Hello all
After our 9 year old Focus Estate finally started falling to bits we decided it was time to get a new family car. We moved to a rural village a year ago and floods, potholed roads and the steep country lanes out of our village convinced us we should get a 4wd SUV. We test drove all sorts and had narrowed it down to a Freelander 2 or a Volvo XC60 when suddenly we became aware of the new Qashqai. I had (and probably still do have) some reservations about whether its too small but since we have a roofbox already for camping trips and my wife fell head over heels with the QQ I agreed to go with it. Must admit I was impressed on the test drive, feels so much sharper than the heavy Freelander and Volvo, more modern and of course its more efficient. So on 8 March we ordered a Tekna 4wd in Ink Blue. Delivery date is mid July but hoping that comes forwards!
DavePipPip2014-04-09 20:18:54
Newbie patiently waiting
Welcome to forum congrats on new carId say not much diffrent inside than the volvo and compared to both your other choices spec wise the QQ is a no brainerthat little 1.5 engine well its got me hooked and im an old V8 man to be fairShame all modern cars now have such poor towing figures but id say theres enough room for camping and people although you never can have enough room lolMy jurys still out on 4x4 but before I got my QQ i would of voted no need for one and still wonder if its ever actualy needed when you compare purchase and running costs but ive been so wrong so often this year when it comes to the QQ ill monitor itYour current delivery date is same as some who ordered in February so it seems they catching up in factory
Thanks for the welcome. I reckon with our roofbox it will be big enough for camping, if not I'll get a trailer sometime. Ours will be the supposedly dog rough 1.6 diesel but compared with our 1.6 tdci Focus engine which is like a tractor the 1.6 QQ diesel engine seemed incredibly smooth and quiet to us. I just remembered the other reason we wanted 4wd. We drive to French alps skiing every year, sometimes twice in a winter, and got stuck in the snow in Feb with our 4 year old and 6 year in the car so we swore blind that our next car would have 4wd and proper winter tyres.
Winter tyres up there for sure id say, Ive been to Andorra a lot and think the 1.5 will cope I put the purchase price and the resale to it then the mpg which seems to be in 70+mpg and it banged the nail inI used to love the focus 1.6 a great lump as it goes cant speak for QQ on theres but heard it said the 1.5 is the better choice just not available in auto or 4x4 which in itself is wieredMind you the delays are bad enough with the choices they got without expanding lol
Cant complain about reliability of the Focus but after years of abuse by kids and living in Paris for 3 years where we lived a while its pretty much knackered. Fuel economy is sort of important to us but not critical. The QQ will be for our longer journeys and holidays. The main need we have for a car is my commute, 18 miles each way, and I'm getting a BMW i3 electric car for that as a company car. Fuel bills will £5 a week max! The QQ will get used for tge weekly shop, weekends when we need to go further than the i3 range (80 to 100 miles) and for holidays.
yes I read thatI looked into voodoo power as well the techcertainly coming along and the subsidys are getting goodFor me I still think it has a way to go even looked at the daft leaf as it goesDid you get offered the British gas offer of a free installation with the car to charge it?Did use a Prius for a week once, found that wiered if it was in a normal shaped car id of bought it but why do they make these electric vehicles resemble something out the Jetsons There clever just pushing the futuristic look to much
I got a Polar chargepoint put in. Very similar to British Gas deal I think. In the metal/carbon the i3 looks so much better than in the pics and its a cracking drive. I'm getting the range extender model with a little onboard petrol engine generator. Clever stuff. Doubt I'll ever need the generator but it helps with range anxiety and means in theory I could go any distance as long as I top up the unleaded for the generator! On our company company car scheme the i3 is the cheapest car, £50 a month less than the 2nd cheapest a 1.4 Golf. No brainer for me but wouldn't work for everyones circumstances.
