Info on XC90 and its equivalents

Yakuza

Hi folks,
Long story short, have two kids, (7 and 2) and another on the way,so I'm going to have to (with a heavy heart) ditch the E46 320i and get something bigger.
As we often have an extra person in the car, a 5-seater won't cut it even though I know there are a good few models out there that will take 3 car seats (or two seats and a booster), I'm going to have to get something with a 3rd row of seats.

I'm not interested in anything resembling a minibus, so that rules out the S-Max, Galaxy, Espace, Voyager etc, so this really leaves the bigger SUVs. My budget is around 25-30k, and I'd like to get nothing older than 05/06. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Q7 : I like this one a lot and have driven one but a little out of my price range
X5 : 7-seaters are like hen's teeth and from what I can tell the 3rd row replaces the boot space.
Landcruiser : again, a little out of my range for the year I'm looking at.

I'm liking both the XC90 and the LR Disco, good size and still some boot space with 3rd row in use, does anyone here have any real-world experience with either (running costs etc - I'm told the petrol variants are sale-proof) based in Ireland. Any info on the other models above would be appreciated too.

Thanks for your time

unkel

Yakuza wrote: »

I'm liking both the XC90 and the LR Disco, good size and still some boot space with 3rd row in use, does anyone here have any real-world experience with either (running costs etc - I'm told the petrol variants are sale-proof)

Sale-proof can be a good thing when you're buying

Soon you'll have 3 children and at least another person to transport plus yourself and your partner. Those requirements will probably not change for years to come. So buy a car now and keep it for a long time. Don't think about re-sale value. V8 petrol versions of both the cars on your short list will be well specced and very capable. Pretty damned fast too. Unless you do a high mileage, a V8 petrol second hand makes a lot of sense. Additional bonus is that your car doesn't sound like a tractor and will not give you and yours and us lung cancer

Paparazzo

No real life experience, but Jeremy Clarkson seems to rate them (XC90) very highly, he's on his second one. He reckons there's plenty of room in the boot for a kids bike and a dog, even with the 3rd row of seats up!

ballinloughan

I found the diesel on the XC90 to be very sluggish ...

I know you said no mini bus types .. but consider:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/Viano/3.0-V6-D/200951196197521/advert?channel=CARS

I have seen versions of this that are very nicely speced inside. They would have been used as executive people carriers. Rear seats face each other with tables in between .. Kids would love the space ..
Worth considering.

bazz26

I'd also consider the Mitsubishi Pajero LWB:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200936195123998

v300

Mercedes ML Jeeps often have a 7 seater option.

E39MSport

The XC90 is a good bus. Not without problems though. My brother has an 05 and the rack is about to go. I did some research on it for him when the problem presented itself and I was not encouraged by the amount of known issues on the various forums.

He bought it for the marque and the alleged room in the back when all the seats are in position. But tbh, my old 90 series cruiser and my current 100 series have more room and much more seating space.

That said, he does have 3 ISO seat hooks in the middle row and acres of air bags. The 185hp 2.5 diesle is pretty fast. I think the LC D4D would beat it htough.

Yakuza

Thanks for all the replies so far, some good info in there, I will look into the ML option too.

@Unkel - yep, I'd thought of the petrol option too (would love a V8 hehe) but they're pretty rare; if I got a "snip" as my father would say, I'd snap it up, but the forecourt prices don't seem to reflect the general unpopularity of the petrol models. I do very little mileage (mostly weekend shopping trips and an annual jaunt into France/Spain - I've put about 14000 miles on the 320 in the 4 years I've had it) so the about town MPG wouldn't matter too much.

@bazz26 - Pajero means "wank3r" in Spanish and my wife (who is from Spain) wouldn't be that happy about it (and we take our car there for hols too), but thanks for the pointer anyway

Cheers for the info so far, and Happy New Year

Yakuza

Yakuza wrote: »

@bazz26 - Pajero means "wank3r" in Spanish and my wife (who is from Spain) wouldn't be that happy about it (and we take our car there for hols too), but thanks for the pointer anyway

Cheers for the info so far, and Happy New Year

Not suggesting the pajero in particular but I wouldn't let the name stop you buying one, its not a big deal to have it de-badged.

Yakuza

Maverick Strong Wreckage wrote: »

Not suggesting the pajero in particular but I wouldn't let the name stop you buying one, its not a big deal to have it de-badged.

