[Cuprat]

In the process of changing one of the cars and ideally want something big.

Budget sub £50k and happy to go used.

I've looked at the Discovery 4 which initially I ruled out as too big, but it's similar to the X5 so back on the list. Assume the slab sides make it look bigger than it is.

I like the X5 and the performance on the 40d would be good

Ford Edge interests me but not in showrooms yet

VW Touerag would be a good/sensible lease option as it's cheap at the moment

So, what else is there and anyone have experience of this size/kind of car?

Thanks in advance

[Russbmw]

I think the brand new Volvo XC whatever it is looks nice TBH - I thought the previous generation also looked nice.

Experience - yes, we have an E70 X5.

In summary for the E70:

Positives:

- They're nice places to be inside, especially specc'd up ones
- Handle and go not too badly for the size they are
- Can't argue with the practicality of them
- Feel like the £60k+ cars they are
- Elevated driving position means in the rain on motorways, you can actually see where you're going still as you're above the spray
- Because of the same reason, front end seems less susceptible to stone chips
- Plenty of legroom in the back, even if the front seats are all the way back.

Negatives:

- Fuel economy is pretty crap, even on motorway runs. Filling up the 3.0d from the red light is often easily over £100. My 435i returns notably better mpg than the 3.0d X5.
- Look silly unless they have the 20" wheel option (IMO)
- You instantly get categorised as someone who can't park properly, usually because the car won't fit in the space anyway, made worse by other dicks that can't park on either side of you. Subsequently, you usually end up having to park squeezed into a space you'd rather not leave it in, but you have no choice.
- Similar to above, some people seem to take offence to others looking like they're made of money.
- Runflat tyres (if you want to keep using them) are circa £400 a corner
- When stuff breaks, parts will cost more than your average M3 parts.


Probably not relevant or a concern, as I suspect you'll be buying something only a year or 2 old, but:

- If you're into doing anything on cars yourself (even simple stuff like brake pads), it's pretty impossible on these....as unless you've got some fairly serious garage kit, you can't even jack it up to get the wheel off!

[isleaiw]

Originally Posted by Russbmw

I think the brand new Volvo XC whatever it is looks nice TBH - I thought the previous generation also looked nice.

Trouble is it only comes with 4 cylinder engines - diesel or petrol or a hybrid, in various states of tune.

Cayenne that's a couple of years old?

ML (or GLE as its now known) - get a decent slightly second hand one for below £50k, either 3 litre diesel or the 63.....

Guess it depends what you want and how many miles you will be covering on what types of roads.

I have a similar quandry - may go Macan and blow the budget a bit for a new one seeing as I will have a few months to wait and save more! But I dont want big as such - just practical...

[Russbmw]

Ah, wasn't aware of that re: the Volvos. That's a shame, as visually they're quite nice IMO.

Cayenne running costs make those for the X5 look cheap (according to a friend who works for Porsche)

There's obviously the Audi Q5 and the QE2....sorry, Q7.

[isleaiw]

Originally Posted by Russbmw

Ah, wasn't aware of that re: the Volvos. That's a shame, as visually they're quite nice IMO.

Cayenne running costs make those for the X5 look cheap (according to a friend who works for Porsche)

There's obviously the Audi Q5 and the QE2....sorry, Q7.

Perhaps I will steer clear of Porsche then.....

Discovery running costs arent supposed to be a bargain however...

[Russbmw]

No, i can imagine, as landrover/rangerover share common parts to the X5.

Incidentally, from what I can tell, the rangerover and X5 use (amongst other things) the same electrical handbrake actuator - but weirdly, the rr part is cheaper than the BMW one!

[Cuprat]

Thats great info on the X5 - thanks

Car will only do 8 to 10k per year so fuel not a massive consideration

The width is a bit of an issue.....the works car park would be fine but could imagine elsewhere it would get annoying.

The Disco looks a bit narrower so maybe that would help

[Cuprat]

Actually looking at the above having checked again they are very similar widths

[Russbmw]

Re: parking the E70. The running boards/step on the side acts as quite a nice buffer to protect the door paintwork from supermarket mofos.

Incidentally, do you need big for practicality - or do you just want something big for the hell of it? (thinking X6 might fit the bill)

[Cuprat]

Practicality really. We are doing quite a few trips away which woud be easier with the space.

I havent ruled out the 5 series touri g or Merc E class though as these may fit te bill.

[dobbo99]

X5 is popular for a good reason.

Dont rule out the Volvo XC90 - go and have a look at one, they are lovely. They are also quite large (longer than X5) but then so are all the vehicles in this category.
A friend has just bought one (replacing an X5) and we trekked off to golf in it the other week and you would not know its a 4pot diesel. I was very very impressed.

Macan also lovely lovely cars, but arent that big inside. The Cayenne is bigger, but more dated.

Toureg looks good. Not been in a latest gen one, so cant comment.

Mercedes GLE is hideous. GLS is vast. And hideous.

