From XC60 to Porsche Macan or BMW X3?

[isleaiw]

Originally Posted by Ninja59

The same argument can be applied very often do you need a £25K car when a tata nano will do the same job for even less?

We all have different priorities and we occasionally need to compromise on them to get a car to suit, the question is where? (unless you only have one model in mind at all times - like the MX5 for me it was just the MX5 (although in fairness there is little in the form of competition (ignoring the Fiat rebadged version of the MX5 for the moment!) - the BMW purchase was very different though - the brief was simple - a "practical car").

Now for various reasons I discounted SUV's (no offence intended for anyone) I just do not "want" one as I really have little need. What I did need was 4 doors and a fairly big boot.

My personal options were ideally more than 4 cylinders, diesel or hybrid. As for preferences RWD and auto, if I must. Being well aware of how good the ZF 8spd gearbox is (who needs 8 or 9 speeds again???)

My OH's personal choice then came in as she had to validate any suggested cars, colours of exterior and interior. As anyone here will appreciate that was a hard one!

Regarding the hybrid the obvious car on my list was the D6 V60, I like them a lot. The bug bear was I have no where to charge the dam thing often enough to make it sensible and when you look at some of the ongoing costs it began to become horrendously expensive for my own needs.

So why the 6, and a 3 litre? Well put honestly I hate the looks of the 1,2,3 and 4 - they are all pretty "bland" and I could not get on with the kidney grills being exposed at the edge into the lights it just looks wrong. Furthermore, bar the 1 and 2 the other 2 look far to similar from the front.

The 5 was a possible and I could of got a smaller engine, but again I just could not get excited by it, and for me that equals a short relationship. The 6 on the other hand yeah is the same underneath as a 5,previous 7 and even the RR Ghost bar some suspension changes and chassis lengths, but it had something unique and special it could not be confused with any other model in the range what so ever, it looked nice to the eye (and even now I still look back at it more than I should (the MX5 probably more so if she is ever parked in a car park anymore for the half wit that is driving around to close or opening doors).

Would I have taken a smaller engine than the 3 litre if available? No. The 6 inline diesel BMW engines are brilliant from the point of view of power v MPG. Yes a 2.0 could get more, but how much more? and would I love it as much? Would I want to keep it for my predicted plan of 5 years?

Unfortunately, from a noise point of view I know BMW put fake engine noises, but even then crank down the window and it still is a large engine and puts a smile on your face easily and easily gets dispenses fairly easily of those pesky 20d versions (in any format!).

Also I could not help but notice the 2.0d BMW engines in the MPG thread of the worst cars was listed in a few models.

Overall yes it was an heart v head decision, but was backed up by excel spreadsheets...

Indeed, its all relative. I have just sold my A6 3.0 tdi quattro as I wasnt using it and at the moment I am enjoying making do with the Mini Cooper I have available - and a £400 206 for the station run....

I do need a car that can take 2 spaniels in a pen along with 4 people and some luggage. I dont need an SUV but I do like the high seating position - particularly good for advance visibility on a motorway (which is where I will be driving it as I have the small car for station and such). I want a 6 cylinder (or more!) if diesel or potentially a 4 cylinder turbo petrol (I had a Golf GTi before the audi!).

The reality is I can have any of that - but all of my wants suddenly become less important when I think that something my daughter can drive to carry the new arrival around may be much more important (she has a Mini too - but 5 door). £45k on a very nice car is still an option - but it did make me revisit what is important to me. Maybe a petrol Tiguan and stuff the insurance is the happy compromise for all of us...?

[AngloScot]

Not sure the X4 is quite so rare in the South East. One thing I must say though, is it's not the best looking car I have seen from BMW. I know that BMW make quality cars though as we've had one for years. Personally I would stick with the XC60. I guess mine will be a keeper for a good few years yet.

[Arianne]

Help! Really, I need the community on here to help as this is getting very hard

Today we set off at 8:50am and headed off to Newcastle. I should say that the A68 is a great road to drive until the Caravan Club of Great Britain emerges from winter hibernation. And so this morning's trip proved to be a very pleasant drive, albeit that the road was very wet with the occasional cloudburst until we had got over the border at the Carter Bar summit.

We found the BMW dealer but couldn't get into the customer car park because it was clearly 'moving stock' day at the dealership. So we dumped our XC60 in with the brand new BMWs in the compound and discreetly wandered off towards the showroom.

