I knew that would wake you up

You started it 🙂 I’ve hardly mentioned it at all in ages, despite it being the biggest problem facing the world.

Buy what you want.

The OP is trying to decide what he wants, I suspect…

I use the speed wisely and when I need to overtake. It’s good for 155 on open roads but I don’t think it’s ever been near 3 figures! I love the acceleration and the ability to pass cars safely and yes I said safely. When I need to get past william who’s taking Doris to church on a Sunday its down a gear and past in the blink of an eye! Also we have quite a few holidays and weekends away around the coasts here so it’s nice to get by caravans easily too! Definately opened my eyes up to how poorly trucks are viewed tho so it needs some more research!

What is your current car?

I would just get a tow bar and tow bar carrier (if you can get them for 4?) and when you want it just stick on the back – takes 5 minutes and bikes are easier to load than just about any other solution. Only down side to any external mounting is security.

Other than that I would go for a 5 series estate with a big diesel engine (535D or something).

I don’t think it’s ever been near 3 figures!

Road trip Germany? It’s an eye-opener…

I am in a similar predicament. My TT goes back in a couple of months and I am going for the (comparatively) gutless Mazda 6 Sport tdi (180bhp).

I know I will hate whatever car I now need so I have just gone for one with lots of whistles and bells (and a little bit of power).

I would love a BMW 335 diesel but they cost a fortune on business leases.

Skoda Octavia vRS estate (petrol one for me). oh…. with a remap of course. 🙂

I’ve had 3 bikes easily on the roof and I’m certain you’d get 4.

Bucket loads of space inside for 4 plus gear. There’s a diesel version if you really want to watch the pennies, but it cost more to buy so only makes sense if you do mega miles.

I’ve had 3 bikes easily on the roof and I’m certain you’d get 4.

I don’t think those Thule bars support four bikes do they?

I don’t think those Thule bars support four bikes do they?

oh…. dunno. I’ve got the t track aero bars and proride bike carriers. Can you not just keep sliding stuff onto the track? I recon there would be space as long as you don’t exceed the car’s roof weight limit.

I’ve had 3 bikes on the thule bars on my 306. Still room for another 1 at least. I think the max load is 75kg but I wonder what the forces from the drag of bikes is?

I do love being able to chuck the bikes on the roof but the rack does hurt mpg and as I added bike racks one at a time I didn’t realise until I lifted it off in one piece just how heavy it was. And that is the all aluminium set up.

proride carrier is 4kgs.
Assume bikes are on average 30lbs including mud.

So 4 * 30lb (13.63kgs) + 4 * 4kgs = 70.5 kgs.

Therefore 4 bikes should be just under the weight limit. Assuming the car doesn’t have it’s own lower limit of course.

I do love being able to chuck the bikes on the roof but the rack does hurt mpg

I suspect not as much as a big van / truck thingy will though!

Serious question to the OP, where can you really use the potential of a fast car on UK roads (unless you use it on trackdays)?

When you’re stuck behind some fanny in a Kia doing 43mph through both NSL roads and 20/30mph villages, maybe?

Know what you mean but driving like only eases the frustration, it doesn’t save much on the journey time.

It’s an impreza saloon shape. When I say four bikes, 2x 26’rs and 2x kids, think they’re 20″ wheels.
@ MF why don’t you go for the mps version, (think that’s right) still a Mazda 6 but pretty quick. Had a blast in one on a stop box type track, doing j turns, handbrakes etc. Seemed very solid and pulled well!

driving like only eases the frustration

Not sure it does actually – it gets you used to driving fast and wanting to get places, and this is a mug’s game cos there’s ALWAYS far more slow traffic than there is overtaking spaces, even in a fast car.

Getting a slow car and relaxing is the key to minimising frustration on country roads ime 🙂

When you’re stuck behind some fanny in a Kia doing 43mph through both NSL roads and 20/30mph villages, maybe?

I thought that was the purpose of Rover 45s? They are designed to be driven at exactly 45mph by old people no matter the prevailing conditions or speed limits .

I’ve got a Mondeo ST220 estate – absolutely cavernous inside and hugely powerful. Easily fits three bikes and associated blokes and kit for a weekend without folding the seats down. With a bit of thought and planning I recon four bikes in the boot would be achievable…fuel is a little scary around town, but on a long trip I have squeezed 30mpg out of it 😆

And, I don’t think they look too bad either;

I am in the same boat at the minute and am likely to go for a pick-up with a lockable hard top, and a row of Thules on the roof. I’ll go that way because its a commercial vehicle for tax/BIK, the double-height hard-top will hold a massive amount of kit for big trips, the 4×4 will come in handy at home and abroad, and my wife would rather drive it than a van. When you get to a certain storage capacity your options are either a massive 4×4/people carrier, or a van or pick-up.

I don’t get people complaining about the driving experience, for a size comparison you are looking at an X5 or Discovery and none of them are involving to drive, especially if you’re used to a performance car. The bigger pick-up engines have loads of torque and overtake easily enough.

