Saloon vs estate vs hatchback

danlightbulb · 18 Nov 2015 at 21:05

Guys,

Need to try and clear something up in my own mind so I can come to a decision.

I am looking for a replacement car for my Mondeo mk3 hatchback. I have a limited budget and want power, so have settled on the saab 9-5.

I have kids, I throw their bikes in the back in the summer, I used to throw my bike in the back but rarely now. I sometimes go and buy furniture, I throw it in the back, but not often now. I sometimes borrow my dads barbecue, maybe once or twice a year.

I have been searching for an estate car up to now. But they don't excite me and I don't really like how they look. Ive seen Saab 9-5 estates in my budget but I have been reluctant to pull the trigger on them because of this. Saloons just seem to look so much better, more compact, more sporty.

I just cannot decide whether or not I need an estate. I have a hatchback now. Its not often I need to utilise the full space. I'd have so many more options if I didn't need an estate.

I'm especially interested in views from other family men who have 8 year old boys and bikes. What do you do?

Thanks

iaind · 18 Nov 2015 at 21:12

Not all states are big boxy things - the Saab 95 estate is particularly unwieldy (although not actually any longer than the saloon iirc). There are plenty nice looking compact estates which, I think, fit a nice balance of practicality against size and style. The Saab 9-3 estate looks great, BMW e46 touring looks better than the saloon IMO. If you're looking at mk3 mondeo, the Jaguar X type is the same platform and is a handsome looking compact estate (I've just bought one of these myself)... Lots of small stylish estates around - barely any bigger than some hatches but with the handy practicality when you want or need it

danlightbulb · 18 Nov 2015 at 21:29

You are right the 9-3 does look much better than the 9-5. Ive had other advice that a small estate is useless for anything. But I don't need the space very often.

VincentHanna · 18 Nov 2015 at 23:40

Sometimes I think cars look better in estate form.

BMW 3 series E90 vs E91 for instance.

iaind · 19 Nov 2015 at 07:31

Why would they be useless? That have the same space in the front and back seat as the saloons. They have a much more useable load space than the saloons without being huge boxes. There's no downside in practicality terms and, like I said I think a lot of them look better than the saloons. I rarely need the practicality myself but for the times you do it's invaluable - I'd rather have it and rarely need it than not have it just for the sake of it looking a bit cooler

SDK^ · 19 Nov 2015 at 08:31

iaind said:
I rarely need the practicality myself but for the times you do it's invaluable - I'd rather have it and rarely need it than not have it just for the sake of it looking a bit cooler

Same here. I don't need the increased loading space of an Estate every day; probably once a month in Autumn/Winter and once every couple of weeks in Spring/Summer. When I need the space though it's invaluable, even if it just means loading is easier without having to remove parcel shelves and moving & dropping seats.

danlightbulb · 22 Nov 2015 at 14:45

I went and saw a Saab 9-3 estate. The boot was well sized - good enough for me I think, but what surprised me was the cabin felt substantially smaller than my Mondeo cabin.

Plus the car was a complete nail.

My mondeo does not strike me as a big car really. Is my perception totally wrong? Is it because ive owned it for so long so I don't realise how big it is?

iaind · 22 Nov 2015 at 15:29

The 9-3 is smaller than a mondeo but not by a huge amount, it's bigger than a focus. The 9-5 is a bit bigger but the mk3 mondeo is a pretty big car. I remember it was one of the few cars I've owned where you can't reach the back seats from behind without getting into the boot!

The cabins on the 9-3 do feel quite small and enclosed because of the shape of the dash - I actually quite like it. It feels like you're *in* the car rather than on it, like some cars make you feel. It's a personal preference but in terms of practicality you're not actually losing out. In terms of personal space, storage space and comfort they're every bit as good as a mk3 mondeo. I actually went from a mk3 mondeo to a 9-3 a few years back so I can make a good comparison

Find a good one and it'll serve you well - Saabs generally attract polar opposite owners, they either love them and treat them exceptionally well or just have them because they're cheap and don't maintain them properly. Sadly they aren't cars that can take being abused very well so there are a lot of nails around - but there are also a lot of good ones

tickedon · 22 Nov 2015 at 18:25

I would avoid a saloon with what you are looking to carry (even occasionally) - it really does limit the practicality of the boot space.

As well as Saab's, have you looked at Volvo's? Not sure of your budget and what age of car you are looking for, but, they put big 2.4l engines in lots of their cars - of which many are estates - and so they can rival anything else on the road!

HangTime · 22 Nov 2015 at 21:40

danlightbulb said:
I just cannot decide whether or not I need an estate. I have a hatchback now. Its not often I need to utilise the full space. I'd have so many more options if I didn't need an estate.

I'm especially interested in views from other family men who have 8 year old boys and bikes. What do you do?

Thanks

Mondeo has a pretty big boot for a hatchback. I think you could end up regretting getting a saloon even if you don't need the extra space that often.
Modern hatchbacks are often almost like compact estate cars these days anyway - they are thought of as 'small cars' but nowadays are arguably more practical than saloons from a load space perspective.

I think in years gone by estates had a bit of an 'old man' label but again modern estates look decent and performance is often very close to the equivalent saloon.