SUV/Estate - 28k - Dog/Kid/Interesting

[ekulluke]

Ah. PH has lead to the purchase of my last three or four cars so here I am, back again. I have a 2019 i3 ReX at the moment but I also have a 3 yr old and a Doberman. May keep the i3, but either way I need a larger ICE car too.

My car history recent to oldest:
BMW i3 Range Extender (current)
Range Rover Vogue SE L405
Range Rover Vogue L322
Mercedes C300 estate
F80 BMW M3
VW Golf GTI Performance mk7.5
BMW X5 40e
Ford Fiesta ST-3


My requirements, roughly in priority order:
Large so 3 series and above
A strong build quality
Good ride (be that performance or suppleness)
Ideally petrol but could justify a PHEV or Diesel
Ideally an SUV or Estate for the dog
Some performance would be interesting
I’m not hugely worried by servicing or MPG but bonus points if they’re at least not ruinous
Insurance - I’m 28 so it does come into consideration. My L405 with a ghost and tracker was £1500 which is about my comfort limit

So far I have viewed and tested:
2015 Porsche Cayenne GTS (£24k)
2019 Range Rover Vogue SE 3.0 TDV6(£29k)

I could go to about £29/30k but that’s a limit not a target! My autotrader saves list includes
2018 Audi S4 Avant (£21k)
2016 Mercedes C63 Estate (£24k)
The aforementioned range rovers and Cayenne GTS.


Any suggestions or first hand recommendations?

[Luke.]

I'm currently a big fan of this Wrangler....

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504281...

[justin220]

Cayenne v8

[ekulluke]

justin220 said:

Cayenne v8

I did certainly like the GTS I drove, don’t think I could go for a diesel after that though!

[ekulluke]

Luke. said:

I'm currently a big fan of this Wrangler....

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504281...

I think Wranglers are cool, but not quite my “thing”. Cheers though!!

[ATM]

GLE 63 AMG

[heisthegaffer]

I have an S5 sportback which I absolutely love. It's so good at whatever I want it to be...

Would have liked an S4 avant but very few when I was looking

[Glasgowrob]

if you were keen on an S4 what about a SQ5 either petrol or diesel flavours are in budget at a similar age to the S4 you looked at.

perfect all rounder, daughter currently runs a 3.0 diesel one and loves it as did my dad who had one previously.

[ekulluke]

heisthegaffer said:

I have an S5 sportback which I absolutely love. It's so good at whatever I want it to be...

Would have liked an S4 avant but very few when I was looking

Oh that’s interesting. I’ve heard about the gearbox being mapped weirdly. How do you find it? I’m not one to hammer it everywhere but I am into cars to the point where it would be nice to have “the option”

[MDL111]

this one or one like it?

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/18004281

[MDL111]

or this one for extra-cool car points - in case you prefer a Turbo engine

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17991412

[dunc69]

C43 estate S205 so you get the V6. Post-2019 FL ideally.

385bhp, AWD so real world as quick as C63.
Make sure it is Premium Plus with AMG Performance exhaust.

Within budget. Test drive one, it will surprise you.

[ekulluke]

MDL111 said:

or this one for extra-cool car points - in case you prefer a Turbo engine

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17991412

I certainly do find those high on the cool spectrum; but perhaps wouldn’t end well for a daily!

[ekulluke]

dunc69 said:

C43 estate S205 so you get the V6. Post-2019 FL ideally.

385bhp, AWD so real world as quick as C63.
Make sure it is Premium Plus with AMG Performance exhaust.

Within budget. Test drive one, it will surprise you.

Yes great shout! I’d not considered these. My C300 was the 2019 FL and I loved the interior.

The engine doesn’t feel gutless or wheezy does it?

[dunc69]

ekulluke said:

dunc69 said:

C43 estate S205 so you get the V6. Post-2019 FL ideally.

385bhp, AWD so real world as quick as C63.
Make sure it is Premium Plus with AMG Performance exhaust.

Within budget. Test drive one, it will surprise you.

Yes great shout! I d not considered these. My C300 was the 2019 FL and I loved the interior.

The engine doesn t feel gutless or wheezy does it?

Er, no! It’s a 385bhp twin-turbo V6 with 384 ftlb.
Sounds and goes very well indeed.

[MDL111]

ekulluke said:

I certainly do find those high on the cool spectrum; but perhaps wouldn t end well for a daily!

fair point - I am currently using a 1971 911 as daily with my dog (albeit my dog weighs only c. 20kg, so a lot smaller than yours), but I have no children to transport.

[ekulluke]

MDL111 said:

fair point - I am currently using a 1971 911 as daily with my dog (albeit my dog weighs only c. 20kg, so a lot smaller than yours), but I have no children to transport.

I love that! I have thought about getting rid of the i3, and getting an early 991 as well as a fairly standard estate car, but would mean pushing the budget a bit far when I’m about to do two house renovations

[ekulluke]

dunc69 said:

Er, no! It s a 385bhp twin-turbo V6 with 384 ftlb.
Sounds and goes very well indeed.

Ah great - they look quite rare (only 8 or so on AT) but I can see one 30 odd miles away I might try and get to next weekend. I tested a 3.0 V6 XE a while back and it felt wheezy lower down hence the question!

[NomadicTurbo]

Don't have any kids, but I do have a Doberman, although he's only a small boy at 36KG.

Had a 2018 S4 Avant for 18 months, put 18k miles on it, including a 4000 mile Euro trip.

Enjoyed the car, very versatile but I now have a 530d and much prefer the increase in interior space, both in the boot and in the cabin.

[heisthegaffer]

ekulluke said:

heisthegaffer said:

I have an S5 sportback which I absolutely love. It's so good at whatever I want it to be...

Would have liked an S4 avant but very few when I was looking

Oh that s interesting. I ve heard about the gearbox being mapped weirdly. How do you find it? I m not one to hammer it everywhere but I am into cars to the point where it would be nice to have the option

That's a very good point. I drive majority of the time in eco mode and yes, it can be a little hesistant at times but soon get used to it. The manual feature where you pull the gear lever to the left is pretty effective.

Everything else is great about it. I do a lot of driving for work amd on a good motorway run I'll get 40 plus MPG.

Sounds the bking too.