Would you recommend your car?

[ChiChaNaYubi]

Currently have an Audi A4 Avant which I love but it’s on its last legs now. I was thinking of getting another newer one but fancy a change.

My criteria is:

Big enough for pram
Lots of leg room
Fits 2 isofix seats in the back
Good on fuel
Comfortable for long trips
Has a good amount of tech
Looks cool!

I came on to say much the same about my X3. I often look at it and think to myself how much I love it! I don't think I could fault it really... except it's not great on fuel. I have the plug in hybrid version (it worked out better for BIK tax), but it's definitely not more efficient. Averages 33 mpg or something.

Pretty much. They’re also really light and airy so the dogs get plenty of light. Some bigger dogs don’t like sloping rear windows so the upright shape means they can sit up properly and see out.

They also tend to be relatively functional on the inside, and easy to clean out in the event of inevitable messes.

Plus they’re cheap(ish) and generally reliable because they’re built to be commercial vehicles.

Would suggest you read the recent reports only this week about heavier EVs and their tyre damage, releasing poisonous particulates into the air.

And also suggest you read up on EV charge point wait times too.

Google has endless examples of both, so the zero emission thing is horseshit frankly. Only an idiot would believe such PR guff.

And also suggest you read up on EV charge point wait times too

I’ve had an EV for 5 years @HelplessSoul I think I’d know. We just charge at home, use chargepoints a handful of times a year, never had any issues.

I’ve read exactly what you are talking about (though probably not the daily fail articles that are horeshit) I’m very well informed about the pros and cons of EV (I’ll write you a list if you like but I doubt you’re interested in listening), overall for us carbon impact for us as a family long term will be far lower than if we had an ICE car. Please don’t call me an idiot though.

Not all EV owners can charge at home.

And that was my point. Just because you havent suffered the angst of charge times doesnt detract from those that do - the Tesla charging debacle over the festive period just gone is but one example, amongst endless many.

Wasnt calling you an idiot per se - was a generalisation.

There is however, no escaping the reality that EVs are a disaster to produce, out of the price range of ordinary mortals and are no greener than modern petrols or hybrids.

Think we can park this since the OP is thankfully not interested in overpriced milkfloats with no real environmental saving grace.

@HelplessSoul
Not all EV owners can charge at home.
as my first post suggested, I wouldn't recommend an EV to anyone that didn't have a home charger. Which is quite possibly why OP isn't interested. Which is totally fair enough.

OP - sorry for the derail but if you were interested in an EV I'd be more than happy to debunk almost any conspiracy theory heard on mnet, the daily fail or elsewhere

The only conspiracy theory with overpriced EV's is that people think that they are greener and saving the planet - when neither is true.

😂

That’s not why I have one

We have a Kuga sport and bloody love it. Has loads of tech - assisted parking, sensors, cameras, heated seats and windscreen etc. Massive boot and ample space in the back

Absolutely - a Lexus NX automatic. I don’t really like how it looks (others do) but it’s beautiful to drive, comfortable, reliable and very safe. I’ve ordered the same car - just waiting for it to come off the production line

You mention you'd love an EV but don't have the space to charge at home, I'd also second the RAV4 Hybrid. It charges battery as you drive, not a plug-in hybrid, it's brilliant and we love it. If you want something more flashy then the exact same car but swankier trim is also made by Lexus.

Mini Countryman although mine is old (13 reg) and diesel. Great size though, not too big, lots of legroom in the back and nippy (Cooper SD).

