SUV or Estate?

[otherclive]

Just had to Google a picture to see what they were ! Oh very nice Clive ! I'll take the gold'ish one .

Craig
Sad to say that VW are considering selling them in Europe but have ruled out UK as the change to RHD for the number of vehicles likely to be sold makes it uneconomic. So I yearn in vain. If you see the tv programme on the Super SUV (Quest) it’s worth watching as it takes it from the clearance of a massive area of land in Chattanooga right through the development of the factory and car through to rolling off the line. It’s amazing how quickly complex assemblies are put together and “clicked into place”. Yet it takes me ages just to change a failed bulb. Assuming of course that it can be changed.

 

[ProfJohnL]

If you look at the various Towcar of the Year tests the results between estate, saloon and SUV are varied particularly in the high speed test and lane change tests. The one consistent result is that Discovery is good, if you can afford to buy and run one. Unfortunately SUV now encompasses lighterweight vehicles which when they were originally introduced were actually called Crossovers. SUV was the domain of the Disco, Land Cruiser, Sorento,Shogun etc. These tended to do well on stability but often had shortcomings on lane change.
So like all things in life the decision on what vehicle is best is complex and very much depends on what the needs and preferences are of the one purchasing the vehicle. Me, I yearn for a VW Atlas!!

Just a couple of years ago, most of the car manufacturers were beifing garages and dealers on what expect to find in new product moving forward, and one of the biggest areas of accelerated technology was drive by wire. The effectively meant all the driving controls were only sensors and her no direct mechanical connection to their respective functions. The driving position could be located RH or LH very easily, or even removed for autonomous driving!

It seems VW may have missed the boat on the Atlas, where's the charging point? :silly:

 

[CustardAvenger]

This has many similarities to the wind jammer threads we have discussed at length elsewhere.

Caravan aerodynamics is a black art subject, where there are many opinions voiced with no verifiable evidence available.

No argument there... On one of those threads, didn't someone say that the ideal profile of a caravan, albeit compromised as its a caravan, was the shape that Swift have adopted? I would have liked to have towed a Swift (such as a Sprite Alpine) with the V50 as a direct comparison.

 

[Buckman]

We had a similar issue with our Mondeo which was an estate and were told it was due to the long overhang at the rear of the car which seem to make sense at the time.

 

[Dustydog]

My current Sorento is one of the best tugs I’ve ever had. Tugs the Wyoming effortlessly and very stable. Sadly there is a downside. It likes a good drink and is in the highest tax band.
I’ve been looking at alternatives and concluded there are 4x4 estate cars available that on paper should be as good as or better than the Sorento. On my short list is the Audi A6 All Road Avant or maybe the 4x4 Skoda superb.
They are expensive but in a few years there should be a few available at a reasonable price. Craig mentioned lease cars in an earlier post. Not for me.
My brother has just returned his pcp car after two years. The microscopic examination to charge him penalties was unbelievable. If you do choose a pcp make sure you fully comply with the owners requirements, get permission for towing etc . They will do their best to screw you on return!

 

[otherclive]

If you look at the various Towcar of the Year tests the results between estate, saloon and SUV are varied particularly in the high speed test and lane change tests. The one consistent result is that Discovery is good, if you can afford to buy and run one. Unfortunately SUV now encompasses lighterweight vehicles which when they were originally introduced were actually called Crossovers. SUV was the domain of the Disco, Land Cruiser, Sorento,Shogun etc. These tended to do well on stability but often had shortcomings on lane change.
So like all things in life the decision on what vehicle is best is complex and very much depends on what the needs and preferences are of the one purchasing the vehicle. Me, I yearn for a VW Atlas!!

Just a couple of years ago, most of the car manufacturers were beifing garages and dealers on what expect to find in new product moving forward, and one of the biggest areas of accelerated technology was drive by wire. The effectively meant all the driving controls were only sensors and her no direct mechanical connection to their respective functions. The driving position could be located RH or LH very easily, or even removed for autonomous driving!

It seems VW may have missed the boat on the Atlas, where's the charging point? :silly:

The factory has additional capacity for 20000 vehicle pa. So if they all came to Europe how many would be expected to sell in UK given the size of our market cf Europe? Drive by wire still needs a steering wheel and pedal box to be relocated as well as door cards/ controls and some other things. So perhaps VW are right that the economics don’t add up.

 

[ProfJohnL]

According to various internet searches, about 34% of the world population drives on the correct left side!

