Wer’e ready to replace the wife’s car & are looking at the following..

Mitsubishi Outlander
Nissan X Trail
Volvo XC 60/90

Or possibly..
Freelander
Honda CRV
Mazda CX5
Qashkai

Budgets around 10-11K. Need something to chuck the dog in, pull a caravan, decent ground clearance for ‘offroad’ (not serious offroad though). Needs to be a manual box as well. (had 2 expensive nightmares with autos plus theyr’e a waste of revs)
Any plusses or negatives on those listed, owt else to consider?

Don’t know about any of the others, but NOT a Gashquai.

Had one loaned to me whilst I was supervising for a firm and it was despicable.

Bentley Bentayga.

/thread.

CaptainFlashheart – Member

Bentley Bentayga.

/thread.

Bullshit. Macan Turbo or GTFO.

I wasn’t that keen on the Qashqai, the Bentley is just slightly over budget & the Macan just isn’t ‘me’ (or the Mrs) 🙂

😀

XC90s are ace, will tow the earth out of orbit if asked to. However, manuals are rarer than rocking horse shit.

I had a Qashqai as a hire car, and thought it was ok.

But then I drive a Fiesta.

How heavy is the caravan…?

Tiguan looks a good option, decent towing limit.
More civilised mpg when not towing, likewise the CRV.

Ive driven a number of Qashqai, and as cars they’re fine, but I can’t comment on their towing capability. There’s the Ford Kuga, which is nice to drive, but again I’ve only driven them, not used them on a day-to-day basis.
The Hyundai SUV’s are good to drive, like the Santa Fe, which comes as a 4×4 in the 2.2 CRDi diesel, or the Tucson, which has a 4×4 option in the 1.6GDi petrol, both as manual boxes.
Nice cars, well equipped, worth a look at; they come on the market as ex-Motability cars, so could be found at a good price if you look around.

How heavy is the caravan…?

It isn’t. (that was maybe my next question…what caravan for a…) 😕

We’ve a t31 2.0 dci x trail. Loads of room for dog in boot. It’s electronic 4×4 so not as good IMO as a jeep quadra system but good enough for light off roading. Nice to drive, good on motorway runs, Mrs M loves it (has the roof rail lights so looks like a big tonka toy if you ask me). Tekna spec so loaded with goodies and panoramic sunroof is great.

Negatives, has eaten drop links (maybe due to local speed humps). AVOID Nissan main stealers (I serviced it myself at 36K and I suspect that it was the first time the pollen filter was changed).

Avoid later x trails with 1.5 dci if you want to tow apparently.

Cheers Ming, that’s a tick for the X Trail & Cheers Flashy, a tick for the XC90.

I’ve had a MkI Ford Kuga Titanium manual AWD for just over 2 years and it’s one of the nicest cars I’ve had.

Boot is not particularly big (MkII boot is bigger) but I can get a six piece drum kit, two bags of stands, cymbals, Marshall 4×12 cab & head, a couple of guitars and a 5’10” guitarist in with some judicial packing

Mine came with a detachable tow bar but I’ve never had reason to use it

Have a look at Kia Sportage, recently become best selling SUV having over taken the Quahqai..

Have a look at Kia Sportage, recently become best selling SUV having over taken the Quahqai..

Thanks, forgot about the Sportage.

I spent about £10K on a second hand X-Trail a couple of years ago, and so far very pleased with it. It goes off road every week (last time yesterday) works fine. Been reliable so far, just a new battery apart from normal services.
Not used the tow bar.

Thanks, forgot about the Sportage.

Personally I really like them, but can’t say I’ve tested many. We get one as a company car (as the wife works for Kia).

Of that list the two Volvos are my picks.

We had a couple of LWB Shoguns for 200,000 miles between them with hardly a bill other than tyres and brake pads, the Outlanders are ok suvs (mate has one) but I would think you’ll find it hard to find a used one. Used Hondas and Toyotas (not on your list) tend to command high prices. Nissans sell a little cheaper for whatever reason.

As above those cars are frequently bought as Autos as it suits them.

Happy shopping

Looked at 2 Outlanders today Jamba, at the same place.
Honda CRV’s on my list. 😉

Have a look at the Renault Kadjar.

I have a deposit down one after a thoroughly impressive test drive.

How about:

Yeti
Octavia Scout
XC70
Audi A6 Allroad

How heavy is your caravan?

