Car options for family of four and a large golden retriever!

Harl0 said:
Based on the issues we had with the SRS, the two local independent garages didn't have the software to connect to the car to understand the issue - So I took it to Volvo for the repairs - Large chunk of the cost was labour to investigate the issues... For the rest of the servicing and maintenance it was handled by our local independent garage. We did have a warranty (Warranty Wise) but turned out to be useless - They wouldnt cover a single problem we had. For example they claimed the SRS module issue was relating to safety system and this was an extra to the policy, car went into limp mode due to a split boost pipe also not covered, next had an ABS sensor and also a loose tierod end they claimed was wear and tear and also not cover.




This is great info, thanks! The whole range anxiety bothers me still, nice to see you've had a positive experience with charging. Is it possible to charge overnight to get maybe half full battery on a 3-pin if you dont have a 7kw/ 11kw charge point?
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Granny chargers (as we call them) will charge at 2kw, so 10 hours will be 20kwh, the battery is 77kwh, so only just over 25% charge. To get 50% on a 77kwh ID.7 would take ~38.5 hours!

This is why a 7kw (actually it's 7.4kw) is ideal, the same 10 hours will almost do a full charge.
 
Harl0 said:
The XC90 was great and I would have another, if I wasn't responsible for paying for the maintenance so would need to be a lease or still in warranty. In 12 months we spent over £4k keeping it on the road mainly due to electrical issues, which were mainly relating to the SRS. Other than that we know there is some issue with the exhaust manifold (exhaust fume smell inside the car and fault code) the sunroof leaks and doesnt open, occasionally the passenger door wont open, and the overall wear and tear on the seats will need attention soon before they split after ding 120k miles.

Out of interest, how do you secure your Labrador while traveling?

The cost of upgrading to a newer, in warranty is currently over budget; may need to revisit this as its looking like the best option for the family still. The Superb Estate is next on the list - We had a test drive last year in the facelift model 1.5 SEL - Very spacious and comfortable. Not much of a deal at the moment though. We have a "23 Qashqai being used as our main family car at the moment which works if we don't have the dog to fit in!

We looked at the Touareg too - Lovely car overall, especially for the driver and passenger - but we found the boot a bit too small. My wife has an obsession with prams, all of which seem monstously large and difficult to accomodate - Mainly due to needing space house two children when out and about walking etc.

Has anyone looked at the ID.7 tourer? Looks to be based on the same platform as the Superb so has great interior and boot space - BUT its an EV, not sure how I feel about going that route for the main family car. We mainly do short'ish journeys back and forth to nursery and family on average 50 miles a day, so an EV would suit here. Once a quarter we will travel to the Lake District and Southampton which are around 350miles round trips so need to factor in a charging stop on these journerys.
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Buster is just in the boot, either sits or lies down.

The rear seats of the Touareg do slide forward so the boot space car increase quite easily. A Q7 however would provide similar space than the XC90.

Appreciate you have spent the money on the car, however if you get the niggles sorted do you think that will be it for the big spends?

We had an ID3 and now have a mini electric for the wife to use. Honestly if we didn’t have a caravan to tow I’d change to an electric also.

Running costs are minimal and you can also take advantage of the cheap electric in your house to help offset the cost of the car. You do need a home charger but for the odd time you do the 350mile journey it is a breeze…literally be charged in the time you nip in for a toilet break and a coffee. The ID3 whilst fairly basic and bland compared to the mini was a great car, however shadowed by the battery breaking and being with the dealer for almost 6 months.
 
Love the dog
Superb is a huge car. Very comfortable but bigger than my Passat and even that is a bit of a barge to park. Skoda Karoq is better option than Ateca or Tiguan. Most models have a sliding rear bench and the boot is a decent size and shape for a large dog. The only downside is that there don't seem to be many diesels about. The 20.l VWG engine is awesome and can do c70mpg.
Karoq is getting on a bit but they are reliable and an approved Used will likely come with ability to extend warranty for not that much money.

KAroq
 
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I think you should take a look at a Kodiaq or Seat Tarraco if you say that the ID7 was too small. Only look at the 2 litre though petrol or diesel. Avoid the 1.5.
 