 

[Lutz]

According to various internet searches, about 34% of the world population drives on the correct left side!

I think the proportion of vehicles driven on the left versus those driven on the right would be more appropriate.

 

[otherclive]

According to various internet searches, about 34% of the world population drives on the correct left side!

I think the proportion of vehicles driven on the left versus those driven on the right would be more appropriate.

False statistic as it includes India and from five visits over there they drive left, right and will drive down dual carriageways in any direction that seems suitable.

 

[ProfJohnL]

According to various internet searches, about 34% of the world population drives on the correct left side!

I think the proportion of vehicles driven on the left versus those driven on the right would be more appropriate.

Hello Lutz
As I have not found the number of RH drive cars, (and I'm not going to look very hard) What I did find was 78 countries still drive on the 'correct' side of the road, and that represented 34% of population. I know the figures could be argued, but on the basis that family sizes roughly even out across the world, and it's roughly 1 car per family, the percentage of RH drive cars should be roughly similar.

Anyway it's a not insignificant percentage, and car manufacturers would be foolish to ignore it completely.

There are obviously other factors which may preclude some models being marketed world wide.

 

[Dustydog]

Taken from an Autocar article two things struck me about the Atlas, It’s a thirsty beast but very cheap at circa £31k. :S

Volkswagen Atlas 3.6 V6 Execline

Location Calgary, Canada; On sale Now; Price £31,865; Engine 3597cc V6, petrol; Power 276bhp @ 6200rpm; Torque 266lb ft @ 2750rpm; Gearbox 8-spd auto, all-wheel drive; Kerbweight 2042kg; 0-62mph 7.9sec (est); Top speed na; Economy 23mpg; CO2 282g/km; Rivals Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot

 

[otherclive]

Taken from an Autocar article two things struck me about the Atlas, It’s a thirsty beast but very cheap at circa £31k. :S

Volkswagen Atlas 3.6 V6 Execline

Location Calgary, Canada; On sale Now; Price £31,865; Engine 3597cc V6, petrol; Power 276bhp @ 6200rpm; Torque 266lb ft @ 2750rpm; Gearbox 8-spd auto, all-wheel drive; Kerbweight 2042kg; 0-62mph 7.9sec (est); Top speed na; Economy 23mpg; CO2 282g/km; Rivals Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot

It was specifically designed for the US and Chinese markets. It’s VW first foray into large seven seat SUV its larger than Toureg. They also ruled out diesel on the basis of the bad press they’d been getting. But that price being a North American price would invariably go up 50% if it were to cross the Atlantic.
But could be worth a move to Calgary as you would be near a local oil well for refuelling

 

[Lutz]

According to various internet searches, about 34% of the world population drives on the correct left side!

I think the proportion of vehicles driven on the left versus those driven on the right would be more appropriate.

Hello Lutz
As I have not found the number of RH drive cars, (and I'm not going to look very hard) What I did find was 78 countries still drive on the 'correct' side of the road, and that represented 34% of population. I know the figures could be argued, but on the basis that family sizes roughly even out across the world, and it's roughly 1 car per family, the percentage of RH drive cars should be roughly similar.

Anyway it's a not insignificant percentage, and car manufacturers would be foolish to ignore it completely.

There are obviously other factors which may preclude some models being marketed world wide.

My point was that a number of countries where they drive on the left are countries with a low vehicle population average density compared with the large numbers of people living there. I was thinking of India, Indonesia and most countries in southern Africa for example.
Anyway, I'm sure that manufacturers aren't ignoring right hand drive cars, although most are designed primarily in left hand drive form first and some aren't offered as right hand drive if the potential sales volume is considered to be too small to warrant a right hand drive version as well (such as the Mercedes GLK). However, there are the odd examples the other way round, too. The Vauxhall Monaro VXR was never available in left hand drive form, except for one car which was built specially for Peter Hanenberger as a farewell gift when he left Holden. Maybe there are also a few Indian and Japanese models that are offered only in their respective domestic markets and therefore only in right hand drive form.

 

[jamestaylor18]

I collect my Kia Ceed Estate (SW) tomorrow. I have upgraded from a Kia Ceed hatch back. My new Ceed has more BHP & torque, so hopefully should pull a bit better. My old Ceed towed fine, but was just lacking a little in power. My new Estate has a considerable amount more torque and a bit more BHP, and is also automatic, which i believe are fab for towing! Time will tell!