Despite the corporate brand of BMW it's clear that not all dealerships are the same. This one felt cluttered with too much stuff in it - desks, cars, seating, coffee machine and offices (more about the offices later). The toilets and quality of the biscuits are a good guide - the loos were not great and there were no biscuits being offered so you can't surely get worse than that? By the way, if you want a winter de-icing pack then they'll sell you one for £16 as it's being advertised in the loo. The thought crossed my mind of asking for it after washing my hands but I thought £16 was a bit steep for a bottle of spray and a scraper, even if it has a BMW logo on it

Our salesman was a seasoned professional, but then so am I. And the family troop had been fully briefed and we all knew our respective roles!

The first disappointment was that the car we were told we would be test driving was unavailable. It might seem small but the replacement car didn't have Electronic Damper Control. However, it was a 30d M-Sport thankfully!

We set off for the test drive. I had explained beforehand that we wanted a nice stretch of fast back roads, just a short blast along motorway and a tiny bit of urban. The salesman said he had a great coastal route lined up but then admitted that he was a bit lost after a couple of miles! We spent ages driving through urban roads and town centres followed by the type of coastal road that is used by elderly drivers who have retired to the seaside - there was absolutely no opportunity to properly test the car. Other than to realise that, in town, standard M-Sport suspension is no better than my R-design suspension on 20" wheels - crashy. So the EDD would be a must-have then.

We finally found a rural(ish), twisty minor road. And so I turned left and waited until I would escape the endless 40mph repeater signs, only to find myself behind a Nissan Micra (light blue). I do not jest - there it was at 35mph on a twisty back road that had absolutely no safe overtaking stretches for quite some distance. The salesman suggested that we might have to get to the end and turn around to make the trip worthwhile!

The 40mph turned out to be in place for the whole of that road. And therefore the Micra was a blessing in disguise. Why? Well, I had decided that I would just need to overtake it as soon as I could and take a chance on the speed to enjoy the chassis and performance of the X4. But, as we rounded yet another 90deg bend, I noticed a police car parked up on the verge / layby. Thank heavens for Nissan Micra drivers!

Anyway, eventually we spotted a short straight section and I decided to overtake. The 30d BMW engine coupled with the Sport setting on the throttle and gearbox is a potent combination - the acceleration was so rapid that we nearly drove into the back of the thing (well, we would have done had I not corrected the steering but that was my initial reaction to the performance). Wow!

And so it proved to be across the whole test drive, including the A19 - the engine, box and suspension were lovely and that includes a decent soundtrack when pushed hard. No piped sound through the speakers on this BMW, thank goodness (the X5 has this feature).

But there are problems and I am sad to tell you folks that the search continues (for which we are all going to have to work even harder to help Mrs A find her next car, sorry!).

The 'jet black', hard plastic door bins and lower door trim is unforgivable for a car at this price point - already scratched in our 6mth old demonstrator with 5,500 miles on the clock.

The tyre noise was higher than I had expected, higher than our XC60. This may be due to the wider tyres fitted to the BMW X4 but it was noticeable and might be a bind on long motorway / autobahn journeys to the Alps.

The lad was sitting in the back, enjoying these forays to car dealerships. He announced that the tyre noise was even louder in the rear, that the cabin felt less plush than the Volvo and that, at the end of his trip, he felt a bit jaded because of the odd way in which his legs were angled. You see, to fit taller drivers in the rear cabin below that sloping roofline, BMW have dropped the seats. That works except for the fact that your thighs are not resting on the front of the seat squab - they are at an upward angle. You don't notice it for the first few miles but then, when you want to move your legs to a different position, you realise that there's few choices! Hmm, that's not good for a 10hr dash from Amsterdam to the Austrian Tyrol.

And finally, we all hoped today would seal it for us. It didn't and that, once again, tells its own story about how accomplished the XC60 actually is. Truly, the more we test drive the more we realise that our current car is pretty good for the money.

Yes, our Volvo's VEA D4 soundtrack is rubbish and the performance is no match for the 30d beautiful engine in the X4. But it is pretty good. The cabin is a nice place, the seats are the best in the business and there is a very solid, safe cocooned feel to the cabin. The R-design suspension is great on the country roads - almost as good as the X4 M-Sport, but just like the X4 is crashy on uneven, urban roads. For the price difference I would have expected more from the X4 - a more hushed cabin and better quality plastics.

So, if you own a D5, 5cyl XC60 in SE Lux trim with 4C suspension and a few optional toys then........ my friend, you are wiser than me and you should hang on to your lovely car. Sadly, this specification can no longer be ordered from Volvo as we discussed it on our return home along the challenging A68 / A696 and over lunch at a nice country inn.