Hehe yes, I was being a bit glib, but to be honest, I'd say it would be 4th on my potential list on this thread, after the volvo, merc and disco.

Mailman

Yakuza wrote: »

I'm not interested in anything resembling a minibus, so that rules out the S-Max, Galaxy, Espace, Voyager etc, so this really leaves the bigger SUVs. My budget is around 25-30k, and I'd like to get nothing older than 05/06.

Have you driven an S-Max?
The diesel paired with an Auto box is a very nice car.

bazz26

Unless it is the current model ML I would not touch one, the original model was built in the US afaik and the build quality on them was pretty crap for a premium brand.

BTW you could always buy a UK imported Pajero where they were called the Shogun:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200952196277309

mumblin deaf ro

Volvo V70 has a seven seat version and fits three child seats across the back seat (the sixth and seventh seats face out the back window and may not be to your fancy). In fact there is a family version which has two in-built booster seats on the back row, as shown in the attached ad (also within your budget).

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volvo/V70/SE/200946195866635/advert?channel=CARS

Just a thought.

biggus

Get the minibus and use it for the family car

Then buy a cheap coupe or convertable for yourself.

Ye can't beat the load lugging of a Previa or that Vito posted above, cos don't forget all the gear that accompanies youngsters and with one of these you don't have to be an expert packer. When my kids were young I always had herself and them in the best car and i drove the Junker, except when we were all together.Worked out well in retrospect and i got to have some fun cars too.

Skuxx

Have you thought about the VW Touareg or one of the Lexus RX models, you can get a 240, 300 and 400 hybrid? I'm not sure if a 7 seater model was made but might be worth a look!

Absurdum

alan1990 wrote: »

Have you thought about the VW Touareg or one of the Lexus RX models, you can get a 240, 300 and 400 hybrid? I'm not sure if a 7 seater model was made but might be worth a look!

neither came in 7 seat form

Yakuza

Two cars isn't really a runner; we barely do enough mileage (or should that be kilometreage ) to justify one car, let alone two. I've set my heart on an SUV at this stage, as it ticks both the fun (esp if I can get a petrol one at a good price) and practical boxes at once. I also know I'd be happier driving a diesel XC90 than a petrol minibus any day.

I also don't want to double up on tax / insurance / servicing costs and NCTs etc.
According to Clarkson, the current ML doesn't have a 7-seater option so that's that off the list.

One of my colleagues has a V70 with the family pack. It's a decent car but the rear-facing seats seemed a little odd (and really only suitable for small kids).

Thanks again for all the replies, I'll start the search in earnest next week, once the dealers are back in operation.

E39MSport

I saw 2 kids in the back of a V70 facing the back window. Freaky.

You could try a V8 4.7l petrol (or indeed the 4.2 diesel) Amazon in the UK. Very very nice machine. Hydraulic suspension needs expensive work after 80k though.

Absurdum

Yakuza wrote: »

Two cars isn't really a runner; we barely do enough mileage (or should that be kilometreage ) to justify one car, let alone two. I've set my heart on an SUV at this stage, as it ticks both the fun (esp if I can get a petrol one at a good price) and practical boxes at once. I also know I'd be happier driving a diesel XC90 than a petrol minibus any day.

I also don't want to double up on tax / insurance / servicing costs and NCTs etc.
According to Clarkson, the current ML doesn't have a 7-seater option so that's that off the list.

The 7 seat version of the ML is the GL

Also, check this out
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Land-Rover/Discovery/4.4-HSE-/200843190553613/advert?channel=CARS

it's been for sale for the best part of a year now, the price was reduced to €27,500 but for some bizarre reason they increased it a few weeks ago.

Hellrazer

mumblin deaf ro wrote: »

Volvo V70 has a seven seat version and fits three child seats across the back seat (the sixth and seventh seats face out the back window and may not be to your fancy). In fact there is a family version which has two in-built booster seats on the back row, as shown in the attached ad (also within your budget).

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volvo/V70/SE/200946195866635/advert?channel=CARS

Just a thought.

That one doesnt have seven seats--the family pack is just a load of extra storage spaces,basically nets everywhere.
Volvo stopped doing the option of 7 seats after the 01-06 model(the one you linked to is the 07 on model)--hence the reason why we cant sell a new model V70 to anyone who has the previous model with 7 seats.Biggest mistake Volvo made was doing away with the extra seat option.

If the op is looking at a V70 you should pick up one a few years old with seats already fitted at a reasonable price.