most RELIABLE small 4x4 (x-trail or sorrento?)

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Mel1

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sorry if that has been done before but my previous car, which was renowned for being the most reliable car on the planet has been broken so many times (always seems to be more or less same problem), I think I have just been very unlucky and got a bad one so just want to get something else now.

basically have about 4k to spend (so it is going to be either old-ish or with high mileage).

Considering tax, mpg, insurance, car parking charges at work (which depends on my emission), extended warranty etc, I've been considering an X-trail or maybe a Kia (to tow one small horse in i for williams HB505).

I know you can always be unlucky and get a bad one, but have you had any good/bad experience with persistent breakdowns or problems, or expensive repair bills that would put you off getting another one ever again. I read a few reviews on autotrader and got mixed opinion, Nissan have a good reputation, but I don't know about older cars...

I don't do that much towing anyway, and never go very far, so it is going to be mainly my main driving car. I just want something that I trust to start in the morning!

those that are going to tell me I can only tow a horse safely with a disco or defender, thank you, but I do not wish to hear from you.
 
You're choosing between the exact same two I am. I am leaning towards the Sorrento at the moment as it has a better towing capacity. Both are meant to be very reliable IF they've been looked after properly. I'm not buying either without a FSH that's for sure!

But (bit of a hijack) can anyone tell me how much road tax is for each, how much tyres are, how much for a service that sort of thing. I am wondering if one is going to be significantly cheaper to keep on the road.
 
I bought a sorrento last year, full service history, MoT done before we collected it, bought from a franchised main dealer (not kia) as it had been used in part x. Mileage was pretty average for the age, make and model. It had to be sent back under warranty as it needed over £4k worth of work doing to make it road worthy. The kia dealer I took it to for a minor job (recoding the spare key) didn't want us to take it home as they said it wasn't safe.

Got my money back and bought a Nissan (not an x-trail).

If you decide to look at the Kia look up the prop shaft problems. http://www.kiaownersclub.co.uk/forum/auto-gearbox-failure_topic892.html this is what could have happened had the problem with ours not been spotted, doesn't bear thinking about if we'd been towing horses.
 
Personally I would steer clear of the Nissan X Trail, mine was nothing but trouble and cost me a fortune. I had the new and improved one 2008 onwards but if that was improved then I'm pleased I didn't have an older one. Tyres depending on where you went and if they actually ever had stock of were £175-£200 each. Fuel consumption was terrible and it didn't like slow short traffic, there was always problems with the emmissions lights coming on that meant that it had to keep going into the garage. Hyundai and Kia are good cars and you get much more for your money. I had a Hyundai and it was much better than my Nissan and cheaper in every way.
 
I have read many posts on many sites and the Xtrail seems to have a very good reputation

Are you going to be towing on a B or B+E licence?
 
ROG: yes, I passed my B+E licence 2 years ago, I'm 25 so insurance is still painful.

Jesstickle: it is such a dilemma, I heard good thing about both and BAD things about both. I just dont want to end up in the same situation that I am in now with car in and out of the garage all the time. my friend just texted me she has the kia which she tows with and loves it, she said £250 to tax and £46/month on insurance, but it would be good to know about tyres, service etc.

Kat: OMG that's so scary! it is good that you got your money back.
 
I've owned my KIA for 4 years now, only had to replace tyres and light bulbs. Mine is an 08 XE model tows 3000 kg has a full service history. It does 38MPG combined tax is £270 a year, insurance £450. I can easily tow an Ifor 505 and 2 horses. Loveine but will be selling soon as I want a horsebox.
 
jesstickle said:
Kat- did yours have a full Kia service history with dealer stamps? If so that is a bit concerning.

I learnt to tow with the Sorrento and it was great to tow with and they'd never had any problems with theirs. Was at 100K miles at that point.

nothing flagging on Parkers

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/kia/sorento/station-wagon-2003/safety-reliability/

or what car

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/used/kia/sorento-4x4/full-review/23746-3#tabsection4


such a minefield isn't it?!
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It is a terrible minefield and if you look hard enough you can find someone who has had a lemon whatever model you look at. Ours had a full service history but not all of it was with a Kia dealer, all with large reputable garages though. Only 1 owner from new prior to us and they part exchanged for a brand new volvo.

