Reliable, Family friendly car suggestions

[eliotrw]

Hi All,

Looking for some opinions/options here.

Currently i have a 70 Plate Supra as my car and the wife has only recently started driving again and is driving a 04 Beetle.

We have a kid on the way and so there's a need for a decent second car, the beetle is a bit of a shed tbh and as a two door convertible, even less practical in every sense than the Supra is.
So really we need something to be like the car for all situations really....


I have considered of course getting rid of the Supra, but really it makes zero financial sense to do so and i don't really have to, to get something decent (i think...) plus i am by no means over it, so for the moment it's off the table...

Anyway onto what I have been looking for, I think the obvious needs and preferences are :

• 5 Doors
• Petrol
• Reasonable performance, say of the order of below 8.5s 0-60/ around the 180hp area.
• Leather seats are a must
• Automatic ( want to make this as easy as possible for the wife to whip around town etc, we have some major hills round here so it would really help)
• Parking sensors, Ideally with rear video, 360 would be nice but not a must
• Reliable!!!!
• Safe, Space for pram, and ISOFIX

Then I would say other preferences which are less important

• Radar Cruise Control
• Electric seats with memory
• Hybrid (or low tax)
• FWD or 4WD I feel RWD with this hill in the winter will be "fun" and of course it needs to be driveable in all weather, this doesnt mean it needs to be a discovery, i have always found FWD cars fine in winter for example....

Budget is around 14k-17k, If I can spend less, great, if I can get something markedly better for more, then I could stretch to just 20k if it seems worth it....

What have I been looking at:

Well, so far we test drove a really good, high mileage Lexus UX Takumi, personally I think this ticks all boxes on paper, it was 20k which would be a stretch as above but none the less one we felt was worth it when the whole situation is taken into account :

• They are very reliable being essentially a Toyota Hybrid
• They offer a 10 year/100,000 miles warranty
• It has all the fixtures and fittigns on the above list
• It should be big enough for a pram in the back

Sadly that example was snapped up and in that spec, mileage, ages (and therefore lower price point) they are very rare

Other things I have considered and may work...
Toyota Corolla/Corolla Estate (2.0) although hard to find optioned up
Honda Civic (1.5t)
Toyota CH-R. Seems similar to the UX and may even be the same in soem ways, but they seem hard to find with leather and reasonable extras

Honestly I have avoided BMW, Audi, VW, Mercedes on this list until now as I have concerns about reliability /running costs / insurance for this second car but if you feel i'm missing a trick there let me know.

Other cars I ruled out but looked at :

Honda CRV (too slow, which is a shame as they looked good in other areas and very cheap)
Lexus NX (When I saw how much they are (17k) I thought they were perfect, we like the Current RAV4 and this is like a premium take on it, but oddly a much much slower to the point of sluggish take on it as well (something like 3 seconds more to 60....)
Yaris Cross (too new and there for expensive, better UX's available for the less and i get the sense they are actually the same car?)


Generally I am open to all suggestions.

Edited by eliotrw on Wednesday 24th April 15:46

[Funk]

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402136...

[eliotrw]

That is quite an option! Looks to be pretty perfect, How is the reliability of these VW 2.0's?
I think my only concern with that car would be running costs/reliability? Oh and if my wife would be able to be insured on it but i can check that now, certainly meets the performance requirements..

[Funk]

I believe the 245PS engines are pretty reliable although I am not an expert; I would recommend doing your own diligence! Overall there's a reason why taxi drivers up and down the country use them - Octavias are pretty tough and reliable on the whole and there must be hundreds of thousands of VAG cars out there with that 2.0 engine under the bonnet.

Edited by Funk on Wednesday 24th April 15:59

[ZX10R NIN]

Take a good look at the Infiniti Q30, they're great cars (only missing the adaptive cruise but have everything else) they're a GLA in everything but the body:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401065...

1.6T Lux:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404198...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311013...

[Whataguy]

eliotrw said:

That is quite an option! Looks to be pretty perfect, How is the reliability of these VW 2.0's?
I think my only concern with that car would be running costs/reliability? Oh and if my wife would be able to be insured on it but i can check that now, certainly meets the performance requirements..

They’re quite good, I’d shortlisted one of them myself.

Standard golf gti engine and gearbox, so well proven and reliable. Able to be serviced at loads of independent garages if you want.

The automatic gearbox on the 2 litres is stronger than in the 1.5s/etc.

MPG isn’t too bad for the performance, should be able to get thirties.

[LowTread]

I know you said petrol, but your budget would get you into a Tesla Model 3 Long Range

My kids love mine.

Auto, fast (very), lots of cameras, leather, big boot(s).

Plus a massive panoramic roof which makes it great for the kids to see out. We looked at CH-R but the visibility in the back for kids was terrible.

Plus they can watch netflix in it while parked, make fart noises and sing karaoke

It's so far their fav car i've had.

Drivetrain warranty to 8 yrs/120k miles.

If you can home charge it's a no brainer at 2.5p/mile to fuel. If not, and/or you do more than 200 miles in one go regularly then you may want to ignore my suggestion.

5k miles in mine in 3 months including 1300 miles in one week with the kidsup into Scotland. Faultless so far.