What next, I hear you ask? And the answer is that we honestly don't know. Which is where I hope you guys will come in? Truly!

We will carry on with the research, including the emerging option of hanging on to our XC60 for another year through to 2018 if the upcoming new releases look promising, albeit that we'll become testers again. But I will need Volvo to promise to keep looking after the Turtle as and when it reappears!

But we will also keep looking now. I can't consider a 2litre F-Pace with that poor performance time but who knows? It also has the famous ZF auto box and can be bought with adaptive suspension. but the 3litre is just too expensive for what it is, out of the sweet spot as Nigel says, good point Nigel.

So we left Newcastle's BMW dealership somewhat underwhelmed. The salesman did the usual thing of telling me that the best deal was only available if we committed to an order today using the 'mad uncle in the attic' routine with those mysterious humanoids who purport to exist in the offices and who approve the amazing deals! I mean, do any of us still fall for that routine? So I said that we would save our 'one chance of an amazing, on the day deal' and not ask for the price today but use our wildcard when we return in the future

And I had to ask the salesman to turn off the radio as we pulled off the forecourt because I wanted to hear the engine and road noise rather than Fun FM.

A good day, we learned a lot and continue to have some fun. Hope you don't mind me sharing it with you? If you can help with sensible suggestions than we are grateful. We really want an SUV, something a bit sporty but also with a hushed cabin and good quality build. The Porsche Macan does fit that criteria but is too expensive and Mrs A doesn't like the looks. The F-Pace is a thing of beauty externally but the 3litre diesel S is also too expensive. The 2litre Ingenium 4cyl units are too slow.

Help?

Arianne

[AngloScot]

Lexus ? don't know what engines they have though!

[NigelDay]

Lexus perhaps, but what about a Touareg ? I see two problems however. The first one is too slow. The second one is too big.
I do think BMW test drives (and the ability of dealers to offer the correct vehicle) are something of a joke.
The only other option might be the new Q5 but I suspect you might be pushing it for delivery before April 2017. Launch is later this year, but UK stocks and range availability might be a constraint, including the absolute need for a proper test drive, preferably unaccompanied !
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ne...ng-nürburgring

[andymcp]

This has been a fascinating thread. This weekend I am off on a quite recce to the local Jag dealer, partly to look but also to book a test drive for the F-Pace. As far as I can see, the only real downside is that for a bang up to date car they have omitted CarPlay, but I can live with that. V6 all the way, and mostly this is not a choice vs X3/4 or Q5, but vs Macan (and that's what Jag see as their natural competition).

With the first road tests out on the Jag, it appears to be what we hoped for. Look forward to finding out if we're right....

[xc60ed]

I had a Touareg with air suspension and it really was a great car. Performance is strong, noticeably quicker than our D5 and the V6 sounds lovely. The air suspension makes it very smooth in normal mode but also then firms up and drops the ride height in Sport mode. I tried the X5 before getting the Treg and much preferred the VW. It doesn't feel particularly big to drive and is well worth a try. I swapped ours for a new XC90 for the bigger boot and regretted it. The Treg is a much better car than the new XC90.

[tem]

Arianne,
Stay with Volvo, better the devil that you know.
Do you really need another SUV?

After owning two XC90's and one XC60, I decided that it was time to move away from them.
My latest V60 D4 has been a lovely car to drive (except for recurring Oxygen sensor problems) and on recent trip to Germany, returned 58.8 mpg.

I am thinking of moving to the new generation of Volvo's and have in mind, the new V90.
Getting on a bit, but still do long distance driving and I think the V90 will be a dream to drive on my trips to Italy, etc.
Wheel sizes - have decided, with the state of our roads and councils being short of funds to repair them, 17" is my preferred size + with this size, winter tyres are plentiful and cheap.

The grass on the other side often looks greener, but not always so.
I think your visit to Newcastle today, proved this.
Volvo in my mind are starting to get things right, there only problem, is the D4 VEA engine and hopefully they will resolve the issues soon.

Wishing you best wishes with your final choice of car.

tem.

[Pchende]

I am sure Volvo have released details of an Xc60 T8 hybrid in the near future. If you like the Xc60 so much hang on until thats released bet that will leave the Bmw in its tracks and have all the things you already like about the volvo included.

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by andymcp

to book a test drive for the F-Pace.

With the first road tests out on the Jag, it appears to be what we hoped for. Look forward to finding out if we're right....

Looking forward to your (gotta be in detail) review

Regards