I'm always going to recommend Mini, they are fab 😍

@NooNooHead1981 100% with you, ive just traded in my Mercedes A class for a 5 door Cooper S and it makes me smile everytime I get in it. Its totally impractical for the OP but I'm defo a mini convert 😂

VW golf GTE lovely car but wish the boot was a bit bigger

Is yours automatic or manual? Mine is automatic and it drives me mad - literally!
That system which nudges your steering wheel if you go over the centre line is bloody dangerous, not to mention annoying, especially when you need to cross the centre line! Also having a dial instead of a gearstick is ANNOYING

I have a RAV4 Hybrid too. I get around 48 miles to the gallon around town which is just as good as my previous Volvo XC60. I like the RAV4 more than the Volvo - the ride is much better. Although I find the SatNav rather annoying and tend to use Google maps instead. I only kept the Volvo three years but I'll keep the RAV4 for a lot longer I think.

There's loads of room for my 6'2" son and his mates in the back and would easily get two Isofix seats in. Good boot space - we have a partition and the dog has half and we have the other half for luggage and we can get two standard suitcases in.

I've got that system in my car. There is a button to turn it off but it has to be turned off each time I start the car. I just turn it off when I go on the Motorway as it pulls my car around even when I'm not changing lanes. Alternatively, using your indicators each time you want to change lane seems to cancel it out.

That system which nudges your steering wheel if you go over the centre line is bloody dangerous, not to mention annoying, especially when you need to cross the centre line!

Mirror, signal, manoeuvre. Indicating turns it off.

I have a golf as well and love it. Have to pop the wheel off the pram to get it in, which is fine. I am thinking of getting the volvo xc60 next to fit a brief similar to the OP's. Interested to hear what you go for, OP.

I have a Citroen C4 Picasso (think the newer version is called a Spacetourer). It's got heated massage seats at the front, three isofix seats in the second row and two additional seats in the back. If those are out, I can easily fit a large pushchair or half the plants in the garden centre in the boot. The back row has lots of legroom and the middle console isn't obstructing the middle seat, so it's all flat down on the floor.
I love my panorama windscreen. I enjoy the cruise control and speed limiter on long journeys (we visit family by car and it's a 12-hour drive). There are lots of little places to store things. The rear view camera is useful when parking. It's got a park assist feature but I've not tried that out, yet. Mine is a 2014 reg and therefore not the newest thing ever. However, it's doing well so far and I enjoy driving it. Ideally, we need a car with four-wheel drive and I had looked into replacing it with an SUV. Didn't like the tiny windows and the claustrophobic feel. Much prefer the light and the open feel of my Citroen.
Whether it looks cool...well, depends...I quite like it.

We love ours. Peugeot 3008. Loads of space for isofix seats. You can even put an isofix seat in the front if you want to.

DH v happy with the tech - connects his phone to it, uses the automatic cruise control etc. It has the automatic calling the emergency services or breakdown cover as well. Not that we've had to use this. We also like split air con so we can each have a different temperature!

We will upgrade to the 7 seater this autumn/winter (when they ever get stock). Hoping it's just as good. It seemed nice when we sat in it at the dealership.

Oh, it can also park itself, but it's a bit of a gimmick and doesn't always work.

We have recently bought a 64 plate Landrover Freelander Metropolis and we love it! It is far more fuel efficient than we thought it was going to be, has enough electric gadgets for our liking (electric seats, heated seats and steering wheel, electric sunroof to name a few), it has tons of legroom even in the back. We can get two wheelchairs in the boot but with a bit of wiggling and taking apart, but one wheelchair can stand up in there fine with no folding so I imagine a pushchair or pram would fit. It has two isofix points too. The only thing that would make this car 100% for us would be a 6 cd player and it being dark blue.

We have a 2005 Octavia Estate 1.9 diesel, and we absolutely love it. As an estate, there's loads of room (we're past the pram stage but have a big, hairy, dirty dog to transport around!), it's pretty good on mpg (typically 45 around town and up to 55 on long motorway journeys, and it is extremely reliable.

As it's old, it's very low tech (!) and I don't know what the new models are like. I know the newer versions are more streamlined/less box shaped so have lost boot space.

It's maybe not cool but such a workhorse. I'll be gutted when the time comes to replace it.

I have a higher spec Ford galaxy which would tick all the boxes apart from maybe the last one...