Range/Land Rover scares me with reliability stories. Though I guess you would have warranty at this budget. Ive never been massively drawn to a RR though.

F-Pace had potential, but the reviews in press are disappointing.

If you wanted the space and a smaller size then maybe a fully specced up X3 would be worth considering? Though I suspect you'd then regret not getting the next model up which brings us full circle to the X5..................

[Cuprat]

Thanks dobbo99. I will add the Volvo to my list

[stefan4]

Just throw a random in. Jeep grand Cherokee? Had one as a hire car recently, seemed quite nice for that kind of car. It's the first car like that I have driven so I have no idea how it stacks up against the competition. It was the 3.0 v6 diesel which made quite a nice noise for a tractor engine.

[Craig 1527]

Had my x5 40d a month now and love it as for fuel its just getting ran in but I have only fuelled up once covered just over 300 miles and still have half a tank and that is on local trips so I find it way better than my f31 335i .
Had a couple of range rover sports including the latest model nice cars never had any problems with them think the xc90 looks really nice but the smaller engine put me off the 40d pulls amazing for its size.
And the new q7 is a good looking car but I wasn't that keen when I had test drive the cayenne was great to drive but think it will be replaced soon and not keen on the merc at all.
Good luck and let us know what you choose.

[TonyMaloni]

Originally Posted by dobbo99

.

Mercedes GLE is hideous. GLS is vast. And hideous.


..................

Oh dear... more mercedes bashing on here. The GLE (normal SUV not the coupe) is a really good looking motor following its facelift and renaming to GLE. Hideous?

[Palexr]

Can vouch for the VW Touareg. Nice looking car without looking like a barge. Some top deals out there too.

[dobbo99]

Originally Posted by TonyMaloni

Oh dear... more mercedes bashing on here. The GLE (normal SUV not the coupe) is a really good looking motor following its facelift and renaming to GLE. Hideous?

actually the standard GLE is ok you are right, thats the ML equivalent.
the new coupe thing is atrocious.

[gtsussex]

Had X5, Rangie and Disco. Disco isn't as big as you'd think on the outside. Inside it is hugely bigger than the X5. There is a big difference between them. I look at the Disco as our workhorse, I looked at the X5 as the bigger practical car. It's only let us down once in 40k and that was due to a connector under front seat (which in fairness may have been down to us). I have just paid £800 for another 3 years of servicing (paid for service pack for first 3 years before this). I've extended the warranty (and will continue to do so until we sell it about 8 yrs) - was £700 a year.

They are very different in what they offer so really depends on your priorities. Ours gets used for everything - daily children ferrying, fully loaded down to Switzerland for skiing, towing for work, collecting logs, rescuing people stuck in snow. It really does do everything.

Whilst it's not slow, it does weigh 2.5 tonnes so don't go expecting class leading sporty dynamics. BUT I don't need that as have the M3.

I too would recommend looking at the Volvo. I did and it's brilliant. But we're not going to be changing anytime soon and if the wife has her way, I suspect it will be for a new Discovery or Range Rover.

PS Infotainment is woefully bad compared to any of them!!

[isleaiw]

Originally Posted by dobbo99

actually the standard GLE is ok you are right, thats the ML equivalent.
the new coupe thing is atrocious.

I think the coupe pulls off the X6 trick better than the X6....

for the OP another to consider if absolute space isnt the requirement but you want something reasonable sized with some fun - MB GLC. They have now brought out a GLC 43 version - 6 cylinder turbo petrol with 367hp which should make it move OK....

[NorthEastX5]

another vote for the X5.

although i'm mostly in the 4GC the family bus is an F15 X5. fantastic all round car (ok 4x4), lots of room, great to drive long distances, fair running costs (apart from the tyres on my 310M 21" wheels at £400 a corner ), nice interior, great to have two cars with same infotainment systems.

previous family bus was the gen2 Cayenne on a 63 plate. lovely car, fantastic interior, great all around package. definitely better dynamically than the X5 but the infotainment system fell antiquated (but worked flawlessly) other than that it was a fantastic machine. only reason we swapped it is we wanted something with 3rd row seating option. would i have another? yes probably but not until the new model comes out and the X5 is due for a change and by then the Tesla Model X will be available "nearly new" so might be tempted by an EV SUV/Crossover

[JustChris]

X5, just a great driving and very very well built car in this class.

Looks RRS
Practicality Disco
Off-road Disco
Towing Disco
Drive X5
Infotainment X5
Economy X5
Neighbours curtain twitching RRS


Best combo of all X5. Has to be X5 or Disco as split tailgate is essential on these

[Cuprat]

Thanks all,

So I've driven the Disco now. Didn't feel that big when driving and the slab sides which add to the illusion of size from the outside make it easier to park etc.
Really practical and a decent enough drive.....though one to amble around in. Can get a Landmark edition for £50k which is full loaded so tempting.

X5 test to follow next week.