Family car, camping capable - £15k-ish

[Jungleland]

Hi all,

I started a thread on here about 12 months ago along similar lines but requirements have changed a bit so hope a new thread is justified.

Budget - up to £15k (can go £1-2k above if needed)

Coming from: Vauxhall Astra 2011 1.6 (115ps)

Usage: when not on camping trips, I usually have two days in the office per week, which are only about 12 mile round trips. Then just mainly small local trips. Do about 8k mileage per year. Don't do long trips often hence diesel probably not recommended.

Requirements:
Boot - we've become tent camping people and have a large tent which is about 1m x 60cm and 60cm tall packed up, so takes up a bit of space. I do have a roof box, but I would really just like to have a boot big enough to get everything in if possible - makes it easier to just chuck in and go for a weekend.
Power - I would really like something north of 150ps, ideally around 200
Longevity - I'll be buying this mostly cash, and the aim is to keep it at least until the kids are into their teens if possible, so I'm thinking around 10 years. So something that will last this long without real issue is a priority.
Transmission - automatic only
Mileage/age - not too bothered on mileage but would like it to be capable of another 100k if serviced (will be looking on condition mainly), want something new enough to have decent tech such as carplay etc.
Heated seats - fairly keen on this

I've been looking at potential candidates for a while now and whilst I have changed my mind often, the below two are the stand outs at the moment as I reckon I can get all camping gear in the boot and they seem to generally suit my usage, plus I actually quite like the general idea of them, as opposed to just, "yeh it ticks the boxes it'll do".

Toyota Corolla Touring Sports 2.0 - would suit my local usage and be frugal and would probably last 10 years easily and still has decent power. For what I'm looking at, about £16k would get me something here

Skoda Superb (hatch or estate) - 220ps version - The power would be refreshing I'm sure, can fit loads in, fairly high-end inside, plus I believe that if I become so inclined, it is capable of a handy remap. I'm seeing decent examples on AT for between about £13-16k

Others also considered but not quite as enamoured with:

Skoda Octavia (hatch or estate) - 2.0 TS (190ps) or vRS (like the idea of the vRS a lot, but they are pricey)
Seat Leon estate - 190ps or newer PHEV - sensible
VW Passat GTE - as above but pricier
Audi A4 Avant - Fine, but am I paying a lot more for a badge?

So whilst I feel like I've settled on either the Corolla or Superb, I will probably let test drives make my mind up, but I wanted a final sense check on here just to ensure there is nothing I've not though of and get some opinions.

Thanks in advance.

[Fleckers]

What about a Volvo ?

XC60 or a V90 ?

[blue_haddock]

I would say the skoda superb is the only logical answer as its simply huge!

I had very briefly a suzuki swace, which is the corolla in drag and the boot looked a decent size but in reality you couldnt actually fit much in it. So got rid of that and bought an older Superb and its night and day between the two.

[Golgarth]

You cannot go wrong with the Superb (or Octavia estate). Our 2019 Octavia estate was the consummate camping car. Acres of room.

Only thing I'd suggest as it's bugged me for years. Something with a higher roofline can be a REAL benefit if you are an outdoors family. The additional access and (more than likely) cover the tailgate offers in the rain can be a real game changer. We had a horrid Renault Scenic for a VERY short period and its only saving grace was that ingress/egress/high roof part when outdoors.

It's hard to describe, but when changing dirty boots/loading etc it really makes a difference (only negative is that roof boxes end up being VERY high)

Whatever you get, estate is the only answer.

[MC Bodge]

Estates are great.

Another option for luggage is a towbar rack mounted luggage box.

Don't overlook the Mondeo estate. They handle *really well* both laden and unladen, even with a full roof box and 4 bikes on a towbar rack.

They also carry more than some of the numbers might suggest. Having owned a Mk4 Mondeo estate, a Mk5 Mondeo estate and a MK3 Octavia estate, the Octavia estate isn't actually as usefully roomy as it may sound (and Octavia handling is far worse, laden or unladen, as is ride and noise vibration)

Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 27th December 12:27

[Shooter McGavin]

Friend of mine has a very similar list of requirements to you.

He is smoking around in a Subaru Forester, he speaks very highly of it.

Something like this? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412097...

[stevemcs]

Skoda Superb estate is massive and the boot is bigger than the mk4 Mondeo mine replaced. The Mondeo was the better car.

The problem is when you want a big petrol estate with lots of power the choice is limited.

[Jimjimhim]

A big boot is great, but you also need to think about how huge some of these cars are and do you really need something that big.

[ZX10R NIN]

Mondeo ST Line X, imo a better car than the VAG options, like the VAG options make sure the dual clutch gearbox has been serviced as per the schedule:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411146...

508 GT h:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202410044...

Kia Optima h:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411166...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411206...

Insignia VXR:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412237...

Cat N T5 V60, this could be a great buy as long as you do your checks:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406190...

R Line Passat:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411116...

2.5 Mazda6 GT Sport Nav+:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412046...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409304...

Mondeo Vignale h:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411276...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411256...

[flatso]

The S213 E- Klasse estate, especially the facelifted one ( 2013-2016) are high quality productS, MB invested huge sums of money in this generation, probably one of the last real Benz. Loads of engine choices, supremly comfortable, massive space and despite now being 2 generations old I think they have a lot of road presence and are aging well.

[Stretchly]

flatso said:

The S213 E- Klasse estate, especially the facelifted one ( 2013-2016) are high quality productS, MB invested huge sums of money in this generation, probably one of the last real Benz. Loads of engine choices, supremly comfortable, massive space and despite now being 2 generations old I think they have a lot of road presence and are aging well.

