I need / want a petrol automatic estate car that's Audi A4 Avant size or maybe bigger. My annual milege is a fraction of what it used to be so petrol is the way to go and fuel economy not an absolute priority although relevant.
For the first time ever I'm considering nearly new, demonstrater condition.
If I want a full size spare wheel there is very little to choose from.
PS VW group are out due to dodgy gearboxes.
There are so few non-diesel ones about. Hyundai don't even do a petrol i40 Tourer auto, but you'll get several diesel options.
Somethings going to have to give - but what ?
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There are several Mondeo petrol auto models, if they are not too mundane. :-)
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The Mondeo is indeed one of the few. It's tad big though - but it's not discounted from the short, short list. Speaking of discounts, I suppose I'm willing to pay up to maybe £18k so one year old max BMW 5 series and Mercs are out.
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If you are into German (ish) metal, how about a Skoda Superb estate with a 200PS petrol engine and a DSG box?
Whatever PSs are but it sounds good.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 12 Aug 12 at 18:33
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Pferds probably. Horses to thee and me.
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>> Pferds probably. Horses to thee and me.
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Pferdestärke.
1PS = approximately 0.986hp
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>> 1PS = approximately 0.986hp
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....and hp = horsepower. Clearly metric horses are weaker :-)
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>> >> 1PS = approximately 0.986hp
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>> ....and hp = horsepower. Clearly metric horses are weaker :-)
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German horses have a small percentage of their working time allocated to workers' council meetings. This where they argue over things like whether it's still OK to pull the plough if the farmer paints it green.
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>>If I want a full size spare wheel there is very little to choose from
Since this used to bother me, and now doesn't, then I wouldn't get hung up on it. What I did, which worked for me, was I kept the space saver in the vehicle because it does exactly that, saves space. But at home I had a full sized spare and tyre for the car.
And the one occasion I got a flat, I changed to the space saver, drove home at an irritating 50mph, or whatever it was, and changed the tyre in the morning. Dropping off and picking up the problem tyre at my convenience.
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I was parked next to a new Focus estate the other day at Pease Potage sevices ( what a great name ! )
Anyhow, I thought it was very nice.
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>> I was parked next to a new Focus estate the other day at Pease Potage
>> sevices ( what a great name ! )
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>> Anyhow, I thought it was very nice.
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I agree, pity the front was designed with a chain saw.
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>>pity the front was designed with a chain saw.
I laughed.
I cannot tell you how often I have claimed as my own various phrases written by the inmates of Car4play (or their previous incarnations).
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sun 12 Aug 12 at 18:55
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The Focus is worth a look, although if you're buying it with your own money beware of fast depreciation.
Toyota Avensis or Mazda 6 estate? - not sure if you can get either of these as a petrol automatic.
Otherwise, the thing that needs to 'give' is the ban on VAG: your needs sound similar to mine, and I have what I think is the best petrol automatic estate you can get for around £20k - an Octavia vRS, with 6-speed DSG which doesn't appear to give the trouble that the 7-speed version does. You'll get a nearly-new one for £18k, or go for the 1.8T Elegance.
Last edited by: Avant on Sun 12 Aug 12 at 20:48
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"Since this used to bother me, and now doesn't, then I wouldn't get hung up on it."
Sorry, but I will continue to be hung up on it. It's not unusual for me to do a 600 mile trip along French motorways on a Sunday. Everything is closed in France on Sundays. I just couldn't relax with only a can of goo in the boot.
Yes, if I forgoe my self imposed VAG ban then the Octavia VRS is a strong possibilty and affordable too.
I did say something had to give - my needs / wishes don't suit what the market offers. I've never been a follower of the herd.
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No, I wouldnt trust a thing of goo either. But a space saver and a spare elsewhere seems reasonable.
Don't cars have space for a spare even if they're not supplied with one?
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"Don't cars have space for a spare even if they're not supplied with one?"
Kill two birds with one stone: when you're trying out the cars on your shortlist, ask the sales rep will a full-size spare fit in the wheel well under the boot. Of couse he'll say "of course it well".
Then tell him/her what you've told us: not being able to carry a full-size spare on holiday (for which you're buying an automatic estate) is a deal breaker, so you need to try the wheel for size for yourself to be sure.
The dealer who wants your custom will go get one and prove to you it fits. The dealer who can't be bothered where there's £18,000 at stake won't be bothered to help if you have a warranty issue later, so go elsewhere.
This odd-sounding approach works: my father's obsession when buying a car is how many fruit and veg boxes you can fit on an estate's floor - he's a part-time market gardener. He's also on his second Skoda estate because our nearest Skoda dealer took the question seriously. The same dealer also came up trumps when the current car threw its timing belt the afternoon before Dad went on holiday; the workshop stayed open until late into the night repairing the car, while the dealer lined up a replacement in case they couldn't get it back on the road in time for my parents to make their flight next morning.
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>> Yes, if I forgoe my self imposed VAG ban then the Octavia VRS is a
>> strong possibilty and affordable too.
Forgive me if you have already given reasons for it in previous posts, but why the VAG ban? I can understand this as I've owned a few models and for me they were never quite as good as I'd hoped.
