Outlander v Outlander PHEV v Tiguan

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#3205190 11-Mar-2024 01:57

Wheelbarrow01:

Electric tailgate struts, failed - replacement cost $2400 + labour. Only available through the dealer and seemingly cannot easily purchase overseas. I'm living without them and getting a workout with the "Armstrong technique".

That seems to be a problem with manufacturers including top Japanese reliable brands that integrate the opener into the strut. I was watching this video today and it mentioned this exact design flaw with a lot of new cars that use integrated struts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_2YILnKPLo. Probably a good reason not to buy one with an autodoor. I prefer to open the tailgate gate manually than have an auto opener. 10 years of use and then a big bill when it wears out, no thanks.

Lizard1977

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#3205662 12-Mar-2024 14:07

Wheelbarrow01:

I just want the OP to remember they asked for opinions. Apologies in advance for what I know is a novel....

<snip>

My advice is, if you don't have a specific task in mind that only a VW will do and/or you don't have a repair fund, maybe don't buy it. For me the task is towing heavy loads for long distances comfortably. If I didn't need that, I wouldn't have a Touareg. Because of this need I'm happy to pay what it costs to keep it running well (and I have learned out of necessity how to do basic repairs /maintenance myself but lots of new tools have been required - bloody triple square sockets again!!).

By they way, I use my 2005 Hyundai Getz for driving around town most of the time for inconsequential errands etc. It cost me $2k on a $1 reserve auction, is cheap as chips to run, relatively bullletproof and it's the single cheapest way to reduce wear, frequency of servicing and dollars spent on the VW. True story.

Thanks so much for that. Don't apologise for the novel - I find it really useful when people supply details to back up their stories.

I had already come around to the reality that a Tiguan is not a viable option for me, but your experience with the Touareg well and truly sealed its fate. I do think it's a fantastic car to drive, but not a car that I should own. Until I find a wealthy and generous benefactor, I think I will stick with the cheap(er) and cheerful(er) Japanese options.

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#3205676 12-Mar-2024 14:20

Lizard1977:

Thanks so much for that. Don't apologise for the novel - I find it really useful when people supply details to back up their stories.

I had already come around to the reality that a Tiguan is not a viable option for me, but your experience with the Touareg well and truly sealed its fate. I do think it's a fantastic car to drive, but not a car that I should own. Until I find a wealthy and generous benefactor, I think I will stick with the cheap(er) and cheerful(er) Japanese options.

the V8 Touareg is well known for all the issues mentioned, in fact you can say it's "normal" for that generation Touareg

the Tiguan will not have more than half those issues, but when you have one of them, the gist of bits being very difficult to get to and parts expensive to source - those are common to WAG cars, and Euros

but if you can find a common Jap car sold in great numbers it generally would cost you less in the long run (not Subaru!) - i have had a lot of Japanese cars and i can tell you it's a myth that things don't break unexpectedly in those things, they do, but less likely to, and more likely to cost a bit less to fix

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#3205679 12-Mar-2024 14:23

I took another Outlander PHEV out for a drive on Saturday. This was an older model (2015) but it had its battery replaced in 2022 and showed 82% SOH. Like the other PHEV Outlander I drove it was very nice and comfortable to drive. I got good range on the battery - 22kms around town, with 11 left showing on the "guessometer." We did a small open-road trip and the average fuel economy (presumably including the battery-only kms I drove) was 15.1km/L. My only real complaint is that the stereo was entirely in Japanese. The dealer said that he has a guy in the Hawkes Bay who can reprogram it for English for $200. But I'd probably prefer to replace it with a Carplay headunit, provided it could also integrate with the various safety cameras on board.

I also realised I hadn't actually tried to put my kids in the third row of a 7-seater Outlander. While we had tested out other 7-seaters like the CX-8 and CX-9 and the Tiguan, we had never tried an Outlander. So we did this on Sunday. Disappointingly, it was much more cramped than any other 7 seater - kids said that it was okay, but we had to move the second row forward and then it would be more cramped for the older kids in the second row. I've also heard from others that for long trips it can get quite stuffy in the third row without much airflow.

So I'm feeling like I might need to give up on the 7-seater criterion. It's very limiting at this price-point, and unlikely to offer much benefit if the kids end up suffocating on trips. I do have one more 7-seater to look at - a Nissan X-Trail that recently came in to a local dealer - but I'm probably going to have to look at five-seaters.

In the five-seater category, the main contenders (using my other criteria) are: Hyundai Kona, Subaru XV, Mazda CX-5. And the PHEV Outlander, I guess.

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#3206002 13-Mar-2024 13:18

What is the view about high-kms ex-lease vehicles? As in, 140K kms, but only 5 years old. It's from Orix, and they have an extensive record of its service history and all the maintenance and work done on it. Normally I wouldn't be looking at a vehicle with such high mileage, but I feel like the fact it's ex-lease and has been so well maintained means it's not such a risky purchase. Or are high kms a problem regardless of the service history?

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#3206007 13-Mar-2024 14:08

" battery replaced in 2022 and showed 82% SOH. "

Ooooofff!! 18% battery degradation in ~2 years! I had heard the older model Outlander phev's had poor batteries and that seems to prove it.

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#3206009 13-Mar-2024 14:16

Lizard1977: What is the view about high-kms ex-lease vehicles? As in, 140K kms, but only 5 years old. It's from Orix, and they have an extensive record of its service history and all the maintenance and work done on it.

Depends. Have a look at the recommended service intervals for components and see what is coming up. Other than that depends on the use pattern. Life of shock absorbers for instance and other body related components.

