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Best small to medium SUV?


Tipps69

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Having spent the best part of a year trying decide what car to get next, I have decided that I’m probably best off getting an SUV because of long standing back problems that show no sign of getting better.

Now this purchase is going to be substantial for me & is one that I’m hoping will last me for many years & Thursday I visited Lexus & Jaguar to look at their offerings, the nx300h & the E & F Pace. And as things stand it’s looking like the Lexus nx300h is winning but am I missing something else out there?

I’m looking at a premium brand because I want that extra bit of luxury but can I get that elsewhere?

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Went through this process last year! 

Did want to go ‘green’ but the offering at that time was limited to the Mitsubishi which ain’t that ‘premium’. Was going to wait for the hybrid/electric Volvo XC40 but at the time the price was uncertain, with the dealership indicating well into the 40k + category with no discounts.  Might be worth considering now though as discounts may be available, at least on petrol and diesel versions, it’s a decent looking car with a premium feel and Volvos tend to be bomb proof. 

I ended up with a Tiguan r-line with a decent discount (partner’s had three previous, this is my second without issues). Got a diesel which, with a lightish foot, delivers around 50mpg even with the 20 inch wheels. Pano sunroofs to die for. Lots of You Tube videos with very happy owners which helped to persuade me. Nice car, very comfortable with loads of gizmos. Got to be an r-line though as the basic Tiguan looks pretty bland imo. 

Had a look at the Jag E pace which, bizarrely, didn’t have an opening sunroof, and for me felt a little claustrophobic  plus was reported to be a bit heavy on fuel. Lexus also felt a bit cramped and seemed thirsty. Toyota Rav 4 gets uglier every new edition imo. Both Land Rover and, surprisingly, Honda have failed reliability wise for me in the past so ruled them out. 

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13 hours ago, Tipps69 said:

Having spent the best part of a year trying decide what car to get next, I have decided that I’m probably best off getting an SUV because of long standing back problems that show no sign of getting better.

Now this purchase is going to be substantial for me & is one that I’m hoping will last me for many years & Thursday I visited Lexus & Jaguar to look at their offerings, the nx300h & the E & F Pace. And as things stand it’s looking like the Lexus nx300h is winning but am I missing something else out there?

I’m looking at a premium brand because I want that extra bit of luxury but can I get that elsewhere?

Hi Tipps69. Might be worth looking into the actual seats themselves in each vehicle. As I noticed you mentioned back problems, something I can complete relate to. I often visit a very good Osteopath, during one visit he mentioned a colleague of his who had done research on car seats ( he mentioned this as I spend all day in a car, due to my profession). The study revealed that often the more luxurious cars where not good in the back support department. I'm not sure when this study was conducted etc. But might be worth a bit of research as it seems your outlay would be considerable by the vehicles you have mentioned! Either way, hope this bit of information can help you in some degree. COYR 

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18 hours ago, Captain Hindsight said:

Volvos’ range is great if you haven’t explored them.

Decent, but do think they cocked up the redesign of the XC60 which seems now to look more like an estate car than 4x4. Got a rear end that makes the Land Rover Discovery look attractive! 

As another poster has mentioned seats are important and Volvo do nice seats, probably the best. 

All Volvos seem to have a bloody great box high up on the windscreen containing all the radar stuff. Found it annoying on the test drive but, maybe, you get used to it.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Moor2Sea said:

Decent, but do think they cocked up the redesign of the XC60 which seems now to look more like an estate car than 4x4. Got a rear end that makes the Land Rover Discovery look attractive! 

As another poster has mentioned seats are important and Volvo do nice seats, probably the best. 

All Volvos seem to have a bloody great box high up on the windscreen containing all the radar stuff. Found it annoying on the test drive but, maybe, you get used to it.

 

 

The XC90 is very impressive though ??

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I went & had a look at Mercedes & Audi yesterday, both have really nice examples.

The Mercedes GLA is probably too low for me while the GLE is a beast of a vehicle & probably way too big for my needs but the GLC was just about right (I feel like Goldilocks here?). And the GLC is basically just a C-Class on steroids which I like as well.

While over at Audi I was caught between the Q3 & Q5, there doesn’t seem to be a huge difference in practical size between them but the Q3 has not long been updated all round with virtual cockpit & touchscreen infotainment system amongst other things where as the Q5 isn’t due for it’s big upgrade until next year at the earliest & while you can get the virtual cockpit on it, it’s an added extra. So I’m inclined to go with the Q3 despite my original reservations that it was probably too small.

Now my current decision lies between the Mercedes GLC & the Audi Q3 (probably) over the Q5.

I’ve not taken any for a test drive yet & am also now considering whether to go new or used as the salesmen have thrown different scenarios at me with regards to both & initially getting finance package on a new as they would basically give me a discount that would cover the depreciation on a new vehicle & if I’m honest, it’s all confused the hell out of me!

The test drive will happen when I have my finances sorted into my bank & that way I know I’m getting the latest available model.

Is there anything I need to be wary of or take special care of when deciding / choosing?

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On 04/06/2019 at 07:26, Fordy62 said:

I have a Discovery Sport. Not exactly small/medium tho. 

You just can’t go wrong with a Volvo. 

I have thought about a Range Rover / Land Rover & then I get taken back to Jaguar ?

The trouble is that there is too much of a selection as well & that just ends up confusing me when looking online.

23 hours ago, Paul Turnip said:

Agree with this. Volvo seats are incredibly comfortable.

