I’m thinking of finally updating my car after a very long time and would really appreciate so suggestions from those who are more knowledgeable than I!
Ideally I’d like a mid size estate which does decent mpg, no too slug like and comfortable for longer trips. SUV a possibility but I’m not a huge fan of them.
Budget of £22k max, hopefully under 20’000 miles. Don’t mind a hybrid.
I tend to keep cars for a good few years so immediate residual isn’t the biggest deal but reliability and volume of repairs are as I’m not keen on anything that will need constant money thrown at the local mechanic.
So far the two that are ticking boxes are the Toyota Corolla Touring and the Volvo V60 estate. The Mini countryman is an outsider too.
What am I missing?
33 comments
Skoda Octavia, non better. That being said we drive a fabia but if we bought another it would 100% be the Octavia.
Audi A4 Avant, good residual value, good mileage , well equipped, comfortable ride. Had mine 3 years , apart from replacing a couple of tyres , service costs are all I’ve paid out .
Skoda octavia are decent mate there made buy the vw auldi group now
I was looking for estates and everything I found online pointed towards either an Octavia or a Mondeo
Jag XF Sportbrake – thank me later, and try and get something nicer for the cash!
Astra sport tourer.
Skoda Octavia or Seat Leon, they’re both the same car but one looks a bit more sporty and audi-like than the other.
Volvo 100%, best seats ever, super safe, hold their value well, very reliable, look great, not too many buttons either which is a nice change from where the germans have been going recently.
Failing that, if you want ultimate value something like an st-line focus estate would be a great shout and the powershift auto in them is a pretty good box if you want to give your left leg a rest in traffic.
We have an old V50 volvo that just refuses to die, it’s been in 3 ft of water and then sat in long grass for 6 months expecting it to be the death nell. Then me and some friends decided to drive to belgium for the f1 and all I had to do was tax it, put some air in the tyres and pop a new battery in. It’s currently being used to ferry rubble to and from the tip and I expect even that won’t destroy it.
If you can get/access a charger easily consider an MG5 ev (~24k on auto trader) (slightly more than your budget but very low fuel costs, and they have 7 year warranties on them)
I’ve got the Corolla estate. It was a toss up between this and the Octavia but the Toyota won as I get 58mpg from the 1.8 hybrid. Maybe a diesel Octavia would give similar but we wanted a petrol. The Toyota’s a brilliant car, best I’ve ever had… does everything I want very well.
Octavia hands down!
I had a Volvo V50 automatic which was superb. The Ford Focus Estate is just as good.
A mazda 6 is what you need.
I’m really enjoying my merc C220D. Comfy for long trips, returning about 55mpg over the last 10k miles, and not silly money to maintain as long as Mercedes isn’t doing it.
Something Japanese if you want reliability and build quality.
Avoid German like the plague.
Highly reccomend getting a Subaru Outback. A decent Estate car that will go on forever!
I liked my Golf estate. Very roomy but not too wide. I only had the 1.6L engine but it didn’t struggle even with kayaks on the roof.
Upgraded last year to a Passat and I’m very happy with that too.
Octavia or a golf r estate if you want a bit of fun and power.
All Minis have incredibly hard suspension. With the state of roads in Britain today and the amount of road bumps, cobbles, and other driver irritation measures, I’d never choose one.
I liked my Mercedes C-class a lot when I had it (I’ve got an E-class now and that is lovely, but outside your budget). You’ll just about find one with 20k miles for 22k quid. Goes OK (in 220d version), efficiency is good, and of course a newer one is ULEZ compatible.
Servicing costs are a bit high, but reliability is good in my experience (and if you get it serviced by Mercedes, the breakdown cover was extremely good on the one occasion I had to use it, so no need for AA/etc membership).
The Corolla or the V60 are solid choices. Especially if the Corolla meets your needs, it’s a very solid choice. The Merc is more car (style, comfort, long-distance cruising ability, etc) for more money.
My brother & his family has a V60 T8 and they enjoy it very much. The seats are comfortable, safety is high, it seats the entire family and their kit. The plug in hybrid stuff ensures excellent fuel economy – for shorter trips the petrol engine isn’t used.
Personally, I think it looks stunning.
I drive a Ford S-Max, but that is slightly bigger than mid size. It’s not that i actually need all that room for luggage, but since I have the four wheel drive version it has extra insulation and it’s actually easy to have a conversation even at 100 MPH. Fuel economy isn’t bad and I never have to play tetris loading ut up with bags – just toss them in there.
You mentioned the Mini Clubman – when I took that out for a test drive, I really hated the split rear window and I realised I wouldn’t be able to live with that.
Im not much of a car person but I have a Prius+
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I guess not strictly an estate, but the 2 extra seats in the boot fold down and it has a lot of room, similar to what I would expect in an estate.
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We use it for my husbands business to ferry stuff around, and if you need the seats instead of the space, they just flip up and you have a 7 seater instead of a 5.
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its a hybrid (self charging is mine but im sure there are plug in ones too) so in town I can get anywhere between 60-70mpg depending on how I drive and 50-60 on the motorway, again depending on whether I want to pelt along the outside lane and whether its filled with stuff.
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Also has an Eco/Pwr mode.
Mines also a 1.8 and isnt exactly slow or pokey.
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As for whether you’ll get one for 22k and mileage you want? I couldnt say
Subaru – Outback
Audi A4 Avant. Can pick up a 2-3 year old nice spec for 22k easily.
For what it is worth, I had a 2019 Toyota Corolla as a hire car in the states, hands down the worst car I’ve ever driven. Don’t know if the American spec is different to UK but off that basis I’d definitely organise yourself a thorough test drive.
Merc W124 estate. End of thread.
Mazda 6. You get a lot of car for the money, sporty too. Can easily get 2nd hand one for under 20k. We’ve had two (hatchback not estate) over the last 10 years and recently changed to a Mazda 3 as we don’t need a big car anymore.
I would go for a nice second hard A4 / S5 Avant, Cant beat Audi for long lasting
Octavia. Superb. Kia Proceed
Mercedes c300
Can only comment on mine. I have the Ford Focus 1.0L mild hybrid. It’s quick in sport and normal mode. Not used eco mode. It’s no more economical than a normal petrol though. Maybe it would be if I used eco mode, but then it’s go no pull.
Build quality is a bit iffy. Had the sun visor fall off and the inner boot handle can pop off.
My mate has an Octavia, and it looks good, but not asked him about it.
I love a Mini. I’m on my third Cooper (have admittedly never driven a Countryman), they’re really nice to drive, really reliable in my experience, and do a really reasonable mpg. *But* I will concede that they’re expensive and if something does go wrong, they’re (apparently) not cheap to fix.
Mazda is nice – my family’s had a lot of them. Not the cheapest or the most expensive on the market, do good mileage, servicing isn’t outrageous and they’re good on the insurance.
2.0 VW Passat / Skoda Octavia / Audi A4. Which one depends on what badge you like the most really. I’ve got an A4 and am never planning on getting rid of it.
Depends what you like but Toyota if you want epic reliability.