210...

3.7 S Design

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010044...

Of the mainstream options the SQ5:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103300...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103130...

SQ5 Plus

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103240...

or the X3 35d

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103240...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103220...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101188...

Are the two that standout.

[Walter Sobchak]

How much off road ability do you need?, a Merc GLE with the off road pack wouldn’t be a bad pick, not many come with that option ticked though.

[MiniMan64]

Just how much off road ability does a Cherokee SRT retain with the body kit and the wheels? Or that Infiniti while we’re at it?

[cerb4.5lee]

If you are looking in the direction of the X3 you could consider the Mercedes GLC350d(3.0 V6 diesel/0 to 60 in 6.2 seconds). I've been really happy with mine(had it from new(covered 80k miles in it)/had it 4 years in august). I've never took it off road though so I'm not sure how good it is at that.

[Roger Irrelevant]

Walter Sobchak said:

How much off road ability do you need?, a Merc GLE with the off road pack wouldn’t be a bad pick, not many come with that option ticked though.

I'm sure 90% of the off-road stuff I'll deal with could be done by pretty much any car...as long as I didn't care about it, and as long as it's not snowy/icy (I'm in the North York Moors so the latter is more relevant for me than it will be for many). Whatever I get will have the right tyres, so so long as it's got the ground clearance and AWD I'm sure it will cope. I'm not concerned with approach and departure angles or any of that stuff. That Merc is a great suggestion, just the kind of thing I hoped to learn about by starting this thread, cheers.

[ZX10R NIN]

MiniMan64 said:

Just how much off road ability does a Cherokee SRT retain with the body kit and the wheels? Or that Infiniti while we’re at it?

A decent amount OP said he won't be going rock crawling so dependent on how light the off roading is then I'd say they'd be fine for light work & would be no better or worse than the SQ5 or X3 in that respect.

What would you suggest?

[Roger Irrelevant]

ZX10R NIN said:

MiniMan64 said:

Just how much off road ability does a Cherokee SRT retain with the body kit and the wheels? Or that Infiniti while we’re at it?

A decent amount OP said he won't be going rock crawling so dependent on how light the off roading is then I'd say they'd be fine for light work & would be no better or worse than the SQ5 or X3 in that respect.

What would you suggest?

Jesus - That SRT truly is leftfield! You're right in that it would probably do the job, but whatever I get will get a bit scuffed up by my off-road antics and I'd feel bad knackering something pretty unique like that, whereas an X3 is just another X3. I think you may have sowed a seed now though, the ludicrousness of that engine is an enticing prospect.

[MiniMan64]

ZX10R NIN said:

MiniMan64 said:

Just how much off road ability does a Cherokee SRT retain with the body kit and the wheels? Or that Infiniti while we’re at it?

A decent amount OP said he won't be going rock crawling so dependent on how light the off roading is then I'd say they'd be fine for light work & would be no better or worse than the SQ5 or X3 in that respect.

What would you suggest?

Ford Mondeo?

[ZX10R NIN]

MiniMan64 said:

Ford Mondeo?

Damn I never knew they did a Cross Country version

[ZX10R NIN]

Roger Irrelevant said:

Jesus - That SRT truly is leftfield! You're right in that it would probably do the job, but whatever I get will get a bit scuffed up by my off-road antics and I'd feel bad knackering something pretty unique like that, whereas an X3 is just another X3. I think you may have sowed a seed now though, the ludicrousness of that engine is an enticing prospect.

Nooooo that would make it even more badass by being used & scuffed off road & it would make you grin in a perverse way everytime you marked it/kerbed the alloys.