I don’t know what it is with Volvo, they are expensive & their major selling point seems to be their safety features but everyone else seems to have caught up with them no in that respect & some have overtaken them on the tech side of things & this is what is attracting me to the Audi, their tech is right up there & a lot of it comes as standard now as well.

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3 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

Have you considered lease hire?

Could be a good 3 year option until electric becomes the norm.

Because of my personal circumstances, I just want to buy the car outright & not have to worry about monthly bills coming out for however many years.

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On 04/06/2019 at 07:26, Fordy62 said:

I have a Discovery Sport. Not exactly small/medium tho. 

You just can’t go wrong with a Volvo. 

I have had a little look online at Range Rover & they are within budget & everyone seems to say they are highly regarded.

A few things that make me wary are there seems to be doubts over their reliability, is that the case with anything up to year old or is that on older models? And what’s the real difference between the Range Rover & the Jaguar E & F Pace? Aren’t they basically the same company?

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5 hours ago, Tipps69 said:

I have had a little look online at Range Rover & they are within budget & everyone seems to say they are highly regarded.

A few things that make me wary are there seems to be doubts over their reliability, is that the case with anything up to year old or is that on older models? And what’s the real difference between the Range Rover & the Jaguar E & F Pace? Aren’t they basically the same company?

I think that some unfortunate people have issues with reliability but I never have. There’s a 3 year warranty with Land Rover assist which is good. 

The second hand market is quite good value because they offer good employee perks and after 12 month they can sell them on. 

JLR are one company so they’re similar. But I don’t know much outside of Discovery Sport to be honest. I bought mine from auction across the road from the Gate and I’ve been rather lucky so far. 

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Test drove an XC40 D4 yesterday (company car renewal) and it was very impressive TBH. Bit punchy on the price and hence the tax though.

Driven an e-pace and a 3008 recently and the Volvo was the best drive, by some way.

Took the new V60 out as well, very nice! 

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I’m now in a position to start test driving vehicles, I’m booked in for Tuesday with Range Rover to test drive the New Evoque & Thursday with Mercedes to take a GLC out.

I’m then probably just looking at Jaguar for a test drive in the E & F Pace as I’m undecided between those two as to which one I prefer.

Anyone have any further opinions as to what I should or shouldn’t be looking for / at? All advice is greatly appreciated.

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On 20/07/2019 at 11:49, Tipps69 said:

I’m now in a position to start test driving vehicles, I’m booked in for Tuesday with Range Rover to test drive the New Evoque & Thursday with Mercedes to take a GLC out.

I’m then probably just looking at Jaguar for a test drive in the E & F Pace as I’m undecided between those two as to which one I prefer.

Anyone have any further opinions as to what I should or shouldn’t be looking for / at? All advice is greatly appreciated.

Interested to hear what you think Tipps cos there’s a clear winner in your list for me. 

Still think you should look at a second hand Macan or go Italian though.

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12 hours ago, Westcountry Robins said:

Interested to hear what you think Tipps cos there’s a clear winner in your list for me. 

Still think you should look at a second hand Macan or go Italian though.

I have had a little nose at the Macan online but I'm just not sure my midlife crisis is at that level yet (some would probably say it was)? But I'm going with those listed above.

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I hope im right in this ,if  you go for lexus,im pretty sure you will get a lexus,or posh Toyota.

I was working on a jag xf today with a wheel arch liner out. the panels underneath are ford stamped .this is now the norm with many car manufacturers.. I feel Nissan dropped the biggest bollock,selling glorified Renault shite with a jap badge.

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Having now test driven the New Range Rover Evoque & Mercedes GLC, I was massively disappointed with the GLC, probably not helped by them allowing me to test drive a 2016 model despite me telling them I’m looking for a car up to 1 year old!!

The onboard tech is vastly different between these two with the Evoque winning hands down & my daughter (who was at both test drives) said the GLC was massively uncomfortable in the back!

I test drive Jaguars options on Monday but it seems like my mind is already made up as the tech offered by the Evoque makes a huge difference as far as I’m concerned so now I just need them to find exactly what I’m looking for & hopefully within a month I’ll my new motor.

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I’ve now test driven my 3 options, Jaguar E-Pace is still in the frame along with the New Evoque. A couple of minor issues to iron out though.

For the spec I want, there is up to a £10,000 difference with the Evoque being on the more expensive side but Jaguar did offer me a cheap fix on the fact that I want black wheels instead of silver alloys! Apparently I can just spray them black!! So that was a little of a conversation stopper.

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Get an r-line. 67 mpg going ‘up hill’ from Devon to Bristol on the weekend and the daughter will just love the full pano opening glass roof from the back.

Evoque’s a hairdressers car and the Jaguar wont’t let you get your leg over ?

 

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Audi Q3 is a good option, my other half recently got a low mileage 67 plate Black Edition in white (black wheels, no chrome, black leather etc), cracking bit of kit, drives well, comfortable, got good response from motor when required plus added benefit of quattro 4wd. Recommended.

Stay away from JLR stuff, terrible reliability & poor quality reputation.

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11 hours ago, RedRock said:

Get an r-line. 67 mpg going ‘up hill’ from Devon to Bristol on the weekend and the daughter will just love the full pano opening glass roof from the back.

Evoque’s a hairdressers car and the Jaguar wont’t let you get your leg over ?

 

My back won’t let me get my leg over ?

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