Help me choose a new wagon for the family (and me)

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Help me choose a new wagon for the family (and me)

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#1219514 21-Jan-2015 21:58

My Mrs has a 2008-2012 mazda 6 wagon... most uncomfortable car ever. Harsh suspension, hard seats, horrible steering.

But then I'm a BMW man and enjoy my soft, comfy seats. :D

She's looking at a 5 series wagon now too (e39 though).

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#1219617 22-Jan-2015 00:21

scuwp: With a family, and for larger distances, IMO hands down an SUV fits the bill...there's a reason SUV's outsell just about everything else these days in the large vehicle categories. But you will no doubt get just as many suggestions and variations as there will be replies to this thread.

For 20K + your trade in you should be able to get into a nice Ford Territory Titanium or Hyundai Santa fe Elite. If you want it to look smart then throw up some tints, put on the side rail/steps, and possibly some low profile feet and you have one rocking drive machine that has more room and flexibility than just about anything else in the same class.

Bottom line is test drive lots, once you narrow it down a bit keep a test car for a day or two and really see if it fits your style/needs. Once kids come along there is an inevitable shift in priorities, and the lack of space in vehicles doesn't get any easier as they get older, just the toys in the back get more expensive.

actually, I think the new mazda 6 wagon is roomier than many SUVs (definitely more cargo than in a new jeep grand Cherokee) and would be cheaper to maintain.

the new jeep and most SUVs look nicer than a wagon though, but the mazda is probably one of the better looking wagons :-)

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#1219624 22-Jan-2015 00:48

it looks like a poor man's aston martin. stunning!

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#1219636 22-Jan-2015 01:05

jonathan18:

The current Avensis is far better looking, but not sure if it's improved in the power stakes (it's also more affordable - the previous model was a rip-off, I guess due to it being sourced from Europe).

I love my 2011 Avensis. The current Avensis still has a 2 liter engine. In Europe its sold with a 1.8 liter engine. Its not a race car in any way shape or form, and the CVT gearing is set up for fuel economy not for driving championships. Although it has a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde personality. If you engage the Sports mode it completely forgets about fuel economy (and reasonable RPMs) and gets quite lively (Still not a race car).

Think its plenty of space in the car. I am 6 foot 2, and I can sit comfortably and still have a grown man sitting behind me. And there is lots of room in the back.

The Avensis is still built in the UK, so its a "Euro".

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#1219655 22-Jan-2015 06:21

jarledb:
jonathan18:

The current Avensis is far better looking, but not sure if it's improved in the power stakes (it's also more affordable - the previous model was a rip-off, I guess due to it being sourced from Europe).

I love my 2011 Avensis. The current Avensis still has a 2 liter engine. In Europe its sold with a 1.8 liter engine. Its not a race car in any way shape or form, and the CVT gearing is set up for fuel economy not for driving championships. Although it has a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde personality. If you engage the Sports mode it completely forgets about fuel economy (and reasonable RPMs) and gets quite lively (Still not a race car).

Think its plenty of space in the car. I am 6 foot 2, and I can sit comfortably and still have a grown man sitting behind me. And there is lots of room in the back.

The Avensis is still built in the UK, so its a "Euro".

Sorry, what I was meaning is that, like most European-sourced cars a few years back, the earlier Avensis was "ambitiously" priced as a reflection of the then exchange rate. Again, like many other European cars, the new Avensis' price reflects the relative strength of the NZ dollar. Compare the prices of VW cars in NZ now to say eight years ago... now (if you like that sort of thing) one can select a Golf as a genuine alternative (in terms of cost) to a Corolla.

Personally, I wouldn't knock the looks of the new Avensis - IMO it's a strong design...

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#1219693 22-Jan-2015 07:45

wasabi2k: we paid ~24k for a 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander VR.

If you desperately want leather etc you'll need to go for the VRX and go a bit earlier (2008). We get ~9L/100 highway and 11-12L/100 city. Space for 2 child seats and another kid in the back with a good sized boot.

3rd row of seats are a bit of a joke and you have very little boot space with them up though.

I steered well clear of Territories - the number of potential expensive faults is extensive (things like transmission, clutch, suspension, rust). Toyota highlanders are nice but about $10k premium on top of an Outlander for the base model.

The Outlander is a pretty small SUV but has a good amount of space inside. Has been really useful and far more spacious than my Caldina. Plus you could get one less than 10 years old easily with your money.

Sorry a bit late back to the thread.

It's only my opinion, just like the rest of this thread, but if considering an Outlander, take it for a very long drive first, like the whole day if you can. We too thought they were quite nice when looking to upgrade (the last of the 'jet-fighter' front grill), until we started driving other vehicles, then realized how noisy and harsh they were. Back seats like planks and the kids were moaning after about an hour (fronts not to far behind either). Everything seemed very light and 'tinny'. Drove quite well though (top line petrol model). In the end we still couldn't find anything worthy to replace the aging Territory in our budget.

Now have the latest Outlander (top line diesel) in our work fleet. A bit under powered, and again lots of road noise, and seats made out of a planks of wood, especially in the back (whats up with that?). Love the new tech though, especially adaptive cruise control (freaky at first to use). Heaps of space and handles quite well.

