Hi,
due to the arrival of 2nd child I need to swap my car. However at 6'4" (with long legs) I find that many supposedly large vehicles dont have any decent legroom in the back. With childseats fitted I cannot get into 'standard' sized cars.
I am looking at spending up to £10K, bmw 5 series doesnt have much space in the back, saab 9-5 seats are too small (literally a pain in the neck). My brother has a passat which is big enough but I find it uncomfortable, plus I hear a lot of horror stories, and Im not too impressed with the quality of my current A4
What should I go looking at ?
Is the volvo v70 a decent size ?
many thanks
Mark
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Balmoral? :-)
Sorry, just couldn't resist!
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Surprisingly little legroom in the back seat of a V70. If you have to have an estate with decent legroom in the back then it's probably going to have to be a Mondeo. The other question might be whether you actually need an estate since you can't actually get the benefit of the folding seats when you travel with the kids and with seats up, many estate cars have the same or less capacity than their saloon equivalents. The rear legroom in a Skoda Superb is remarkable and your children will have great difficulty kicking your seat; also the boot is huge. Same ok handling as Passat, higher spec inside, great tdi engine and you should get an 02 or 52 for £10kish. I've driven Skoda hire cars and had no probs. Apparently the dealers are more helpful than VW, but then that's no challenge. Without going MPV route can't think of any other possibilities.
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Martin,
sorry should have mentioned the dogs - hence need an estate.
I have had an octavia as a hire car but it didnt seem much bigger than the a4.
I agree about the skoda dealers though, many vw/audi parts are shared across the board, but they are cheaper and you get better service (at least in my neck of the woods) from the skoda dealer than you do from vw / audi or seat (spit - dont get me started on the seat ibiza 1.9d that my wife had. using 6l oil between services ? all within tolerance sir. Perfectly normal).
Mpv's ? Shudder! Not if I can possibly help it.
Mark
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I drive a 2004 V70 2.4T SE, and one of the many reasons I chose it is that it is such a spacious, comfortable, refined, and all together pleasant place to be.
All of the seats are wonderful, especially on pan European treks with hour after hour in them - in fact by far the best I have ever experienced - and starting in the front, legroom is huge. There is also plenty of headroom. In many cars, my head touches the roof, but is nowhere near in the V70. The interior is also very wide.
When it comes to rear seat space, passengers are again well catered for. Loads of head room, good shoulder room when three abreast, and good leg room. My 6'2" brother also drives a V70 (a D5 auto), and a 6'4" friend that we both have can happily sit behind him without feeling uncomfortable.
Have fun choosing, and if you have any more V70 questions, please ask.
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SjB,
thanks for that. I wasnt sure about volvo - years ago I drove an 850 and just could not get comfortable - my head touched the roof (I dont remember if it had a sun roof or not) - I take it the v70 is bigger then ?
I have heard of lots of electrical problems with volvos - is that the case ?
Do you have the standard suspension or the sports ?
What sort of economy do you get out of it ?
(you did say ask...)
thanks
Mark
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For circa £10k you should be able to find a Citroen C5 2.2 Exclusive SE.
Electric everything, leather, SatNav, you name it! Over 1600 liters of space with the back seats down and most importantly for a load lugger that's going to be used for lugging loads the air suspension keeps it level at all times.
And for the cynics - post 52 plates are reliable :-)
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> (you did say ask...)
As did you... ;-)
Absolutely honestly, my V70 (new March 1st 2003) was the first new car I've ever had that was totally fault free on collection. Believe me, I went over it with the fine toothcomb to be expected when shelling out that much of my own dosh, but there was absolutlely nothing wrong with it. The only fault so far has been one hog ring (the metal clip that holds the leather to the seat frame) popping off the bottom of the front passenger seat map pocket. Fixed in a matter of seconds (literally) by my local dealer. From a mark on the ring, he reckoned it had never been fitted properly (ie a one-off) rather than being of intrinsically bad design. That's it! Nothing else to report. The car is an absolute joy to own, and still gives me great pleasure every time I sink in to the driver's seat and turn the key.
