Top 4x4 estate cars for £35,000

Want a new car but don't know where to start? Just send us your criteria and we'll give our new and used car choices, and tell you how much we can save you...

Autocar

4 April 2019

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Let us help you with all your car questions.

Today's conundrum:

"I'm a vet living in rural Wales, so my car needs to handle country roads which sometimes get muddy and cover lots of miles with good fuel economy. I would therefore like to find something spacious with four-wheel drive, but that's ideally not an SUV because I don't like to sit too high up. My budget is around £35,000 – what would you suggest?" - Lucy

The brief: Diesel engine; Estate car; Four-wheel drive; Around £35,000

Here are our top new suggestions:
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Buying new

Our recommended choice: Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI Laurin + Klement 4x4

List price: £34,470

Target Price: £31,474

If you followed the results of the What Car? Car of the Year Awards back in January, you'll know that the Skoda Superb Estate scooped the Estate Car of the Year title for the fifth year running.

And after five years at the top, you can rest assured that the Superb Estate more than lives up to its name.
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Skoda Superb Estate 2.0 TDI Laurin + Klement 4x4 - interior

With a boot large enough to fit anything you're likely to need inside, a comfy interior and reasonable running costs, the Superb Estate fits into your life as well and as naturally as a mobile phone.

And your budget means you can opt for our recommended 2.0-litre diesel engine with four-wheel drive in range-topping Laurin + Klement trim. That means your car will be loaded with goodies, including an upgraded stereo, three-zone climate control, heated seats, lane-keeping assistance and even a hands-free boot opener.

This version of the Superb Estate is already good value, but What Car? New Car Buying can lower its price substantially, and What Car?'s latest Target Price savings mean you can get this range-topping version for £31,474 – giving you enough change for a holiday.

Also consider:
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BMW 3 Series Touring 320d xDrive Step Auto

List price: £37,890

Target Price: £34,329

The BMW 3 Series is an outstanding executive car, and this Touring version adds an impressive boot into the mix.
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BMW 3 Series Touring 320d xDrive Step Auto - interior

This version comes with our recommended 2.0-litre diesel engine, an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive. Inside, you'll find one of the best infotainment systems around.

Or:
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Volvo V60 Cross Country 2.0 D4 AWD auto

List price: £28,270

Target Price: £34,746

This version of the V60 estate is raised up and features chunky SUV-esque styling, and has four-wheel drive, so no matter where you need to go it shouldn't struggle.
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Volvo V60 Cross Country 2.0 D4 AWD auto - interior

The V60 is also spacious and comfortable, and the 2.0-litre diesel engine is pleasantly refined.

What about the used options?
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Buying used

Our recommended choice: 2018 BMW 5 Series Touring 30d xDrive M Sport

Price: £35,000

Mileage: 10,283

The beauty of buying used is that depreciation has a way of making something unobtainable, obtainable.

When new, a 2018 BMW 5 Series Touring with xDrive four-wheel drive in M sport guise was a little over £55,000. Today, that same car with 10,000 miles on it is £35,000. A huge £20,000 saving on an exceptionally good car.
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2018 BMW 5 Series Touring 30d xDrive M Sport - interior

While it isn't quite as sharp to drive as the saloon, the Touring is still a comfortable barge with which to whittle away miles in, particularly if you can find one with adaptive suspension on it (it'll have the word 'Adaptive' on the drive mode switch by the gear lever).

The boot is one of the biggest in the class and it gets a 40:20:40 split-fold rear bench for added flexibility. Plus there's loads of space for five people. If ever there was a car to suit all occasions, the 5 Series Touring is it

Also consider:
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2018 Audi A6 Allroad 3.0 TDI 218 quattro Sport S tronic

Price: £34,275

Mileage: 11,667

Fortunately, the Audi A6 has just been replaced with an all-new model which means that second-hand prices have taken a dive, and brings the A6 Allroad within budget.
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2018 Audi A6 Allroad 3.0 TDI 218 quattro Sport S tronic - interior

The A6 Allroad is quite a piece of kit with fully adjustable air suspension that you can use to raise the ride height when going off-road, plus that lusty 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine has bags of torque to pull itself out of sticky situations.

Also consider:
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2018 Volvo V90 D5 Inscription Pro AWD

Price: £29,445

Mileage: 4160

The Volvo V90 is another example of a luxury vehicle that's depreciated to such an extent that you could come away with an as-new car and still have change from your original budget, Lucy.

We found a six-month old example with the Pro package that adds the upgraded 12.3in digital instrument cluster, heated steering wheel and windscreen along with a premium sound system.
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2018 Volvo V90 D5 Inscription Pro AWD - interior

You also get a comprehensive suite of safety tech including blindspot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and automatic emergency braking along with large animal detection.
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Verdict

This was a hard choice, because both our new and used options would be perfect for Lucy – no matter where her job might take her. Ultimately, though, for the best all-round experience of space, comfort, performance and economy, the win has to go to the stunning BMW 5 Series Touring.

That's not to dim the light on Skoda's Superb Estate at all, mind. It's still an excellent car which won't cost you a lot to run, but it can't match the 5 Series for interior quality. Lucy can rest assured that the 5 Series Touring is all the car she's ever likely to need.

Our advice this time, then, is to buy used.

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