Spec me an SUV

[Bes]

Hello!

Having just made the move to Melbourne, we are looking for an SUV-type vehicle. Due to my in- laws being quite far out in rural Victoria and a few other factors around the... erm wildlife on the roads here, we need something that is safe and comfortable for long rides. We also want something that has a decent boot - as we have a whippet and want to keep him out of the main part of the car when transporting him around. We also want something with a bit of refinement

Given we are in Aus, prices of cars here are quite a bit higher than the UK but we have a decent budget.

Models we have considered so far:

Toyota RAV4 (not sure how refined these are?)
Volvo XC60
VW Tiguan
Merc GLE but decent ones are crazy money

What else should we look at?

Thanks

 

[mjt]

Nissan Patrol

 

[NathWraith]

Can't comment on the others but the RAV4 (4WD) is a great car, refined and plenty of kit.

 

[AnastieByte]

Im on my second Tiguan. The first was the 150BHP Diesel. Horrendous throttle delay (well documented if you google it). I liked everything about the car except the delay. I then was persuaded to try a Tiguan 240BHP BiTurbo. Night and day difference, Great car. Regarding the GLE you need to google but I read something about the car "crabbing" due to poor design when converted to RHD for UK. The XC60 I think has a smaller boot than the Tiguan. As for the RAV4 no experiance.

 

[gailjon]

If looking at new, the new Kia Sorento gets rave reviews.

 

[Rroff]

Not sure the Tiguan is really that suited to transporting a dog in the back (unless it is a smaller one) - it is nothing like an estate in that respect. Otherwise Tiguan would be high up the list for me.

Australia does have a few variants of the Pathfinder but probably not the greatest ride or fuel economy compared to other options unless you are looking for something a bit more serious for less than ideal roads. (EDIT: Looks like some models have fun and games with the CVT as well sadly).

 

[pugheaven]

Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 a shed load of SUV for the money can get them fully loaded. What's your budget?

 

[Uther]

Tiguan Allspace has a decent boot (love ours) but not sure it's available there.

 

[Bes]

Thanks all.

Well budget wise we have a few options. We are buying a house soon so keen to not go too crazy at this stage...

If I decide to buy cash, I think I would like to go for a max of $45,000 which rules out the XC60 as you won’t get a 2018+ model for that money here. I could go to $65,000 which is XC60 money (and a real good/ low miler at that) but not sure if it’s worth it over a Tiguan or RAV4. I know they are different levels of refinement but $20K is over £11K!

So I guess my real question is how can I get XC60 luxury for RAV4 money

 

[Vandle]

Used values of European cars absolutely bomb here mate, especially the less desirable of those (non German). Just something you have to live with.
Have you looked at Landcruisers? Not cheap but the resale is rock solid.

 

[Freefaller]

I have to say I love our R line Tiguan. It's the petrol 180bhp version - it's not fast but it has everything you could want. The panoramic roof is great in the summer, the kids find it comfortable, and even on long journeys. If you knock the seats down you've got a lot of space. Even with the back seats up and slid all the way back the boot is really big.

Honestly I prefer an estate, but this is a good compromise.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

I’d suggest taking a look at Honda’s CR-V range and they’re very well put together and used to be very comfortable on long drives across Europe.

Not sure how rural your roads get out in your part of Aus, but my 2017 CR-V didn’t really care for the high crown/rough shoulders rural roads in SW France and I wouldn’t fancy taking one on anything resembling a cattle trail or Forrest service road.

 

[Bes]

Used values of European cars absolutely bomb here mate, especially the less desirable of those (non German). Just something you have to live with.
Have you looked at Landcruisers? Not cheap but the resale is rock solid.

Interesting - thanks. So you would stay away from Volvo in particular on that basis?

 

[Rroff]

it's not fast but it has everything you could want.

I've not driven that model but the 150BHP IIRC 2.0 and while it isn't fast it was more than capable of getting going. A pretty comfortable vehicle if you've got to spend a lot of time on the road. I'm thinking of going for the hybrid model in the longer term depending on how things pan out as I don't really need my pickup any more but I'm loath to part with it and I think I'll always have an itch to own one.

Slightly older pic with my truck on the wrong tyres but in practical terms that is my ideal go to setup.

Spoiler

 

[Vandle]

Interesting - thanks. So you would stay away from Volvo in particular on that basis?

