£20k max SUV: BMW X5, Audi Q5, Touareg, ...

Step away from the keyboard mr Crinkleshoes and take a breath. Theres a big market for SUV, get over it. And recommending the pig ugly 5GT has lost you any credibility you may have had.

Personally i moved from an estate (A4) to a suv (XC60), purely because i needed the space, it wasnt much different, granted, but the space was better packaged. I do a fair few miles, so the switch has been a positive one. Whilst i do think some of the fashion SUV's are a bit pointless, as they dont do the sports or the utility bit very well! the larger ones are every bit a decent choice compared to a decent sized estate.

My annoyance is with how small some estates seem to be, A4,3 series etc, are actually not that useful as estates. If you are looking at X5 etc, hen the CX5 or CRV wont compare favourably. I have a XC60, with a 2.0d and goes well (190hp respectable 0-60 time), but its still a brick.
 
Estate cars are much cheaper to buy than an equivalent SUV because they're not fashionable. Lifting a child car seat from a higher up position is much easier too.

High power SUV's I don't really understand, but that's just me.
 
tom_nieto said:
Lifting a child car seat from a higher up position is much easier too.
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I disagree with this, certainly once they are beyond a newborn. Unless you are about 5 foot tall, bending over at 90 degrees to get a child strapped into a car seat in a normal height estate type car is going to stuff your back up. I know from very bitter personal experience. Leaning in to an SUV height is far easier, especially as they grow up.
 
If mrs wasnt such a wufta, the Focus would be a X5. But she too scared to drive one due to the size.

Reason why.... why not. Love look of the X5's.
 
peterwalkley said:
I disagree with this, certainly once they are beyond a newborn. Unless you are about 5 foot tall, bending over at 90 degrees to get a child strapped into a car seat in a normal height estate type car is going to stuff your back up. I know from very bitter personal experience. Leaning in to an SUV height is far easier, especially as they grow up.
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I never once thought to myself what a pain it is to strap up a child in a car seat and I am 6ft 3. Maybe you just have a bad back?. An estate is also easier for my dog to jump into without scratching the bumper. Only positive for driving a SUV is the driving position. They are slower, worse handling, generally look horrid, more expensive to buy and maintain. 20k of money would be going on a 6 cylinder 5 series or E class estate.
 
adam cool dude said:
I never once thought to myself what a pain it is to strap up a child in a car seat and I am 6ft 3. Maybe you just have a bad back?. An estate is also easier for my dog to jump into without scratching the bumper. Only positive for driving a SUV is the driving position. They are slower, worse handling, generally look horrid, more expensive to buy and maintain. 20k of money would be going on a 6 cylinder 5 series or E class estate.
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Had a 6 cylinder 5 series. If I was in the market for another family motor and the choice was between a big estate and an SUV, I'd likely go SUV next time, mostly for practical reasons. Slower and worse handling don't really matter so much with the main family motor because it usually has my kids in it, so it's not like it's getting hooned about everywhere, taking corners at F1 speeds. Looking horrid is subjective. I quite like the look of an X5 or Range Rover, although I could just as happily burn that horrible looking Porsche thing (all of them). More expensive to buy and maintain, sure. Also much more likely to cost a lot more in fuel and general running costs.

But, for all that, I loved both my Range Rovers, and would be as happy as a pig in **** if I were in another big 4x4. I am looking for a T5 or T6 next for the family motor. Should depreciate less than anything else mentioned here. Of course, it will be a league ahead again in the slowness and worse handling championships. But then again, cool as ****.
 
peterwalkley said:
I disagree with this, certainly once they are beyond a newborn. Unless you are about 5 foot tall, bending over at 90 degrees to get a child strapped into a car seat in a normal height estate type car is going to stuff your back up. I know from very bitter personal experience. Leaning in to an SUV height is far easier, especially as they grow up.
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I think you misread my post. I agree that this is where SUV's have the advantage.
 
Yeah, the X5 is a lot bigger than the CX5, the Kodiac seems to be between the two.

If you're looking for something CX5 sized then the CRV is a good bet, along with a multitude of other vehicles, several of them you could probably buy new for your budget. The CX7 is probably more comparable to the X5 or Kidoaq size wise, just don't look at it funny or it'll fall apart - really didn't rate the materials in the Mazdas when we went to look at them, everything was extremely plastic and tinny.
 
xs2man said:
But, for all that, I loved both my Range Rovers, and would be as happy as a pig in **** if I were in another big 4x4. I am looking for a T5 or T6 next for the family motor. Should depreciate less than anything else mentioned here. Of course, it will be a league ahead again in the slowness and worse handling championships. But then again, cool as ****.
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That's the thing about Vans is they do not try and kid themselves like SUV's. Have real unrivaled space and ease of use. Even though I dislike SUV's I am quite partial to fast van. You can get some especially quick Merc Vito's as well.
 
Obviously if the OP is set on a SUV then that is his choice. However I have just bought a 2 year old E Class estate with 32k on the clock for £21k. The main reason I went for this is the huge amount of room in the back for growing teenagers and a frankly cavernous boot. To be honest someone who is 6'2" could sit comfortably in the back never mind the front.

I went for the 2.2 diesel which puts out 175BHP but other engine options were not that much more.

Needless to say being a Merc it is superbly refined. We went for one with the Premium plus pack so Keyless entry, double sunroof, all round parking cameras etc.
 
Honda CR-V to be honest. Ours has been faultlessly reliable for 80k miles. It's uninspiring to drive but has some real plus points if you have kids. Things like the rear door opening to a full 90 degrees from the body make loading kids in the child seats easier.
 
Rilot said:
Honda CR-V to be honest. Ours has been faultlessly reliable for 80k miles. It's uninspiring to drive but has some real plus points if you have kids. Things like the rear door opening to a full 90 degrees from the body make loading kids in the child seats easier.
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I'm on my second CR-V and can't find a bad thing to say about them. Both were the 1.6L TD version, so I've no idea how much poke the larger petrol engines ones have.

Not at all exciting, but effortless to drive and huge inside. 4 adults + luggage for a two week villa holiday in France with room to spare. Higher viewpoint has helped me avoid 2 accidents so far that I would have been part of in my old Vectra.
 
Thanks for you replies, a lot of food for thought.

From these posts I'm feeling a lot of SUV negativity. Hearing some good things about estates though.
 
neocon said:
Thanks for you replies, a lot of food for thought.

From these posts I'm feeling a lot of SUV negativity. Hearing some good things about estates though.
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Depends on your specific wants, needs, and priorities. Personally I wouldn't want to run a £20k X5 and the X3 is too small.

Not sure you can yet get a decent Kodiaq for £20k.

Which leaves you with the Korean stuff.
 
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