At the end of the day it will boil down to how the running costs work out in your tax situation and what you need your vehicles to do. As NZCol said you could end up regretting not having a quick car and that might make it worth running a combi or a pickup/trailer for work.

Cheap as chips, 300hp 4wd with a couple of minor tweaks (285 as standard) – 4 bikes in the back. What more would you want?

I went from fast car to slow estate and sank into near depression, having the fast car back makes my days far more fun 🙂

Don’t forget that 4×4’s often have to pay commercial fees on bridge tolls, ferries and other things (as my brother has found out).

Bro in law had the saloon 220, v6 if Iirc, sounded lovely and dark red and black leather looked great. However he went petrol crazy from there which peaked with an s5 with full milltech system on! Now he’s got a lumbering Q7 for towing his caravan! How two kids and 6 or 7 years can change a man!!

Excuse my ignorance coffeeking is that a mitso galant or scoob forester thingy, im not up on my sports wagons!

Ive just had a year with an L200 and it was fun for the first 3 weeks and then I began to despise it- it was even carp for throwing bikes in the hardshell at the back- could only just get 3 bikes in with taking wheels off as the wheel arches kicked in that much.

Fuel economy is awful, handling in the wet was lethal and the seats were rock hard

Now got an A4 estate and I actually enjoy driving again (although that is also crap for bikes but at least you can reach on top to put the bikes on a rack)

Personally I dont get the having to have a powerful sports estate car for lumping people and bikes around.

Any car with 120-150 bhp will have enough poke to get past Dorris doing 40 in a 60.

Why not just get a Mondeo estate TDCi 130 bhp which will do want you want for biking and everyday, and get a Caterham/Elise etc for fun driving?

I have driven most of the pick ups. The micest was the vw pick up, very nicely put togeather and large inside.

@FunkyDunc

Each to their own eh? Perhaps some people can’t afford two cars or simply do not have the space. I would love a Caterham (well Westfield as my father in law is selling his beautiful example) but, when I think about it in practical terms, it makes no sense whatsoever – I have nowhere to store it safely (certainly not in a garage as it should be) and I wouldn’t get the use out of it as my weekends are taken up with my kids so any driving I do, I have a wife and two kids in the car.

I went from an S2000 to an Alpina D3 saloon and do not regret it.

Alpina is better handling, better for overtaking, gets twice the MPG and saved me a about £400 on tax and insurance.

You can get a touring version as well think the newer Bi-Turbo has 214bhp and 332 lb-ft of torque.

Why not just get a Mondeo estate TDCi 130 bhp which will do want you want for biking and everyday, and get a Caterham/Elise etc for fun driving?

Because not everyone has the room for 2 cars, or wishes to start doubling up on insurances etc. I do th 2 car thing and it breaks even nicely at around 10-12K a year (i.e. it’s cheaper to run 2 cars after 12K miles a year) due to fuel costs, but while I rented I lived in a place with no drive, so a single car was a must really. Add to that the fewer things to go wrong (incidental expenses like knackered engines/gearboxes/pothole damage) and a single fast car starts to look fairly good.

I have an L200. Went this route after owning an impreza wagon.

Estates are good on the whole, if you live close to good riding locations.

taking the subaru for a day out with bikes got expensive. 2-3 people bikes max. take into account everything + the inside got very dirty.

Couldnt justify the cost of taking it 30 miles up the road for a ride by myself sometimes

L200 is lot better fuel wise on long treks, insurance is expensive though. more than for an impreza. very hard to drive in city centers etc ( but its not what they are made for). I have had 8 bikes and 8 people into it for an uplift. which is one of the reasons I own it. obviously not very legal. Most times 5 people and 5 bikes is easy. + all the dirty stuff including bikes doesnt need to go inside. Dakine make nice pads to put over the tail gate, if you can get one

They are also cheaper than nice vans

Swings and roundabouts.

People will call you all sorts for driving one on here, but I think fast estates are over rated.

Only spots for two motors at our house, one for the van other for the car! I only drive the car at the weekends and the odd rare evening, it still gives me a buzz and I’d happily jump in it and just go for a meaningless drive somewhere but FD says no!! I was going through this same scenario last august when we went to Scotland for a week and just couldn’t get the bikes there. I just know I’m going to miss getting from 0 to 60 in under 5 if I buy an old smoker of an estate, but was hoping to offset this by having fun in a truck! That would appear not to be the case!

Excuse my ignorance coffeeking is that a mitso galant or scoob forester thingy, im not up on my sports wagons!

Scoober Legacy GTB.

Mastiles, yep I know its each to their own etc etc..

But a nice normal estate is circa £10k. A nice RS4 is £25k +

So no not more expensive.

