Hokin Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) Something i thought of when looking for mine was towing capacity, especially for the Z going to panel beaters ect. I ended up with a Subaru Forester XT. Has the turbo engine out of a WRX and can still tow about 1800kg breaked, but I think the newer ones can tow a bit more. Edited August 15, 2016 by Hokin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
44014 Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 IX35, the only model in the Hyundai range to break from I _ _ naming convention (I20, I30, I45 etc) Just add an X then turn the name badge upsidedown = SEXI Bit of industry humour to be had by putting posters in dealerships upside down. IX35 is the only Hyundai i wouldn't touch, Having worked for Hyundai for a while i see a lot of issues with these cars. In saying that every other Hyundai gets the thumbs up from me. My first thought when you mentioned what you were after is the Santa fe.. Great car. Or you could come into work and i can sign you up for a Levante! Spacious with plenty of power from the twin turbo 3.0 V6 with the econemy of a diesel. $155,000 drive away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 I'm surprised the current generation Mazda 6 wagon hasn't been mentioned yet (petrol version). Super reliable, economical Japanese servicing costs and all the mod cons (well spec'd if you like it too). Barely a bad word said about them (diesel version is plagued with issues) and well within budget for a near new car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris240 Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Volvo xc60 or a v60 volvo diesel or the mighty 3 litre 6 , The build quality in these is superb. Service cost are fine and volvos are just that bit quirky, and have the adaptive cruise plus 1000 other driver aids. Look for one with a sunroof. Also agree with Scott on the 2011 2012 rav4 V6 , rare car, look for a ZR6. Only glitch with this model rav is the annoying road noise and lack of insulation, and boring plastic interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riceburner Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 I'm surprised the current generation Mazda 6 wagon hasn't been mentioned yet (petrol version). Super reliable, economical Japanese servicing costs and all the mod cons (well spec'd if you like it too). Barely a bad word said about them (diesel version is plagued with issues) and well within budget for a near new car. With identical twin boys on the way we are upgrading from a mazda3 to one of these shortly. The styling, interior finish and value for money are very hard to beat. For a medium sized car externally the interior space is big, I'm 6ft 3 and can fit in the front and rear very easily. The touring model with all the bells and whistles and leather can be had as an ex demo for high 30k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cozza Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Congrats Gareth, sounds like you'll be a very busy man in the coming months. My (unofficial) deal with the wife is that I buy another car for each child we have. I'm sitting on 3 currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris240 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Forgot to add a Valiant VG series safari ...must have the bench seat. Hokin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PB260Z Posted August 17, 2016 Moderators Share Posted August 17, 2016 Also agree with Scott on the 2011 2012 rav4 V6 , rare car, look for a ZR6. Only glitch with this model rav is the annoying road noise and lack of insulation, and boring plastic interior.Word of caution on the Rav V6 - they drink more than I do.A lot of the guys at work reported 18-20/100 when we were running them as reps cars. Possibly due to heavy footed operators, but....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ101 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Forgot to add a Valiant VG series safari ...must have the bench seat. no shortage of room in those, but even bigger 77 CL Wagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators gav240z Posted August 17, 2016 Administrators Share Posted August 17, 2016 Something i thought of when looking for mine was towing capacity, especially for the Z going to panel beaters ect. I ended up with a Subaru Forester XT. Has the turbo engine out of a WRX and can still tow about 1800kg breaked, but I think the newer ones can tow a bit more. What year is your car? My brothers g/f is looking at 2012/13 models and I don't know anything about them. Wondering if anyone here knows if they are any good as a small-mid size SUV? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottyD Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Word of caution on the Rav V6 - they drink more than I do. A lot of the guys at work reported 18-20/100 when we were running them as reps cars. Possibly due to heavy footed operators, but....... 18/20 per 100ks Wow, I can tow my 1.5t caravan and get 16/18. They must have been lead foots. They do go well 0-100 in 7 seconds. I do cruise around town hence my fuel consumption figures of 10.5 /11. PB260Z 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvemfast Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) Forgot to add a Valiant VG series safari ...must have the bench seat. +1 I drove my VH Pacer to work today. There's plenty of room for the wife and 3 kids! Edited August 18, 2016 by luvemfast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PZG302 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 AU to BF Falcon wagon, preferably on gas would be the perfect family truckster. Solid, parts are cheap and they go on for ever. But I would also vote for any Valiant wagon from VE to the CM, preferably with an engine change to either E49+ spec on triples 265 or proper six pack on top of a 440. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ101 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 and George as you're no stranger to rust, you'll feel right at home with the Valiants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris240 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Lol....need to find a pic of my Old 69 VF valiant 318...nicknamed The Thunder Chicken ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hokin Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) Gav, The Foresters are pretty good, haven't had any issues with them and have found them easy to work on (not sure if its due to ride height and being able to fit under). They are essentially Lego cars so parts are easily interchangeable and accessible with liberty, impreza\wrx and sti models. It never ceases to amaze me the combinations of parts people use for upgrades. My Forester is an 07 XT model, the only bad thing and i've become used of it now is the tractor engine sounds from the boxer. Quite a difference given i've driven Z's with L series engines since i got my licence and still do. Check out the ozfoz.com.au forum, the community is pretty good and there is an abundance of information on there (much like here). Edited August 18, 2016 by Hokin gav240z 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riceburner Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 We tried the Mazda 6 with the rear facing baby seats in the back today. We found it didn't have enough room in the front for either of us to be able to drive. If your short it may be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PB260Z Posted August 20, 2016 Moderators Share Posted August 20, 2016 (edited) We tried the Mazda 6 with the rear facing baby seats in the back today. We found it didn't have enough room in the front for either of us to be able to drive. If your short it may be ok.That is a true "real world" test for a family car, but not one you ever see in any major magazine reviews.When the kids get a little bigger it is how easily can they kick the seats in front. Edited August 20, 2016 by PB260Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riceburner Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 That is a true "real world" test for a family car, but not one you ever see in any major magazine reviews. When the kids get a little bigger it is how easily can they kick the seats in front. Yeah spot on PB. I guess it could be a little out of the ordinary as we have twins so you can't offset the seat behind the passenger or driver (which ever needs the room) or in the middle. We had quite a few sales people come out to look. They were very surprised to see how little room there was left in the 6 wagon with two people over 6ft and having looked at it last week I was shocked it wouldn't work. Just for the record we are using rear facing baby seats as these were smaller than the smallest capsule available currently. I must say, I'm very impressed with Mazda's, The Mazda 3 hatchback has been bulletproof. We ended up going for the new CX-9. Sub 40k with a trade in, from test drive and first impressions it's great. The value for money, styling and drive quality are wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cozza Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 We tried the Mazda 6 with the rear facing baby seats in the back today. We found it didn't have enough room in the front for either of us to be able to drive. If your short it may be ok. Your next test will be fitting 3 forward facing seats across the back seat. It is quite difficult to find a car that will fit them. I normally find the outer seats foul on the inner wheel arches as they protrude into the back seat somewhat. Many cars don't even have 3 tether points. Quite surprisingly we have our 3 squeezed into an '04 focus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riceburner Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 Yeah Cozza those wheel arches are a bugger! It's something I wasn't bothered about until recently. Good work with the focus, surprising that they all fit. I'd definately recommend taking seats with you to try before you buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PB260Z Posted August 20, 2016 Moderators Share Posted August 20, 2016 Yeah Cozza those wheel arches are a bugger! It's something I wasn't bothered about until recently. Good work with the focus, surprising that they all fit. I'd definately recommend taking seats with you to try before you buy. Better still, ask the dealer to let you take the car home then you can try fitting them at your own pace.This also gives you a chance to see how you getting prams etc in as well. Unless the vehicle is in extreemely tight supply, a good dealership will agree to this. If they don't agree take your business elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cozza Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 I was in the used car market looking at Santa Fe's and found that dealers were very wary of letting us take the car home. Normally they would want to come for the test drive. All seemed a bit weird when we were fitting our 3 car seats and kids then had to put the sales guy in the 3rd row of the Santa Fe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PB260Z Posted August 21, 2016 Moderators Share Posted August 21, 2016 Good point, I was reffering to New Cars. Used cars is a very different situation and generally don't like letting the car go for more than a quick lap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 The Cherokee which is really a mid sized SUV has two rows of seats, there is no interference from the wheel wells because they are further back. From armrest to armrest it measures 1320mm wide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.