 

[Craigyoung]

Excellent , enjoy .

 

[otherclive]

I collect my Kia Ceed Estate (SW) tomorrow. I have upgraded from a Kia Ceed hatch back. My new Ceed has more BHP & torque, so hopefully should pull a bit better. My old Ceed towed fine, but was just lacking a little in power. My new Estate has a considerable amount more torque and a bit more BHP, and is also automatic, which i believe are fab for towing! Time will tell!

It will might also be a bit heavier and you will relish the extra space. Nice cars.

 

[Dustydog]

I collect my Kia Ceed Estate (SW) tomorrow. I have upgraded from a Kia Ceed hatch back. My new Ceed has more BHP & torque, so hopefully should pull a bit better. My old Ceed towed fine, but was just lacking a little in power. My new Estate has a considerable amount more torque and a bit more BHP, and is also automatic, which i believe are fab for towing! Time will tell!

SWMBO c’eed is a peach Driven at a steady 70 mph over 200 miles non stop we can get a genuine 64 mpg. The Standard kit is amazing eg hill start assist and self reversing parking. The heated steering wheel is weird :silly:
Enjoy.

 

[jamestaylor18]

Yep I had the ceed hatch back and it has been a fab car for 3 years. My only slight niggle is the lack of power, so fingers crossed my ceed sw picks up where my hatch back left off. The new ones also an auto 7 speed box, has plenty of poke not towing, so hopefully towing it will live up to the figures of the torque/bhp and tow well! I will let you know on Friday!

 

[DaveG307]

Morning Folks, I'm now considering the Kia Optima SW. Even though it's only got the 1.7 Diesel, its 141 bhp. Brilliant spec as well. My only concern is a video review on Youtube, where someone says that the ground clearance is low. Don't want to be in the same boat again... I'm also considering the Honda CRV. It has a low CO2 of 115, so good for company car tax. It's only a 1.6 Diesel though, but it has 120 bhp. I would still love the Kuga, but published 2017 CO2 figures of 122 for the 2.0 Duratorq have gone up to 154 in the 2018 figures. Too high for company car tax. My other choice is the Hyundai Tucson 2.0

Decisions, decisions!!!

Thanks for all of your excellent comments

 

[otherclive]

Morning Folks, I'm now considering the Kia Optima SW. Even though it's only got the 1.7 Diesel, its 141 bhp. Brilliant spec as well. My only concern is a video review on Youtube, where someone says that the ground clearance is low. Don't want to be in the same boat again... I'm also considering the Honda CRV. It has a low CO2 of 115, so good for company car tax. It's only a 1.6 Diesel though, but it has 120 bhp. I would still love the Kuga, but published 2017 CO2 figures of 122 for the 2.0 Duratorq have gone up to 154 in the 2018 figures. Too high for company car tax. My other choice is the Hyundai Tucson 2.0

Decisions, decisions!!!

Thanks for all of your excellent comments

Given your restricted “shopping list” my first choice would be the Tucson.

 

[Craigyoung]

Same here but not knowing how company cars cost and go about finance wise but can you not choose what you want, the company pay the max they would and you put the difference towards what you want of the costs to cover the rest ?

 

[DaveG307]

For our company, they give you a budget of up to £15,500 (trade price, as I work in the motor trade), but the car must be less than 12 months old, and have less than 15,000 miles. They also prefer keeping the CO2 as low as possible, and will reject anything that they decide to be too high. Normally, this criteria would give you loads of choice, but a lot of the good choices with low CO2 have either a towing limit of 1500 kg or less, or are too light to pull our van... I think the Tucson is a good choice. Plenty of power (134bhp), plenty of torque. The 1.7 has a low towing limit, so has to be the 2.0.

 

[DaveG307]

By the way, they don't give us an option to pay the difference if we want a more expensive one. That would really confuse our finance dept.....

 

[otherclive]

By the way, they don't give us an option to pay the difference if we want a more expensive one. That would really confuse our finance dept.....

It makes it difficult with the Benefit in Kind calculations that your finance department issue for you to declare to HMRC each tax year. Just keep it simple.

 

[Lutz]

Lucky if you even have a choice. In our company you got what they gave you out of the company fleet. You were left with no choice. The only good thing was that because the fleet was relatively big and there was a big turnaround, you got something new every couple of weeks, but it was always a surprise what it would be next.