The problem with not being a follower of the herd is that you want something a bit different, a bit exclusive, but unfortunately the British market doesn't offer this, as you've said.
I like the Volvo V50 but they only do a few gutless petrols or the fire breathing T5. They dropped the normally aspirated 5 cylinder. To get a good compromise needs a diesel but I'm not keen on the PSA engine and the later 5 cylinders are too expensive for my budget.
There aren't many mid size estates around, but maybe try the new Focus estate as someone mentioned earlier. Or BMW 3 series petrol auto's.
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"Forgive me if you have already given reasons for it in previous posts, but why the VAG ban?"
I refer the honourable gentleman to the reply I gave earlier - Dodgy VAG automatic gearboxes.
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"The problem with not being a follower of the herd is that you want something a bit different, a bit exclusive, but unfortunately the British market doesn't offer this, as you've said."
Isn't the problem that popular mainstream cars are just that because they are the best in their class. Mondeos, Focuses, Golfs etc are all good cars. Exclusivity ofter carries the price of buying one of the worst cars in its class or paying totally over the odds.
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>> Isn't the problem that popular mainstream cars are just that because they are the best
>> in their class. Mondeos, Focuses, Golfs etc are all good cars. Exclusivity ofter carries the
>> price of buying one of the worst cars in its class or paying totally over
>> the odds.
Sadly, you're right. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. The Borg collective :)
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They dropped the normally aspirated 5 cylinder.
A long time ago, wasn't it? In any case, the V50 is a bit small for someone looking to improve on the capacity of an A4. The V70, on the other hand, does just that (although it's not as 'vast' as certain lazy journalists who've not used a tape measure since the days of the 740 might have you believe) and is in plentiful supply at around a year old and £18,000. I know because I almost bought one.
A D3 auto is a very pleasant car to drive - unless you're Mrs Beest, who vetoed the thing - especially if, like me, you like to use the manual side of the selector. It's a diesel, of course, but let's be honest: no-one outside VAG has a credible petrol-powered offering in this size bracket. If you won't have DSG (and nor would I, although I've not tried it with petrol; Avant has) then it's diesel all the way. There is a T3 petrol V70 but among dozens of Volvo Selekt listings I examined, I saw precisely one - and that was white and looked like an ambulance.
What would a Mercedes C200 CGI cost at a year old? That's a respectable carrier, certainly more so than an A4 or a V50 without being significantly bigger. But you'd still have to find one first.
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>> The problem with not being a follower of the herd is that you want something
>> a bit different, a bit exclusive, but unfortunately the British market doesn't offer this, as
>> you've said.
Actually the problem is that all vehicles within a category are all converging on the same "perfect" answer. Consequently something which is a bit different may well be a bit worse.
And as for it being the British market, then I'm about 7,500 miles away and its really no different.
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>> And as for it being the British market, then I'm about 7,500 miles away and
>> its really no different.
How dull. And there was me thinking you might have an Avensis with comfortable seats, a GT4 turbocharged engine and four wheel drive. Damn.
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I have an aging and rattle-ridden Dodge Ram and a couple of Landcruisers. Don't know much about Avensis.
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Nobody has suggested the British built Astra estate yet. ISTR the boot is bigger than that of the Insignia, oddly.
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Id have though a Legacy would meet most of the requirements, allowing for fairly poor economy not being a deal breaker.
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Thanks all so far. I'll get looking at real cars and report back in due course.
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Alfa 159 Sportwagon...
Just saying...
:-)
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The only automatic Legacy offered in the current lineup is the 2.5 turbo with CVT, and only to special order AFAIK.
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One extra note about the Octavia, in view of your comments about full-size spare wheels (with which I totally agree) - the vRS has unnecessarily sporty 18" wheels which means that the boot can fit only a space-saver.
That might direct you to the 1.8T which has smaller wheels and therefore doesn't have the problem. You have to pay for a spare wheel but only about £60 I think.
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Does the 1.8T have the 6 speed DSG gearbox?
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>> vRS has unnecessarily sporty 18" wheels which means
>> that the boot can fit only a space-saver.
Sorry Avant - doesn't that just mean the tyres are 1" thinner ie. the wheel + tyre diameter is the same?
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... doesn't that just mean the tyres are 1" thinner ie. the wheel + tyre diameter is the same?...
Yes, but the 18" tyres are probably wider, which means a full-size wheel and tyre is too wide to fit in the recess of the boot, unless you don't mind a lump in the carpet.
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It's beginnning to look like the Hyundai i40 Tourer Diesel Automatic: all boxes except the petrol one seemingly being ticked even the autobox is a torque convertor type albeit with a few tweaks.
I wanted petrol, but diesel emissions regeneration issues shouldn't be problem with frequent 600 mile 140 kph continental bashes either.
The spare is a largish space saver with a bit of room around it in the well - but I have yet to see if you can actually squeeze in a full size one.
Last edited by: Dulwich Estate on Fri 31 Aug 12 at 19:04
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Well if you're now considering a diesel that really does open up the field. I would look at a nearly-new (heavily discounted) Focus, Golf, Octavia, C-class, 3-series .... The list is endless.
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Looking to buy a replacement for A4 Avant - Old Navy
