Dacia duster 999cc
Why is that relevent to the quote of mine. Dacia's seem to be made using left over Easter egg protective plastic.
I want to like them as cheap motoring but not even me the guy who drives an ergonomically horrid land rover 90 could subject his family to a Dacia. They are pretty nasty cars to be in for any time. Test drove a 0.9tce Logan MCV and 3 adults in it was chronic.
Xc70 is a very comfortable car and a nice place to be for long periods but you won’t get any fuel consumption starting with a 4. I have one and find it much more comfortable than my old v70 but that did have stupid low profile tyres.
Vw Tiguan
Suburu Forester
Phev mitsubishi
You can buy a Ford Focus active which is their take on VAG allroad, new Mondego to be released soon the old one will be cheap and looks good.
Touareg looks good value to me
Or x3
Personally I think 16" or 17" wheels are as big as you want to go on something that spends so much time on crap, potholed roads. And even then they want a fair bit of sidewall.
I could almost justify a pickup, but it is only almost. I shoot most weekends in winter, tow a car to motorsport events perhaps 10 times a year (currently borrow my dad's pickup) and do a bit of building work on the side already... But you're looking at more like 30mpg in most pickups. And anything 2015 onwards with reasonable miles is up near £20kb now.
Subarus are I think where I'm leaning...
17” on my outback with a decent amount of sidewall. 225/60’s from memory.
Nahhh you’re all wrong. Ford Ranger is the correct answer. (Mpg may be a sticking point though)
You can get a brand new duster for around £11k with all the warranty stuff that that brings
This chap has just brought one as have a few others,they all seem happy and if I was in that position I’d strongly consider one.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=47&t=1900473
Dacia Duster
Have you ever been in one? They are not great spaces to be, I certainly wouldn’t want to be in one for 2-4hrs per day.
The latest iteration of the Duster is an improvement on what the previous model was like, some external detail improvements which have tidied up its appearance quite a bit, seats seem pretty comfy, it’s mostly Renault derived, and I’ve never had an issue with the seats in any Renault I’ve driven over the last five years. Trim levels are fairly basic, but fine for what it is.
Believe me, I’ve driven a nearly new Merc A-Class which had seats like church pews; thirty minutes into an hour drive, I was desperate to get out of the bloody thing, it was impossible to get comfortable in it, my ass was completely numb by the time I got to Bristol. I’d definitely prefer to take a Duster.
With that much driving time I would go with comfort above all else.
In your position I would get a Kuga, not because it is the best car ever, far from it, but because I'm yet to find something that keeps me comfortable for as long.
Ours has the 10 way adjustable seats though, think for me tilting the seat base is what makes all the difference.
We never planned to keep it this long but haven't been able to find a suitable repacement.
Considering the kind of roads the OP is driving on I would also add to the list of requirements a decent NCAP rating.
lease a car?
Passat in se business spec. 17 inch wheels with big sidewalls. I had one and traveled from quarry and backroads to motorway a d town. Did all of them comfortably.
I did 90k in a brand new one in 2.5 years without a single fault.
Manchester to Aberdeen was comfortable enough to do a full days work after the drive.
50mpg easy
Big boot
Ergonomic seats
Cheap to run
Honda CRV but not a top spec one with stupidly large alloys.
Doing those miles I would go for an auto.
Should get a 2014 2.2 diesel for 10k with <60k.
Xc60. Much nicer place to spend several hours a day than most other stuff that's been mentioned. Will hold its value better too
I've spent a considerable amount of my weekend mulling over the various options recommended here, and I think come to the conclusion that I want a BMW X3... That hasn't been mentioned once.
I currently have a very nicely spec'd 2007 BMW 120D auto, 175bhp, automatic gearbox and electric everything. Aside from the slightly harsh ride and uncanny ability to eat tyres, it's a very pleasant place to be and seems to take the abuse well, even with 150k miles on the clock. So the X3 seems like a logical step? I'm not an X5 fan.
As much as I'd love a Subaru, the interiors look terrible and I think after the BMW would take too much adjusting too. The Octavia or A4 allroad (or Avant SE quattro) are the most likely contender otherwise.
Am I nuts?
Wouldn't an x1 be the logical step? Based on the 3 series estate floorpan iirc
the bottom spec interiors on the subaru's I've has as courtesy cars are pretty poor.
mines the top spec with a full leather interior etc and its as nice as any other brand of car i've driven.
5lab - good shout, I'd totally forgotten the X1, you do seem to get a fair bit more for your money compared to an X3, without losing much room.
I did just see an Octavia Scout in the flesh while I was out though, and whilst totally different to either BMW, does have a dependable, utilitarian look to it that I quite like. I hate buying cars.
Having driven the X1 and the Scout, I’d take the Skoda. More comfortable and nicer to drive in my experience. More usable space too
