Non-diesel estate

Wossack

We have a 2010 1.2 Octavia estate that is getting a little long in the tooth and are looking to upgrade to something larger (family growing)

We dont want a diesel as we dont really do the miles

Budget is a little up for debate - 20-25 perhaps, not including what we'd get for the Octavia

Combination of that class and petrol doesnt give a lot of choice unfortunately. The front runner is the 1.5 superb, but have seen the passat gte which could be worth considering. What are peoples thoughts?

bazz26

What sort of use would it be getting? Just moving people about?

The top end of your budget is not too far away from a new shape Octavia:
https://www.carsireland.ie/2790852

Or a Corolla hybrid:
https://www.carsireland.ie/2808525

Car99

Wossack wrote: »

We have a 2010 1.2 Octavia estate that is getting a little long in the tooth and are looking to upgrade to something larger (family growing)

We dont want a diesel as we dont really do the miles

Budget is a little up for debate - 20-25 perhaps, not including what we'd get for the Octavia

Combination of that class and petrol doesnt give a lot of choice unfortunately. The front runner is the 1.5 superb, but have seen the passat gte which could be worth considering. What are peoples thoughts?

When you say family growing are you looking at three child seats in the rear or 2?

Citroen C4 Gran Picasso petrol would be in budget and size and probably buy a 3 year old for in or around 20k

Wossack

Thanks for the comments folks

So @bazz26 people moving, and all associated gubbins for a 3.5 y/o and a new addition (and a dog), so boot space is a big one. What appeared unending in the octavia combi boot, is soon filled with the huge buggy, the dog, the scooter etc. So looking at something larger still - Ive not seen the new Octavia, has its boot space increased over the mk2?

So we're 3 at the moment, and the addition due in August.
Its our only car, and the wife will be using it eventually for her commute to work (~25k round trip). Mileage I would guess at ~5k a year

Thanks for the C4 suggestion @Car99. Im keen on the estate style, but suppose shouldnt rule anything out. My understanding is the skoda/passat estate would trump them in boot space, but Ive not seen them in person.

Any thoughts on the Passat GTE estate (had read some stories about problems with the hybrid drivetrain..),
or the 1.5 in the superb estate? Any issues? Underpowered for the size of car?

Thanks

ratracer

Did you find the 1.2 underpowered in that car? I see the new model linked above is a 1.0ltr TSi 110bhp engine. Would that engine be under big strain moving a sizeable car around? I’m considering changing back to petrol, but I worry about the power in such a big car.

Outkast_IRE

I think for most users the Superb comes out on top for space vs cost.

If you were going to spend a bit more the Merc C and E class estates rate very highly also and can be gotten with the petrol engine albeit less common than the diesel.

A C class estate thats a few years old may fit your budget. Might be worth a test drive at least to compare against the superb.

bazz26

If the OP is struggling for space in an existing Octavia estate then I'd doubt a C Class would be any better.

Outkast_IRE

bazz26 wrote: »

If the OP is struggling for space in an existing Octavia estate then I'd doubt a C Class would be any better.

Yeah your right thinking about it, hard to compete with the octavia boot space. You would need to be going for the E class to match it , which is usually rarer, higher price and nearly always diesel. The difference from the Octavia to the Superb is only listed as 20 Litres boot space difference so not much gain there either possibly.

ratracer

ratracer wrote: »

Did you find the 1.2 underpowered in that car? I see the new model linked above is a 1.0ltr TSi 110bhp engine. Would that engine be under big strain moving a sizeable car around? I’m considering changing back to petrol, but I worry about the power in such a big car.

I have the 1.0l 110bhp Octavia estate, it is fine. I never really find it to be under strain, that would generally be with wife + 2 kids in car seats + buggy + whatever assorted child related stuff you have to carry everywhere.

Wossack

ratracer wrote: »

Did you find the 1.2 underpowered in that car? I see the new model linked above is a 1.0ltr TSi 110bhp engine. Would that engine be under big strain moving a sizeable car around? I’m considering changing back to petrol, but I worry about the power in such a big car.

