[Simon L]

Gents, i'm gonna be changing my car soon, so am after a bit of feedback on the pro's & con's of an Estate versus a Saloon as a fishing vehicle.

I've got a saloon at the moment - lovely big boot, plus the back seats fold, so plenty of room for rods etc. . .

However, i like the thought of being able to sit in the back of an estate to change my boots, put my waders on etc . . . .

The negative i can see with an estate though, is that the boot cant be quite as secure as a saloon for storing your gear ?

Any other considerations i should bear in mind ?

 

[Marc Westwood]

Gents, i'm gonna be changing my car soon, so am after a bit of feedback on the pro's & con's of an Estate versus a Saloon as a fishing vehicle.

I've got a saloon at the moment - lovely big boot, plus the back seats fold, so plenty of room for rods etc. . .

However, i like the thought of being able to sit in the back of an estate to change my boots, put my waders on etc . . . .

The negative i can see with an estate though, is taht the boot cant be quite as secure as a saloon for storing your gear ?

Any other considerations i should bear in mind ?

Does the budget stretch to an Audi A4 or A6 TDI quattro estate? 4 wheel drive. Much better in the winter months.

 

[Simon L]

The problem with the 4x4 is that it'll cost me more company car tax. The A4 is too small, but the A6 Avant is certainly on the short list. The Quattro only kicks in on the 2.7 Tdi though, and i'd ideally stick to 2.0 l to keep the tax liability sensible.

I would have happily paid the difference a few time in Jan though !!!

 

[Tim Griffin]

Si, I've had both in my time and have found the estates very practical - no real downside. As long as you have a roller blind cover for the boot space then you're sorted. Any security measures only deter the opportunist thief. A serious car thief will open anything anyway anyhow - you'd be horrified at how easy it still is. Only other alternative is a decent 4x4 where you get the best of both worlds. Wish I'd kept my Range Rover - sold it and bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Big mistake....
One of the best cars I ever had was a Volvo V70 estate - went like stink and had all the kit you could ever want. Also had a C70 conv, but that wasn't so practical! We can chat tomorrow as I have had heaps of cars (company and private) and family is in the car trade...

 

[greg powell]

BMW 330d estate - decent tax bracket and will go like stink.

 

[trev richardson]

Wish I'd kept my Range Rover - sold it and bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Big mistake....

Ouch! Tim...who convinced you to go that way???
Have a discovery 3 big heavy car but is sooooo comfortable, huge amount of space and will go anywhere.

 

[Jon Bunyard]

Si
I have a V70 and frankly love it. Takes tons of gear, very comfortable. I can even get my supermix 240 into the car without breaking it down.

 

[greg powell]

Ouch! Tim...who convinced you to go that way???
Have a discovery 3 big heavy car but is sooooo comfortable, huge amount of space and will go anywhere.

The Mrs has a disco 3, can't fault it.

 

[Mark C]

Disco 300 tdi .............run it.................on cooking oil cheap as chips

 

[Andy H]

Got an old Mitsubishi Space Wagon 7 seater. Back seats + one centre seat down gives me more room than you could shake a stick at.

 

[Simon L]

Problem with the Disco, Volvo, Saab, etc . . is that you pay a huge tax premium versus the BMW.

 

[Tim Griffin]

Ouch! Tim...who convinced you to go that way???
Have a discovery 3 big heavy car but is sooooo comfortable, huge amount of space and will go anywhere.

Trev, was scared the Range Rover was going to get expensive to keep on the road, and was the 2.5DSE model so a little underpowered (6 cylinder BMW car engine so not torquey enough). Thought I was getting a good deal on the Jeep, but despite all the equipment, it is not in the same class. Goes round corners like a boat, and is off the road with a fuel starvation problem. It does go well (3.1td) but is sooo thirsty! 22mpg tops. It is now a waste of space and I'd be lucky to get a grand for it. You make the decisions but sometimes you regret them...

I'd reaffirm what Jon says - the V70 I had was awesome in every way.

 

[Tim Griffin]

Problem with the Disco, Volvo, Saab, etc . . is that you pay a huge tax premium versus the BMW.

Why's that, Si - emissions?

 

[Simon L]

Why's that, Si - emissions?

Yep, plus fuel economy & power. For example

Volvo V70 2.0D SE Lux: Monthly tax bill = £205, bhp = 134, mpg = 47.0
Audio A6 2.0D SE: Monthly tax bill = £179, bhp = 168, mpg = 49.6
BMW 5 Series 2.0D SE: Monthly tax bill = £160, bhp = 175, mpg = 55.4

So, the Volvo would cost £45 per month more in tax, and have less power and worse fuel economy. Hence the attraction of remaining with BMW. Also remember that there is a new model of the 5 Series coming out later this month, that will have lower emissions, higher bhp, and higher mpg.

Need the other manufacturers to catch-up, as it's difficult to justify getting anything else.

 

[Simon L]

Just for reference, the equivalent numbers on the Disco are . . . .

2.2 TD4e GS: Monthly tax bill = £210, bhp = 158, mpg = 42.2

 

[Nick Phillips]

One word Simon, " Subaru".
Very rugged and fast,I use the ProDrive version of the Forester that has full time 4WD.
For company car tax purposes the all new boxer diesel Legacy Outback has to be the one,Top Gear rate it as brilliant and ultra rugged as all Subarus are.I f you dreve it gently you could get nearly 50mpg and full time 4WD.
Mega cool vehicles and a bit diffefent.

 

[trev richardson]

It does go well (3.1td) but is sooo thirsty! 22mpg tops.

I was worried about the D3 but it will do 25 mpg around town and 28 to 30 mpg on a run and more if I get it mapped.

Have had it off road a few times and it is absolutely brilliant. I couldn't believe that it would get where I managed to take it....and on road tyres as well.

But that's another story...

 

[Alex Jordan]

An Audi RS6 Avant ... be first to the mark! can pickup some good examples of the old model for a reasonable amount!

 

[Nick Phillips]

One of my dream vehicles,no quicker than the ProDrive Forester in a sprint and only a little bit slower than the Litchfield Forester in real world driving etc.
Theirs a bloke near me that has the Avant with the same although slightly de tuned version of the engine that powers the Lambo,you wanna hear it when he drives it round Morrisons car park.
The overrun sounds like an Orchestra.
Awesome.