So, my wife managed to write off the family car...

[Shurv]

Go and try a Lexus RX,3.5 V6 petrol with hybrid, there is a 7 seater which has more room if you needed it.They drive really nicely and will last forever. 2 of our company directors have them, they are both 6ft 4 so plenty of room.

 

[Disco]

Or as either a solution or just an interim until the car to your spec can be built : you could buy a 40 year old classic barge (Rolls, Merc 450, etc...) - no need for MOT tests, exempt from the ULEZ T-charge, classic Insurance, ... :?:

A bit left field, but since nobody had brought it up...

 

[GMG]

...a 25 mile range in good conditions is frankly ludicrous and not in the Tesla sense!

And this is for a new car...as the car ages this range will decrease from barely acceptable to unfit for purpose...

This is not the future...

 

[easternjets]

25 to 32 is around the town, long runs on the motorway using C/Control it will nudge 38 to 40 mpg.
The fuel economy has got worse since I first bought the car, at the first service VW did something and it went from mid 40's to high 30's. The book actually quotes 40+ for the 262 bhp version but that's a figure I've very rarely seen.
It is after all a 3.0 ltr V6, if you want economy buy the Tiguan they will do 50 mpg but they're only a 2.0 ltr 4 cyl.
In the real world there are very few large/heavy 4 x 4 with V6 or V8 engines that will return over 30 mpg in day to day driving, if you don't believe me look at Honest John's real mpg figures on their web site.
It's strange to be quoting mpg figures of 25 as ludicrous on a web site where the owners drive cars that barely get over 30 mpg and the cars weigh 700 lbs less!

 

[FZP]

Do the Touaregs still chew tyres. I had a 2.5 2010 and it went through 2 sets of tyres in 1 year/20k miles

 

[Zorro]

It is after all a 3.0 ltr V6, if you want economy buy the Tiguan they will do 50 mpg but they're only a 2.0 ltr 4 cyl.

Bitdi Tiguan is spritely

 

[GMG]

...range ... not mpg...

This factor was cited previously perhaps inappropriately?

Nothing wrong with 25mpg...better than my 996

 

[easternjets]

Frank I've heard the Audi Q5's are heavy on tyres but to be honest my first set lasted 4 years and 36k miles, they were Pirelli Scorpions.
This set are these GT tyres brand GiTi which I was heavily coerced into buying as they were sold to me as made in Germany and as good as Conti's for £100 a corner.

 

[FZP]

Frank I've heard the Audi Q5's are heavy on tyres but to be honest my first set lasted 4 years and 36k miles, they were Pirelli Scorpions.
This set are these GT tyres brand GiTi which I was heavily coerced into buying as they were sold to me as made in Germany and as good as Conti's for £100 a corner.

Thanks Nick

 

[easternjets]

Another car for consideration, especially if you don't want to look like an 'Uber' driver in a Superb, is the Skoda Kodiaq.
They are basically a stretched VW Tiguan and the VRs model is a 239 PS, 4 cylinder, so bags of power and good economy.
Other models are available but the VR's models are well spec'd and rapid. They are a twin turbo with a DSG gearbox :thumb:

 

[PerrinAybara]

By way of update...

I've come round to the thinking that getting a huge car just for 8-10 long journeys with all the family per year doesn't really make sense. Better to get something a bit smaller - like a VW Tiguan or an Audi Q5 - which would probably take all of us (just not in so much comfort) and would be bearable for shorter journeys, and if we needed a long journey we could just take 2 cars. We'd probably save £20+k through downgrading the big car, and improve fuel economy.

So now I have a much bigger market to choose from.

The other news is that I've looked at my finances and persuaded the missus, so in exchange for my not getting an SUV that makes me happy, she's content with my upgrading the Mini to a new 911...

 

[T8]

For 8-10 journeys a year you could get a lot of change from £20k by just hiring a decent sized car/SUV on those occasions.

 

[PerrinAybara]

For 8-10 journeys a year you could get a lot of change from £20k by just hiring a decent sized car/SUV on those occasions.

Yeah, this is what we figured.

Or the missus could drive the SUV and I could take the 911.....