Yahoo News The five best premium SUVs under £10,000
SUVs are all the rage these days; premium badges have been in high demand for years. That makes a premium SUV automotive catnip, if the sales figures are anything to go by. You might think that would make these large, luxurious family wagons unattainable, but the good news is that there are now really good examples of well-regarded models for less than £10,000.
That means you can grab a slice of the premium SUV pie, even if you don’t have the money to buy one brand new.
But which of these upmarket carry-alls are the ones to have – and which should you avoid? Here’s our pick of the best on the market.
Land Rover Discovery 3 (2004-2009)
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first: this is a 12-year-old (at the very least) Land Rover with an engine known for munching exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves and a flaky air suspension system. Even if you buy the very best, then, it’s no guarantee of reliability.
So why is it even here? Because many Discovery 3 owners love their cars in spite of their seeming fragility. They are effortless to drive thanks to a winning combination of power (from either a 2.7-litre V6 diesel or the extremely rare 4.4 V8), comfort (when that lovely, smooth air suspension is working properly) and practicality (thanks to a big, boxy load space and the option of seven seats).
And, of course, a Discovery can haul you up hill and down dale all day and also tow pretty much any horsebox or caravan you’d care to connect to it.
Seek out a good one, then, and you’ll end up with one of the most complete all-round cars this budget can buy. Just be prepared for the fact that finding such a thing is easier said than done.
Price to pay: from £6,000
We found: 2008 Discovery 3 2.7 TD XS, 74,000 miles, full service history, £9,995
Watch out for: Error messages pointing to faulty EGR valves, electrical glitches, slipping clutches and flywheels in manual cars, suspension warning lights pointing to air suspension issues.
BMW X5 (2007-2013)
The X5 has a better reputation for reliability than the Discovery, if only marginally so, although it isn’t quite as practical as the Land Rover – and, of course, it won’t go as far off road.
The payoff for that is that it’s better to drive on the road, where its taut chassis and precise steering make it surprisingly responsive for such a large, heavy car. There’s a creamy-smooth 3.0-litre petrol version, which is rare but a delight, providing an alternative if you’d rather not go for a diesel, though the 3.0-litre diesel engines are much more economical and their low-down grunt suits an SUV better. There’s also the option of a 4.8-litre petrol V8, too, should you have access to a fuel bowser to tow around with you.
Inside, the X5 is as smart as any other BMW of its era. While seven seats were an option, the third row was very cramped, so we reckon the X5 works better as a five-seater, in which form it gets a more fulsome boot instead.
Price to pay: from £7,000
We found: 2008 X5 3.0d SE auto, 83,000 miles, full service history, £8,950
Watch out for: Failed or leaking air suspension, leaking rear lights, excessive engine and gearbox vibrations, corroding wheels.
Volvo XC60 (2008-2017)
While this first-generation XC60 arrived near the very of Volvo’s acceptance as a premium marque, one look at the classy interior with its top-quality plastics and swathes of indulgent leather will prove that it can compare with its fully-fledged premium rivals here.
Our budget gets you an early car, which is no bad thing given later D4 models were afflicted with EGR problems that can be costly to resolve.
Our preference, therefore, is the less powerful 2.4-litre five-cylinder diesel, badged either 2.4D or D3, which offers enough grunt for most people with a characterful engine note and very respectable fuel economy. After all, this is no sports car, a fact that will become apparent the first time you throw it at a bend.
Yet its soft suspension means a comfortable ride; combined with ever-so-supportive seats and the effortless punch from the big diesel engines, that makes the XC60 an effortless way to travel.
Price to pay: from £4,000
We found: 2012 XC60 2.4 D3 Ocean Race, 80,000 miles, full service history, £9,995
Watch out for: EGR valve issues on D4, power steering pump belt failure, niggling electrical issues, thumpy suspension.
BMW X3 (2010-2018)
The original X3 might have been a bit of a duffer, but its successor was anything but. It managed to blend space, practicality and comfort with the sort of sporting drive for which the larger X5 had become renowned, and in doing so bested most if not all of its contemporaries as an all-rounder.
More cohesive styling certainly helped; gone was the weird mishmash of shapes that had made up the first X3, replaced by a sharper mini-X5 look that won it many buyers. The interior was just as appealing; smart to look at, and hewn from high-quality materials.
The 2.0-litre diesels in the X3 have been known to suffer from timing chain failures, so we’d only buy one that had been zealously maintained; otherwise, we’d opt for the 3.0-litre version, especially given that it feels far punchier, sounds better and isn’t that much thirstier.
Price to pay: from £5,500
We found: 2011 X3 30d SE, 90,000 miles, full service history, £8,995
Watch out for: Timing chain failures on early 2.0s, electrical glitches, failing power steering columns, EGR problems (a recall exists).
Lexus RX (2005-2009)
The first hybrid premium SUV now makes one of our favourite used buys, and not just because of its hybrid powertrain – although that is a bonus.
You can have a petrol-only RX, should you wish, but the hybrid makes an awful lot more sense. Granted, the RX400h petrol/electric hybrid can’t quite live with its diesel rivals on fuel economy, especially on long motorway runs. But around town or in the country, where the electric gubbins have more of a chance to do their thing, it should match if not better them.
In fully electric mode it’s near-silent and when the engine does cut in it does so with a muted growl. And on the move it rides softly, accelerates seamlessly and even corners stably, although an absence of steering feel stops it from ever becoming truly engaging to drive.
But the RX’s biggest selling point is its reliability. As you’ve probably gathered, premium SUVs for this budget can be prone to some pretty expensive problems; the Lexus is the exception to the rule, however, and should prove bulletproof if bought well.
Price to pay: from £3,500
We found: 2008 RX400h SE, 45,600 miles, full service history, £8,999
Watch out for: Clonking suspension, rapid brake disc wear.
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