Thought I would consult the oracle as whatever the topic there are always some on here whose topic it seems to be!

Planning to swap the car soon.
Looking at 5 door, automatic, 4wd, but without going into the Chelsea tractor range.
Any recommendations on what is good, bad, reliable, etc would gratefully received.

CaptainKirk wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:26 pm

Thought I would consult the oracle as whatever the topic there are always some on here whose topic it seems to be!

Planning to swap the car soon.
Looking at 5 door, automatic, 4wd, but without going into the Chelsea tractor range.
Any recommendations on what is good, bad, reliable, etc would gratefully received.

Just take the shuttlecraft

Wokingclaret wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:29 pm

Just take the shuttlecraft

Or the "transporter" maybe, Scottie will beam him where ever in Transporter range.

CaptainKirk wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:26 pm

Thought I would consult the oracle as whatever the topic there are always some on here whose topic it seems to be!

Planning to swap the car soon.
Looking at 5 door, automatic, 4wd, but without going into the Chelsea tractor range.
Any recommendations on what is good, bad, reliable, etc would gratefully received.

Avoid Jags & Landrovers with "ingenium" 4 cylinder engines ... I've got a friend who works on them and thats why I got rid of my Jag E-Pace and went back to Citroen ...

Get a Claret or a blue one, or better still, a Claret and Blue one.

Ive had a lot of cars in my job role, my favourite has been the BMW 4 series or Volkswagen Passat estates. Big cars, comfortable and no issues, had a couple of both and would probably go VW given a choice due to the space.

Uber - cheaper than driving

CaptainKirk wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:26 pm

Thought I would consult the oracle as whatever the topic there are always some on here whose topic it seems to be!

Planning to swap the car soon.
Looking at 5 door, automatic, 4wd, but without going into the Chelsea tractor range.
Any recommendations on what is good, bad, reliable, etc would gratefully received.

You could buy the cheap as chips MG Electric 4 x 4 ,you can buy a 2021 for about £10,000 ,we’ve aMerc GLE 2017 that’s done 40,000 miles paid £27,000 for it in 2020 but if you bought one now it would still cost you over £22,000 ,Audi Q3’s registered 2020 are still fetching around £20k ,sod the car and use taxis ,they’re cheaper in the long run.

Burnley1989 wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:45 pm

Ive had a lot of cars in my job role, my favourite has been the BMW 4 series or Volkswagen Passat estates. Big cars, comfortable and no issues, had a couple of both and would probably go VW given a choice due to the space.

Agree about the VW, never owned a BMW. Had a VW Passatt for 3 years , did 120,000 miles as a company lease car. Then had the choice of any other car and had another Passatt. Over 6 years just under a quarter of a million miles -the only thing that went wrong was the water pump which got sorted the same day

Don't worrry over 52's will soon be off the road so you'll be on the bus

If I still had my Reliant 21E Van, I'd let you have it dead cheap.

Bosscat wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 18, 2025 9:37 pm

Avoid Jags & Landrovers with "ingenium" 4 cylinder engines ... I've got a friend who works on them and thats why I got rid of my Jag E-Pace and went back to Citroen ...

It's quite possibly one of the worst engines ever built
Biggest issue is it doesn't have an oil level sensor ....people don't bother checking their oil regularly and the engine craps itself

The Ford wet belt engine gives it a good run for its money though and probably just sneaks over the line as the worst engine ever

Avoid the 1.0ltr Ford engines, they're utter toss, don't let anyone tell you any different either
Avoid the jlr ingenium, equally as toss

Unless you're regularly doing long journeys, don't bother getting a diesel as the exhaust dpf will just clog up

Go have a look round a car supermarket style place, have a sit in a few and see what feels best for you

Worth looking at the Kia range, Hyundai etc, they're generally reliable these days

The 4wd Cupra range are very good for the money

Skoda Kodiaq 4x4 without a doubt.

I bought a Renault megane for 4K with a full years MOT. Got through its next MOT without a single issue. Due it’s next MOT in couple of months. If it gets through that that’s 3 years for 4K.

I tw*tted into a bollard at work yesterday whilst distracted by a wasp. Scratched the bumper. Not ar5ed

Who’s gonna drive you home tonight was a good but slightly overrated single.

Hilman Hunter 1500 in the late 70s , could do all the servicing myself (never touched the brakes or steering as if you make a mistake may not be good) went from 0 to 60 within the hr and would cruise at 80 down hill and could fill the tank on less than a £5.
Currently have a Vauxhall grand land 1.2 turbo 6 yrs old mot yesterday cleared with no notifications good around town and easily reaches 70 on the motorway with loads left average 40 miles per gallon all driving very rarely go on a long run but sits 5 adults and nice boot .

Have had BMW s and must say never had one more than 3 yrs old but every time got in them was like a new car

Happy with my Volvo XC60.