Had no major trouble with my Territory, nearly 11 years old now, goes like a train...nothing stops it. Regularly see these 300K+ on the clock. They are after all just a Falcon with a larger body. The niggly bits and pieces let them down, just a lack of refinement when it comes to assembly, a trait of all Aussie assembled cars (soon to be a distant memory).

I do like the new Mazda 6 wagon, and it's on the 'maybe' list when we have another look. It will be hard however to give away the higher ride and 'go-anywhere' SUV style. It is nice not worrying about dirt roads, high kerbs, or Prius's (Lol)

Good luck with your selection, would love to know what you eventually choose.

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#1219764 22-Jan-2015 09:03

The disadvantage of the Mazda6 and other vehicles in this class is that it's around 4.8m long. As someone who is used to driving small cars but would like a bit of extra interior space the ~4.4m length of a compact crossover (e.g. CX-5, Sportage, etc.) is appealling to me. These days the handling compromise with these vehicles is reasonably minimal in my opinion.

Of course this is just from my personal perspective - a long vehicle certainly isn't a problem for everyone.

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#1219787 22-Jan-2015 09:11

scuwp: I do like the new Mazda 6 wagon, and it's on the 'maybe' list when we have another look. It will be hard however to give away the higher ride and 'go-anywhere' SUV style. It is nice not worrying about dirt roads, high kerbs, or Prius's (Lol)

How about the CX5, given it's fairly similar to the 6 (same engine choice, especially the great 2.2l diesel, plus the option of AWD). Not quite the same road presence as a Territory, but still more than the 6 wagon if that's a deciding factor.

My wife point-blank refuses to consider an SUV and I prefer the handling of a car with a lower COG, so it was the new 6 wagon for us - and we haven't regretted it for a second.

I'm wondering if the new CX3 may change my wife's view as that looks to be a stunner (aesthetically at least) - may be a good replacement to her Jazz (new 2's great but still has a tiny boot relative to the new or previous Jazz).

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#1219833 22-Jan-2015 10:03

Nissan Murano

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#1219898 22-Jan-2015 11:16

Disrespective:

Anyone care to weigh in on any other options they think might work? We aren't really sure that we want an SUV style vehicle but would be happy to test drive them if one stands out.

I have to highly recommend the Ssangyong Korando. I bought a new one last year and love it.
Very spacious, mercedes engine, heaps of features and very well priced.
Though it is an SUV its not a big one.

I wouldnt recommend the rexton from the ssang yong range.

I dont think i could even go back to owning a subaru after driving this (i do a very high number of kms) and I was a subaru fanboy. Specifically the legacy.

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#1219900 22-Jan-2015 11:17

I have a 2004 Audi S4 Avant, I am looking to sell which is very nice.

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#1219973 22-Jan-2015 12:15

networkn: I have a 2004 Audi S4 Avant, I am looking to sell which is very nice.

Your thoughts on it? OK as a family wagon? Service costs etc?

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#1220088 22-Jan-2015 13:44

Disrespective:
networkn: I have a 2004 Audi S4 Avant, I am looking to sell which is very nice.
Your thoughts on it? OK as a family wagon? Service costs etc?

I am a car enthusiast and this was my dream car. It's very practical as a family car from a storage and comfort perspective, it's safe as well. It's my favourite car ever from the many I've owned and in many ways better than the BMW 335i I replaced it with.

It has lots of extras like a towbar, sunroof and good tyres.

It's a 4.2L V8 so fuel costs are a consideration, but I never once felt short changed after driving it and filling up, and I can tell you it put a smile on my face every time I drove it.

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#1220099 22-Jan-2015 13:59

Why did u get the bm and details of how does it compare

surfisup1000

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#1220103 22-Jan-2015 14:04

scuwp:
Had no major trouble with my Territory, nearly 11 years old now, goes like a train...nothing stops it. Regularly see these 300K+ on the clock. They are after all just a Falcon with a larger body. The niggly bits and pieces let them down, just a lack of refinement when it comes to assembly, a trait of all Aussie assembled cars (soon to be a distant memory).

I have the opposite experience with my territory.

I bought it new in 2006, has been driven normally, no prangs or anything . Serviced according to fords requirements.Does about 15k per year so normal km.

Just about every year I must spend $1000 in unanticipated costs just to keep it on the road. A bush or ball joint is often needing replacing. The gear linkage cable just broke last week (requiring tow) which cost $800 to fix (I always use ford dealer which is prob a mistake). The starter motor failed a while ago, requiring tow . The seatbelt needed replacing @ $300 cost . The rear liftback window stopped opening. The rear electric windows sometimes work, sometimes not. There is a new water leak which developed recently as the 3rd row seatbelts get wet when raining.

And, the ball joints have probably been replaced 6 times. At one point after ford doing something, the car developed a knocking noise going around corners which ford said was not their fault. But, mysteriously it disappeared the next time they did some suspension work.

The wiper stalk failed, $700 to replace. i think there is something else wrong too, as a few weeks back the ETC light came on and the car was idling very roughly. It went away when restarting the car so hope it was a one-off ignition issue.

oh yes, and the remote control fails every 2 or 3 years. they are not cheap either, although we buy from trademe rather than ford now.

Our other car, has had no unanticipated problems since we owned the ford.

Anyway , decided it is time to buy a new car so will consider options . One thing is disappointing, is that new car prices did not seem to fall much with the high kiwi dollar.

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