That would be a S212 - and correct. They are built really well

[Jungleland]

flatso said:

The S213 E- Klasse estate, especially the facelifted one ( 2013-2016) are high quality productS, MB invested huge sums of money in this generation, probably one of the last real Benz. Loads of engine choices, supremly comfortable, massive space and despite now being 2 generations old I think they have a lot of road presence and are aging well.

Interesting thanks.

Just noticed this - I don’t know a great deal about them, but even at that age, a V6 E Class at around £5k seems good? Mileage isn’t daft either.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024122074...

[stevemcs]

Jungleland said:

Interesting thanks.

Just noticed this - I don’t know a great deal about them, but even at that age, a V6 E Class at around £5k seems good? Mileage isn’t daft either.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024122074...

Seems cheap, brake pipes, rear subframe all rot on these, rear airbags fail too. Not sure if the chain plays up on these, i'd certainly what a couple of grand spare to sort things out. Not sure about a trader with only a mobile number either

[andrewcliffe]

When we were camping regularly we had a small trailer to carry the tent and all the camping gear, and the rest of the year we had cars more suitable for our everyday needs rather than two camping holidays per year.

[v8ben]

We have a mercedes R class, which is fantastic. We used to have a Mercedes S212 e class estate but got rid of it due to all the AD blue issues.

R class us great for camping.

[Lefty]

Bit of an off the wall one but would you consider a pickup truck? They are great for camping, just chuck everything in the back, no careful packing required. Depends on the type of camping I suppose! We’ve had a few trucks and taken them camping in Europe with a variety of sizes of tents plus barbecue, hot tent stove, firewood, seats, camping beds, tables, fridge etc etc etc.

I know you don’t want diesel but you could get a really nice pre-dpf hilux and if you look after it they can do huge mileages…and hold their value very well even as they get old.

Edited by Lefty on Friday 27th December 21:00

[flatso]

Stretchly said:

flatso said:

The S213 E- Klasse estate, especially the facelifted one ( 2013-2016) are high quality productS, MB invested huge sums of money in this generation, probably one of the last real Benz. Loads of engine choices, supremly comfortable, massive space and despite now being 2 generations old I think they have a lot of road presence and are aging well.

That would be a S212 - and correct. They are built really well

Correct, the S212! In the right spec these still look like a choice product. MB offered extended warranties and a end of the line well maintained example could be a good choice

[ALawson]

Stretchly said:

flatso said:

The S213 E- Klasse estate, especially the facelifted one ( 2013-2016) are high quality productS, MB invested huge sums of money in this generation, probably one of the last real Benz. Loads of engine choices, supremly comfortable, massive space and despite now being 2 generations old I think they have a lot of road presence and are aging well.

That would be a S212 - and correct. They are built really well

I have just got one these a 2016 (16) MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS E220 BLUETEC AMG NIGHT EDITION PREMIUM PLUS, ticks most of your boxes but most likely to be diesel. My son who is 6ft site behind me (also 6ft 1) and has loads of leg room. The ILS head lights are pretty good for a 9 year old car.

[Jungleland]

Thanks all, first tranche of replies

Fleckers said:

What about a Volvo ?

XC60 or a V90 ?

Have done, price probably a bit prohibitive. I’ve got them in mind though.

blue_haddock said:

I would say the skoda superb is the only logical answer as its simply huge!

I had very briefly a suzuki swace, which is the corolla in drag and the boot looked a decent size but in reality you couldnt actually fit much in it. So got rid of that and bought an older Superb and its night and day between the two.

I’ll bear in mind - do want to have a good look at the boot when I see the Corolla in person.

Golgarth said:

You cannot go wrong with the Superb (or Octavia estate). Our 2019 Octavia estate was the consummate camping car. Acres of room.

Only thing I'd suggest as it's bugged me for years. Something with a higher roofline can be a REAL benefit if you are an outdoors family. The additional access and (more than likely) cover the tailgate offers in the rain can be a real game changer. We had a horrid Renault Scenic for a VERY short period and its only saving grace was that ingress/egress/high roof part when outdoors.

It's hard to describe, but when changing dirty boots/loading etc it really makes a difference (only negative is that roof boxes end up being VERY high)

Whatever you get, estate is the only answer.

Yes I can certainly understand this bonus, estate certainly preferred but not ruling out the hatch as the capacities are very similar.

MC Bodge said:

Estates are great.

Another option for luggage is a towbar rack mounted luggage box.

Don't overlook the Mondeo estate. They handle *really well* both laden and unladen, even with a full roof box and 4 bikes on a towbar rack.

Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 27th December 12:27

I’ll have another look at Mondeos. Might be an option for a cheaper option if I fancy saving some cash. Interesting idea with the towbar luggage box but it’s similar to the roof box, as in an extra I don’t want to have to bother with in honesty.

Shooter McGavin said:

Friend of mine has a very similar list of requirements to you.

He is smoking around in a Subaru Forester, he speaks very highly of it.

Something like this? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412097...

That not crossed my radar. Looks rough and ready if a bit dated. Interesting.

stevemcs said:

Skoda Superb estate is massive and the boot is bigger than the mk4 Mondeo mine replaced. The Mondeo was the better car.

The problem is when you want a big petrol estate with lots of power the choice is limited.

Noted - another vouch for Mondeo man.

[valiant]

Subaru Outback?

Massive boot, reliable and get you anywhere.

Not so great on fuel but will probably outlive you.