Is fine really, just needs a bit more gear box work for our use case - dare I say it, an autobox would probably solve all my issues with it. Worth taking one for a test drive and see how you get on. Our 1.2 is the same bhp I believe as the 1.0 of nowerdays.

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

I think for most users the Superb comes out on top for space vs cost.

If you were going to spend a bit more the Merc C and E class estates rate very highly also and can be gotten with the petrol engine albeit less common than the diesel.

A C class estate thats a few years old may fit your budget. Might be worth a test drive at least to compare against the superb.

bazz26 wrote: »

If the OP is struggling for space in an existing Octavia estate then I'd doubt a C Class would be any better.

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Yeah your right thinking about it, hard to compete with the octavia boot space. You would need to be going for the E class to match it , which is usually rarer, higher price and nearly always diesel. The difference from the Octavia to the Superb is only listed as 20 Litres boot space difference so not much gain there either possibly.

The head has been turned by both the E class estate and the big volvo estates (in particular) - however petrol in either is hard to impossible to come by. A few E300 diesel/hybrids, however thats probably worst of both worlds for our use case.

Other options could be the mondeo estate, which comes in a 2.0 petrol hybrid - but sounds like it compromises a bit too much on the boot space.

ineedeuro

Why not an Outlander PHEV. Just need to get a low mileage one. They are a big car with a good sized boot. They PHEV will save you money on petrol if you can charge at home. Even running in hybrid mode will make is cheaper to run.
They are a decent spec as well. You wouldn't even need to spend that budget.

The extra height for getting in/out with kids is great

bazz26

The Outlander PHEV's boot capacity is 463 litre, the Superb estate is 660 litres which is nearly one third bigger. Interestingly the new Octavia estate is 640 litres so only 20 litres less than the Superb.

Tzardine

My suggestion is for the current Megane estate. I bought one last year having previously had a Leon estate.

It's a 1.3 GT Line 140 bhp. Plenty of power. It feels very nippy. We will use it to pull a caravan soon and I expect it will have no issues.

We also have a Seat 150bhp tsi, and although it is lighter than the Megane, the Megane feels more pokey.

Plenty of modern kit in the car, comfortable and reliability is much better than in the past. I believe the engine is actually a Nissan unit (open to correcton).

Plenty of space, and they have a 4 year warranty. So if you can get one a year old for close to your budget you still have 3 years manufacturer warranty.

I am very happy with it. I would suggest your test drive one.

Edit - I see your budget does not include the allowance for your current car - so a new Megane is definitely in your price range, although I would recommend one that is 'nearly new' so that some of the initial depreciation hit is already taken.

Hurrache

He'll be getting a smaller boot than what he currently has though.

ineedeuro

bazz26 wrote: »

The Outlander PHEV's boot capacity is 463 litre, the Superb estate is 660 litres which is nearly one third bigger. Interestingly the new Octavia estate is 640 litres so only 20 litres less than the Superb.

Just an idea, not saying it is the answer but the height is brill for kids. The PHEV is great for the cost and the spec is high.

I had two kids and a Qashqai & dog and had no issues. Day to day you are not carting around that much. If going on hols then stick a roof box on

ratracer

Tzardine wrote: »

My suggestion is for the current Megane estate. I bought one last year having previously had a Leon estate.

It's a 1.3 GT Line 140 bhp. Plenty of power. It feels very nippy.

What mpg/ km/l are you getting out of the petrol engine? I like the look of the Megane, just a long time since I’ve had a petrol car.

Tzardine

ratracer wrote: »

What mpg/ km/l are you getting out of the petrol engine? I like the look of the Megane, just a long time since I’ve had a petrol car.

I have never actually made a note of how it does. I bought the car just as the pandemic hit and so all the plans I had to drive it went out the window. It spent the past year driving to the train station a few days per week.

2 weeks ago however I did take it from Kildare (414km) to Mayo on a half tank. Doing some calculations now and it works out at 53mpg. That's based on half a tank plus allowing for 5 litres extra for the fuel in the filler pipe when the rank is brimmed.