Edited by LowTread on Thursday 25th April 05:57

[drmike37]

He’s worried about insuring his wife on an octavia, and someone suggests a Tesla.
And the boot is rubbish. You need an estate if you’ve got prams and stuff.

[Alex Z]

eliotrw said:

That is quite an option! Looks to be pretty perfect, How is the reliability of these VW 2.0's?
I think my only concern with that car would be running costs/reliability? Oh and if my wife would be able to be insured on it but i can check that now, certainly meets the performance requirements..

Nothing to worry you on the reliability front. If you want plenty of user experiences, have a look at Briskoda.net.

[7 5 7]

Another alternative....not very PH....but,

(Zafira Sport's Tourer, Ford Galaxy/SMax, Renault Grand Scenic, VW Sharan)

MPV's aernt cool anymore as many want SUV's, but for family/practically uses they are spot on - lots more space for your money, plus they can be turned into a "Dad van" quite easily

[dmsims]

We had a 280E and 525i - both saloons when the 3 kids were young

drmike37 said:

You need an estate if you’ve got prams and stuff.

[Dapster]

7 5 7 said:

Another alternative....not very PH....but,

(....Ford Galaxy/SMax,...)

MPV's aernt cool anymore as many want SUV's, but for family/practically uses they are spot on - lots more space for your money, plus they can be turned into a "Dad van" quite easily

Second that, SMax is the one. You can't beat it as a family car - they drive really well as well so you're not totally ending your life buying one. It's huge inside and with the rear window blinds and picnic tables doubles as a changing room, feeding station, spare bedroom... Petrol 240 bhp is pretty lively but drinks like a fish. Twin turbo diesel comes with 4wd. I'm on my second and would thoroughly recommend them.

If you want another suggestion, mine would be the CX-5. Really well built, lovely interior, tons of equipment and Mazda reliability and service costs. Only lack of power is the downside (and the hybrid is only the latest ones which would be out of budget). You can find AWD as well.




https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404188...

[LowTread]

drmike37 said:

He’s worried about insuring his wife on an octavia, and someone suggests a Tesla.
And the boot is rubbish. You need an estate if you’ve got prams and stuff.

Sorry. I forgot about the thread police. As you were

[blueg33]

Skoda Octavia
Volvo V60 (I would go for this in T5 form having had both on this list)

[eliotrw]

LowTread said:

I know you said petrol, but your budget would get you into a Tesla Model 3 Long Range

My kids love mine.

Auto, fast (very), lots of cameras, leather, big boot(s).

Plus a massive panoramic roof which makes it great for the kids to see out. We looked at CH-R but the visibility in the back for kids was terrible.

Plus they can watch netflix in it while parked, make fart noises and sing karaoke

It's so far their fav car i've had.

Drivetrain warranty to 8 yrs/120k miles.

If you can home charge it's a no brainer at 2.5p/mile to fuel. If not, and/or you do more than 200 miles in one go regularly then you may want to ignore my suggestion.

5k miles in mine in 3 months including 1300 miles in one week with the kidsup into Scotland. Faultless so far.

Edited by LowTread on Thursday 25th April 05:57

I had no idea they could be got so cheaply, my main worry with this plan is insurance, but also the fact I don't really have very good charging infra near me especially at home, I'm renting a detached house so it might be possible to get the landlord to agree to a charger but i dunno, i dont think i'm quite ready to jump to EV yet. BUt thanks for pointing it out for sure. A lot of good ideas

[eliotrw]

ZX10R NIN said:

Take a good look at the Infiniti Q30, they're great cars (only missing the adaptive cruise but have everything else) they're a GLA in everything but the body:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401065...

1.6T Lux:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404198...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311013...

These look great, i'll take a look into them properly now for sure, thanks!

[eliotrw]

Alex Z said:

Nothing to worry you on the reliability front. If you want plenty of user experiences, have a look at Briskoda.net.

Thanks will do, but so far i think this might be a winner..

[eliotrw]

Dapster said:

Second that, SMax is the one. You can't beat it as a family car - they drive really well as well so you're not totally ending your life buying one. It's huge inside and with the rear window blinds and picnic tables doubles as a changing room, feeding station, spare bedroom... Petrol 240 bhp is pretty lively but drinks like a fish. Twin turbo diesel comes with 4wd. I'm on my second and would thoroughly recommend them.

If you want another suggestion, mine would be the CX-5. Really well built, lovely interior, tons of equipment and Mazda reliability and service costs. Only lack of power is the downside (and the hybrid is only the latest ones which would be out of budget). You can find AWD as well.




https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404188...

I hadn't considered a SMax at all to be honest, will take a look! The Mazdas i have been curious about, will deffo have a look into that option, i saw one the other day and thought they look nice. I'm oogling at family cars on the road these days, how things have changed

[eliotrw]

blueg33 said:

Skoda Octavia
Volvo V60 (I would go for this in T5 form having had both on this list)

Always had a soft spot for Volvo's actually, will add it to the list

[Alex Z]

eliotrw said:

Alex Z said:

Nothing to worry you on the reliability front. If you want plenty of user experiences, have a look at Briskoda.net.

Thanks will do, but so far i think this might be a winner..

My needs have changed now, but i had a Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 Octavia and did about 230k miles in total with very few problems.