In your circumstance I think you need to get over the fact that your loosing your ‘sports’ car. Your looking at buying a family car for your children, whatever you buy is going to be dull in coparison so why not just buy and avg car and save some pennys rather than spend more for a car that gives you slightly more acceleration but ultimately will leave you feeling just as dull 🙂

I went from a brand new MX5 to a Mk3 Mondeo which is a dull as dishwater in comparison, but it does the job I need which is to get me from A-B in comfort and relatively cheaply. At the same time Im saving to buy myself a nice toy (using the cash that I could have spent on a more powerful but ultimately as dull car) 🙂

In your circumstance I think you need to get over the fact that your loosing your ‘sports’ car. Your looking at buying a family car for your children, whatever you buy is going to be dull in coparison so why not just buy and avg car and save some pennys rather than spend more for a car that gives you slightly more acceleration but ultimately will leave you feeling just as dull

See where you’re going there but it does deaden the soul somewhat.

I bought a 306 diesel estate and while it’s perfectly practical, reasonably nippy and cheap to run and of course sensible for most driving. It’s boring.

Getting a slow car and relaxing is the key to minimising frustration on country roads ime

Well waddyaknow? Getting a REALLY fast car and using it to safely overtake, then enjoying the country roads in said fast car is the key ime 🙂

Not a dig, just saying we all like/want/prefer different things. As OP has an Impreza, I’m guessing pootling along behind slower drivers in a calm and relaxed manner doesn’t factor much. A car that would do everything OP needs whilst fulfilling the desire for a fast car would therefore be one of the many Japanese/German 4×4 super-estates.

In your circumstance I think you need to get over the fact that your loosing your ‘sports’ car. Your looking at buying a family car for your children, whatever you buy is going to be dull in coparison so why not just buy and avg car and save some pennys rather than spend more for a car that gives you slightly more acceleration but ultimately will leave you feeling just as dull

Well that is where I am really – I have made as much of a compromise as I think I can manage. And as it is a company purchase (although my own business so ultimately my own money) it fits within the budget we have set ourselves this time around – I could save perhaps £50 a month (gross) with a more basic car but I really would die inside.

Wife and I went from two Alfa Romeos (147 for the wife, 3.0 GTV for me) to a single Mazda Bongo.

Bongo is far more relaxing to drive. Used to get frustrated if stuck behind slow cars of country roads, the car had the power to overtake so felt like i had to! Bongo doesn’t have the 0-60 (or the 30-100 time!) of the Alfa, but i just accept that i can’t overtake and relax (unfortunately it does mean that sometimes, i’m the slow car with the frustrated sports car driver behind).

Advantages though… bongo has more usable seats than both previous cars put together, servicing is cheap, insurance is cheap and fuel costs are less. In addition, with a Thule backpac I can carry 5 people and bikes (and kit) and the seats will fold down so you can sleep in the back of the van (2 of you at least, it even has electric blinds). if you get a AFT version even better for camping and transport duties.

There is even a 2.5l V6 petrol version if you require a bit more poke…

Alfa 159 estate is pretty large inside…

Put a car GPS on the dash with the ETA display on – that will relax you and show you the futility of driving like a loon as it makes very little difference to your arrival time, just causes you stress.

CoPilot on your android phone will do this, plus warn you if going 5mph over the speed limit.

I have made as much of a compromise as I think I can manage

🙄

Listen to yourself!

Anyway.. the trade-off for loss of speed is a gain in comfort. So you could just go as comfy and refined as you like. Different driving pleasure, but still pleasure imo.

L200 is lot better fuel wise on long treks

A quick diesel estate will do almost double what the L200 will – comparing it to a legacy and calling it economical is a bit silly imo 🙂

I use my dad in laws Navara 6 months of the year and I find it too compromised really. Bikes don’t fit well in the load space so you need a towbar rack or roof bars. Not really nice to drive either, crap turning circle, not great off road.

I have also had an audi S2, S6 and a landrover and all were better for what I use them for.

As a suggestion, audi allroad? cheap and does all you want really

wrightyson.

I cant say I miss the speed. its’ a different kind of animal. I realy do enjoy having one. I would get a nice van if I could afford one ( new vito with a custom fit out in the back). until then the L200 is ace, the odd cheeky uplift is also a bonus.

A question like this on STW is never going to go well.
So many experts.

Lots of b******s being said on here.

I have a Renault scenic. Its properly slow but has a good driving position and the kids can see out the windows in the back. I‘m happy with it but then I don’t drive like a d**k. I get the impression people on this thread drive like d***s, good luck to you and your uneconomical cars.

Listen to yourself!

What? I will be gutted to see my car go and I am not ashamed to say so!

Lots of b******s being said on here.

I have a Renault scenic. Its properly slow but has a good driving position and the kids can see out the windows in the back. I‘m happy with it but then I don’t drive like a d**k. I get the impression people on this thread drive like d***s, good luck to you and your uneconomical cars.
Good luck with your French crap 😛

NIce to see they are fitting them with back windows though – is that a recent invention?