Not necessarily just that the resale will drop massively so be prepared for it. A Merc or Beamer will fare much better. I lease my cars rather than buy them so less of an issue for me but have found it hard even with high end European cars to make anything more than the balloon figure at the end. I think it's mostly to do with how expensive they are to maintain so buyers shy away from anything more than a couple of years old. Especially when Ford, Holden and some of the Asian manufacturers offer 5 year warranties. Only minor plus is that the cars don't rust here.

Also where do the in laws live? You know there are very few dirt roads in Victoria and most people drive them in normal cars anyway! The wildlife is much less of an issue as the main highways are usually fully fenced and if you drive in daylight you'll not see any. A three hour drive here isn't much of a thing. My MIL is in Wodonga, dual carriageway all the way. It's a breeze of a trip, V8 petrol's and the big diesels are made for it. Wouldn't like to do it regular in a 4 cylinder motor though.

 

[Bes]

Not necessarily just that the resale will drop massively so be prepared for it. A Merc or Beamer will fare much better. I lease my cars rather than buy them so less of an issue for me but have found it hard even with high end European cars to make anything more than the balloon figure at the end. I think it's mostly to do with how expensive they are to maintain so buyers shy away from anything more than a couple of years old. Especially when Ford, Holden and some of the Asian manufacturers offer 5 year warranties. Only minor plus is that the cars don't rust here.

Also where do the in laws live? You know there are very few dirt roads in Victoria and most people drive them in normal cars anyway! The wildlife is much less of an issue as the main highways are usually fully fenced and if you drive in daylight you'll not see any. A three hour drive here isn't much of a thing. My MIL is in Wodonga, dual carriageway all the way. It's a breeze of a trip, V8 petrol's and the big diesels are made for it. Wouldn't like to do it regular in a 4 cylinder motor though.

Right out near the state border? Yeah that is quite a bit further. Our are near Eildon/ Alexandra. Also her brother lives in Ballarat so I imagine she will be going up there quite a bit too.

It isn't to do with dirt roads - it is all paved etc. It's more to do with said wildlife jumping into the road (Would rather hit something big in an SUV than a smaller car) - We perceive the SUV- types to be a bit safer - and her brother and mum have both had write- off incidents in the past few years.
My Mrs wants an SUV- style vehicle and to be honest, I am quite open to it too. She will be going up there from Melbourne fairly regularly and with the little one(s) in the car too.

All this has basically led us to looking Toyota/ Volvo/ VW at the moment.

 

[Rroff]

Just my opinion but if wildlife like that is a serious consideration I'd be wanting something a bit bigger than the mid-size SUVs which aren't hugely different to regular cars in that respect - more like the pickup derived stuff like the Pathfinder or Jeep Grand Cherokee as mentioned above.

 

[Vandle]

Right out near the state border? Yeah that is quite a bit further. Our are near Eildon/ Alexandra. Also her brother lives in Ballarat so I imagine she will be going up there quite a bit too.

It isn't to do with dirt roads - it is all paved etc. It's more to do with said wildlife jumping into the road (Would rather hit something big in an SUV than a smaller car) - We perceive the SUV- types to be a bit safer - and her brother and mum have both had write- off incidents in the past few years.
My Mrs wants an SUV- style vehicle and to be honest, I am quite open to it too. She will be going up there from Melbourne fairly regularly and with the little one(s) in the car too.

All this has basically led us to looking Toyota/ Volvo/ VW at the moment.

Fair enough. I drive a Rangey Sport which lives 90% of its life in the city so won't discourage you! I hit a roo about 12 years ago, not been close to doing it again since. As I say, most roads are fenced, almost all of the main highways are and driving during daylight hours almost guarantees no encounters so it's not something I ever worry about.

Get a V8 Landcruiser .

 

[Bes]

Fair enough. I drive a Rangey Sport which lives 90% of its life in the city so won't discourage you! I hit a roo about 12 years ago, not been close to doing it again since. As I say, most roads are fenced, almost all of the main highways are and driving during daylight hours almost guarantees no encounters so it's not something I ever worry about.

Get a V8 Landcruiser .

Just shown the Mrs a Landcruiser and... well.. it's a no I think anything like a Pathfinder, Grand Cherokee or Landcruiser is too big for her so as little sense as our reasoning may make, I think we will need to stick to the mid- size SUV vehicles.

 

[Rroff]

I can understand that - I've found the response to my pickup kind of amusing in that respect as it is nothing like people think when they actually drive it (so much easier) - until it comes to reversing though as that is still quite intimidating even with the camera for anyone not confident in their abilities.

I guess the other option maybe could be the Range Rovers - dunno what the market is like in that respect in Aus.