Slightly OT - New car for the missus..

[frankgrimes]

Hi Fellas - Not really a 4WD/Off road question, but thought Id ask anyway

Looking at getting the missus a new car, and we've looked at:

Ford Territory
Holden Captiva
Hyundai Ix35
Mitsu asx

Territory is getting up there in price, and and is probably a little "big"
Had a quick test drive of the Captiva 7 - Wasnt overly impressed with the ride
Ix35.."looked" a little on the small side - Santa Fe may be a better option?
asx..was late on a sunday, with both kids screaming, so really didnt have a good look.

Any we should be staying clear of, or others we should be considering?

Have 2 kids, so needs to have adequate room for 2 car seats...

Cheers for any advice,
Mick

[cormorant]

If you don't have a 2nd bigger car the ASX in a auto diesel looks good but if you cart other peoples kids ( aka taxie) the outlander has extra seats and same mechanicals ( I think)

The territory and captiva are biiiiiig in comparison to the ASX. They sell cheap when they come out of fleets and use a lot of fuel unless driven very softly but will at least tow something.

With these stupid carbon taxes and every other tax we will get lumbered with something that uses less fuel and is small is going to hold value in the next 5 years compared to big stuff.

In the ASX size you have the impreza others as well

The wife will tell you when you are warm anyway.

A lot of folk are delaying

[frankgrimes]

Cheers mate - We have a Triton as other car(Which is a bit squeezy for the kids seats)...this is my tow vehicle(only have a 4.5 poly, so the "other" car doesn't have to be anything special to tow on the rare occasion it may be required)

Ill check out the outlander...had a quick look at the sante fe today...looked ok, but only had a limited time.

Cheers.
Mick

[krazyfisher]

we have an outlander and have been very happy woith it 2.5 yrs old now, bigger inside than the challenger or triton.

[GBC]

The subaru forester is the volume seller in that size bracket.
I just got a Tribeca but it may be a little large and the fuel bills are the same.

[lethal098]

The ASX is a great little car, nice and economical, very roomy but still a small car. The diesel i had for a few weeks i was averaging 4.5 litres per 100, but that is manual only,
In the petrol still good economy. Best warranty of anyone and all the little extras like roadside assist and capped price servicing for 4 years.

Not bad at all.

Cheers Lee

[Kero]

Mick,
We've just been through this process a couple of weeks ago. Ended up getting a Santa Fe. It seats 7, tows 2T, 6 sp auto, AWD, 145kW/436Nm (diesel) and 5 star ANCAP. Very happy with it!

[mowerman]

Hi Frank.

My Triton is the tow vehicle as well.
Also the work truck, beach vehicle and holiday truck.

The wifes vehicle,,her choice,, Had to have enough room for 4 and gear.

I drive it on weekends.Sometimes.

Xr6.

Wooo Hooo.

Rod
.

[Swanie1975]

hi mick , have you looked at an x-trail? agree with cormorant on the territory, it will be great if you can tow a gas tanker with you lol! the captiva and the hyundai are reasonably well put together but still korean at the end of the day and built to a price (like most things). the outlander has to be a good option with the warranty and serviceing deals at the mo.

good luck as long as the wifes happy its all good !

cheers ryan

[Giffo65]

Mick
Aside from all other comments so far,have you considered the safety of the vehicle, should it hit something or get hit by somebody else.Often an overlooked aspect of a car purchase.Just a thought from a Fireies point of view.

Cheers
Giffo

[finga]

hi mick , have you looked at an x-trail? agree with cormorant on the territory, it will be great if you can tow a gas tanker with you lol! the captiva and the hyundai are reasonably well put together but still korean at the end of the day and built to a price (like most things). the outlander has to be a good option with the warranty and serviceing deals at the mo.
cheers ryan

I reckon the build quality on the cook's Korean car is a lot better then on most cars we looked at. I would have her korean car over anything assembled in Australia today.
What do they have for warranty?? 5 years unlimited kilometers for the Hyundi's??
Go for a drive in the diesel i35 and Santa Fe. It's also a good idea to take the kids seat and shove them in for a test fit too no matter which car you look at.

[Kero]

The build quality of the Hyundai was one of the deciding factors for us. I used to be biased (against) until I had a proper look at them. Very well engineered these days!

[frankgrimes]

Thanks fellas for all the suggestions - Geez, there are a lot of options in the small/mid "SUV" bracket....the CX7 also look nice.

Giffo - Safety, absolutely...want to ensure the car has adequate airbags, ancap rating etc....or are you saying that the smaller suv's would be in strife if involved in an accident?

Mick

[Swanie1975]

giffos spot on - safety is a big consideration (even tho you hopefully will never need to find out). as a panelbeater fixing these cars every day and dealing with the parts, repairs stripping and fitting of all makes and models i get to see the results of impacts of all shapes and sizes. build quality and panel fit is one thing but whats underneath is quite another. the great wall is a classic example of a vehicle built down to a price ie. you get what you pay for! loads of plastics used on all new cars these days but the differences are huge when you remove the panels and start looking at the frame and design underneath. most of the newer cars perform really well (ancap tests are a good baseline) but it all depends what you get hit by and at what speed i reckon. do your research well and get whatever make/model best suits your needs and keeps the wife happy - at least youve got a good tow wagon for your boat! opinions on a cars are a bit like outboard brands - everyone will have their favourite (and its usually what they currently own)

cheers ryan

[Giffo65]

No,not bagging small SUVs, but as you said,air bags and ANCAP rating is a good start,do some research on the net about them.Most of the new cars are far safer than in years gone by.

Cheers
Giffo