What to replace an XC90 with?

[sthodgson]

Hello all,

It appears I am coming to the end of my patience with our XC90. We've had it for about 6 years - bought it at 117K, now on 145K, 2004 D5 SE. It is loved by the family but hasn't exactly been cheap to run or free of faults.

What has gone wrong from memory:

Handbrake, thermostat housing, cd player (twice), rear wiper, heating thermostat, suspension bushings, limp mode managed by feeding it diesel treatment every couple of months, most of the trim has fallen off, leaks in footwell, clock spring on steering wheel, battery, mice infestation, and I could go on.

I suppose a lot of this is general wear and tear, but it's getting to a point where we might need to move it on. I have spent the last few days exploring the wonderful and colourful rabbit hole that where the bunnies-of-car-buying live; leasing, PCP, bank loans, diesel/petrol, reliability, etc, etc. It's a fun place to go if you don't have much else to do with your life.

Looking for a high driving position, preferably automatic, cheap to run (not fast) and a good fit for a family of 5. 7 seats desirable but not essential. Can't afford a new Volvo - not sure who can, but well done to those that can - what's it like on the other side?

Wash out my mouth, but Skoda and SEAT do some interesting options, but then I read about the major engineering issues they have with engines and the like, and get scared.

So, is my XC90 experience typical or are they better than that? Are XC60s a better bet for a smoother financial ride?

Leasing looks interesting as minimal maintenance and can get dealer to fix if goes wrong.

Many thanks!