Also worth mentioning that the service intervals on the Renault are every 30,000 km. Seems a lot of yokes these days are 15,000.

CoBo55

Tzardine wrote: »

I have never actually made a note of how it does. I bought the car just as the pandemic hit and so all the plans I had to drive it went out the window. It spent the past year driving to the train station a few days per week.

2 weeks ago however I did take it from Kildare (414km) to Mayo on a half tank. Doing some calculations now and it works out at 53mpg. That's based on half a tank plus allowing for 5 litres extra for the fuel in the filler pipe when the rank is brimmed.

Also worth mentioning that the service intervals on the Renault are every 30,000 km. Seems a lot of yokes these days are 15,000.

I'd stick with 15,000 or once a year. Definitely no longer than that. They're a lovely looking car in fairness, there's a dark metallic blue one around here and it looks really good. How are they doing on depreciation nowadays? They used to be an absolute nightmare for losing money.

Outkast_IRE

CoBo55 wrote: »

I'd stick with 15,000 or once a year. Definitely no longer than that. They're a lovely looking car in fairness, there's a dark metallic blue one around here and it looks really good. How are they doing on depreciation nowadays? They used to be an absolute nightmare for losing money.

Yeah wife has a new Clio and it's 15k or once a year. The oil does look like it needs a change after the 15k , I certainly wouldn't go to 30k

Tzardine

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Yeah wife has a new Clio and it's 15k or once a year. The oil does look like it needs a change after the 15k , I certainly wouldn't go to 30k

If the interval is every 15k then of course I would not be pushing it out to 30k.

But if the manufacturer says that it should be done every 30k, as is the case with the Megane, then I don't get why someone would bring it in at 15k. Makes no sense.

Of course that is for a new car still under warranty. Once the warranty is out and the mileage is high then yes I would probably swap the oil earlier, but on a 1 year old car it is not necessary.

CJhaughey

Tzardine wrote: »

If the interval is every 15k then of course I would not be pushing it out to 30k.

But if the manufacturer says that it should be done every 30k, as is the case with the Megane, then I don't get why someone would bring it in at 15k. Makes no sense.

The manufacturers have cleverly worked out just how long they can run a car on old oil before it starts to become problematic and as long as that is longer than the warranty period it becomes a selling point as people do not like to spend money on servicing cars, seeing it as a waste of money.
Personally I don't even like seeing 15k of a service interval, you can call me old fashioned but I know that the fastest way to cause damage to an engine is to run old oil in it and at 30k the oil is finished, no question in my mind at all.

ineedeuro

I service my car every 12 months. Doesn't matter what mileage I have done in it.
The cost to replace a car is thousand of euro. The cost of a service is a couple of hundred quid at most.

Whats the point in saving 200 quid and run the risk of damaging the car?

CoBo55

CoBo55 wrote: »

I'd stick with 15,000 or once a year. Definitely no longer than that. They're a lovely looking car in fairness, there's a dark metallic blue one around here and it looks really good. How are they doing on depreciation nowadays? They used to be an absolute nightmare for losing money.

Have a friend in car rental who says all the companies service them at 25k and not the 15k intervals. Most of the newer used cars are from car rental companies so I think it doesn't make too much of a difference.

Personally I'd do it at 20k

ineedeuro

Deleted User wrote: »

Have a friend in car rental who says all the companies service them at 25k and not the 15k intervals. Most of the newer used cars are from car rental companies so I think it doesn't make too much of a difference.

Personally I'd do it at 20k

I would never take advice or buy a car from a rental company. I have had plenty of them for short periods over the years and most of them are in sh*t. The engines sounds like they haven't seen a good service in year. Last one had oil warning on it when I collected, contacted them and they said no problem

The one before I had to drive for 2-3 months while I waited for car to arrive, service lights came on after about a month and I wanted to swap becuase it was awful, contacted them and answer was "ahh dont worry about that, it doesn't need a service for ages" :P

ratracer

ratracer wrote: »

What mpg/ km/l are you getting out of the petrol engine? I like the look of the Megane, just a long time since I’ve had a petrol car.

