What do you think:

I need to choose a new or used car (<4years old) that's all of the things below:

1. Smart enough for taking senior clients/potential clients out in;
   
2. capable of driving offroad a bit (civil engineering site visits), not interested in "offroading" just in not having to walk too far;
   
3. good in the snow;
   
4. comfortable on long journeys;
   
5. reliable;
   
6. reasonably quick and handles ok;
   
7. has some green credentials i.e. is economical (fuel = 50mpg'ish, low tax, insurance, servicing and depreciation);
   
8. interesting;
   
9. fun to drive;
   
10. looks good, and preferably,
    
11. capable of towing a locost on a trailer.

You'll have a hard time satisfying all criteria but an XC70 would fill most.

Or an audi with quattro like the A4 all road, or what ever its called.

[Edited on 10/1/10 by morcus]

Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi (130) Zetec S Saloon, like the one i might have for sale soon.....

50mpg ish

Do interesting / fun cars really do that ?

Volvo D5 V70 AWD. or XC70 as mentioned

Or if you're feeling cheeky a V70R (not R-Design)
Won't get 50 MPG though

Jaguar S type twin turbo diesel, some wellies and something cheap with narrow wheels for the snow?

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1356319.htm

Off road AND 50mpg
Now where did I put my magic wand

I'd have said prob the volvo as well but certainly not 50mpg. in fact you'll be bloody lucky to get anything other than a small familly diesel to match that figure IMHO in real life ( not on manufacturers figs)

my focus does 50mpg on a run - although it doesn't fit many of the other critera. The volvo was what i immediately thought of. An Audi a4 quattro may also do it for you.

depends what you mean by off road.

Well I know its a tall order, so I did say 50mpg "ish"

XC70 is very nice. Well spotted thanks. I hadn't looked at that.. Actually I thought a decent young Volvo was far beyond my budget. Looks like there might be some around the mark - Hmmm...
WhatCar gives them only two stars though, is that unfair?

Our local Subaru dealer has offered me a new (unregistered) Subaru Legacy diesel saloon within my budget. (Old shape, due to be replaced by a facelift model this month)
It seems to fit the bill and claims 50mpg combined use.

Should I grab it or leave it?

Hate to say it, but A4 Allroad - diesel or LPG petrol...

How about an Audi A6 allroad like this one
Linky
or the older ones are good value as well. Linky
Not sure about the 50 mpg bit but my mates got one and i have seen 50 mpg on the computer (50 mph downhill)

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dave Ashurst
Well I know its a tall order, so I did say 50mpg "ish"

XC70 is very nice. Well spotted thanks. I hadn't looked at that.. Actually I thought a decent young Volvo was far beyond my budget. Looks like there might be some around the mark - Hmmm...
WhatCar gives them only two stars though, is that unfair?

Our local Subaru dealer has offered me a new (unregistered) Subaru Legacy diesel saloon within my budget. (Old shape, due to be replaced by a facelift model this month)
It seems to fit the bill and claims 50mpg combined use.

Should I grab it or leave it?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dave Ashurst
Well I know its a tall order, so I did say 50mpg "ish"

XC70 is very nice. Well spotted thanks. I hadn't looked at that.. Actually I thought a decent young Volvo was far beyond my budget. Looks like there might be some around the mark - Hmmm...
WhatCar gives them only two stars though, is that unfair?

Our local Subaru dealer has offered me a new (unregistered) Subaru Legacy diesel saloon within my budget. (Old shape, due to be replaced by a facelift model this month)
It seems to fit the bill and claims 50mpg combined use.

Should I grab it or leave it?

---

whats wrong with the panda

quote:

---

Originally posted by omega0684
whats wrong with the panda

---

passat 4motion tdi?

Golf R32 4wd fun - not 50mpg though

Go and have a look around your local SAAB dealership, the 9-3x (The 4WD one) should do you well and you'll get it alot cheaper than it should be.

mk1 leon cupra or fr with the 150bhp tdi engine. look pretty slick in black, great engines and comfortable yet slightly sporty

I was going to suggest the subaru legacy. It did over 50mpg on the top gear challenge.

Excellent, thanks guys, good advice.

D

My initial thought was you'd be looking at a Volvo, and seeing as you'll be taking clients out may I suggest bringing someone who's over 6 foot tall to sit in the back (unless you are yourself)

My mondeo will do 50-55 on the motorway, but the 4wd will take some of that out. What was that one someone had on here being all smug about their 4wd Volvo? One of them in diesel (or lpg) sounds like it would fit the bill

I was being smug
V70 Diesel AWD gets you close