Looking for a New Family Ride

[RBBailey]

Well, some guy absentmindedly turned left across traffic in front of my wife today. The GL320 may finally have to be put down. It's been a great vehicle. We love the diesel. Has amazing acceleration and great handling. It had the "off road" package, so a bit of protection, locking diff, air suspension, etc... It has been the family long distance travel vehicle for us for at least five or six years now. The Mini that the guy had for only a week is certainly destroyed, and the repairs to the GL are probably going to be a long ways past what it is worth. No injuries though!

So what would you be looking for in a road-going SUV that is slightly smaller than the GL320? One kid is moving out to college, the other will be driving for herself sometime this coming year. So no need for a big family SUV. Here is the short list so far. If it were me, I'd be looking for the latest model GWagen that I could import with a diesel, but this is my wife's commuter car, so....

1. BMW X5 Diesel
2. Range Rover Diesel
3. Porsche Cayenne Diesel
4. Mercedes ML or maybe a GL diesel if she decides to stick with the same size.

I'm predicting that we only get about $8k for the car from insurance, so we may need to finance. But the timing is pretty good on that since dealers are offering 0% and deferred payments, even for certified used.

 

[acheck]

If I were in the market for a new daily/practical car I would only be looking at CPO Volvos. the new V90 and XC90 are incredible cars and tremendous value.

If I felt like taking on another liability as an everyday car it would be a ~2008 G (not GL) class.

 

[Norton]

Get the BMW X5 - not sure if you need the diesel But diesels are cool. My wife loves her x5 with the v6. Highway ride always impresses me and parking and handling in town is a breeze.

We have had Tahoes, Yukon’s, RR, LR3, Cherokee and the x5 is the favorite right now - three years old and she says she wants to keep it at least another three

bad points - no auto start for cold mornings, interior controls take a while to get used to had to call the dealer to figure out how to turn on the heated steering wheel

 

[supertreeman]

Cayenne Diesel. I have one and its one of the best cars Ive owned. Added bonus is the extended warranty is amazing in response to the whole dieselgate fiasco. Lots out there with super low mileage. Mine has been totally bulletproof. Only complaint is the 5k oil change interval but if you DIY its not a big deal. Otherwise Porsche tries to charge you $750.00 for the "oil service". Dont be fooled. Its just an oil change.

 

[RBBailey]

If I were in the market for a new daily/practical car I would only be looking at CPO Volvos. the new V90 and XC90 are incredible cars and tremendous value.

If I felt like taking on another liability as an everyday car it would be a ~2008 G (not GL) class.

Honestly, this vehicle has been a lot like a Rover. In the past 30k a lot of odd things have gone wrong and cost a lot to fix. The engine is pre BlueTec, and absolutely amazing. Overall styling and function are amazing. But when your tailgate stops working and costs $1200 to fix........... we had looked into selling last year, but got distracted with selling our investment property and turning it into an actual business, etc... I still think Mercs are good, but a friend of mine who was a Merc certifies mechanic did say that there is a difference between the US built models and the EU models.

 

[RBBailey]

Cayenne Diesel. I have one and its one of the best cars Ive owned. Added bonus is the extended warranty is amazing in response to the whole dieselgate fiasco. Lots out there with super low mileage. Mine has been totally bulletproof. Only complaint is the 5k oil change interval but if you DIY its not a big deal. Otherwise Porsche tries to charge you $750.00 for the "oil service". Dont be fooled. Its just an oil change.

I'd like to hear more. Especially about the warranty -- extended to new owners?

 

[supertreeman]

The diesel gets the 4 year new car warranty, plus 2 year unlimited bumper to bumper extension, and 10 year emission warranty. Warranty goes along with car regardless of owner. I believe the Taureg TDI has the same warranty. Thats another one to consider. Full disclosure Im very biased towards diesels.

 

[rocky]

She's used to diesels so stick with them. Not sure about the GL but the M class and X5 are both US built. I know nothing about the Porsche but suggest you look as well at its Audi stablemates.
Only know one RR diesel guy and he loves it. Plus it probably has the spec to pull your 110 on a trailer if you ever want to....