Hmmm, your budget won’t get you much of an XC60 so I’d knock that on the head. Also, well you’d probably need the D5 AWD which seem sadly expensive and full of miles.. if miles don’t bother you just look for a decent service history. I’ll say my D4 SELux is a lovely thing, it is, but getting one for under £11k will be tough.

I had a R-design D5 XC90, it was huge, the torque was great for chugging along but the interior wasn’t holding up well after my 3 years ownership. The parcel cover brackets broke about 10 times, £20 a set, the carpet got terribly dirty and hard to clean, the brakes started to fade at 60k leading to new discs and pads on the front, the steering wheel became grubby and the leather started to slip around the wheel itself. It was a tall car, I had to hoik onto the passenger sill with one hand whilst holding a board to get it on the roof, which was a,pain in wind.
Other than that it drank fuel, best 46, worst 28 and aves in the 30’s was the norm and I drive like a grandad. But it will go on forever if serviced properly, you should be able to find a high miler for your budget. Service history a must.

Have you thought about a V70? Plenty of big engined towable high milers for your budget.

What about Nissan XTrails ? They seem popular for towing caravans.

I have a Qashqai, but I don’t think I’d want to tow much with it.

I’m on my second XC90 – it’s a very nice place to be for long journeys as Volvo seats are famously comfy. I’m surprised about Bikebuoys interior, as mine have stood up to kids/dogs/logs very well. Heated leather seats a doddle to clean after muddy mtb trips.

I am not a regular poster here but felt I had to add something into the mix for consideration:

Subaru Outback.
Had one for 5 yrs since new and it’s absolutely brilliant.

Be aware that there are plenty SUV-shaped vehicles out there with notionally some kind of 4wd system (Qashqai, Kuga, Sportage etc) but 4wd systems come in all forms and across the spectrum of real capability. Needless to say, the Outback’s is the real thing and it’ll get you into/out of places others wouldn’t.

Also, quite a lot look big but they’re really based on a mid-sized family hatchback with the internal capacity to match.

Something like an Outback (or an A6 Allroad) is a step up in size and it makes a real difference.

Our 5 y/o Outback 2.0 diesel manual consistently achieves >45mpg and fits dog, children, kit, etc etc.
It’s not got Audi level of chic in its interior or design but it’s well made and very practical.

Just a thought…..

What about Nissan XTrails ? They seem popular for towing caravans.

2nd on my list BB. (the list isn’t in any order, just what came to mind)

We haven’t got the caravan yet, that may be influenced by the vehicle we end up with!
I forgotten about Subaru’s but we (ok, she) fancies something a bit higher than a 4×4 estate like the Allroad jobs. Doesn’t have to be too bike friendly as I’ve got my Mondeo estate.

Looked at these yesterday….
http://www.suv4x4.co.uk/used-VOLVO-XC60-Wetherby-Yorkshire-920762 Pity It’s an automatic.

http://www.suv4x4.co.uk/used-VOLVO-XC90-Wetherby-Yorkshire-1030703

http://www.suv4x4.co.uk/used-NISSAN-X-TRAIL-Wetherby-Yorkshire-1051955

My brother raves about his CRV. They use it for towing horse boxes in and out of some quite muddy fields and he rates it over the Discovery they had before. It’s a nice car inside and seems to have plenty of room.

I forgotten about Subaru’s but we (ok, she) fancies something a bit higher than a 4×4 estate like the Allroad jobs.

The current Foresters are higher, and you may be able to get one in your budget. I had the previous version before getting the X-Trail.

Out of a choice of those three ^^ I’d go for the XC60, it’s a nicer car to drive daily and quiet and comfortable to be used and not think too much about parking it. Autos fine, the kickdown is quick enough and you’ll barely notice it’s an auto unless you are some sort of “making progress” 17yr old in a 50yr olds body.

My 60 is way nicer than the 90, better built, quieter and easier to drive. Age and mileage doesn’t seem to affect the 60 like the 90, I’ve no idea why but I’ve done similar mileage in the 60 now as I’d done in the 90 and it still looks almost brand new.

Top Gear did a test of all SUVs in season 20, think episode 5 maybe?

The one where they raced to a campsite pulling a caravan.

They recommended the Mazda CX5. Worth a watch, mainly because it’s funny.