£30k SUV

[iceyfuel]

Hi PHers,

I need some help for our next car please.

We are a 1 car household. 2 kids, an 11 month old and a 2 year old plus small dog. Currently we have an XC40 which we have had for 3 years. It's too small for our needs and we regularly have my mum with us so with 2 car seats in the back it is very uncomfortable for the adult in the middle. I'd even say it's verging on unusable.

I also haven't really gelled with the Volvo and it has had quite a few problems which puts me off the brand.

For the next car I'd ideally want a larger SUV with a budget of £30k, ideally something to keep for a few years. Top contenders are Q7 or Mercedes GLE with the 7 seat option. I like X5s but for some reason they are £3.5k+ to insure for me.

Although an estate could work I prefer an SUV.

The Q7 seems quite hit and miss with spec.

Any recommendations from the PH hivemind?

Thanks!

[Wheel Turned Out]

If you're not brand-conscious the Kia Sorento is very good at what it does.

[jamesbilluk]

VW Tourareg
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17093813

Discovery 5
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16887172

Cayenne with the diesel V8 is said to be very impressive
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17100701

Edit, didn't see the 7 seater bit. The Discovery could be an option still though.

Edited by jamesbilluk on Wednesday 21st August 22:35

Edited by jamesbilluk on Wednesday 21st August 22:35

[valiant]

Lexus RX450hL?

[iceyfuel]

jamesbilluk said:

VW Tourareg
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17093813

Discovery 5
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16887172

Cayenne with the diesel V8 is said to be very impressive
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17100701

Edit, didn't see the 7 seater bit. The Discovery could be an option still though.

Edited by jamesbilluk on Wednesday 21st August 22:35

Thanks for these suggestions. I hadn’t considered the Disco! Any ideas on reliability?

Edited by jamesbilluk on Wednesday 21st August 22:35

[iceyfuel]

valiant said:

Lexus RX450hL?

I would love to but insurance seems mega expensive. I’m sure I read somewhere that the generation in my budget can be easily stolen? Either way thanks for the suggestion!

[Wheel Turned Out]

If going for a Disco make sure there's a warranty. And a good one, at that.

[jamesbilluk]

I would agree there. They do look very good, but just looking around at various forums now, the reliability doesn't look to be great.

[Easternlight]

Skoda Kodiak.
Sportline is nice or a scout if you can find one.
£30k would get you a 2022

[Uncraven]

Tiguan Allspace, Skoda Kodiaq and Seat Tarraco are all the same base car and 7 seaters of similar size. Tiguan will be most expensive with Seat the cheapest £30k will get you into a brand new Kodiaq/Tarraco (tho not top of the range trim) from DriveTheDeal

I was in exact same situation as you in 2021 so bought the Tarraco FR Sport. Difficult to beat as a family car but not so nice you fret about kids clambering all over it. Low depreciation too and shouldn't spring any large bills unlike an X5. The VW DSG1.5L they all share however is hesitant when pulling away which is pretty naff. Don't bother with 4x4 2.0L trims unless you desperately need it - the extra weight hurts economy and offsets performance uplift.

[Roger Irrelevant]

Wheel Turned Out said:

If you're not brand-conscious the Kia Sorento is very good at what it does.

+1. I've been contemplating a seven seater as our next family car and have looked at all the 'premium' options that have been mentioned. However the fact that for the same money (up to £40k in my case), I can get a basically brand-new very well specced Sorento with a seven year warranty, is something I just can't ignore. Of course I'd much prefer a nice powerful 6 cylinder diesel if everything else were equal. But in reality everything else isn't equal, not by a long way, and I just know that the first time one of the out-of-warranty premium alternatives was an expensive pain in the arse I'd be wishing I'd gone down the more sensible route. I suppose being a two-car household with the opportunity to be a bit more adventurous with the second car does make a difference though.

[raspy]

6 or 7 seater Tesla Model X?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406271...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407252...

[bennno]

I drove a Mazda CX60 last week - thought it was terrible, bouncy ride and felt cheap inside.

Avoid anything JLR as 2 or 3L engines are both problematic.

X3 / X5 or Audi Q5.

If electric could fit your profile try an Ionic 5 or Tesla Y.

[a311]

XC90 if you like your current Volvo would be worth a look. They've been around a while now but with various face lifts.

Nissan X-Trail, my brother has one and seems to like it as a family hack.

[LJF_97]

I'd be straight in a Range Rover.

[Evanivitch]

Skoda Enyaq

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407011...

[andy43]

iceyfuel said:

valiant said:

Lexus RX450hL?

I would love to but insurance seems mega expensive. I’m sure I read somewhere that the generation in my budget can be easily stolen? Either way thanks for the suggestion!

RX 4th generation is the one you’d be looking at and yes they’re all vulnerable to pulling the front bumper corner away and hacking into the canbus system to start the car within seconds.
After 18 months of hassle including a Watchdog episode Lexus are now offering free Trackers and OBD geofence devices and are working on a Ghost-like canbus blocker so hopefully the canbus theft nightmare is gradually being sorted.
Kia/hyundai is a good shout too.

[Summit_Detailing]

I'd struggle to look beyond a Hyundai Santa Fe or its relative the Kia Sorrento.

Toyota Highlander a bit left field and rare but worth a look.

Cheers,

Chris

[iceyfuel]

As always PH never fails to deliver. There are plenty of cars here that hadn't even been on my radar. Much more research needed. Thank you all.

This is one of my favourite parts of the forum and I spend a lot of time lurking to see the brilliant suggestions.

I know I said I'm no longer a fan of Volvo but it seems the XC90 is a different league of refinement compared to the XC40.

I will (eventually) report back once I have made a decision. Thank you again

[iceyfuel]

andy43 said:

RX 4th generation is the one you’d be looking at and yes they’re all vulnerable to pulling the front bumper corner away and hacking into the canbus system to start the car within seconds.
After 18 months of hassle including a Watchdog episode Lexus are now offering free Trackers and OBD geofence devices and are working on a Ghost-like canbus blocker so hopefully the canbus theft nightmare is gradually being sorted.
Kia/hyundai is a good shout too.

Thanks Andy, my brother has a 2011 RX450H and was worried. I'll let him know, appreciate the info.