 

[RBBailey]

I know a local Defender guy who ended up with one of the newer gen Range Rovers, and he can't get enough of it. LOVES it. The people I know who have the newer Range Rovers, one with a diesel, all say they are great.

I think we will try to drive each of these vehicles, there are enough around to make a go at it. Especially since we are going into debt for it (all cars are paid off right now) we want to make a good selection, and something with some kind of warranty might be worth it to offset the debt.

I'm pretty sure she is stuck on a diesel as well. We both like them.

 

[FlyersFan76]

I would go with the Range Rover but I am biased. At work we have had

(1) Audi Q7 - since sold. The resale was going to be crap compared to my 2011 RRS until VW had to pay out.

Currently have (1) X5 and (3) RRS. I like the comfort of the RRS over the X5 but I have only driving the X5 a hand full of times.

I would love the full size Range Rover.


Is Porsche still offering the diesel in the states since VW started there electric company? I thought they were moving away from dino powered vehicles.

 

[Northwind]

I picked up a used 2017 Full size RR Diesel a couple of months ago, came off a lease with only 13,500 miles. Prior to that i has a 2014 RRS. Love the roominess of the full size and also that i am getting 26-28mpg on the freeway. Theirs a lot of low mileage lease vehicles out their and the pricing is pretty darn good relative to anything new.

 

[Dan kemper]

Love our RR diesel. Fantastic car so far

 

[LR Max]

I'd say the BMW X5 or the Porsche. Both good vehicles. Also throw in there, the Macan. Great car.

I guess you have to decide if the coveted 3rd row is a must-have. I think its a bit of a gimick but if you have extended family that you go out with often, then its worth it. Otherwise it just takes up space. If you need a REAL 3rd row, then get a Suburban or a van or whatever. The gimick 3rd row seats aren't good for any extended use.

I'd lean more towards the BMW X5 as it has more population and you can find a good one optioned how you'd like.

If you go used, DO NOT BUY FROM A BIG CITY. Take for example, Atlanta, GA. Owners don't care about their vehicles (especially on lease!!) and the roads are junk. My LR3 is from Atlanta and I'm still working out various bugs from damage of the 1st owners.

I say avoid the Volvo. My wife has a 2018 XC60 (latest generation). The touch screen is pure junk and everytime I work on the car, all I think is, "What idiot thought this was a good idea".

 

[rocky]

Its a Volvo. Still have to put up with my wife’s. Learnt to hate the brand when replacing a headlight bulb. You need a double jointed wrist to do it.

That said, an xc70 allowed my son to escape injury free when rear ended at high speed by a drunk car salesman. Both cars totaled.

 

[LR Max]

Its a Volvo. Still have to put up with my wife’s. Learnt to hate the brand when replacing a headlight bulb. You need a double jointed wrist to do it.

That said, an xc70 allowed my son to escape injury free when rear ended at high speed by a drunk car salesman. Both cars totaled.

Yeah. We own it. We have it. I just deal with it. Gotten 2 years out of it and we are keen to get at least another 5 years before there is any consideration of replacement. I'm settling in for the long haul by putting filters on the shelf and gathering youtube videos.

 

[RBBailey]

OK. We drove a Porsche and did like it, but felt that it was a bit much, a little too plush we also drove a Disco sport just to compare, checked into an Audi and Volvo and RR Sport with diesel.

The Disco Sport was laughable. The Porsche felt too big and too much like something you’d have to get used to, even though it is actually smaller than the current MB. Bad visibility. But epic cockpit design and high quality feel.

We are going to pick up an X5 twin turbo diesel this evening. We have always liked the BMWs that we’ve owned, and this just felt right when we tested it. 2015 with 100k miles. Was a company car. Good dark silver color. Has every option you can get except for tow package. Plus, it is almost $15k cheaper than any other diesel we tested. It drives as well or better than the others. And has much better throttle response than the Porsche. I’m pretty confident in the overall quality, as the user reviews are positive.