Used Family SUV-20 to 25K budget
Discussion
Hi, another thread I know but there is a bewildering world of choice out there. This is a big purchase for us, I don't want to make wrong decision. Bear with me as this maybe long post and I may end up having more questions along the way!
We have a 12 Yr old skoda octavia and happy with it except the tech in car is quite old and it was a basic model so i want a little upgrade. Budget around 25k.
Family of 4 with few 5 people journeys.
Abt 8000 miles per year, mostly in town, 100 miles a week and then few long trips on motorway.
Needs to be SUV, petrol, , max 3 yrs old, as we buy and keep cars so for next 10 yrs. Looking at test driving Ford Kuga, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tuscon, Citron C5. Tempted by Chinese brands but wary of issues with newer dealership network etc we have no attraction of any particular brand. Keen to Avoid luxury car tax.
Ideally I would want all bells and whistles (cameras, electric tailgate, adaptive cruise control, heated seats/steering wheel, sunroof etc) but I am aware this won't be possible.
1. Undecided on EV, PHEV, mild hybrid or just petrol. Any thoughts? I did some rough calcs based on 8000 miles a year and savings for an EV are not so significant considering higher initial price and cost of charger etc. PHEV seems ideal but lost of these have a huge petrol engine so when not in electric mode do they become gas guzzlers? Any thoughts?
2. Specifically for Ford Kuga - if anyone has 2022 onwards engine, how is the real life economy of 2.5l engine.
3. Any idea on comfort of the ride (we will of course test drive) amongst these cars but just to get an idea. I really care about "spirited driving" experience so comfier ride on 18/19 in h wheels.
4. Any other cars I should consider?
5. Are there any particular engines to avoid? Heard about ford wet belt issues but I don't think that affects Kuga engines
Thanks for reading
I’d look at an Enyaq. Seems to fit all your requirements.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2026012393...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2026012393...
We've just picked up a Mazda CX-5 GT-Sport (2.5 petrol auto AWD), 4 years old / 36k miles for £22k. It has 360 degree camera, electric tailgate, adaptive cruise, heated front & rear seats, sunroof, electric memory front seats, carplay/android auto, heads up display, leather seats, probably some other bits I've forgotten 
We've only had it a few weeks but so far really like it, feels pretty sharp to drive and the engine has plenty of grunt, although took a bit of getting used to not having the turbo (coming from a Countryman Cooper S with similar bhp).
We've only had it a few weeks but so far really like it, feels pretty sharp to drive and the engine has plenty of grunt, although took a bit of getting used to not having the turbo (coming from a Countryman Cooper S with similar bhp).
I have been pleasantly surprised by our Seat Ateca, which is very good at what it does. It's quite an old design now, but I like driving it. It feels like a grown-up oversized warm-hatch, with relatively spritely handling, pointy steering and nice changes when driven in manual mode. It's a decent size but doesn't feel big on the road. I'm considering going for the hot Cupra version when time comes for a change. It's a great size for a family of 3, and will fit 5 people without much issue
xyz123 said:
Hi, another thread I know but there is a bewildering world of choice out there. This is a big purchase for us, I don't want to make wrong decision. Bear with me as this maybe long post and I may end up having more questions along the way!
We have a 12 Yr old skoda octavia and happy with it except the tech in car is quite old and it was a basic model so i want a little upgrade. Budget around 25k.
Family of 4 with few 5 people journeys.
Abt 8000 miles per year, mostly in town, 100 miles a week and then few long trips on motorway.
Needs to be SUV, petrol, , max 3 yrs old, as we buy and keep cars so for next 10 yrs. Looking at test driving Ford Kuga, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tuscon, Citron C5. Tempted by Chinese brands but wary of issues with newer dealership network etc we have no attraction of any particular brand. Keen to Avoid luxury car tax.
Ideally I would want all bells and whistles (cameras, electric tailgate, adaptive cruise control, heated seats/steering wheel, sunroof etc) but I am aware this won't be possible.
1. Undecided on EV, PHEV, mild hybrid or just petrol. Any thoughts? I did some rough calcs based on 8000 miles a year and savings for an EV are not so significant considering higher initial price and cost of charger etc. PHEV seems ideal but lost of these have a huge petrol engine so when not in electric mode do they become gas guzzlers? Any thoughts?
2. Specifically for Ford Kuga - if anyone has 2022 onwards engine, how is the real life economy of 2.5l engine.
3. Any idea on comfort of the ride (we will of course test drive) amongst these cars but just to get an idea. I really care about "spirited driving" experience so comfier ride on 18/19 in h wheels.
4. Any other cars I should consider?
5. Are there any particular engines to avoid? Heard about ford wet belt issues but I don't think that affects Kuga engines
Thanks for reading
The Kuga is a very good choice in either ST Line X/Vignale spec:We have a 12 Yr old skoda octavia and happy with it except the tech in car is quite old and it was a basic model so i want a little upgrade. Budget around 25k.
Family of 4 with few 5 people journeys.
Abt 8000 miles per year, mostly in town, 100 miles a week and then few long trips on motorway.
Needs to be SUV, petrol, , max 3 yrs old, as we buy and keep cars so for next 10 yrs. Looking at test driving Ford Kuga, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tuscon, Citron C5. Tempted by Chinese brands but wary of issues with newer dealership network etc we have no attraction of any particular brand. Keen to Avoid luxury car tax.
Ideally I would want all bells and whistles (cameras, electric tailgate, adaptive cruise control, heated seats/steering wheel, sunroof etc) but I am aware this won't be possible.
1. Undecided on EV, PHEV, mild hybrid or just petrol. Any thoughts? I did some rough calcs based on 8000 miles a year and savings for an EV are not so significant considering higher initial price and cost of charger etc. PHEV seems ideal but lost of these have a huge petrol engine so when not in electric mode do they become gas guzzlers? Any thoughts?
