I’ve been thinking about changing cars for some time now but I needed to make sure any 
decision that I made wasn’t clouded by the trauma of the last 7 months. I also needed to make my mind up about whether to keep Jane’s car or not. She loved her Smart Car however I don’t need it and therefore I’ve decided that when I change the Skoda Yeti the Smart will go with it. A fresh start…
The next car will be another 4×4 with everything the Skoda has. If given a choice I would simply buy a new Yeti however the higher powered Yeti (185 bhp) is no longer on offer and I do like a bit of acceleration – having owned an Audi TT and a Porsche Boxster there is still a need for speed even if it’s in the shape of an SUV.
So the range of cars available is significant and I’ve whittled it down to six:
They all look very similar but the “On The Road” price varies considerably from the VW Tiguan at £36k to the Mitsubishi ASX at £26k. The sales people all claim their vehicle as the “best in its class” but I’m guessing this is a class of one and not a direct comparison with their competitors. For those who know me well will assume that my approach is calculated and involves a spreadsheet of my requirements. My current favourites are the Kia Sportage (excellent leg room, great value for money and 7 year warranty) and the Mazda CX5 (looks good and reputation). Over the next few weeks my selection becomes serious as I’ve booked test drives in most of them. I’ll give regular updates on how I get on.
Hi Steve,
We too have been investigating similar cars.
We bought a new Mazda BT50 ute (5cyl, 4wd etc) last year, and an older Mazda 2 – Sue’s ‘shopping trolley” ! Our Ben recently bought a new Mazda 6 diesel, and Matthew a new Subaru Forester.
We have been considering a used Yeti, Mazda CX5, CX3, (we are not wed to Mazda – but they have cars we like) and have been considering the Kia now they offer 7 years warranty. We like AWD/ high clearance cars, as my (Ian) driving is inept, and I would keep damaging wheels etc on high kerbs! This second car would need to be economic.
Please keep us informed as to your investigations. You have always been a good sounding board 🙂
More on other stuff later.
InSx
Steve,
I’m just trying to reconcile your statements ‘..I do like a bit of acceleration…’ and ‘..still a need for speed’ with the fact you owned an Audi TT and Porche Boxter? If I remember rightly the former was always covered with seagull crap (or at least the chrome filler cap) and you never got the roof down (or then up) on the latter 😉
BTW the Kia is still going strong, 11 years old, 111,000 miles on the clock all on a 1.1l engine.
Hi Gary – to set the record straight it wasn’t seagull crap it was swallow crap because we had them nesting in the garage and I did have the roof down on the TT whenever the sun was shining and the temperature was above 10 degrees C – it was a rule I had. Admittedly the porsche roof wasn’t as good as the TT but it did come down from time to time but rarely at work. Enough of this defensive nonsense 😉
Yes I knew you liked your Kia and used it everyday for your commute which is part of the reason the Kia is at the top of my list at the moment. Watch this space…
A friend has the Kia and rates it. Happy vehicle hunting. X
I worked with someone who had a small Kia and thought it was brilliant for the daily commute from Banbury. Thanks xx
Car buying is always a tricky but delicious decision I find. I always way up the pros and cons but invariably my heart rules my head. I will check out your favourites as I am always interested in the SUV market, living somewhat off road as we do.
Hi Martin – I know you have the Touareg and I’m sure it’s a great car but even the Tiguan has grown wider by 16 cm in the new version which might not seem a lot on the open road but will be a squeeze to get into the garage. VW are now setting themselves alongside Audi in terms of price but the cars are virtually identical under the body shell. I’ll be surprised if the VW wins this contest even if its media technology is superb – it will run the apps on your smartphone on the internal screen so if you want to use Google Maps instead of the in-car satnav then you can.
I’m hoping to get adaptive cruise control so if the car in front slows down the system recognises this and keeps you at a safe distance – great for motorway travel and a step towards self drive cars. I’ll write reviews after the test drives.