CharlieinNewMexico wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 19, 2025 8:34 am

Who’s gonna drive you home tonight was a good but slightly overrated single.

Not their best song.

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 19, 2025 8:51 am

Not their best song.

Agreed!

I wanted something similar to what you're looking for. 4WD, auto, 5 doors and not a big SUV. I settled on a VW Arteon Shooting brake. Very sleek design and very spacious inside. The 4WD system from VAG has been around for ages so is tried and tested. I did find an "R" which has a 2.0 litre 320 BHP engine which might not suit everyone in terms of fuel economy, road tax or insurance but it's great to drive. So far so good.

GodIsADeeJay81 wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 18, 2025 11:03 pm

It's quite possibly one of the worst engines ever built
Biggest issue is it doesn't have an oil level sensor ....people don't bother checking their oil regularly and the engine craps itself

The Ford wet belt engine gives it a good run for its money though and probably just sneaks over the line as the worst engine ever

Sid, what are your thoughts on the more recent BEV offerings? I'm looking to finally park the Diesel Civic in the car park in the sky and I have done so much analysis on the most cost effective way for me to get a new(er) car and for my requirements a new BEV on a lease is looking really tempting. Models I've looked at are Cupra Born VZ (fast and comfortable, but the regen braking would take a lot of getting used to); Renault Scenic E-Tech (current favourite for selection, cant fault the drive or comfort, only sticking point is the warranty and being a Renault that's a concern); Skoda Elroq (nice motor, but more expensive than the others). None of these offer enough range for the 400 mile round trip to Burnley on a match day, but then show me a BEV that can (I know the Mercedes CLA is quoted at 484 miles, but that's out of my price range unfortunately!)

Ideally some feedback on warranty issues etc from someone in the trade would be useful - is there anywhere that we can find stats on warranty issues for cars?

thanks mate

the regen braking would take a lot of getting used

My car has pretty robust regen (you can run in D or B modes - the latter being closer to one pedal driving).
Re 400 mile range - it's becoming less of an issue every day, as the quality/reliability/availability of high-speed chargers is improving rapidly.
Having switched back to EV this year after 3 years in a diesel, I've been really impressed with how easy/quick it is now to get some juice and get back on the road.

GodIsADeeJay81 wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 18, 2025 11:03 pm

It's quite possibly one of the worst engines ever built
Biggest issue is it doesn't have an oil level sensor ....people don't bother checking their oil regularly and the engine craps itself

The Ford wet belt engine gives it a good run for its money though and probably just sneaks over the line as the worst engine ever

Just sold my L551 D180 Evoque First Edition that I’ve owned from new.

It had the balance shafts replaced under warranty and other than needing a particulate matter sensor out of warranty gave me 76,000 miles of trouble free motoring.

I still got rid of it because they’re known for being a ticking time bomb.

My A6 Avant quattro has all the room you would ever need but as I get older I'm definitely struggling to climb in and out of it.

AmbleClaret wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:08 am

Skoda Kodiaq 4x4 without a doubt.

He said he doesn't want to go to Chelsea.

Clovius Boofus wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 19, 2025 9:25 am

He said he doesn't want to go to Chelsea.

They aren't, more estate like.

Leon_C wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 19, 2025 9:02 am

the regen braking would take a lot of getting used

My car has pretty robust regen (you can run in D or B modes - the latter being closer to one pedal driving).
Re 400 mile range - it's becoming less of an issue every day, as the quality/reliability/availability of high-speed chargers is improving rapidly.
Having switched back to EV this year after 3 years in a diesel, I've been really impressed with how easy/quick it is now to get some juice and get back on the road.

indeed, the Cupra regen braking was significantly different to the braking on the other BEVs I've tried and I dont think it was adjustable either. For example, on approach to a roundabout in Milton Keynes (where 70mph is normal around the city) when you brake as if it was an ICE car with normal brakes, you get what feels like nothing slowing you down until the mechanical brakes also kick in. It is a little unnerving and I was told by the sales chap that you quickly get used to it. I'm not so sure myself, but over time perhaps - doesn't feel safe though especially when the car can go as quick as it does. Whereas on the Scenic, there were 4 different levels (I believe) and it felt "safe" if that makes sense.

Get a motorcycle instead. Far cheaper to run and far more exhilarating. No passengers to annoy you and no stereo needed. Just the sound of the engine and head for the twistys.

Clovius Boofus wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 19, 2025 9:25 am

He said he doesn't want to go to Chelsea.

Nor did Declan McManus
https://youtu.be/XvRQDsH0Yho?si=OIzkhzH_xZt8uyV9

Bring back SAAB’s.

Pearcey wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 19, 2025 8:46 am

Happy with my Volvo XC60.

Good man

I agree wit karatekid, get a motorbike……and a Transit Van.
Cars are for people with no imagination.