The big, swanky estate car thread
Jun 24, 2017 11:58:21 GMT
Post by WDB on Jun 24, 2017 11:58:21 GMT
I know I'm not the only one shopping at the moment, so perhaps we could put our thoughts in one place. Here's what I've discovered so far, from two-and-a-half drives.
Volvo V90
This is the half, since I've only driven the S90 saloon, and then on a route blighted by roadworks and queueing traffic.
I liked the cabin design, even the big, vertical touchscreen in the centre. The seats are Volvo-good, and there's a decent amount of room in the back. The load area is wide and long but not the tallest.
I found the S90 hard to position in traffic. I sat very low, and the high sides made it feel a bit like peering over the rim of a skip. The saloon is ugly too; in black it looks like something a Politburo member might arrive in. The estate in a lighter colour is much more appealing.
Hard to judge the 2.0D engine as it had so little to do, but the front wheels tugged at the wheel the one time I did accelerate it hard. No four-cylinder diesel clatter, though.
Being an all-round Scandiphile, I ought to love this car and it puzzles me that I can't find more enthusiasm for it. Perhaps a longer drive in the estate will fix that.
Mercedes CLS350d
Had a proper drive in this one, and it's great. Test car had a sunroof, which didn't prevent me getting comfortable but made me sit lower than I'd like, which in turn restricted foot room for the teenage passenger behind me.
I'd read that the 350d engine is off the pace by modern standards, but I can't say I noticed. There was always power in reserve to accelerate off a slip road or pull smoothly out of a corner, and no disturbance but a distant, encouraging roar.
Better still was its ride: as I'd hoped, the E smoothness is still there, but with far better control. It doesn't sway or wallow out of a low-speed bend, but it soaks up all the bumps. I detected a little tyre chirruping on my favourite fast, twisty hill-climb, but it went exactly where I wanted it to, and quickly too.
I didn't like the effect of the privacy glass on rear or over-shoulder vision, and I'd need to be convinced that a proper roof would allow everyone to get comfortable, but I really, really like this car.
Until, that is...
BMW 540i
Who says a big estate needs a diesel engine? This one goes just beautifully on the volatile stuff. Hard to say how fast it really is, but with a bit of encouragement from a salesman who knows the back roads well, I'd say 'plenty'.
A sharper ride than the CLS that did allow a few shocks into the cabin; boy behind had more space but said it was less comfortable than the Mercedes. But you can adjust all that, and we were on a firm setting for much of the trip; at the softer end, it felt much like the CLS to me.
Couldn't get a used one of these, of course, and it seems the factory has not yet adapted to revived demand for RHD petrol models, so I'd have to wait till the autumn. And a can't really justify a 540, but - given it's likely to do only 8,000 or so miles a year, a 530i could make sense.
Volvo V90
This is the half, since I've only driven the S90 saloon, and then on a route blighted by roadworks and queueing traffic.
I liked the cabin design, even the big, vertical touchscreen in the centre. The seats are Volvo-good, and there's a decent amount of room in the back. The load area is wide and long but not the tallest.
I found the S90 hard to position in traffic. I sat very low, and the high sides made it feel a bit like peering over the rim of a skip. The saloon is ugly too; in black it looks like something a Politburo member might arrive in. The estate in a lighter colour is much more appealing.
Hard to judge the 2.0D engine as it had so little to do, but the front wheels tugged at the wheel the one time I did accelerate it hard. No four-cylinder diesel clatter, though.
Being an all-round Scandiphile, I ought to love this car and it puzzles me that I can't find more enthusiasm for it. Perhaps a longer drive in the estate will fix that.
Mercedes CLS350d
Had a proper drive in this one, and it's great. Test car had a sunroof, which didn't prevent me getting comfortable but made me sit lower than I'd like, which in turn restricted foot room for the teenage passenger behind me.
I'd read that the 350d engine is off the pace by modern standards, but I can't say I noticed. There was always power in reserve to accelerate off a slip road or pull smoothly out of a corner, and no disturbance but a distant, encouraging roar.
Better still was its ride: as I'd hoped, the E smoothness is still there, but with far better control. It doesn't sway or wallow out of a low-speed bend, but it soaks up all the bumps. I detected a little tyre chirruping on my favourite fast, twisty hill-climb, but it went exactly where I wanted it to, and quickly too.
I didn't like the effect of the privacy glass on rear or over-shoulder vision, and I'd need to be convinced that a proper roof would allow everyone to get comfortable, but I really, really like this car.
Until, that is...
BMW 540i
Who says a big estate needs a diesel engine? This one goes just beautifully on the volatile stuff. Hard to say how fast it really is, but with a bit of encouragement from a salesman who knows the back roads well, I'd say 'plenty'.
A sharper ride than the CLS that did allow a few shocks into the cabin; boy behind had more space but said it was less comfortable than the Mercedes. But you can adjust all that, and we were on a firm setting for much of the trip; at the softer end, it felt much like the CLS to me.
Couldn't get a used one of these, of course, and it seems the factory has not yet adapted to revived demand for RHD petrol models, so I'd have to wait till the autumn. And a can't really justify a 540, but - given it's likely to do only 8,000 or so miles a year, a 530i could make sense.