Currently in an A4 Avant but the Megane 1.3 GT Line will be my next car for sure. Was out of my budget I'd love to hear how the interiors hold up though I had a 2010 Megane back in 2015 and by 2017 when I sold it the interior was rattling and the buttons were fading etc

delly

I've a diesel 202 Kia Ceed estate and would highly recommend it. They are only doing hybrids now, but it's well kitted out, looks good and has a nice size boot. List price is 29k, but know they have a large scope for discounts.

CoBo55

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Have a friend in car rental who says all the companies service them at 25k and not the 15k intervals. Most of the newer used cars are from car rental companies so I think it doesn't make too much of a difference.

Personally I'd do it at 20k

Possibly the worst yardstick to use for judgement, a bit like buying the tyres all the taxi drivers use:D

ineedeuro

ineedeuro wrote: »

I would never take advice or buy a car from a rental company. I have had plenty of them for short periods over the years and most of them are in sh*t. The engines sounds like they haven't seen a good service in year. Last one had oil warning on it when I collected, contacted them and they said no problem

The one before I had to drive for 2-3 months while I waited for car to arrive, service lights came on after about a month and I wanted to swap becuase it was awful, contacted them and answer was "ahh dont worry about that, it doesn't need a service for ages" :P

I fully agree but I'd say 80% of second hand cars that are within 3 years old come from rental and leasing companies. They literally get hundreds of cars twice a year for their "peak" seasons and they all go back in October/November to main dealers and are sold the next year as a year old with 20k-30k on the clock and 1 owner on the books. It could be driven by 100 people by the time you get it!! Now this is all pre covid I think most of the companies keeping their stock now.

positron

Tzardine wrote: »

I have never actually made a note of how it does. I bought the car just as the pandemic hit and so all the plans I had to drive it went out the window. It spent the past year driving to the train station a few days per week.

2 weeks ago however I did take it from Kildare (414km) to Mayo on a half tank. Doing some calculations now and it works out at 53mpg. That's based on half a tank plus allowing for 5 litres extra for the fuel in the filler pipe when the rank is brimmed.

Also worth mentioning that the service intervals on the Renault are every 30,000 km. Seems a lot of yokes these days are 15,000.

Our only car is also a Megane Sport Tourer estate - 2017, 1.2l petrol (not GT Line).

Pleased with it overall. Looks are objective, we like it. It's big enough for family of four and occasional third child in the middle seat. You could fit an adult in the rear middle east between children but wouldn't be too comfortable on longer journeys. Plenty of boot space for the whole family for week long trips away. You could fit couple of kids bikes in there too (with front wheel removed).

1.2l engine is powerful enough strangely and being petrol it hardly makes any noise or vibration or anything like that. I have not been checking the mpg / kmpl lately as we do a lot of short school runs, and don't do a lot of distance over a year anyway. It's comfortable and smooth even at motorway speeds.

Problems so far.. one of the door speakers have gone bad - sounds awful and needs replacing I believe. Clutch pedal sticking - staying half down after a regular traffic stop - happened twice in last two years (lifting it up with the toes fixes it) - not sure what's causing it.

And speaking of bikes, since everyone cycles these days, if you want to carry 2 or more bikes, you can't use any of the regular boot-lid-strap-hanger thingees because of the plastic spoiler. You will have to shell out on a roof rack solution or install tow bar etc.

Wossack

Thanks all for the suggestions. We actually rented a megane estate a number of times abroad, and while impressed with it, found it a bit tight coming from what we had back home. Quite liked the looks of it too

On the outlander, we'd prefer an estate style really - thanks though

the ceed, I also like the look of, will look into it thanks

Dilbert75

Laylah Stocky Chisel wrote: »

I have the 1.0l 110bhp Octavia estate, it is fine. I never really find it to be under strain, that would generally be with wife + 2 kids in car seats + buggy + whatever assorted child related stuff you have to carry everywhere.

I've one too. Don't often have passengers but find it fine. It's quite torquey for the size of it. Very light on petrol too.

The new megane 2016 upwards has a terrible clutch in them and they are quite costly to replace.

