I have €20,000 to spend on an SUV...

Hi,

I have €20,000 to spend on a manual five-seat SUV. I have narrowed my choice down to a used 141 Volkswagen Tiguan Sport & Style with 95,000km (2.0 diesel manual), which I really like or a brand new Dacia Duster Signature. I have also considered the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. I live in a town and only do about 10,000km a year and I don't want to go below 141.

Also bear in mind my 17-year-old son is going to start to drive in October and he will be driving this car. And that I will occasionally need to transport large items, which both the Tiguan and Duster would be able to handle. I would greatly appreciate if you could recommend which of the two to go for and if you could recommend other alternatives that may be better.

Kind regards

Liam Fagan

Liam Fagan (Navan, Co.Meath. )

Mar 2017 Filed under: choosing used car

---

Expert answer

Hi Liam,

OK, first off you don’t need and shouldn’t be buying a diesel. With that kind of mileage, and doing most of it in town, you’ll never get enough efficiency out of the engine and you’ll run into trouble with the particulate filter and more potentially.

Of the three cars you’ve mentioned, I think that the Mercedes B-Class might actually be the most sensible, and it’s certainly the roomiest if you’re concerned about carrying big loads. Worth remembering that for similar money you could probably get yourself into a nice C-Class Estate too, which is only a little smaller inside and a whole lot nicer to drive. I’d be tempted to stick with the Mercedes, too, for safety reasons, if your son is going to start learning to drive.

The Tiguan is another very good option, and there are versions with Volkswagen’s excellent 1.4 turbo petrol engine if you shop around. Again, safe and good to drive, if not quite as roomy as the B-Class. I’d avoid the Duster at this point — it’s diesel only, and not as safe as the Merc or Volkswagen.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe