Honest recommendations for suv cats please?

[maskedwoman]

I'm looking at getting a new car.

I have a budget of around 17/18k and looking for a decent suv.

Looking for recommendations please - I currently have a Kia Sportage which I love but having to get myself a new car due to separation from exH.

Love my car but new beginnings and all that....not sure if anything is as good as a sportage though?

Is it that you want to flash a fancy car under your ex’s nose?

I get that. I really do.

But forget about him.

You’ll genuinely get under his nose if he sees you in your own flat, paying for a really good lawyer

I’ve got a VW Tiguan. I absolutely love it. You could look at the Skoda and Seat SUVs too, they’re basically the same car.

I wouldn't recommend the qashqai, I had nothing but problems with ours. The hyundai tucsan (SP) and the larger Santa fe get good reviews - they will be very similar to your sportage but different enough that you still feel like you got a new car. The kadjar is basically just the qashqai with different bodywork. Engine is the same and has the same issues.

Hope you find something you like, the sportage is probably the best in that budget.

I have a volkswagen tiguan and love it as the family car. Husband has a Subaru forester which is 12 years old and still going like a champ.

Another vote for Toyota RAV4, all Toyota's now come with an amazing 10 years warranty and 15 for hybrid battery's as long as they keep less than 100,000 miles in ten years. As long as you have a service at a Toyota dealer every year you get the full warranty including all 2nd hand Toyotas. I swear by Toyota's so much I have 2, there is a reason most taxis are Toyota's

Have a look at autocrat etc to look at realibility, NCAP ratings etc. It will give you a better idea of what car will cost you the least to run. It will depend a lot on your mileage and what type of runs you are doing - are you doing long distances daily? If yes you’d be best with a diesel or hybrid? Just running a few miles a day on school trips/ work petrol is best.

Be wary of buying a diesel if your just doing a couple of 70mph runs a week. SIL got a huuuuuge bill due to a filter clogging up on her diesel. Her 15minute 70mph run wasn’t enough to clear the filter.

I don’t get why it has to be an SUV though as other car types are safe on the motorway? And you’ll potentially get a newer vehicle?

Very kind of your father to pay and you not to have that outgoing regardless of whether he’s paying cash or a monthly payment!

Have a look at Skoda - Kamiq or Karoq.

@MrsAmaretto

Have a look at autocrat etc to look at realibility, NCAP ratings etc. It will give you a better idea of what car will cost you the least to run. It will depend a lot on your mileage and what type of runs you are doing - are you doing long distances daily? If yes you’d be best with a diesel or hybrid? Just running a few miles a day on school trips/ work petrol is best.

Be wary of buying a diesel if your just doing a couple of 70mph runs a week. SIL got a huuuuuge bill due to a filter clogging up on her diesel. Her 15minute 70mph run wasn’t enough to clear the filter.

I don’t get why it has to be an SUV though as other car types are safe on the motorway? And you’ll potentially get a newer vehicle?

Very kind of your father to pay and you not to have that outgoing regardless of whether he’s paying cash or a monthly payment!

To be honest I'm just going off my dad! He knows I love my sportage so wanted me to have something different but similar!

I like the Mazdas, I know ford are good.

That's good info to have on the diesels, thank you!

@Dottybackorcid

Another vote for Toyota RAV4, all Toyota's now come with an amazing 10 years warranty and 15 for hybrid battery's as long as they keep less than 100,000 miles in ten years. As long as you have a service at a Toyota dealer every year you get the full warranty including all 2nd hand Toyotas. I swear by Toyota's so much I have 2, there is a reason most taxis are Toyota's

Ahh really - that's good to know! I shall have a look later on. Thank you!

I hate my qashqai.

Nasty to drive, poor visibility, very cramped in the rear once the kids get a bit bigger and the boot us ridiculously small for the size of car. Can't wait to get rid of mine.

Just you and a toddler? I'd get a sports car! Something totally different to what you had before. New beginnings...

Toyota GT86 or Subaru BRZ, both excellent and eminently doable for 18 big ones.

We bought a second hand Dacia Duster Comfort and ignored all the snobbery about it. Absolutely love it.

Bought in 2021 it was 15 months old (69 plate) with around 12k on the clock for under GBP11k. I'd probably stick to the Comfort or possibly the Prestige rather than the lower models. TBF with your budget you could possibly even stretch to a brand new one

Boot space even with the seats up is huge, interior big and comfy, lots of additional bits of storage dotted around the interior. Mileage is great.

I would steer away from models pre-2018 though as they're not great. Post 2018 the reviews are good too as the improvement was massive.

@PostcodeJack

We bought a second hand Dacia Duster Comfort and ignored all the snobbery about it. Absolutely love it.

Bought in 2021 it was 15 months old (69 plate) with around 12k on the clock for under GBP11k. I'd probably stick to the Comfort or possibly the Prestige rather than the lower models. TBF with your budget you could possibly even stretch to a brand new one

Boot space even with the seats up is huge, interior big and comfy, lots of additional bits of storage dotted around the interior. Mileage is great.

I would steer away from models pre-2018 though as they're not great. Post 2018 the reviews are good too as the improvement was massive.

Yes I had looked at those but the ones I looked at were all pretty basic. I'll look at the newer models. Thanks!

How old is the Sportage you drive ATM. Guessing you are going down the 2nd hand route. I got a diesel automatic Sportage last year, I hated the automatic for a week now I would find going back to manual weird. Love everything about it from the panoramic sunroof to the heated seats. Apparently the Hyundai Tucson is basically the same car ( told by the Kia dealer) The 7 year warranty is great too.

The two lower models are quite basic I think but there's a big step up for the top two. The main thing for me was value for money, combined with comfort and practicality and it scores on all of those. The Comfort has things like rear view camera, auto headlights, can raise the seat, little bits that make it nice. The Prestige has additional eg blind spot alerts and leather seats. It's not going to be as luxury as some more expensive cars (obviously!) and but it isn't a skip on wheels either.

I have a Suzuki Grand Vitara which I love. It's great on petrol and is a solid secure car. Wouldn't recommend a Honda - rust buckets IME.

SUV isn't necessarily going to be the safest. I'd look at ncap ratings and get something as new as you can for the budget.

For motorway driving cruise control or even better adaptive cruise control is great.

I just got a Mazda CX-5 and I absolutely love it. It's so smooth to drive on long journeys and it's so quiet inside that you can barely hear any road noise.

We are looking at the Kia Telluride. I do like the way the look and they have gotten great reviews.