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I've got a Skoda Superb hatch and it has oodles of space. I'd say the estate version would be perfect for dog/children
 
I've noticed that Skoda Superb iVs (a plugin hybrid) of 2020 or newer currently seem to be going for less than the petrol or diesel versions (quite few ex-fleet FSSH examples about too, I would expect more by March). They look like good value at the moment - and Skoda list the cambelt as a lifetime item so they will be cheaper to service than the petrol or diesel models. Plus if the majority of your journeys are less than 30 miles they can usually be done on electricity.

The boot is a bit smaller than the petrol or diesels but still sizeable in the estate version with a reasonable amount of headroom for the dog (basically the iVs have a slightly higher boot floor to accommodate the batteries).

Edit: I've cobbled together a picture of a standard Superb petrol or diesel boot with dog guard, with a line to show how much of the boot floor I estimate is lost to the batteries in an iV.

Superb-Boot.jpg
 
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Uriel said:
I've noticed that Skoda Superb iVs (a plugin hybrid) of 2020 or newer currently seem to be going for less than the petrol or diesel versions (quite few ex-fleet FSSH examples about too, I would expect more by March). They look like good value at the moment - and Skoda list the cambelt as a lifetime item so they will be cheaper to service than the petrol or diesel models. Plus if the majority of your journeys are less than 30 miles they can usually be done on electricity.

The boot is a bit smaller than the petrol or diesels but still sizeable in the estate version with a reasonable amount of headroom for the dog (basically the iVs have a slightly higher boot floor to accommodate the batteries).

Edit: I've cobbled together a picture of a standard Superb petrol or diesel boot with dog guard, with a line to show how much of the boot floor I estimate is lost to the batteries in an iV.

Superb-Boot.jpg
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This is super helpful thanks!

To update the thread I was progressing a PHEV Skoda Superb lease deal, unfortunately this didn't work out and would result in a factory order which wouldn't work. Instead I have a Skodia Kodiaq PHEV in Sportline trim coming early March.

Now on the hunt for a wall charger and installer who covers the Shropshire, West Midlands area. I’m looking at the 7kw Ohme Home Pro charger at the moment which is well reviewed and supports Octopus smart tariffs. Any recommendations for a wall charger or installer?
 
Harl0 said:
This is super helpful thanks!

To update the thread I was progressing a PHEV Skoda Superb lease deal, unfortunately this didn't work out and would result in a factory order which wouldn't work. Instead I have a Skodia Kodiaq PHEV in Sportline trim coming early March.

Now on the hunt for a wall charger and installer who covers the Shropshire, West Midlands area. I’m looking at the 7kw Ohme Home Pro charger at the moment which is well reviewed and supports Octopus smart tariffs. Any recommendations for a wall charger or installer?
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Good choice. We have had XC90. Touareg, Q7, E class estate and A6 estate and have to say that for all the people saying 'suvs aren't as spacious as estates' they are wrong in the sense that SUVs have a taller and more flexible boot for items such as dogs,and in the case of people, 6 or 7 seats, while estates can have a slightly longer boot which can be good for prams, etc. One car I forgot to mention was our 2021 Sorento PHEV which was a superb car, only changed because we went full electric for both cars.
The new Kodiaq is now larger than the old model (and better looking IMHO), especially in Sportline trim.

As for chargers, I would stay with the Ohme Pro that you are considering. We have an Andersen A2 that looks great and allows the cables to be fully hidden away, but it is not IOG compatible so it needs the car to be compatible which is not as efficient for quick in setting up smart charging schedules. The OHmeon th eother hand is IOG compatible and so we don't need to set up IOG through thr car, only threough the charger. This means that the smart schedule is set up within seconds and is much more stable than when we were using the Andersen through wife's ID3 or my Sorento.

We had the Andersen fitted by Smart Home Charge https://www.smarthomecharge.co.uk/ who were great, with good communication and good support.

The Ohme was fitted by Ohme themselves for free when I bought my Audi EV. Once again, good service and I thought they were more competent in terms of the fitting of the Charger so would recommend going through them directly.
 
Have you had any update on PHEV order yet?

It's a great choice btw the Superb boot is... SUPERB :D hahaha sorry.

I ordered a lease car for the first time and committed to it on 18th December. Still not got a delivery date :(

And it was an "in stock" order.
 
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I drive a Superb Estate and it's ideal for pretty much every scenario.

Must admit though I kinda fancy getting myself a van type thing in future. Something like a Peugeot Rifter / berlingo would be awesome for putting my bike in the back without taking wheels off.
 
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