2. Specifically for Ford Kuga - if anyone has 2022 onwards engine, how is the real life economy of 2.5l engine.
3. Any idea on comfort of the ride (we will of course test drive) amongst these cars but just to get an idea. I really care about "spirited driving" experience so comfier ride on 18/19 in h wheels.
4. Any other cars I should consider?
5. Are there any particular engines to avoid? Heard about ford wet belt issues but I don't think that affects Kuga engines
Thanks for reading
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505232...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511107...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512178...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601239...
2.5e CX-60 Homura:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512108...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601239...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512318...
The Genesis GV70 is another good option but they're hard to find & the mileage will be high:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511137...
1.6thSportage GT Line S:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601219...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510177...
DS7:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510177...
I think I'd look at a Forester, or failing that a RAV4 / Suzuki Across
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19748372
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19442906
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19748372
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19442906
If you're looking at 10 year ownership and considering hybrids it's got to be the Rav4 / Suzuki badged version. Pretty much indestructible, great hybrid powertrain, well equipped, practical. My wife just got rid of hers (due to changing jobs) and it provided 50k faultless miles of daily abuse with ease.
SpunkyGlory said:
We picked up a Hyundai Tuscon Ultimate PHEV and couldn't be more pleased with it, it has all the tech you're looking for and you can get a 2023 model with sub-50k for under £20k.
I was going to suggest the same. We picked up a 23 plate Santa Fe 6months ago, same Ultimate spec and noticed the Tucson was available for 10k less than we paid. If we didn't need the 5 seats we would have had the Tucson.Full leather, cameras, heated and cooled seats, full pano roof, heated wheel.
Auto wipers are a bit s
t compared to my Mazda, but that's the worst thing I've found so far.Miocene said:
SpunkyGlory said:
We picked up a Hyundai Tuscon Ultimate PHEV and couldn't be more pleased with it, it has all the tech you're looking for and you can get a 2023 model with sub-50k for under £20k.
I was going to suggest the same. We picked up a 23 plate Santa Fe 6months ago, same Ultimate spec and noticed the Tucson was available for 10k less than we paid. If we didn't need the 5 seats we would have had the Tucson.Full leather, cameras, heated and cooled seats, full pano roof, heated wheel.
Auto wipers are a bit s
t compared to my Mazda, but that's the worst thing I've found so far.An SUV EV could be perfect for you, if you can install a home charger.
For 8000 miles:
- A petrol/diesel SUV doing 40mpg will cost you c.£1200/year, based on £1.40/litre. c.£12k over 10 years.
- An electric SUV doing 3 miles/kWh will cost you c.£200/year, based on charging at home off peak at 7.5p/kWh. c.£2k over 10 years.
Those savings will easily offset the cost of a home charger (c.£1k) and the occasional expensive fast charge when out and about.
You could get a 2023 Tesla Model Y for £25k - a lower mileage rear wheel drive or higher mileage long wheel drive. They will have all the kit you could ever want, are much quicker than any equivalent petrol/deisel SUV and will have much lower servicing costs. The warranty runs for 4 years or 50k miles and the battery and motor warranties run for 8 years. If you keep it 10 years, then depreciation is irrelevant.
Excellent alternatives are a Hyundai Ioniq 5 (5 year warranty, 8 year battery warranty) or a Kia EV6 (7 year warranty and 8 year battery warranty). They won't be quite as efficient as the Tesla, or as fast, but they won't be a Tesla either.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19784853
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19743612
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19437838
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19789265
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19588889
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19725811
I'd suggest you test drive a few EVs as you may well be very pleasantly surpised how much nicer they are to drive than a similar cost petrol or diesel SUV.
Just a thought. Good luck with your search.
For 8000 miles:
- A petrol/diesel SUV doing 40mpg will cost you c.£1200/year, based on £1.40/litre. c.£12k over 10 years.
- An electric SUV doing 3 miles/kWh will cost you c.£200/year, based on charging at home off peak at 7.5p/kWh. c.£2k over 10 years.
Those savings will easily offset the cost of a home charger (c.£1k) and the occasional expensive fast charge when out and about.
You could get a 2023 Tesla Model Y for £25k - a lower mileage rear wheel drive or higher mileage long wheel drive. They will have all the kit you could ever want, are much quicker than any equivalent petrol/deisel SUV and will have much lower servicing costs. The warranty runs for 4 years or 50k miles and the battery and motor warranties run for 8 years. If you keep it 10 years, then depreciation is irrelevant.
Excellent alternatives are a Hyundai Ioniq 5 (5 year warranty, 8 year battery warranty) or a Kia EV6 (7 year warranty and 8 year battery warranty). They won't be quite as efficient as the Tesla, or as fast, but they won't be a Tesla either.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19784853
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19743612
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19437838
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19789265
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19588889
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19725811
I'd suggest you test drive a few EVs as you may well be very pleasantly surpised how much nicer they are to drive than a similar cost petrol or diesel SUV.
Just a thought. Good luck with your search.
Edited by Fastlane on Saturday 31st January 15:52
Edited by Fastlane on Saturday 31st January 15:54
There are so many options as posted above. However be careful as not many of them will be as spacious as the Octavia.
My suggestion would be the Model Y. It's a fantastic family car, as much space as a range rover, fully loaded with all toys and useful tech. Easy to use.
Only downside is a slightly un composed ride.
The pre heat/cool that come with EVs is super useful with family.
My suggestion would be the Model Y. It's a fantastic family car, as much space as a range rover, fully loaded with all toys and useful tech. Easy to use.
Only downside is a slightly un composed ride.
The pre heat/cool that come with EVs is super useful with family.
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