Do you have an SUV? Which one, and go you recommend it?

[DejaVoodoo]

Were about to replace our ancient Vauxhall Zafira. Will get an SUV style car, 1-3 years old, but not sure which...
I hired a VW Tiguan for the day recently and loved it, so comfy, but we probably need a bigger boot.

What do you have? Do you recommend it? Particularly keen to hear about Land/Range Rover. Or anything really.

Thanks for any thoughts.

I’ve got a 21 Plate VW Tiguan. I find the boot roomy but if you want a bigger one look at the Tiguan All Space as it’s a 7 seater. Really it’s just two seats that fold down in a bigger boot.

A BMW X1 has a smaller boot than a Tiguan, as does the Seat Ateca and the Skoda Karoq. I looked at all 3 at the time I got my Tiguan. A Seat Tarraco or a Skoda Kodiaq is comparable to the Tiguan Allspace.

I loved my Ford S-Max and Skoda Karoq.

Currently have a Hyundai Tucson. It’s ok. Roomy and comfortable but fuel economy is poor and it’s got some annoying features.

Range Rovers are a total pain - they are a nightmare for maintenance and insurance, swerve!

we have a VW touraeg. Its boot is enormous. We chose it for the brilliant rear leg room (we have 3 lanky teens). We love it!

I have a seat Tarracco, it's a 7 seater so the boot is huge. I have to carry huge foam mats around that are a metre square and it carries them with ease.

And being a Seat it's reliable, cheap to run and maintain. I LOVE it!! I have the first edition which comes with all the bells and whistles as standard, later models they split up so I'd recommend the lux if you want bells and whistles or you can go basic.

I would ask anyone buying an SUV in a city to think carefully about their choice. They are excellent if you use them off road or in severe weather area, but they are the wrong kind of car for a city

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/oct/07/a-deadly-problem-should-we-ban-suvs-from-our-cities

From the VAG family, Tiguan, Ateca and Karoq are broadly the same size. Differences in spec and price depending on which brand you use. We had a 67reg Tiguan which we loved, DM has an Ateca which I've also driven and is equally good.

The Tiguan Allspace is equivalent to the Tarraco or Kodiaq. We now have a Tarraco and is amazing how much difference the extra boot space makes. It's not perfect; because of the higher load level (because of the folded down seats) stuff rolls around a bit more, but it's a small price to pay for the space.

The beauty of all six of these models is the amount of space you get for not a huge width. I have also had an extended test drive in a Rav 4 which was SO wide by comparison.

Agree with pp that an X1 is small.

No personal experience of the Volvo XCs, but know quite a few friends with them and they are all very happy. Particularly if you want to go big, an XC 90 seems to be the smart choice of the moment.

Love my Mitsubishi Outlander. It's the comfiest car ever to drive and has been very reliable

Why an SUV? Well It's not that I thought to myself "Ooh, I'd like an SUV"; I'd used one for a day and it was super comfortable because of the sitting position. Having had back problems for nearly 20 years it was a revelation that I could sit comfortably in a car for hours on end!

I do live in the country, too, and the roads are crap, but that said we've survived with 'normal' cars up till now.

I love my Skoda Karoq. I think it’s my favourite car so far for all round usefulness, how it drives and the kit inside.

Love my Kodiaq. One of the best cars I’ve had in over 33 years of driving.

Interesting that you mention back problems. It's one of the main reasons we went with our XC60. I have a herniated disc and am waiting for a spinal operation and I'm also tall - most cars I find very uncomfortable and aggravate my back. Our volvo has been great for that, plenty of leg room and the seats have fantastic lumbar support. Before we bought it I was speaking to an elderly man parked outside our house with an XC40 who had bought it specifically because his wife had had a hip replacement and struggled in most cars.

The XC60/XC40 are recommended on some of the car websites as best car for back pain too.

Re Jaguar a friend had an E Pace from new (very recently, last 2 years) and the thing was never out of the garage. Mostly electrical issues. They're Chinese owned these days and not the quality they once were sadly.

I have chronic pelvic pain and the comfort of the Mitsubishi seat is one of the reasons I went for it

@SingingSands nope I had an X1 courtesy car - the driving position is no way as high as for example my CRV it is not much higher than for example a regular saloon car and the angle of the tailgate window is quite acute compared to again my CRV so my dog crate which lives in my CRV did not fit in the X1 - I know the 1 series too and am not confusing the 1 series with the X1. If someone has not had an SUV and goes for an X1 maybe they will find it ok but I do not feel after a CRV and X3 that the X1 is comparable and just cannot see how it can be classed as an SUV - it looks a bit similar but that is all. Same as for example a Mokka - I would not call that an SUV but people on here are mentioning it. I have driven that too - I am only commenting on cars that I have actually driven.

I've got a new discovery sport and I absolutely love it. I've only had it for 3 months so can't comment on reliability but no issues so far and being able to turn it into a 7 seater is a massive convenience for me.
It's a gorgeous drive

Thank you so so much for all your contributions everyone. I still haven't decided, but I know a lot more now.

Thanks for clarifying @PilatesPeach . I was beginning to favour the X1, but your comments on the seating position have put me off again! I'm glad to know about it though, as this was an important issue for me.

Think maybe Honda CRV is the strongest contender ATM, with KIA Sorrento and Skoda Kodiaq bubbling under!

@PilatesPeach do you recommend the X3?

Should say I did have a Tiguan before my discovery. I was happy enough with it but it felt like a bit of a boring car, I didn't LOVE it but it was fine. I called it my mum wagon, no joy in it for me. Just practical

Oh, I've always loved the Disco @TiredInPerpetuity ... but there are lots of reports of sketchy reliability which have dampened my ardour somewhat.

Well, I'm a boring mum, so it's probably fine for me!

I have the f pace

Love if

Hope to keep it for the next ten years plus

@DejaVoodoo I am a boring mum too 😅. No disrespect meant at all. But I just really love driving and I want to LOVE my car - especially when it's such an expensive purchase and I spend some much time in my car.

I was put off with the reliability reports but I had a bit of a "fuck it" moment (I'm prone to them), and went for it. I may live to regret it but so far so good

Steer clear of a Range Rover, we got rid of ours, as it had some many issues, we bought brand new.

I went back to a Volvo XC90, we had one before the Range Rover, I absolutely love it, never an issue and works really well for our family. We also have a F-Pace Jaguar, which is also good but I Love the the xc90.

Well last night DH and I were looking at lots of reliability index ratings and rankings (told you I was boring!)

The Japanese come out tops... Honda, Toyota, Lexus etc. Volkswagen were lower than I'd hoped, and the more luxury brands are terrible. DH was keen on the F Pace Jag, but they rank super low. That said, his old Jag was perfect for 10 years of long slog commuting without a single issue... until it fell apart from rust!

I've got an XC40 and love it. Just drove to Scotland and back (7 hours) only stopping once each way and it was so easy and comfortable.