Wossack

after a lot of test driving, deposit paid on a 182 1.4tsi superb today - again appreciate your help with it all folks

Stallingrad

Congratulations. As Car magazines say. "All the family car you need, only bigger."

CoBo55

Wossack wrote: »

after a lot of test driving, deposit paid on a 182 1.4tsi superb today - again appreciate your help with it all folks

Nice one, keep on top of the oil changes and you'll have a top class car for a long time. Is it manual or DSG?

Stallingrad

CoBo55 wrote: »

Nice one, keep on top of the oil changes and you'll have a top class car for a long time. Is it manual or DSG?

And top ups, a litre every 15k is normal.

1874

Wossack wrote: »

We have a 2010 1.2 Octavia estate that is getting a little long in the tooth and are looking to upgrade to something larger (family growing)

We dont want a diesel as we dont really do the miles

Budget is a little up for debate - 20-25 perhaps, not including what we'd get for the Octavia

Combination of that class and petrol doesnt give a lot of choice unfortunately. The front runner is the 1.5 superb, but have seen the passat gte which could be worth considering. What are peoples thoughts?

Wossack wrote: »

Thanks for the comments folks

So @bazz26 people moving, and all associated gubbins for a 3.5 y/o and a new addition (and a dog), so boot space is a big one. What appeared unending in the octavia combi boot, is soon filled with the huge buggy, the dog, the scooter etc. So looking at something larger still - Ive not seen the new Octavia, has its boot space increased over the mk2?

So we're 3 at the moment, and the addition due in August.
Its our only car, and the wife will be using it eventually for her commute to work (~25k round trip). Mileage I would guess at ~5k a year

Thanks for the C4 suggestion @Car99. Im keen on the estate style, but suppose shouldnt rule anything out. My understanding is the skoda/passat estate would trump them in boot space, but Ive not seen them in person.

Any thoughts on the Passat GTE estate (had read some stories about problems with the hybrid drivetrain..),
or the 1.5 in the superb estate? Any issues? Underpowered for the size of car?

Thanks

Your circumstances are your own, I thought it sounded like you were trading in the old car initially and you probably wouldn't get much for it? although it seems maybe you are holding onto it.
Sounds like an ideal second family car to hold onto, small engine but still spacious enough and suitable for lower mileage than if your wife was commuting long distance, trade in value possibly very low, not sure if you mentioned the existing mileage or if you had it from new or how it had been serviced, could be one to keep alongside your new family car imo.

Wossack

Stallingrad wrote: »

Congratulations. As Car magazines say. "All the family car you need, only bigger."

Yea, the space is ludicrous really. Limo-esque in the back

CoBo55 wrote: »

Nice one, keep on top of the oil changes and you'll have a top class car for a long time. Is it manual or DSG?

It’s a manual. We did test a dsg Passat, and did like it - wouldn’t rule it out for next time

Stallingrad wrote: »

And top ups, a litre every 15k is normal.

Thanks, good to know

1874 wrote: »

Your circumstances are your own, I thought it sounded like you were trading in the old car initially and you probably wouldn't get much for it? although it seems maybe you are holding onto it.
Sounds like an ideal second family car to hold onto, small engine but still spacious enough and suitable for lower mileage than if your wife was commuting long distance, trade in value possibly very low, not sure if you mentioned the existing mileage or if you had it from new or how it had been serviced, could be one to keep alongside your new family car imo.

Thanks, no trading our current in. Its getting on, and I’m suspecting timing chain issues in its medium to long term future if we were to retain it (occasional noise at start up - have had it replaced before with good will from Skoda. Bit of a known issue with the 1.2 & 1.4’s - part of the reason I think they’re now belts). We were getting offered very poor trade in value (1k at times) and certainly would have hung onto it instead of giving it away.

CoBo55

Stallingrad wrote: »

And top ups, a litre every 15k is normal.

At 15K I'd be changing the oil.

Stallingrad

CoBo55 wrote: »

At 15K I'd be changing the oil.

Of course, but these engines need top ups between oil changes.