Large SUV £12-15k

[missy111]

I’ve been searching and searching.
I like the Kia Sportage, but the boot is too small!

The latest shortlist:
-Very Large boot space (dog crate and self employed, so carry a lot of stuff around!)

-Automatic

-Probably diesel as I do a lot of miles and no drive so can’t have an EV

Budget -£12-15k

Short list is
2019 RENAULT KOLEOS
2.0 dCi GT Line 5dr 2WD X-Tronic 38500 miles

Hyundai Santa Fe
2.2 CRDi Blue Drive Premium 5dr Auto [7 Seats] 2017 42000 miles

Any help/advice appreciated

Why does it have to be an SUV?

Something like a Citroën Berlingo is ideal for what you need.

Skoda Kodiaq

Thanks, but it needs to be a higher vehicle due to my back! Getting in and out of low cars is tricky, and I’ll be honest, I prefer the look of a SUV

Sadly not in my price range unless it’s very high mileage

CRV, they aren’t as wide as most so fit in parking spaces properly, a decent boot thats nice and square rather than being an annoying shape.

I would take the Hyundai any day over the Renault for reliability and comfort. Drive a Kodiaq at work and it has not been without electronic issues.

I have the Mercedes GLC which is amazing and diesel. Might fit in with your budget

That's a shame. What about a Skoda Octavia? Not an SUV but has a large boot. Should get one a few years old in that price range

Have a look at the MG range. Good spec and comfortable ride

I feel this might bring out all the anti-SUV types or general car-hating types. SUVs are also very nice and I'm a sucker for them myself, so I fully understand you liking the look of them. Have you considered something like a Volvo XC90? I don't think the newer ones exist with diesel engines unfortunately, but they are very spacious cars. You might be able to find a used mk1 diesel Volvo XC90 but I'd be concerned about high mileage considering you already do a lot of miles. Although historically Volvo engines don't get properly warmed in until 100k miles, so it might be okay.

The Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner are based on the same chassis as the SUVs. Getting in and out is exactly the same.

@missy111 Santa Fe is definitely the first option that sprang to mind reading your requirements but will aim to give some alternatives to explore for comparison.

Under budget alternative could be a Skoda Yeti - think these were replaced by the kodiaq around 2017. Probs 10-12k available as a diesel auto.

Have you considered a Nissan x-trail? Should be able to get a 2018/19 car in budget.

Leftfield option to consider would be a self charging petrol hybrid. Find a 1 previous owner Lexus RX and enjoy a big luxury vehicle with incredible reliability. If you could stretch to 18k you could get a 2016 face-lift model with a tech spec to rival 2 or 3 year old cars. Pre 2016 models can be found in budget.

Sorry one more option has come mind, a Seat Tarraco. I think it's the Seat branded version of a VW Tiguan . 2018/19 should squeak into budget and good tech spec with diesel and auto available

Land Rover Discovery. Just a better built car. Ours is 2011 and still wonderful. Much better ride than most of the cars mentioned and very capable off road as it’s got proper 4 wheel drive and all terrain driving settings. Plus hill descent control. It’s so much more than a Berlingo and a great dog carrier!

Have you looked at a Toyota 2018 RAV4? It'll likely be hybrid rather than diesel but should be in your budget, a few years warranty left too.

I got a 5 year old Toyota RAV4. Petrol, not diesel though. Boot is massive, even without any seats folded. I paid £13k

Yes, 2019 onwards have a bigger boot, we can get 4 labs in ours quite comfortably but wasn't sure if that would be in budget

With a maintenance bill to match.

JLR in general don’t have great reliability, are expensive on consumables and I can imagine are far too heavy and costly (tax and fuel wise) for day to day use. They’ll probably deal well with true off road though, granted.

But I would dread to think what a 15yo Disco 4 might have lurking in the repairs dept.

Honda CRV as new/low mileage as possible is the best bet at the OPs budget, or maybe a Rav 4. Japanese all the way.

MG anything
Dacia Sandro
Jeep Renogade
Mitsubishi AX
Mazda CX60 - boot is huge and a higher mileage/older model will squeak into your prive range
Sanyyong SUV (these now have a new name but the older ones will be your price range)
The new BYD hybrid SUVs? The boots are massive!

Have you had a look at Dacia Duster? Such a great car, low price, huge boot etc

MPV instead of an SUV but Ford S Max. Huge boot and decent price

SEAT Alhambra / VW Sharan (same car).

Biggest boot space before you move can territory.
Sliding doors at back for easy loading/kids/car seats.
Good fuel efficiency.
c
Can have some uumph if you search out the higher bhp models.
Within your budget.

@Lonelycrab My 3 Discos and 3 Range Rovers have all been reliable. I’d take my Disco any day of the year over Chinese crap. It’s a proper suv with all sorts of off road capability. Depends what money you have but the Discos are diesels. Of course it can be used every day. It’s now one of several cars we own but it was the family car for years and lugged everything to university and back for DDs and took dogs everywhere. Mine is a 2011 and I’ve no idea what it’s worth but it’s not had much in the way of repairs but it’s fully serviced and maintained. Of course it’s not cheap but it’s a fantastic car! Not everyone needs a cheap to run vehicle with low capability.

I didn’t mention Chinese which I agree are probably not the best bet in the long run.

I was talking about proven Japanese brands which undeniably have a better reliability record than JLR, are cheaper to run and maintain (the engineering is simply better-it doesn’t break!) are are probably (since the op hasn’t mentioned the need for serious off road capabilities) a far better bet for normal everyday use at this price point.

A Disco/RR would have originally sold at a far higher price point to a CRV/Rav4; so you will naturally get an older, higher mileage version for a given price. A newer, lower mileage vehicle with a better reliability record is where I’d spend my money. 12-15k isn’t a lot of money in the scheme of things, and may well get you a troublesome money pit in JLR land.

@Lonelycrab Some of these other cars go wrong too. It’s not black vs white. My friend has had expensive suspension issues on a Mazda for example. Build quality isn’t always great and these cars can feel very tired after 5 years or so.

What Car have a very good article on family SUVs for under £10,000. They have included a Dacia with a poor NCAP rating. For some inexplicable reason. Each car does, however, get plus and minus points so you can look at size, build quality, etc and see what suits your family. The big problem for some is equipment levels and interior quality - this means a higher trim model is necessary but it’s a good steer if you keep away from the basic models and a low NCAP rating!