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.

Hmm, yes... the Volvos do look pretty good.

Spoilt for choice. And even when we chose a model there are so many variations 🥴

Kia Sorento, absolutely adore it. I have back problems and three tall teens. It has fully adjustable heated seats. Love that it's a 7 seater- great for car pooling & the two seats in the back are comfortable for adults unlike my previous grand Scenic whose back seats were useless.

I've heard from a few AA mechanics too that they're the worst vehicle and pick up more than other cars

I would go for the Volvo XC90 or the Touareg.
We have the Tiguan R-Line but find that once we've got our dog in the back there's no room for much else (she is a golden retriever though). I love the Tiguan, it's so comfortable to drive and very reliable. Would you consider a roof rack if you need extra storage?

Also, would not recommend a discovery, my friend has one that has been taking pride of place in the driveway for months as the bill to fix it is in excess of £5k and they have only owned it for over a year.

Ha, fellow goldie owner here @catoutthebag ! Ours is a larger than average boy!
They do get hot and like to spread out, don't they? So him and luggage for 4 needs a generous boot.

Audi Q7... like driving on a cloud

We have a hyundi tucson. Lots of headroom. DH is 6ft 2. I can drive it too and I'm only 5ft. Comfortable drive. Looks nice too

We have a Toyota RAV 4! Such a great, reliable car!! Huge boot space

Another Volvo vote for me. Had an XC90 and now have an XC60. We have 3 dogs (2 large, 1 small) and a young toddler. The XC90 coped well with our baggage (the XC60 not as much but only because the boot is higher as it's a hybrid model).

I'd avoid Land Rover or Range Rover like the plague.

Are you absolutely sure yours doesn't qualify for the ULEZ? Our XC90 is an 05 plate. I had to get a letter signed by Volvo certifying that it met not only Euro 4 (ie, ULEZ) but also Euro 5 levels. And after a lot of arguing with the evil TFL they backed down.

I love my Tiguan, best car I've had. X

Another vote for the Volvo XC90. The biggest boot ever partly because there are no wheel arches eating into the space. And with the seats down it's like having a van. We've transported wardrobes, lanky teens plus all the baggage on holiday round Europe, drum kits, students up and down the motorways to uni.
One of the reasons we got it was my DH's bad back. The seats are like armchairs and comfortable for several hours. I love the high up driving position and it's super quiet on the motorway.
We've had ours for 15 years and it's done 140k.
Downsides? It drinks diesel and the turning circle is rubbish. But we love it and will keep it until it drops.

The most reliable and handsome 4×4 we had was a Mitsubishi Pajero, 3 door.
Never had a single problem in 10 years. Couldn't export it when we moved, Replaced it with a Toyota Land Cruiser, also 3 door, good size . Very similar, hard working , perfect for mountain driving and hauling boats. Highly recommend both.

I would LOVE a Volvo XC90. While I don’t have one, I’ve driven one and absolutely loved it. Another thought is the Toyota Highlander. We had one as a rental when holidaying in Canada and it was a dream. Massive boot, super comfy and incredibly economical on fuel. They are now available in the UK and as we know, Toyota have a great rep in general.

EDIT - I see now that they are discontinued in the UK but used models up to 2022 are available. Shame.

That's interesting @Spanglybangles Toyota regularly come up top (or second to Honda) for reliability, but there's not beenuch mention of Toyota on this thread. I'll be checking out the RAV4 and Highlander.
Unfortunately, I think the Volvo XC90 is a little out of budget!

Definitely do that @DejaVoodoo , the Rav 4 is the most popular SUV type vehicle in Canada. I know this is the UK, but it’s a great endorsement from a country with serious winter road conditions.

Do Rav 4s still have the stupid tailgate that doesn't open fully? It's a while since I looked at them and I know they have had a significant face lift since then so hopefully it's different now, but it was the reason I didn't get one. They used to have a tailgate that opened sideways like a door rather than up and down which at first appealed to me as I'm really short, but it didn't open completely so getting large things in and out would be a PITA and for me, defeat the object of having an SUV. They may have changed it or more recent models of course but it was something that surprised me in general - lots of SUVs have decent interior space but other features such as poor tailgate design or seats that don't fold fully flat make it difficult to access. I ruled a lot out for that reason when I was shopping for my current car a few years ago.

We are on our third Mitsubishi Shogun, the long wheelbase version. We absolutely love them. They fit more in the boot/back than any other car we've ever had/tried/considered. They never go wrong, and are a joy to drive.

@MrsAvocet I can confirm the post-2018 RAV4 (5th gen) has a normal boot that opens in a sensible way! It's 580 litres I think - huge. I love mine.

I'd look at the Rav 4 based on Toyota's reliability. The latest one is a good looking car in the right spec.

Skoda Kodiaq Sportline's are the best looking SUV IMO. Tiguan in the top specs are also handsome things.

Honda crv. We now have two. I adored my Mazda very reliable but it big enough for three kids in the back.
honda crv boot is a tardis. Also amazing in snow and ice even on summer tyres it gets up my 1/3 mile drive in the snow better than my Mazda with snow tyres.
We also use the older crv for towing and it does a fab job.