Do I want a Tiguan or a Range Rover or something else?

[Noofly]

After 9 happy years with my Mondeo, I am sadly realising that she really is falling to bits, mostly because I drive her on roads that are entirely unsuitable for her, and I need a 4x4.

We live in new town suburbia, but we have a dog and most days, I take him out to the countryside for walks and DS and I love hillwalking at the weekend which again means more potholed roads and the undercarriage of my poor Mondeo can’t take much more.

I have dog owning friends who have a Tiguan and they love it. I also know people in similar circumstances who love their Range Rovers! I’ve got a budget of around £25-30k (ignores the trade in as I doubt we’ll get anything worth counting for the Mondeo) which would appear to be able to get me a not too old Tiguan or a bit of an older Range Rover.

Or do I want something else???

They’re so different in cost and size (or aren’t they and I just perceive them to be?). Comparing ours with a friend’s, the Tiguan is much more economical with fuel if that is of any use?

Or look at a Honda - we've had a few and they can go over fields and up muddy hills!

We hummed and hawed over range rovers but the Honda won out. Very good experiences - cheap to maintain, reliable, sturdy and keep going for years. Also aren't most rr diesel - won't this be clobbered soon?

Our Skoda Octavia undercarriage was buggered for very similar reasons. We now have a Volvo XC60 - the "hybrid" between town car & country 4x4 really suits us. XC90 also good, but we didn't need to go so big. It was about £23k nearly new.

I wasn't blown away with volvos - we had them growing up so went to check out the 'captain sensible tanks' and apart from the really big ones, they just didn't feel as rugged as they used to be.

We have a Tiguan and are really happy with it. Didn’t cost anything like as much as a Range Rover, we’re happy with the spec etc. It’s very comfortable.

A late FL2? I have one and love it.

I have a Discovery Sport and although its beautiful, I am back and forth to the dealers about once a month because of the all the faults with it!! I would suggest steering clear of anything made by Land Rover/Range Rover (and I have had everything from a Defender to a RR Sport). They are a complete PITA.

My Hyundai Santa Fe on the other hand was a delight to both drive and maintain and held its value fairly well. Plus 5 years warranty.

We recently had a Tiguan as a rental replacement. I hated it - the steering felt approximate at best and the acceleration was some of the slowest I've ever experienced (it was an automatic, mind you). I know it's meant to be a big car, but it's as though they gave no thought at all to the aerodynamics. DH called it the German tank.

I've never driven a Range Rover, however, so can't compare.

For reference, I'm used to driving a Q5.

Sis has a g wagon for almost 20 years and sold it because she needed something nippier for going up the fields bit the Land Rover seemed to have a lot of mechanical problems and was quickly sold.

We had a freelander and it was the most unreliable car we’ve ever had. I wouldn’t buy another Land Rover again. Put it this way, an acquaintance works at Land Rover and could easily have a free/subsidised one as part of his contract. He chooses to have a BMW that he has to pay for himself!

DH has found a 2016 Discovery Sport for £28,500 which he thinks might be a nice compromise, but maybe not! There’s also a 2017 Tiguan not too far from us for just under £24,000.

The diesel does bother me (the Tiguan is petrol). We’ve had diesel cars for ages but am not convinced we need to carry on with this so weighing that up as well.

DH has now told me three times in 10 minutes that this Discovery has a very nice interior (he’s not sold on the Tiguan in general but it’s my car so my decision!).

Cakes, was it a 1 or a 2? My FL2 is one of the most reliable cars I've ever had!

Curve ball - I have a Ford Kuga and absolutely love the bones of her! I test drove and seriously considered Jag F-Pace, Discovery sport, Q5, XC90 to name a few. Didn’t like any of them anywhere near as much as the Kuga. Seats and suspension are supremely comfortable, never had to go in for repairs or issues, cheap maintenance as it’s ford (I pay £20.40 monthly which covers servicing and MOT’s for the next three years). Plus came with all the bells and whistles for well under £30k. I do admit to be very smug sat in the car while the front heated windscreen takes care of the ice of a morning which Audi owning DH is furiously scraping and De-icing

Have messaged DH with all of the other suggestions as well. He’s in his element car shopping for me.

Chevrolet Captiva.
Bloody lovely car!!

We’ve had good luck with Ford, so will get him to look at the Kuga as well.

I have a mitsubishi - you get the 4x4 benefits but they arent wide tanks - nearly us all the farmers have them for pulling horseboxes.

I love my xc90, I know people who love their Tiguan, I hate range rovers - too big and tank like, discovery slightly better option.

We had a Range Rover years ago and it was a lovely car, very very comfy and excellent off road. But they cost £££ to repair and guzzle fuel although newer ones may be more economical.
I liked my old disco, but I hate the shape of the newer ones. There was limited space on the back seat, but otherwise very comfy practical and good to drive.

We had a land rover defender, loved it, ideal for dogs (van type so could just hose out the back) and it could literally pull a house up a mountainside. But a bit thirsty. And the driving position is not the best either. They are now collectable so the price is going up not down.

We have a jeep Cherokee ATM, which I really like.
Not too bad fuel wise for a 4x4, comfortable and good to drive, big boot for the dogs.

A good affordable practical solution is a twin cab pick up like the Isuzo rodeo or Mitsubishi animal. They have a car like interior and 5 seats but a pick up back. We had a hard top cover on ours, kept the wet dog pong out of the car! As they are vat and tax deductible a lot of farmers/ builders have them.

A lot depends too on how car like you want it to be, if you can claim vat/ tax back (if so defenders and twin cabs are the way to go) and if you intend to tow with it.
If you do intend to tow, check the towing limit and the weight of your trailer. VOSA are shit hot at pulling up and fining you if you get it wrong.

Ford Ranger Wildtrack.

Great value, great looking vehicle, holds its value well and ideal for putting the dog in the back!

The Range Rover evoque is in expensive but completely amazing off road! Go for a test drive, I strongly reccomend it, range rovers are perfect for British driving conditions.

Range Rovers - shit, overpriced and unreliable.
VWs - same as above and poorly equipped unless you spend loads extra.

Japanese all the way - RAV4, CR-V or CX5.

All fully loaded 4x4s, all reliable, want for nothing and acres of space and packed to the rafters with tech. Its a total no brainer. Who'd spend nearly £30k on a used Rangey....need your head checking!

We recently considered a Land Rover discovery sport vs the Volvo XC60.

I wasn't impressed with the Discovery Sport. It's the entry level Land rover for a reason. For similar money, the Volvo is a much better car. Friends of ours have a Tiguan and really like it too. Not sure how the XC60 compares to the Tiguan, but might be worth taking a look.

(If your DH has his heart set on Land Rover, might be worth looking at the Evoque and Range Rover sport. I've been in both and preferred them to the Discovery Sport)

Fiat Panda 4wd. You won't regret it.

Personally I love Volvos but each to their own.