That’s one of the things I like about my 4X4 Karoq too - if I DO have to off-road it then it will get grip where others might not. The irony is that in the years before I bought it we’d been snowed in a couple of times, but not once since acquiring it. OTOH it’s been through flood waters multiple times and always coped well.
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No, 5 seats. When rhe rear seats are folded down it really is an MPV.
We have looked at the 7 seat version but the vehicle looks too long and out of proportion, more like a crew bus.
Something I didn’t mention was that I also test drove a conventional family estate car last week. It felt really low, dark and a bit claustrophobic. Also the ride and noise levels in the cabin were poorer than with the present Karoq, which surprised me quite a bit, having had hire cars over the last few years that didn’t feel like this. Or maybe I’m just getting picky, knowing we will be spending up to 12 hours at a time sat in whatever we buy.
My daughter and I hired a Mini Countryman to drive from Vegas to beyond the Canyon in Arizona last summer and it was a lovely car to drive and economical on those desert roads and in that 45°C plus heat too. It was very roomy inside both seating and boot but the price here is too high for me to ever purchase one. The ride was very smooth too.
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I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we all want an SUV. I don’t but there again my wife does…..she likes being ‘high up’.
That is exactly what I miss about my Forester.
I was referring to the 1000 or so less moving parts. Yes with our awful roads in the UK suspension and steering take a real hammering. Shock absorbers are one thing that people often do not change soon enough leading to poor wheel geometry and increased wear. I don’t mind changing shocks, track rods or various bushes like anti roll bar etc, just not in January or February. 
I watched a YT vid on the Enyaq, owned by a taxi company and over 300k on its clock. Seat sqabbs looked a little worn on the driver side but the rest was in surprisingly good nick.
Wasn’t that Vauxhall Motors garage in the 60’s? I remember using it in that era.
Only remember the carpark in the 80’s/90’s.
Hubby’s office was in Great Marlboro Street and trying to park my Landover was a challenge… Expensive too. £48 for the day.
Madame replaced UK car last year - from a 2011 Peugeot 207 to…
Well, she found everything large. Still, we sat in a Mercedes A class saloon, and then in a GLA - what a difference in view, feeling of space, which reflects exactly your comment about saloons being ‘low’. She actually drove a GLC, but in the end even the GLA was too big. Pity, a really nice car and diesel available. One was 3 yo, 15K miles and everything imaginable, sunroof, dash cam. 4WD I think, 30K £ But plenty around 20K £.
The VW T-roc was too big. The next size down was OK, then after trying the Seat version, the dealer said try a Hyundai Kona, 3 yo version (the new model is much bigger again), it’s petrol Hybrid (not plug-in) and she bought it. The hybrid seems to work, it’s doing about 48mpg overall.
Hope that helps, I’m not sure if you are averse to larger cars though, just noting how big they are now?
On plug in hybrids, they may not be value for money, for you that is. From Guardian -
“Hybrid vehicles are, however, very profitable. Carmakers can charge top dollar for what are essentially re-engineered petrol cars with a battery bolted on.”
And I wonder on electric I read Toyota (?) is working on a new battery type with 700 mile range which might come on the market in 2 years…
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Hmm. That’s not particularly great compared to a std petrol these days. Obviously it’s a subjective answer as is that around town or a long straight run down a motorway
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The “people” at Toyota have been touting this rumour for at least the last 10 years.
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I already drive a ‘large car’, bigger than a T-Roc (same size as the Tiguan) but was a bit surprised at how much bigger, particularly wider, cars had become.
I’m considering a PHEV that could be used electric for short journeys and petrol for real drives, but not really keen on the added complexity. There’s many cars that are affordable, but finding the right one is the trick.
My diesel does that on rural roads that don’t do flat nor straight with a little town driving.
Happy to try a hybrid or EV if anyone wants to buy one for me.
My days of crawling under cars, except in emergency, are over now. But I wonder if, with the added weight of the EV, whether running gear has been beefed up to compensate, or if aging EVs will need a steady diet of suspension and steering parts to keep going? As for the Elroq seats, those in my Karoq look fine, but my backside is no longer so happy with them. 
Ah, OK. It’s been for everything, about town, motorway. It seemed better than the 14yo Peugeot.
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The worst of all decisions, there are plenty of ICE cars equal or nearly in weight, cars have got a lot heavier never mind marginally larger. The electric seats weigh a lot these days. With a hybrid you have far more complexity in running the vehicle tied to a tiny battery and silly little engines. Biggest issues on the Toyota forum is hybrid issues.
Maybe a backside transplant
The old ones has a crack in it
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Both of our cars are 2007 RHD exGB.
Honda CR-V petrol auto
VW Eos diesel
Hardly run in at around 107,000 and 70,000 miles respectively.
Honda needs a pair of wipers but otherwise both are running well, at the moment anyway. As both my wife and I are both nearly 80 these cars may well see us out. If a replacement proves necessary I might be tempted by a hybrid but none of our local garages are interested in anything electrical.
To return to the thread - recently in Leclerc I parked the Honda next to a « mini », Fiat 500 and Dacia ? Jogger. My car certainly did not look oversized.
In our local town you will find an original 1960s mini and a 2 cv - were cars really so small back in the day? And why oh why are they so big now? People buy them so the demand must be there.
Luckily our roads are largely traffic free except for tractors etc and supermarket lorries of course but even so.
Try the Ouistreham ferry to Portsmouth in the summer when they pack four lanes on the upper deck it is virtually impossible to open both doors. The parking crew told my wife to climb over the central console not a realistic option.