Best feature you didn’t know you needed until you had it?

The Ford Quickclear heated windscreen. All cars should have these as standard.

I really wanted to buy an Auris estate hybrid until I test drove it. Very comfortable but disconcerting acceleration. You have to clog it and then it does all sorts of unfamiliar things like revving its nuts off and not accelerating that much. Maybe it’s something you can get used to. Otherwise a nice car. Very (too) light steering too.

^ sounds like the CVT is not your thing. I don’t think it’s a car designed for hard acceleration!

Like the doorstep, shame the original is not for sale yet and beaten to it by knock-offs: https://mokidoorstep.com/

I’d want it with a bright orange PU buffer around the outside in case I closed the door on it.

I don’t think it’s a car designed for hard acceleration!

No, it isn’t. In fact it turns you into a really relaxed driver, which is probably a good thing.

The Ford Quickclear heated windscreen. All cars should have these as standard.

No they shouldn’t I find all the wiggly lines from the element terribly distracting when  driving at night or into low sun.

Wanna sell me your Passat for £4k?

Maybe it’s something you can get used to.

Of course.. press one pedal to go, one to stop.  The harder you press the quicker it happens.  Don’t complicate matters.

Saying that, you can’t really go wrong with the decent sized estates.

I go in a lot of these cars as taxis.  I have to say that Volvos, VWs, Mondeos are all ok, but I went in an i40 and it was a rattly mess, and funnily enough some Avenses have also been pretty shabby.

I go in a lot of these cars as taxis.  I have to say that Volvos, VWs, Mondeos are all ok, but I went in an i40 and it was a rattly mess, and funnily enough some Avenses have also been pretty shabby.

I currently have an i40 estate – really good car, was and still am impressed with the quality after 4 years of ownership.

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Wanna sell me your Passat for £4k?

No. Sorry.

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 I find all the wiggly lines from the element terribly distracting

Latest VW incarnation uses a silver leaf transfer direct to the screen so there are no lines to see.

Really like the look of these – how much extra boot does the 7 seater give over the 5?

The 5 and 7 seat variant are identical. Back row just folds into the boot floor. With the back seats up you get a boot that’s about the size of a panda’s, folded flat it’s pretty much the same size as my dad’s Superb estate. If you’re expecting Yeti-levels of cunning, brutalist practicality you’ll be disappointed – hence why I’ve just bought a Caravelle.

Latest VW incarnation uses a silver leaf transfer direct to the screen so there are no lines to see.

Yeah, that’s true, and if you have to have one replaced, DO NOT trust the AutoGlass man when he says theirs are just as good. Make sure you get the VW part.

BTDT 🙁

Best feature you didn’t know you needed until you had it? Heated seats! Would not be without, now.

And heated wing mirrors obvs

Mazda6 estate +1 I don’t know what the skyactive engine is as suggested previously, but I find them good to live with.

I’ve got a 3 year old Passat and really like it. Skoda equivalent actually drove a bit nicer/sportier but wasn’t as nice inside.

The 5 and 7 seat variant are identical. Back row just folds into the boot floor. With the back seats up you get a boot that’s about the size of a panda’s, folded flat it’s pretty much the same size as my dad’s Superb estate.

Thanks for that, for some reason I was under the impression the 7 seater had more boot space.

Don’t suppose you know the load area length & width? Can only find capacity in litres which doesn’t help me .

Need to know if I can fit the wife’s wheelchair in the boot and still have space for other stuff.

Excuse the detritus of a busy family life.

Estate every day. SUVs look great but tend to have far less storage unless you stack stuff in the boot. We found the floor area of the boor in SUVs very small considering the size of the car compared to an estate.

The Ford Quickclear heated windscreen. All cars should have these as standard.

Noooo. We cant buy Fords because of the windscreen, which is a real shame as a focus estate would be perfect for us, My wife can see the element when driving and it gives her a blinding head ache after 30 minutes. We even have to refuse hire cars if they are fords.

https://www.ridc.org.uk/ have all of that sort of data too – specifically for “will a wheelchair fit?”, but also measure things like sill/seat heights and openings too.

