Replacement for XL

sosidge

Newbie
Jun 5, 2004
65
1
Considering replacing our XL after nearly 10 years of ownership.

Criteria are that it should be high up and no bigger than the Altea, but with the same amount of space and better running costs (tax and mpg on the 1.6 petrol Altea are poor). We have no need for more than 5 seats.

I've had a look around all of the currently-fashionable medium SUVs - the Ateca and Kadjar/Qashqai seem to have the best accommodation and engines - BUT getting back into the Altea again the next day, I realised that it offers a much airier interior and better space despite being a 10 year old design!

I've also test driven the hybrid KIA Niro which is very impressive in terms of economy and has a surprisingly roomy interior but a small-ish boot.

Is there anything out there that is a modern equivalent of the Altea XL? Or was it a one-off? I was always surprised by how much the "professional" reviewers hated it when it has been such a good car for us...
 

TheRookie

Active Member
Feb 9, 2015
60
1
I guess the equivalent of Altea/Altea XL would be its upmarket brother Golf SV/Touran?
 

sosidge

Newbie
Jun 5, 2004
65
1
Might be - certainly the SV looks similar but the local VW dealer does not have any... which I think says something about recent car-buying fashion.

I've had a look around virtually every mid-sized crossover and people carrier over the last couple of weeks, hoping to find inspiration... no luck.

Very few cars have good room in the back when there is a 6ft 2 driver in the front - some cars can't even accommodate the 6ft 2 driver...

Think we'll be keeping the Altea on the road for as long as we can - nothing I have seen matches it for space without moving up to a much larger car (which my other half would probably refuse to drive).
 

TheRookie

Active Member
Feb 9, 2015
60
1
Very few cars have good room in the back when there is a 6ft 2 driver in the front - some cars can't even accommodate the 6ft 2 driver...

Tell me about this! I am 6ft 4" and Altea was one of only 4 cars on the market in which I could sit behind myself. The other cars were (oddly enough!) Nissan Note (I wouldn't touch anything made by Nissan (a.k.a Renault) with a bargepole), Skoda Superb and Hyundai i40 estate but these are too long for me.
 

sosidge

Newbie
Jun 5, 2004
65
1
Sounds like your car showroom routine is the same as mine!

The Note is an amazingly spacious little car - we have had them a couple of times as a hire car and if it wasn't for the small-ish boot I would seriously consider one. Cheap as chips.
 

TheRookie

Active Member
Feb 9, 2015
60
1
Yes, Nissans got very well designed passenger compartments but horrible oily bits. I don't understand how Qashqai is year after year promoted to be "car of the year" but is consistently taking last places for reliability in the very same surveys. The Note isn't reliable car either, according to Nissan forums - 1.2 engine suffers sudden ignition cutouts at motorway speeds and there was no cure to this as of last year. Anyway, I digress.

For me the easiest way to choose a car was going to one of the Available Cars supermarkets and trying different cars there. The reason why I went there was because all their cars are open so there is no need to talk to sales "advisers" - just sit in the car, check the rear seat space and that's it. This is how I decided to go for Altea, which wasn't even in my shopping list.
 

Dai_O

Active Member
Jul 30, 2009
154
4
Cardiff
same sales routine for me too, jinx

I too am 6ft 4 and sitting in some cars is just a nightmare, the thought of having to pop the sun visor down on some would stop me from seeing out of the front window even with the seat right down

Sales advisors say nah it will be okay you will get used to it, NO CHANCE

and then I sat in the Altea, I could see again lol, mine is coming up on 10year old too and the thought of going through all that again drives me crazy

bring on a car that us big boys can sit in and still see out without bending our necks in half
 

robint

Full Member
Apr 12, 2006
168
9
UK, Essex
Why not get a nearly new Altea for another 10 years.....run out ones full of toys and cheaper to run than earlier ones....
 

TheRookie

Active Member
Feb 9, 2015
60
1
Interestingly, when I was on the market for Altea last year, there were plenty of 15-plate ones for rock-bottom prices. Now I went to Autotrader and can't find a single one? Where they all gone?
 

Andyhamer28

Active Member
Dec 4, 2016
4
0
Haha guilty! We bought a 15 plate XL i-tech a couple of months ago to replace a 13 plate XL SE copa (1.6TDI). We had to travel a good distance as there were only 3 in the country then! I'm glad we did the journey though as I genuinely couldn't think of a car that would suit us better. Robint's right, there's loads of toys on the i-tech (sat nav, bluetooth, cruise control, auto everything and above the SE Copa spec, a TFT screen in the back, integrated sunblinds, picnic tables etc) and the 2.0TDI 140 has plenty of power and seems to be returning a good mpg with the manual gearbox (it doesn't have start-stop but we don't miss that to be honest). If I was you I would probably keep an eye on autotrader for a 15 plate XL and be prepared to travel a bit...
 

TheRookie

Active Member
Feb 9, 2015
60
1
Mine is iTech spec 15 plate normal (non-XL) and it doesn't have integrated sunblinds or picnic tables. It does have satnav, carbon-like plastics everywhere and useless TV screen though. I bought it last March in one of the car supermarkets as they had a large batch of those coming from Motability.
 

robertb24

Full Member
Mar 17, 2004
90
2
North West
I got myself a 15 plate XL but had to get the train upto Kendal to get it. It's been great, got every gizmo you can think on it. My dad loved it so much that he found a standard one at Motorpoint Derby which was ex-mobility for a great deal. Keep an eye out, they do pop up on Autotrader.
 
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