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#3206142 13-Mar-2024 19:33

Mattnzl:

" battery replaced in 2022 and showed 82% SOH. "

Ooooofff!! 18% battery degradation in ~2 years! I had heard the older model Outlander phev's had poor batteries and that seems to prove it.

same as my wife's iphone

my samsung however, claims to still be at 100% after 2 years, seems impossible

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#3206144 13-Mar-2024 19:34

Lizard1977:

What is the view about high-kms ex-lease vehicles? As in, 140K kms, but only 5 years old. It's from Orix, and they have an extensive record of its service history and all the maintenance and work done on it. Normally I wouldn't be looking at a vehicle with such high mileage, but I feel like the fact it's ex-lease and has been so well maintained means it's not such a risky purchase. Or are high kms a problem regardless of the service history?

things will start to break one at a time, in my experience.

UNLESS it was cruising up and down a smooth highway cruising at 2000 rpm for most of the 140,000kms, then yeah it's fine.

ratsun81

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#3206155 13-Mar-2024 19:53

Lizard1977:

What is the view about high-kms ex-lease vehicles? As in, 140K kms, but only 5 years old. It's from Orix, and they have an extensive record of its service history and all the maintenance and work done on it. Normally I wouldn't be looking at a vehicle with such high mileage, but I feel like the fact it's ex-lease and has been so well maintained means it's not such a risky purchase. Or are high kms a problem regardless of the service history?

Im going to give an answer from a different viewpoint, kilometers doesnt matter. What is important is that if a manufacturer has a service life on a part or a system or an item that, It has been adhered to. If so there is no reason that the vehicle shouldnt perform as it was new.

The biggest problem we have in NZ is that everyone thinks after 100K a vehicle turns into a turd for no good reason. Mostly because a "service" becomes literally an oil change rather than what is actually meant to be done to the vehicle.

If a vehicle has had the proper services done to it based on the manufacturers schedule (and it doesnt have inherent faults widely known) then for sure 140K vehicle should be fine to buy.

Lizard1977

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#3206222 14-Mar-2024 08:40

Batman:

Lizard1977:

What is the view about high-kms ex-lease vehicles? As in, 140K kms, but only 5 years old. It's from Orix, and they have an extensive record of its service history and all the maintenance and work done on it. Normally I wouldn't be looking at a vehicle with such high mileage, but I feel like the fact it's ex-lease and has been so well maintained means it's not such a risky purchase. Or are high kms a problem regardless of the service history?

things will start to break one at a time, in my experience.

UNLESS it was cruising up and down a smooth highway cruising at 2000 rpm for most of the 140,000kms, then yeah it's fine.

Not sure about the "smooth" highway part, but based on the distance travelled and the age, it would be approximately 80kms/day. For where we are in the country, that could easily be a trip from Palmy to Marton and back. I think it was a rep's car, and might have travelled out to the Hawke's Bay regularly. I don't think it was spending most of it's time trundling around the city.

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#3206238 14-Mar-2024 09:19

Lizard1977:

Not sure about the "smooth" highway part, but based on the distance travelled and the age, it would be approximately 80kms/day. For where we are in the country, that could easily be a trip from Palmy to Marton and back. I think it was a rep's car, and might have travelled out to the Hawke's Bay regularly. I don't think it was spending most of it's time trundling around the city.

that's perfect, let's go with that.

just make sure you get a nice discount for the higher Ks

(smooth highway means car not been bumped around and shaken everything - things fall apart when shaken around, and no mud and dust getting into all the precious sensors eg driven on gravel. and yes, start stop tight turn traffic puts a lot of stress on the drive train vs cruising at low rpm)

tchart

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#3206248 14-Mar-2024 09:47

scuwp:
We have had the Outlanders at work for several years. You get a lot of vehicle for your money.

Outlander owner here. Had it for 3 years since new. Done 40k never had a single issue. Compare that to my Ute which has had numerous issues incl rust (was also new).

Outlander is a solid car. Huge boot. Third row of seats - only for small people though. My almost adult kids say it’s basic eg no lane assist, infotainment is small compared to other cars, but we love it.

We drive with eco on and it usually sits around 8L/100km.outs is the 2.4l model.

I’ve known people with the PHEV and it’s borderline useless unless your commute is <60km round trip.

cddt

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#3206277 14-Mar-2024 11:07

The touchscreen on our Outlander failed after ~18 months. Replaced under warranty of course, but there was a 4 month wait as it appears to be a common fault.

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#3206286 14-Mar-2024 11:16

tchart:
scuwp:

We have had the Outlanders at work for several years. You get a lot of vehicle for your money.

Outlander owner here. Had it for 3 years since new. Done 40k never had a single issue. Compare that to my Ute which has had numerous issues incl rust (was also new).

Outlander is a solid car. Huge boot. Third row of seats - only for small people though. My almost adult kids say it’s basic eg no lane assist, infotainment is small compared to other cars, but we love it.

We drive with eco on and it usually sits around 8L/100km.outs is the 2.4l model.

I’ve known people with the PHEV and it’s borderline useless unless your commute is <60km round trip.

Thanks for that. I'm teetering back and forth on the Outlander petrol model. It's just 5 years old, but has those high KMs (but with a fully documented service history). It has 7 seats, but the third row is cramped. For every upside, there's a countering downside. I've been trying to work out if the downsides are outweighing the upsides.

The PHEV is probably going to suit me in terms of commute because my daily drive is quite short (<15kms), but the tradeoff is the battery condition. For the example that I've been looking at, a question mark is being able to replace the stereo (which IMO is completely useless) with something much better. Ordinarily I wouldn't be too worried, but because there are multiple safety cameras built in to the vehicle, I'd want to be assured that I can get an aftermarket headunit (with Carplay) installed and not lose those features (as well as the steering wheel controls).

More test drives this weekend. I'm lining up a 7-seater X-Trail, a Hyundai Kona, and a CX-5, if I can fit them in.

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