I like big German estates and have had a few. But I miss the boot space of my old Sierra. I could get my bike in complete without any fuss. My friend has an 05mondeo and it’s just the same  in that. I can’t speak for the newer ones. I would say the bigger and boxier the car the better. Some other riding buddies have estate versions of the a4 and a6 and the rake on the rear screen reduces the usable boot space dramatically. One car I liked for its surprising boot space was a kia ceed estate. They have a wierd boot hinge a good size boot so the bike goes in with both wheels on. They have a nice flat boot floor with loads of storage underneath it. The one I went in was well equipped too.

Having said all that I like the look of the new passat so would buy that if It were me.

don’t know what the skyactive engine is

AFAIK SkyActive is mazda’s take on 5-stroke engine tech, using a modified miller cycle. They basically keep the intake valve open beyond BDC and continue to shove more air in with a turbocharger. Our kodiaq uses a similar cycle. Works well – I get up to 35mpg from a 2 ton brick of a petrol 4×4.

But I miss the boot space of my old Sierra. I could get my bike in complete without any fuss

Was that an old bike though?  Older bikes were quite a bit smaller than modern ones.

We hired a SEAT Leon estate in France, it was excellent. Spacious, nice to drive with some superb toys. Dunno if you can lie a bike in the back flat though as you can in a Passat.

Skoda superb estate. Can get a bike in wheels on with seats folded down. 50 mpg and good for 300,000 miles ( one of our drivers at work has just clocked this in his! ) Nice inside and out, tell yourself its an Audi A6 in all but badge

What hotfiat hasn’t mentioned regarding the Kodiaq is that the middle row of seats is on sliders and will slide right forward with enough room for passengers still but a massive load of space in the boot.

There is also storage underneath the middle row of seats for stuff that’s not needed regularly if you’re off on a big trip.

The middle row splits 40/20/40 but I think that’s on the edition model which is up the pecking order.

Actually hotfiat- have you got a spare wheel in there?

Ive not got a spare and lots of room under the floor.

We hired a SEAT Leon estate in France, it was excellent.

I recently had one for a few days, the 1.4 ecoTSI 150hp, FR Tech model and it was a lovely thing to drive.  Big enough to get a bike easily in the back.  The boot opening is a bit angled so I had to take the front wheel off to get the bike in, but that’s not a massive issue.

Will a Kia Optima Sportwagon be available for 2019 with a petrol engine ? Currently only available as an oil burner

My old man has the Avensis estate which just got a recall thanks to its BMW engine. Aside from that it looks the part, would still rather have a Mondeo though.

Quickclear is definitely marmite, most seem to get on with it but some folk just don’t. It’s on my wouldnt live without list though.

#suggestwhatyouhave time…

I am really impressed with our V70. I was fussy and managed to find the classic 2013 ex-motability,  5-cylinder proper Volvo engined D3 (orD4), SE with winter pack and grey not light interior. Means I am getting actual mid-40’s to 50+ mpg on a run, £20 tax (unlike majority of Volvo’s that are expensive on tax), cheaper tyre size etc. It cost less than the Mondeo’s of same age.

It’s become the first car ever that mrs_oab and I argue about who is taking it for the day… So comfy front and back, so damn logical and easy to work out how everything works, so practical a boot – it’s just a big cube, belying reviews that say it’s small, brilliant stereo. It’s the first car since my ’99 Passat that feels properly like it’s hewn out of granite. I’m appreciating little touches – the brakes are so progressive and powerful compared to other cars, the arm rests are ‘just right’, headlights so well illuminated, the easier access by garage for maintenance (you can reach timing belt etc through a provided flap in wheel arch, change bulbs by removing whole headlight with no screws etc) and more.

Like the Galaxy before, it’s just done holiday with two open canoes on roof, four bikes on back, four of us and kit with no problems at all.

