Well we have narrowed down our choices to 2 cars...read on, (...

[HomerMarge]

We ruled the Honda CRV out, love the car, but the wife banged her knee every (and I mean every time)she got in the car. I also found the clutch pedal to be really high and found this really uncomfortable for driving (anyone else noticed this) maybe it was just me and my short legs.

The Nissan Xtrail seems great, the sunroof is huge so Marge can fit her hair out of the window, it does seem to tick all the boxes, it's just been hard to find a nice one that is in good nick.

The other choice is the Kia Sorenta, it has plenty of room for my belly behind the wheel and nice to drive.

So I think it is simply a matter of what one comes up first as far as finding a suitable low mileage good condition.

 

[Fubar]

H&M, I may be a bit late with this but I went through the same thing last year considering the same cars as you (with the exception of LR), ended up buying a Kia Sportage 2.0 Diesel - did everything we wanted, and got extras thrown in by the dealer (towbar, dog-gate, etc) CHEAPER then a used CRV!

I know the Sportage will not be everyone's choice, but I have had no probs at all with it and Kia were 5th top in the recent reliability survey.

the only thing I would change would be to go for the XS instead of the XE - I found that the Sorrento was just too big for our needs.

hope this helps. M (",)

 

[HomerMarge]

BF

Yes we did look at the sportage, and we are not far off the price for the new one. I am sure we discounted it because of the nose weight (75kg from memory) and was on the limit for towing our van 1350MTLPM, but maybe I will double check as I saw a very nice top range one yesterday when I went to look at the Sorenta, and it was very nice, but again walked by as I though it was not big enough?

 

[cliff_5040076]

Hi

We have the CRV and our clutch pedal is about 1/4" above the brake pedal.I also have short legs but I've had no problems at all.

When your wife bangs her leg is she getting in the driving seat or passenger seat and what is she banging her knee on?

 

[HomerMarge]

Hi Cliff

It was the passenger side where the front dashboard overhangs, I am sure she would get used to it, she just managed to do it in every car we looked at. As for the clutch, again maybe we would get used to that, it just seemed to strain my leg as it felt like I had to lift it over a mountain to get from the floor position (sitting on the dummy foot-rest) to the cluth pedal. Other than that we thought the vehicle was great.

 

[cliff_5040076]

Hi H & M

I understand what you mean.

You're right, the so called glove box seems to extend into the pasenger space a bit but the answer is simple, move the seat right back. The passenger behind is able to move their seat several inches rearward so they aren't cramped.You loose a bit of boot space but you gain in passenger comfort.

The pedal position is probably because you are coming from a saloon car to a 4x4.

You would be sitting lower down with your legs stretched out more than in a 4x4 with its higher seating position.

In any 4x4 you sit more upright and have to lift your leg up to use the pedals.

I must admit I don't notice it but I have had MPV's and 4x4 for years and they have similar seating characteristics.

Incidently,I was in a similar position to you 14 months ago except I was buying new so didn't have the problem you have found trying to find a clean example.

I test drove the CRV, XTrail, Sportage, Sorento but not the Freelander( I won't go into why in case I upset the green oval brigade).

They all had their merits and it was difficult to choose.

We loved the Sorento for its looks and size.

We liked the Sportage for its value for money.

The Xtrail and CRV had very good diesel engines and were quite rapid.

Eventually it came down to the XTrail and CRV as we were buying new and depreciation was more of a factor than in your case.

We thought that residuals would be stronger with Nissan and Honda than Kia.

The final decider was not the car but the Garage.

The Nissan dealer was badly run and gave us the impression that they couldn't be bothered even if we had 20K + to spend.

The Honda dealer was exactly the opposite, you know, "take a seat, can I get you a coffee etc".

They gave the impression they wanted your business and had a very proffessional approach, which having just had the 1st 12500 mile service has continued.

Sorry to ramble on but both of your choices should be good reliable vehicles.

If I had to make the choice buying used I would go for the Sorento purely because it looks great and is a lot bigger than the XTrail.

The downside is the XTrail is going to be a lot more fuel efficient.

You pays your money and makes your choice.

Best of luck.

 

[Fubar]

I have to agree with Cliff, our choice virtually came down to garage - however it was the Honda garage that was really disappointing in our case (pushy used car salesmen), whereas Kia couldn't do enough.

just to throw you another curveball H&M, have you looked at Hyundai? I believe that the Santa Fe and Tuscon and the same under the skin as the Sorrento and Sportage, but Hyundai offer their 5 year warranty! worth a thought.

probably doesn't matter what you choose now, it will just come down to personal preference and gut-instinct. good luck with whatever you decide and enjoy. M (",)

 

[HomerMarge]

Good advice guys, you are definately right about the service, even looking second hand we have received good and bad, and relaxed take your time and pushy.

Just out of interest Cliff, we noticed the new CRV no longer has the jutting out dashboard so was no problem getting in.

On the Hyundai, we have looked, I think the noseweight is slightly less 80 Auto, 85 Manual for the Santa Fe, because of this we have discarded at the moment as our nose weights seems to be 90kg. Mind you with some jigging I am sure we could get it close to the Hyundai.