'Offroad' estate

hellarda

hellarda

hellarda

Soldato
Joined
4 Mar 2008
Posts
2,567
Location
Guildford
Hi all,

Offroad is not the best way to describe it i suppose, but couldn't think of a better word - bare with.

My mum's in need of a new car, as her current one (a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback) is on 140,000 miles and slowly falling apart.

Her wishlist is as follows:

- 4WD
- Similar height/ground clearance as the Subaru (they get some small localised flooding around them)
- Petrol
- estate shape (she doesn't want a big 4x4, dad has a disco which she isn't a fan of)
- decent mpg (well, decent for a petrol)
EDIT - oh and the ability to occasionally be driven in a muddy field

Budget of around £35k, but up to £40k if needed.

She enjoyed driving my A4 avant, and I've suggested she has a look at the new A4 All Road (pricing is yet to come out for it, but I'm assuming the new A4 Avant gives a good idea)

Any better ideas?

Cheers
 
[TW]Fox;29114826 said:
Then XC70 is absolutely dire, a horrible car that is so far past its sell by date the price tag is a joke. I had the misfortune of one as a hire car late last year. Do not spend more than 7k on one.
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Couldn't agree more. The D5 I had last year for just over a week was appalling, the interior fit and finish was a joke for the price of these things from new, the sound deadening was non existent, and the gearbox was atrocious. On the plus side, it was quick, awfully noisy whilst being pressed on, but quick.
 
I can't quite understand modern Volvos. On paper (or computer screen..) they look really rather nice both inside and out, and you'd expect them to feel like a bit more of a premium take on the Ford platforms that they're based, but after having a Volvo V40 hire car a while back - a fully loaded model with a 5-pot diesel engine - it felt badly made and it rattled loads, it wasn't particularly refined and the engine was rough, and reading the somewhat scathing views on them here, I guess that's not so true as it seems.
 
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ratface said:
I own a 2012 xc70 and it is nothing like your describing. OP if you need a big estate car take a test drive and make up your own mind.
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The problem with the XC70 is that it was released in 2006 and is still the same today, virtually unchanged. Even when new in 2006 it was almost indistinguishable from the model that preceded it. Even before you get into it it looks like a 2005ish car not a 2015ish car.

That means that now, in 2016, it is absolutely not worth the money at all by any objective measure. The early ones are probably excellent second hand buys at sub £10k.

The one I had rattled, had a poorly finished interior, incredibly dated electronics and the D5 engine was reasonably quick but very unrefined and exceptionally thirsty - it was more thirsty than my 530d! Now much of this could be forgiven if it was good value but it's not, the model I had (D5 Lux Nav?) had a similar list price to a Mercedes E Class estate, which was astounding.

I eventually ended up pulling in at another branch of the rental firm and exchanging for another car in the same group if only for the fuel saving!

I parked it up beside an XC60 and the contrast was like night a day. Despite being a cheaper car lower in the range the XC60 looked thoroughly more modern inside and out. The XC70 is hamstrung by it's age and urgently needs replacement and should not be considered by anyone with a £30-40k car budget.

I've no idea what a 2012 one costs so your decision may well have been different, but as a £35-40k car which the one I had was, it was dire I'm afraid. I approached it entirely objectively - I've no reason to like or dislike it - and have reported it exactly as I found it.
 
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[TW]Fox;29115992 said:
Even when new in 2006 it was almost indistinguishable from the model that preceded it.
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Pretty much discribes every VW, BMW and Porsche, people it seems, like things that don't change much :D
 
I would also suggest the Octavia Scout for value (new). However, a decent nearly new (and therefore much cheaper) XC70 would still be a very nice car but is probably going to be replaced within the next 6 months or so.
The other alternative might be the Passat Alltrack.
 
If the budget really needs to be 35-40 then you risk the issue of residuals being poor compared to a 'real' suv.
For example, the residuals on an A6 Allroad at 50k compared to a Q7.
Maybe a decent ex demo Allroad would be a goer, or even a well specced A4 allroad.
 
Not withstanding the opinions already offered on the XC70 in general, I'd struggle to recommend one in this case for 2 reasons

1) You want a petrol. The only petrol engine offered is large, thirsty has high tax and will be a struggle to sell when you're done with it. When I bought mine (A 2008 model purchased 18 months ago, so the very earliest of the current shape - My car appears to have started life as a dealer demonstrator) I was initially open to the idea of either a petrol or diesel but I just couldn't make the numbers work for the petrol option

2) It is an old design now and at the price point you've quoted will not compare favourably against the alternatives.
 
They only offer diesel options on the XC70 and V70 now. Can't even get the D5 in the V70 unless it's an Authorities purchase.
 
gailjon said:
If the budget really needs to be 35-40 then you risk the issue of residuals being poor compared to a 'real' suv.
For example, the residuals on an A6 Allroad at 50k compared to a Q7.
Maybe a decent ex demo Allroad would be a goer, or even a well specced A4 allroad.
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Careful with the Allroad, are they still selling the old A4 based one? The new model will be well worth a look though.
 
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