New estate car time. BMW 520d Touring of Jag XF?

Which would you pick? My budget is about £13k, so im looking at both cars, about 2014 plate and about 60k on the clock. I need an estate for bikes and for the tools i carry with work. I think the Jag is slower (in parcitular the 2.2d 160 model) and drinks more fuel. I haven’t driven either of them yet. Whats the long term reliability like of both cars? Any advice much welcome!

Jag XF?

Did you vote for Brexit ?

🤣🤷‍♂️

Both drive well, I would plan in money to ditch the run flats on the beemer if it has them.

If it were my money I would take the BMW reliability at that age.

BMW everyday.

My boss who materialistically owned nearly every marque of that type via lease over the last few years just bought a ’15 plate 535d for about the same money.

He would have bought a late V90 if he could have stretched to it (his words).

Couple of work colleagues had one of each at a similar era for 5 years (actual 2013 I think). You’d think the Beemer would piss it wouldn’t you…

The XF was perfect – literally nothing beyond routine servicing.

5 series – Always in for repairs, and not cheap ones. Front suspension lower wishbone replacement, £2k…. Rear suspension air bags split… Turbo failed, drivers seat became detached from chassis allowing it to move around, tyres were eye watering money.

I never went inside the XF but drove the BMW quite a bit. It was OK, but my 10 years older subaru is quieter. The BMW interior creaked like crazy – dashboard was awful going round roundabouts. 2.0D engine and 7 speed autobox were lovely though!

I know it doesn’t compare on one level, but I had had BMW 320 estate, and now drive a Jag X-type estate.

The Jag’s finish is refined, and the drive more comfortable. I love the way it looks and feels compared to the more ubiquitous BMW. Don’t know how the fuel economy compares, as I didn’t used to keep track, but memory suggests the BMW did marginally better. If it counts for anything, my older kids love the Jag.

So, on this (only vaguely) related experience, I would go with the Jag.

I’ve had both. Neither were faultless, but Jag is a much nicer drive. For what it’s worth the problems I have had on the Jag were much more easily sorted than those on the beemer. I think that you have to accept that without a manufacturers warranty you are taking a bit of a risk on either of them, but that’s why you’re paying what you’re paying – both of them are a lot of car for the money…

Last car was a 530d Touring. It was very nice. I traded it in for a XF 3.0S Sportbrake. The BMW had better handling, was more capable(relatively) in the snow/bad weather and had a bigger boot. The XF has a nicer engine, looks better and feels more luxurious inside. The Jags satnav is atrocious but the stereo kicks arse.

Running wise I did put 90k miles on the Beamer so it needed a few bits an bobs. The suspension seemed to have a few issues (it had the adjustable suspension and liked to tear holes in the airbags) and once moisture got in a headlight which was a £450 repair!!!!

The Jag has been fine until the dog vomited in the boot and killed the fuse box (actually it was my liberal sloshing about of water clearing it up that did the damage, but I still blame the dog) that cost nearly £1k.

Interesting replies. I probably should have said, I currently have an M Sport 320d and I can not stand it! It’s so uncomfortable and my head hits the roof when I sit in it properly! My priorities are a comfortable car, relatively economical and automatic. I looked at Volvos (v60) also but I’m fairly confident I’ve narrowed it down to these two.

I have an F31 M Sport 320d – you must be tall they are not known for their lack of head room?

Anyway, you merely have to change the tyres to non run flats – I have 18’s on MPSS and mine wafts along very comfortably. Same with a 5.

volvos are awesome – their seats are brilliant, mega comfy compared to almost everything else

if you’re doing reasonable miles, I’d seriously look at an s60/v70

Neither! Get a Volvo XC70 and enjoy armchair comfort. 🙂

Get a volvo.

Passat Alltrack (4wd)
Skoda Superb (can be 4wd)
Audi A6
Mercedes e-class (biggest and better engine)
xc70 will be heavy on fuel

V70.

Don’t know ow relavent it is but we’ve got a 3 series estate. Not as nice as mother’s Rover 75 estate (which was a rival for it I guess), and nowhere near as nice as father’s Jag (old XJS, which probably wasn’t a competitor to a 3 series estate)
The BMW is OK but nothing special, and hasn’t been that reliable either.
Based on this I’d take the Jag.

I think there needs to be some qualifications as to the age of the cars being discussed. The 3 series 2014 onward is lauded as a pretty accomplished car, and the current one has gone top of the class. 2010-2014 E90 was a pretty rubbish design for them with a very average package. Comparing an F31 / G20 with a rover 75 is chalk and cheese.

It helps to compare apples with apples.

In terms of reliability I guess it’s the mileage which I should be more worried about rather than the age?

I picked up V70 SE D3 with winter pack, 2013 and 80k, one owner, full Volvo service history etc for just under £9k.

It does favour comfort and cruising over speed, but it’s proving the best car we have ever owned.

Check out the recent thread on Volvo estates.

In terms of reliability I guess it’s the mileage which I should be more worried about rather than the age

No necessarily. A lot of these cars are just run in at 60k miles. Properly serviced BMW’s and Volvos will go in for 100’s of thousand of motorway miles. It helps to know the history. Mileage is less of an issue these days in modern cars as long as they are serviced properly.

The 3 series 2014 onward is lauded as a pretty accomplished car, and the current one has gone top of the class. 2010-2014 E90 was a pretty rubbish design for them with a very average package

The E90 was 2005-2012 with a facelift in 2008 so I don’t know what you mean by the 2010-2014 E90. Whether you personally like them or not they were very well received by the motoring press. I’m not a huge fan and I think the 3 Series (E and F) are overated but I’ve never heard them described as “a pretty rubbish design” by anyone who knows anything about cars.

Yes, that’s the one we’ve got, a 2009 E91. Perfectly good car, but just not as good as a Rover 75. 2L petrol and 2L diesel respectively so reasonably comparable.
Also not as nice as a friend’s Jag X-Type estate but I’ve only been in that once so can’t really compare.

I’d be getting and E Class.

I’d be getting an A6 quattro.

No necessarily. A lot of these cars are just run in at 60k miles. Properly serviced BMW’s and Volvos will go in for 100’s of thousand of motorway miles. It helps to know the history. Mileage is less of an issue these days in modern cars as long as they are serviced properly.

I’m sorry, but that’s just bollocks. Mileage and service are only somewhat relative to the engine. The gearbox, clutch, flywheel, suspension, electrics, etc will all be starting to show wear at 60-80k.

Some Volvos, or any car for that matter, may go on for 100’s of miles, but not without maintenance. Newer cars are heavier and thus heavier on suspension, steering and braking parts than cars of the late 90s. I agree that a well serviced can may have a solid engine, but everything that’s attached to it is barely touched during a service.

I’m sorry, but that’s just bollocks.

No it isn’t, stop being a pedantic idiot with the atypical STW response. I never even alluded to “no maintenance” you just chose to imply that I did.

Cars do not fall apart at a prescribed set of miles these days and can go on for years if “looked after” is that better for you?

Christ this place is tiring at times.

You forgot rule 1.

You said a car is barely run in at 60000 miles and that with decent service history, it was all fine.

That’s bollocks.

Had a Jaguar XF recently when my C class got damaged, I kept it one day before sending it back, the throttle gearbox and engine just don’t communicate, it would pull off in 2nd gear slowly from a standstill by default, it was never in the right gear ever and weirdly would drop to 1st gear entering roundabouts, the media system was shit and there was a whine like an A series gearbox always faintly in the background. By far one of the worse cars I’ve ever been in. Buy the BMW 😁