Also good question regarding the Xc40 it was my first choice but waiting times were crazy compared with the Q3. Which suprised me as i thought they would be similar but the Xc40 was months more than the Q3 and i already have to wait months for the Q3.

The XC40 certainly seems to be getting rave reviews from the motoring press, so possibly the hype and publicity are contributing to the waiting list. Also, Volvo probably don't have the production capacity to meet (at least the initial) demand. The sheer number of Audi's being made means they are unlikely to have the same problem. Volvo may well be very much 'on the up', but they are still relatively small fish compared to Audi, BMW and Merc in terms of numbers and different models, which in the case of those three are getting out of hand with niches being spotted and filled as quickly as the marketing bods find/invent them!. In terms of current models, there are 32 different Audi's, 39 different BMW's and 36 Mercedes listed on this website's reviews page, compared to 12 Volvo's!.

I'm not really a fan of SUV's myself (you maybe guessed!), i'd rather have something more practical and genuinely useful like a Citroen Belingo/Peugeot Rifter/Vauxhall Combo Life. But that's just me(!), and i hope you like the Q3 when you get it.

32 Audis, 39 BMWs that's way too many. I remember when there was just an Audi 50, 80, 100 and 200. BMW had the 3, 5, 6 and 7 series. The world has gone mad, with manufacturers trying to fill niches that don't exist.

The Audi 50, wow, i wonder who else remembers that little gem?. Found this one for sale, according to the ad, only 4 in the UK!

www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1066994

And if you do find another, it is unlikely to be standard!.

The Audi 50, wow, i wonder who else remembers that little gem?. Found this one for sale, according to the ad, only 4 in the UK!

www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1066994

And if you do find another, it is unlikely to be standard!.

IIRC, we had the Polo in the UK, so no need for the 50 to be sold here. One of the early examples of VAG badge engineering.

Correct Trilogy.

I like the change up points marked on the speedo in red. 112km/h for third gear, that's 69 MPH, bet the little engine was screaming at that point.

The world has gone mad, with manufacturers trying to fill niches that don't exist.

I think they're more cruelly cynical than that, someone creates a niche which suddenly appeals for a variety of reasons, usually by accident, the big players see the possibilities and their marketing hyenas go into overdrive to make that niche the new must have by the most crass advertising imaginable.

Everyone had to have a hot looking hatch at one time, now it's an infinite variation of pseudo SUV's half of which would get stuck on a kerb if it didn't wreck their stupid wheels trying to mount it, maybe we're seeing the electric must have gradually stuttering into life, a fad which could easily be the next and very costly Betamax farce because we simply don't have the charging infrastructure to cope and i doubt we can afford to construct it, nor provide enough reliable affordable power if we did.

Volvo, please. Evoques always make me smile - they look as though a giant has sat on a Range Rover and squashed it!

Affordable dream car is somewhat oxym****ic. My two are the RR Dawn for the day car and Bugatti Chiron for fun.

I think the Evoque is one of the ugliest cars around. It also seems much favoured by Skool Runners. So it would be the Volvo out of the two. One car for all time; either a Bentley Turbo or a '64 Ford Galaxie!

To me, the Evoque looks like some crushed the roof. Its brother, the Disco Sport, is a nice looking car. Shame they aren't well engineered, in my view.

You're paying for it Sarah, your choice, when they are stumping up the cost they can have a say.

It sounds like the equivalent XC40 would be fully loaded with toys and trinkets, where the Q3 won't have quite so many, if you wanted a car jammed full of toys (to go wrong) you would have searched one out, they didn't mean that much to you so quite rightly you've chosen what is for you, and more power to your elbow.

I stubbornly stick to my old Landcruisers, despite people like Clarkson telling anyone who will listen how wonderful Range Rovers are and how awful and slow and old fashioned my choice is, well i stick with what i know is likely to give me years of trouble free service, yes they cost a lot to buy even when many years old, and they don't handle like a hot hatch, but they suit me and what i use them for...when someone else is paying for my motoring i'll take some notice of what they suggest, until then...

Edited by gordonbennet on 10/02/2019 at 11:45

The list price of the base model (new) Q3 is a lot less than an XC40 Inscription, so maybe you were offered a good deal on the Volvo.

I had a good long test drive in an XC40, and it doubtless suits many people's style of driving. If you like driving a Nissan Qashqai, you'll like the XC40: too wallowy for me and there was a feeling of remoteness in the steering. Very like the V60 that I was going to trade in. And it has given in to that infuriating (and possibly dangerous) trend of having heater and A/C controlled by a touchscreen.

BMWs are the opposite: rightly beloved of many, but you have to concentrate rather than relax behind the wheel to get the best out of one. For me (and these things are always personal) Audis and other VW Group cars hit the sweet spot in between. I can relax while still enjoying the drive, and of course concentrate on the road ahead.

So you're in no way an idiot in going for the Q3 rather than the XC40. Both are very good cars, but your choice is as good as your friend's.

Edited by Avant on 10/02/2019 at 12:40

My parnter has remimded me my Q3 is not the base model its the next one up the s line i dont know why i keep thinking its the base model for. Thats why it came to a similar price as the inscription pro xc40 but i could have save £3k on the xc40 as i was offered a good deal of £3k less. Both cars without deals came to around £37k.

Thought i would update my mistake.