I'm currently driving a Ford Focus MK3 Hatchback, and as far as hatchbacks go, it's pretty spacious in the boot and for passengers.
I am however looking for something bigger, that I can fit in a pram and some extra bits and two car seats in the backseat without it feeling cramped.
I know estates exist but I would like to avoid them (can't get the wife to agree to them!). Any other hatchback would feel like a sideways move.
It would need to be automatic. And ULEZ compliant. And be nice to drive on the occasional motorway trip.
I did have the "German luxury" itch a few days ago and started looking at 10 year old 5 Series', but they're so gosh darn long. E Classes only come in Diesel from that age if I remember correctly, which means it's not suitable for me. And I guess the upkeep costs of these 2 cars would be far too much.
Well, for ULEZ compliance, and auto and only the occasional longer trip, then petrols, avoiding dual clutch (generally) and Jatco-made autos are best bet for a stress-free (i.e. reliable) ownership experience, assuming you can source a car with a proven maintenance history.
The good thing is that with petrols, any EU4 car is compliant, but for diesels, the much newer (10-15 years) EU6 compliance is needed. That makes them both more complex (can be unreliable, especially when mainly used in the urban setting) and a good deal more expensive
When you've come up with a list, make sure you check them out in person, including getting a test drive (preferably from cold across a decent range of roads/speeds) to ensure they will be comfortable and big enough for your needs.
That will necessitate bringing along all the bits you intend to pout in the boot to 'try it out', as some advertise quite large spaces but in reality they include the area under the normal boot floor in the total boot space, plus it might have an odd-shaped boot or a cross bracing on the floor which may prevent fitting certain larger items in.
You may also want to look at some MPVs and SUVs/crossovers that may suit your needs. Be prepared to accept some lower mpg cars because they use the traditional torque converter auto boxes, which are reliable but at the cost of about 10-20% mpg over manuals, CVT and DCT autos.
One left field choice might be the KIA Venga 1.6 auto or its Hyundai ix30 equivalent. Decent size boot at around 400L if I recall, just not exactly great along the country roads handling and ride quality wise.
Fine other than that, though if you can, get a post gearbox upgrade one (~2015-16) that has the more efficient 6 speed box rather than the original 4 speed one, which only does low 30s mpg. It won't set records for speed, but they are practical and seemingly quite hardy. Quite a few coming back to main dealers now as PXes and look in decent condition.
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