From XC60 to Porsche Macan or BMW X3?

[8ig steve]

The Mercedes GLC isn't being mentioned much in this thread, am I missing something?

It looks like a strong competitor to the XC60 to me. Size, price, technology, performance, economy (CO2 at 129), even an AMG line model for those that want M Sport like bone shakers.

[GMcL]

Originally Posted by wimorrison

Actually only almost 8 years old as it was introduced in 2008 .

You may have only been able to buy it for 8 years the car has certainly been around a lot longer than that. The type approval date for my S60 is week 46 of 2007 yet the car did not go on sale until Q3/4 2010.

What is the type approval date on the V5C for the XC60 ?

Originally Posted by RoyMacDonald

I configured one and it came out at £32,750, but the web site configurator was so awful I didn't have everything on it that I have on the XC60.

I certainly didn't have the power!! 170 hp and 350 Nm as opposed to 230 hp and 470 Nm. I couldn't see what the ground clearance was either and there was no 17" wheel option and no adjustable suspension option.

Also I didn't like the look of the car, the fact it's an unknown quantity as I vowed I'd never have Nissan product as long as I lived after my parents owned one.

Auto Express rated it only 2 stars for running costs.

I was not suggesting the Q30 was a direct competitor to the XC60 rather making the point of the confidence the manufacturer has in the product.

Any journalist would give the Model T a 5 star rating if you paid them enough.

[Harvey1512]

There is a Nissan worker near me who has a Q30, I pass it when I walk my dog at night. Much smaller than the other cars mentioned, a hatchback rather than an SUV style of car. I don't think the boot will be able to take that much. I have a supsicion that the Q30 will join the Leaf in the pile of over priced, left on the shelf range of Nissan cars. It is fine to have a prestige range but I am not convinced that the Q30 is big enough to persuade people to part with prestige money.

[NigelDay]

Originally Posted by 8ig steve

The Mercedes GLC isn't being mentioned much in this thread, am I missing something?

It looks like a strong competitor to the XC60 to me. Size, price, technology, performance, economy (CO2 at 129), even an AMG line model for those that want M Sport like bone shakers.

No spare wheel of any type.
Some folk don't like the 'iPad-style' infotainment screen.
MB should have sent the dashboard design team off to look at what Audi and Volvo do.

[Ninja59]

Originally Posted by Arianne

I think we will pop along to a BMW dealer either in Edinburgh, Newcastle or Carlisle and test drive the X4 in either 30d or 35d M-sport spec. The trouble now is that we've just sent our two licences away for renewal so that's that for test drives until they come back! There is absolutely no way that I will buy a new car again without test driving the exact engine, gearbox and suspension setup. We only drove the D5 AWD XC60 before ordering the VEA version, basing our decision on the performance data. This is never the whole story. When I say we, I mean me! Mrs A has banned me from doing that again. She says she might not know much about cars, instead being heavily swayed by their looks, but she says she knows only a twot (or her husband) would order a new car without test driving it first.

once we have test driven the X4 I will report back. But it will be a few weeks yet.

Difficult one really, Porsche know the market well, have the demand there and really do not need to give discount, despite this the things they charge for get a bit on the anal side.

Porsche these days is less sports car and more SUV as the Macan and Cayenne are really their cash cow.

In relation to the BMW personally I would go for the 35d, but without discount and any options that is £50K list.

But, BMW list is a nonsense as on a lot of their range you can get discount - I know that you said 10% discount on the X3, but that is nearing the end of the line. Generally discount from BMW is above that and is fairly straightforward with little negotiation when ordering new.

The X4 is relatively new, just watch the boot space on them though as the X5 to X6 suffers with a similar problem with the roof cut down at the back.

I know it is a different model, but many reported on the 640D Gran Coupe getting up to 15-20% discount without much effort (although they naturally splurged that saving in many cases plundering the eye watering options list).

I am probably the wrong person to look at when it comes to Audi's so I won't make any comment.

As for the active safety technology whilst I appreciate it from a technology stand point, having driven the V40 with it I found it annoying, sadly. It is one of the reasons I ended up with BMW.

[Ninja59]

Originally Posted by NigelDay

No spare wheel of any type.
Some folk don't like the 'iPad-style' infotainment screen.
MB should have sent the dashboard design team off to look at what Audi and Volvo do.

The screen is not even central in many cases on many of the models where it is stuck on (in the GLC it is definitely not)....

[GreenBrick]

Originally Posted by Arianne

Thoughts?

Option 2: BMW X3 x-line 3.0d auto. Issue here is the upcoming revised 2017 model that can't yet be seen anywhere online or in the flesh. There's no way we're buying another car without test driving the exact engine spec etc - did that on the VEA D4 current XC60, results documented extensively elsewhere on this forum in a thread now buried in the mists of time.

Arianne

Don't buy a BMW if you ever expect to be let out of a side road again. No really, I'm sure there is a bit about it in the highway code...

[marchesman]

Originally Posted by Harvey1512

Porsche, Porsche, Porsche, Porsche.

After your experiences with the turtle I would go with something utterly reliable and something people will not hate you in. Porsche every day. Will keep its value well also. Only issue may be parts / servicing costs.

Another alternative. Have you thought of the Lexus RX? Bomb proof and again, you will not be disliked in it.

Porsche, Porsche, Volvo, Volvo, and another Volvo - for me.

I wouldn't have another Porsche. Nothing to choose between them in terms of build quality, the Volvos were more reliable and the last Volvo was a more comfortable way of covering long distances than a 911. People may not have been hateful but it didn't stop them nicking the badges off the Porsches and repair costs were an insult to any reasonable man's intelligence.

If you want to make an impression buy a Porsche. If you want a car that's easy to live with and does the job that it was designed for, then Volvo gets my vote.

[Harvey1512]

To be fair, comparing the comfort of a 911 to a Volvo is not really the same. The fairer question is relating to the comfort of a Macan against an XC60 and I don't know the answer to that. No question, I went on a Porsche rampage as it is an aspirational car to me. I doubt I will ever own one and I will not lose sleep about that but if you have the money then it is one of those things that is nice to tick off the list as something you have owned. A Jaguar is also on my list and thanks to the XE that may be an option in future but that is another matter.

Anyway, the thing with aspirational choices is they are often not rational. They are something to lust over. Arianne took a Macan for a test drive and gave a very good review of it, and then rejected it as an option.

Did you have fun with the Porsche 911 though?

[Ninja59]

Originally Posted by GreenBrick

Don't buy a BMW if you ever expect to be let out of a side road again. No really, I'm sure there is a bit about it in the highway code...

I got let out in the bm 640 on both test drives...probably because it looks different to many bm's or it might have been just it's size which is longer than an new xc90, current range rover sport/range rover in normal wheel base....quite amusing really as i knew they were big but not that big!

The only car in it's class ironically that is longer is the panamera!