It's that time again when I am looking for a replacement company car and the list never seems to have quite what I want :D
Anyway I have narrowed it down to the following 2:
1. Volvo V70 SE, 2.0D 163bhp in black
2. Skoda Superb estate 140TDi Elegance spec (top of the range with everything on it)........ only problem is that my budget won't stretch to metallic which only leaves WHITE as a solid paint option, the pacific blue is horrible!
We have to have a large family estate as we have 3 young kids and two large dogs to cart about. I currently drive a Mazda ^ estate and it is getting a bit cramped when the kids are in the back especially if we are going on holiday or a weekend away :( . In fairness to the Mazda it is a superb car and has been the most reliable car I have ever owned / had as a company vehicle.
Before anyone says what about X, Y & Z trust me when I say the only real options are the following - V70, A6 estate (out of my budget), Merc E-Class, BMW 5 Series touring, Mondeo estate , Insignia Estate & Toyota Avensis.
On paper the Insignia, Ford and Avensis sound like contenders until you actually go and look at them :evil: . Rear leg room is not class leading and I don't know how they arrive at the boot capacities they do for the estates but trust me when I say they ain't that much bigger than the Mazdas yet on paper they are but physically are not :?: :evil:
The E-class, Audi and BMW are all out of budget :blackeye:
So, as you can see I have arrived with the two options outlined. Initial thoughts are that the Skoda has all the kit such as touch screen nav, voice controilled nav, stereo & Bluetooth, heated full leather electric seats with memory, Xenon lights, auto everything etc etc. However the boot is pegged as being the biggest in class BUT in the real world it is quite narrow but very deep but the tailgate slopes quite a bit thus eating into your usable space.... height isn't everything :lol:
The volvo by comparisson doesn't have quite so many toys but enough to cover the bases. It doesn't have quite as much rear leg room BUT it does have integrated child booster seats which create loads of space for little legs :) . I can also afford to spec BLIS (blind sport warning system) which is quite meat but probably one of those thiongs that will annoy the crap out of me after a few weeks :lol:
Anyway, here is where the Volvo keeps it's ace up it's sleeve. It is down as having 575 litres of boot space in all the reviews I have read. What they don't tell you is that figure is for the AWD version and that in fact the FWD versions have 815 litres of space.... :shock: :D . I went to have a look at one expecting it to be smaller than the superb and was gobsmacked at the rear load area space!!
In terms of build quality the Skoda is well put together and on the whole looks a nice place to spend many hours driving however the V70 to my eyes seems to have had a lot mopre thought put into how it looks, feels, fits and where everything is i.e. controls etc.
As you may have noticed I am pretty much sold on the Volvo after initially being won over by the Superb due to "advertised load space" in reviews and comaprisson tests. It would appear that you have to drill a bit deeper to get to the truth :wink: .
Just incase I am missing something does anyone have any views or feedback on either car??? Is there something else out there i haven't mentioned???
I have to let work know in the next 2 weeks what I want :)
Cheers
Paul
I drove an estate car for years for much the same reasons as yourself Paul. When the time came to change recently i looked around, tried a few estates and then went and bought an Isuzu double cab 4x4. Drives like a car (near enough) decent on fuel and can get kids, dogs, tack, hay, feed, bikes etc in the back easily. Loads more space than an estate and as it's classed as an LGV cheap to run as a company car as well.
Sorry I should have mentioned that we are not allowed 4*4's or anything that looks remaotely like one :evil: :evil: . Thank you for the suggestion though :)
Blooming enviromental policies :D
Paul
One thing you may need to bear in mind with Skoda is they are building almost all their cars to order at the moment. That is leading to some very long delivery times. I've seen up to 7 months quoted on this Skoda forum for some Octavias. I must say though I have been very impressed with my Octavia that I've had for 11 months and my colleague's Superb saloon which he's had for 18 months.
It's also worth thinking about what mobile phone you have. I don't believe the Skoda factory fit car kit supports iPhones for example, requiring support for the RSAP protocol. Also a real spare wheel is a £50 factory fit extra. If you don't specify one you'll get a can of gunk.
On the Volvo boot space, their own e-brochure lists the V70 as having 575 litres to the glass line with the rear seats up, 815 to the roof with the seats up and 1600 to the roof with the seats down.
I had a V70 D5 for the last three years and it was great with the exception of odd tyre wear... for some reason the rears go a little out alignment and it screws everything up. Regular 4 wheel alignments are advised.
My latest car, and I have to say I am impressed is a Citroen C5. I dont have the estate this time, but has been reliable, well equipped and with the air suspension in mine, supremely comfortable. Bit left field, but in my defense, I bought it 10 months old for a song.
What about residuals?
What might seem too expensive now might be the better choice if it depreciates less over the period of time you plan to keep it... I once went to my boss with a perfectly costed proposal that renewing my car with a C class diesel was far more cost effective to the Company.
And yes, he did give it careful consideration and yes,
I did get a VW Passat.... :lol:
Rob
I've took delivery of my new Superb 170 TDI Elegance in August (hatch not estate), absolutely delighted with it. My budget was £45k (i.e. my redundancy from my last job) but I didn't think the E-class, 5-series or A6 were worth the extra. Bought my wife a new Octavia estate with the saving over the BMW/Merc. My iPhone 3GS works fine with the Columbus bluetooth system (for phone and media player), by the way. Although sounds like you've pretty much decidedon the Volvo. Enjoy whichever you choose.
Have you tried the new Mazda 6 Estate Paul?
I really rate my 180bhp Sport :D
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Have you considered the Seat Exeo? - basically a last generation Audi A4 :wink:
Thats what I have at the moment Chris. Great car and has been trouble free other than a squeaky seat but it is just hetting a little tight when we are all packed in at the moment :( Here she is:Originally Posted by Chris_in_the_UK
The only faults I have had are the tracking being out from new which was rectified and a squeaky seat. If that is all you have to complain about you can't knock Mazdas :) .
The Volvo appeals because of it's size and the rear booster seat things are a huge positive - lugging around 3 booster seats and trying to get the bloody belts on the kids every time becomes a real chore which I am getting sick of :( . I'm having an extended test drive of the volvo on Thursday so we'll see how it goes.
Cheers
Paul
I did look at them but the rear passanger leg room is appauling and the load area isn't big enough :lol: I'm 6ft 2" and when I have the seat where I want it there is about a 4" gap between the front seat and back seat so it is worse than the Mazda :shock:
Paul
Cheers Paul - could not remember if your current was the latest model.Thats what I have at the moment Chris. Great car and has been trouble free other than a squeaky seat but it is just hetting a little tight when we are all packed in at the moment :( Here she is:
Cheers
Paul
Good luck.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Go for the Volvo, recently took delivery of an XC60, great build quality, far better then the Toyota Rav4 it replaced. Lots of character and great to drive.
We had a Volvo V70 in the business for a while until the dealer shut down. Turning circle was huge, tyre wear was horrible, but well screwed together and big space. Wouldn't bother again.
Mind, had a cavalier 15 years ago, brakes failed repeatedly, dealer said ' there's no problem, they all do that', someone else took the car on and promptly stacked it big time. Never been near GM again either..
Suspect I hold grudges!
Is that right? I thought that was the 2.0D that is in my S40 (and in the ford mondeo) and gives around 140bhp
I've had 3 volvos over the past 6 years - all new and as company cars. None of them have ever caused me any grief. Well screwed together and seem to go on for ever. I'd go with the Volvo.
The 2011 (Sept / Oct 2010 onwards models) engines and cars have had some fairly major revamps to the trim levels and also the engines.
the 2.4D "D5" is now only available in one flavour = 205bhp :shock: , 420Nm of torque and the 6 speed manual manages the 0-60 dash in 7.7 seconds! Co2 is 144 :shock:
The 2.0D "D3" is a 5 cylinder as per the D5 but with a reduced capacity = 163bhp, Co2 is the same as the D5 and torque is only 20NM's down on the D5 at 400NM!
The 1.6D "DrivE" is a 4 cylinder with Co2 @ 115
By all accounts the new / revised engines have been inherited from the New S60 / V60 range.
Whilst the Diesel king is BMW in terms of MPG and co2 emissions the above is a big leap for Volvo on the basis of previous diesel engines.
Regarding Tyres, not a major problem as work pick up the repair and servicing costs :D
Paul
The build quality does look superb and it generally looks like it will be more durable than the Skoda in the long run so fingers crossed I get along with it on the extended test drive :) .
Paul
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