My moans – cup holders are poorly placed for big mugs, I wanted a different colour and the electric boot is a tad slow. Err, that’s it.

v90 looks gert lush.

Was that an old bike though?  Older bikes were quite a bit smaller than modern ones.

Conveniently, so are cars

Superb Estate 4×4 here.

Would recommend, it’s huge, lovely neutral drive. Can fit bikes in the boot with wheels on.

Just traded my 60plate Passat B6 estate 2.0tdi for a new Passat b8 2.0 gt tdi estate with the 190bhp.

What a machine. 50extra ponies make a bit of a difference. Feel like a bit races again. New one is stunning inside, previous was a top end leather and toys job but this new one is far nicer.

Usual Passat features, more room than a stately home, but still very economical. Last one would do 700miles on a tank hoping for similar on this one.

Looked at kodiaq and superb but were not as nice places to be while driving. If you want a nice place to be while driving buy German.

Thing about the passat is, it’s a fairly big car with a medium car boot on it. It’s not terrible, it’s just not as good as it should be. Estate cars without a flat entrance so you can load things properly or sit on the back and chill out are just basically daft.

My mondeo’s on the way out but it’s been a fantastic biking car, and great value too. It’s a little bigger but functionally it’s a lot bigger. (all the chat about loading things on the roof, I’ve no idea what it’s like to put things on the roof of the mondeo, I’ve not used my roof bars once since I got it because it can hold like 6 bikes, or 3 bikes and generous kit for a week.)

(and heated seats are awesome)

Having said all that, if I was less picky I’d get an SUV- a Galaxy or that Mazda CX7 or a Smacks or something. Lots of van-ness while remaining a car.

I’m really not getting the Passat love I’m 40000 miles and two years into my B7 and leaving aside it’s woeful reliability and the awful emissions “fix” it is still not as a good a car as the 2004 MK3 Mondeo it replaced. It’s an OK car but it doesn’t stack up well against a car that’s 8years older.

Boot is considerably smaller and more awkward access (I appreciate it has a slightly smaller footprint but the loss is disproportionate).

Ride quality worse

Steering feel and balance worse

Feels completely devoid of any nuance / connection with its surroundings

Less rear legroom

The DSG box is great and the 170PS diesel USED to be better before it was “fixed” and I quite like the electronic handbrake. The interior is nice too.

I bought it because it was cheaper than the Mondeo I was also looking at (the boot seemed to have shrunk on the mk4 too) and I liked the gear box. I’m not sure we will have it much longer.

Feels completely devoid of any nuance / connection with its surroundings

Wot?

Last one would do 700miles on a tank

That’s a pretty meaningless thing to say without saying how big the tank is…!

Tiguan ?

Boot is bigger than it looks. I’d have preferred the Kodiaq but it’s the Wife’s car so she won out. Kodiaq is bigger still, same as the Tiguan All-Space.

The 150hp 1.4 engine is excellent, soon to be a 1.5 though, as emissions get stricter. It’s nice to drive. We towed our Caravan round Scotland with it thus Summer.

It is a game getting bikes on top so I took a hop up step in the Caravan locker. The side rails would make it easier.

Seat  ST with an Ebike.

I’ve had a Yeti now have a Seat Leon ST FR 184. The Yeti was Ok 140 bhp quick enough but small inside. The Leon is better in every way. Cockpit is bigger boot slightly bigger. More economic much faster handles better. Tyres are cheaper as well. The good thing about the Leon is it can fit a 6ft 2” teenager in the back with legroom. The golf boot is slightly larger but not enough to warrant the extra cost.  Octavia is bigger again but in my view it’s expensive for what you get compared to the Seat. Trim in my view is slightly better in Seat than Octavia and it has a lot more sound proofing than the Skoda.

There is an old saying “an estate can do everything a SUV can do only cheaper, faster and more economically.”

Tiguans really feel quite small inside compared to a Passat.