My V70 has the lowered suspension with Nivomatic self levelling suspension, whereas my brother's V70 has the standard suspension. We both have the standard 225/45x17 wheels and P6000 tyres. We are in agreement with each other that the setup on my V70 is the better of the two, remaining compliant and well damped, but tighter and more controlled when pressing on. The self levelling is fantastic, being operated by the natural 'bounce' of driving over a few hundred metres rather than a pump system to go wrong (read more here: (www.sachs.co.jp/owx_medien/media40/4085.pdf) I have had the car laden to what must have been very close to max vehicle weight several times, and to see it sat nice and level, and to drive it without wallowing, was great. Not the same car(but sharing the same platform and much of the running gear) our father drives an S80 2.4 with standard suspension and 15" wheels, and although supremely plush and comfortable in the cruise and around town, is too wallowy for me. So, the lowered chassis and Nivomatic with standard 17" wheels hits the spot as far as I am concerned. BTW, if you find a V70 with them, don't be tempted by the gorgeous looking 18" Nebula wheels. They RUIN the ride, and bend very easily on potholes.
When it comes to fuel consumption, my 2003 V70 2.4T (manual) has averaged 28.1 MPG over the past 2000 odd miles since I last reset the function, whereas Dad's 1998 2.4 (manual) owned from new has averaged low thirties, and my brother's 2003 D5 (auto) easily gets mid forties.
Mentioning engines, the 2.4T is a terrifically torquey (peak torque starts at 1800RPM and holds past 5000RPM) unit, that remains beautifully refined under load. For me, it is the pick of the pre 2.5T (even better) bunch. The D5 is very well married to an auto box, and once off the line, delivers near 2.4T performance for much better fuel economy. For me though, the extra refinement of the 2.4T, the much wider power band, and the absence of power fall off at each end of the spectrum were amongst the arguments that swung it. The 2.4 170 is just enough to haul the S80 (and thus V70) when laden, but the 2.4 140 (a colleague in Sweden where I often work has one) really struggles. All cruise well however, and all sound fantastic when worked hard. Yes, even the diesel!
None of us has had a hint of an electrical problem beyond burning one headlamp bulb each per year. This is because the daytime running lamps that are 'on' all the time are infact the dipped beam circuit.
Finally, no SjB V70 running report comes without mentioning the terrific Dolby Prologic sound system. The regular fit HU-803 head unit (Mitsubishi) and power amplifier (Harmon Kardon) and standard speakers are simply astonishing. Find a V70 with the premium system however like I ordered (a more powerful Harmon Kardon amplifier and Dynaudio speakers) and it becomes even more so. Finally, there is a subwoofer (sits in the space saver tyre!) if you really want. This costs about £150 and can be added to any V70 with the space saver spare. BTW, if a salesman tries to tell you that a V70 you are looking at has the premium sound system and therefore commands a higher price, the way to check is to move the driver's (RH) seat all the way forwards. If the car really does have the premium sound system, the finned black amplifier under the seat will have a yellow label. Regular amps have a blue label, or no label.
Hope this helps.
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- my head touched the roof >>
If you're worried about head-banging, I can recommend the Mondeo - My head is nowhere near the roof in mine. It is large and comfortable.
Splodgeface
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The car, that is...
Splodgeface
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The A6 is bigger than the A4/Passat/Octavia, and reasonaby priced now as well so could be worth a look. I had a '98 1.8T that did 90K in 3 years with no problem, and was suprisingly quick given the engine size. The TDIs have to be a better bet though I'd have thought. The new one is just around the corner, so prices may soften, but then again may reflect that already...
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Have a look at the Legacy estate. I have always considered them to be very spacious inside.
Or. you could buy mine, now surplus to requirements due to arrival of van.R plate £2.5k (includes dog friendly load liner)and stick the balance in Premium Bonds!You know they never let you down. Subarus that is, not Premium Bonds!
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legacy lad - subarus never let you down ?
I once had an SVX. enough said.
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Mercedes E-Class estate is the most spacious estate car I can remember driving, second has to be the Mondeo. I've driven both these fitted with sunroofs and had no problem with headroom. Generally I have the feeling that space efficiency is not a big priority for many car manufacturers these days. The Volvo 850 doesn't have as much internal space as looks like it should have, nor does the 5 Series and the Rover 75 feels positively cramped compared to a Mondeo.
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New Vectra Estate seems to be absolutely huge. IIRC lengthened wheelbase over saloon.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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