When we started googling the problem (and the prop shaft wasn't the only issue there were one or two other problems too) we found other people who had experienced similar.

What is most worrying is that the garage that sold us ours took it back and refunded us but then just chucked it into an auction so that car could well be doing the rounds still without the problem having been fixed.
 
I guess I'll just buy what I buy and take it to the dealership for a thorough going over. The thought of breaking down with the horses on is just too much :eek:

b_h_w yours is a bit too new for me to be able to afford or it or I'd have bitten your hand off. So much better if you can get one where you 'know' the history.


What have you got now Kat, just out of interest? I'm sure it's too big for me but worth the ask :)
 
I think if you buy from a main dealer or large car supermarket where you get a decent warrenty and then make sure you take it somewhere else (preferably a dealer for the make you have bought) for a service within the warranty you stand a decent chance of being able to get any problems rectified.

We have a nissan navara now, it is HUGE to look at but has a smaller engine and costs less to run that the sorrento. As it is a commercial it is also very cheap to tax. I wouldn't look at the old shape D22 Navara though (the engines are known to blow up), we managed with just one car for several months and saved more money so we could up the budget. If I still had a budget of less than £5k I'd go for a mitsubishi L200 I think, a bit more agricultural than the sorrento but known to be very reliable, and you get the cheap commercial tax rate.
 
My farrier has a Navara and it's been a total nightmare. He scared me right off.

I don't want any car I don't think. Far too much hassle!!! :D
 
jesstickle said:
I don't want any car I don't think. Far too much hassle!!! :D
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That is just how my OH felt after the sorento saga. It was part of the reason we went several months sharing my little hatchback. In fact I don't think we'd have a 4x4 and trailer now if OH hadn't just sold his old car when the sorento went back I think he would have continued driving his 14 year old polo until it disintegrated.
 
Look at a Nissan Terrano. We have two, a long and a short wheeled base. Both have been ultra reliable and would pull a house. Of the two I prefer the short WB but that's because I was used to a Fourtrak before these.
 
older xtrail got renault laguna engine, crap turbo blows about 99.000 mile and other expensive things, friend had 2 both with same prob.
 
One of our employees ran a brand new Xtrail about 6-7 years ago it spent more time in the Garage than at work. I had a Nissan Terrano that was dead on its Wheels by 170K fuel injection pump etc worn out and it was going to cost more to repair than the vehicle was worth. And DONT Touch the Nissan Navara with a Barge Pole I had an 08 model that was the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned not helped by Polesworth Garage who at best didnt give a SH** and were down right rude.
 
I used to have a Kia Sportage, which I never used to tow horses but did tow hay. I had it for 7 years but I'm very wary of having another Kia of any kind. The first time I had it MOT'd it needed new springs and then they had to be replaced again, so it wasn't just that I was unlucky the first time. I had mine from new and it was regularly serviced by the main dealer. There wasn't much else went wrong, except the electric window stopped working one day, when it was open. That was mended under warranty.
Since then I've had Suzukis and do like both them and the dealership but then I don't tow.
 
For that sort of money it might also be worth looking at a Nissan Terrano, I've recently bought one slightly over your budget but I think it's lovely and tows the trailer brilliantly.
 
I have a Sorrento XE 2004, had it since March and really like it - it feels really solid and refined pulling 2 16.2hh warmbloods, which is exactly the reason I bought it.

OH has a Mitsu. L200 pick up, 2.5 ltr, and surprisingly it used to suffer pulling them both, got far too hot; the Sorrento defo better in this regard.

Fingers crossed mine won't be one of the troublesome ones - I have to say, parts are very reasonable for a 4x4 and it was this and the good reviews I had read about them that made me choose the Kia. It just went through its MOT and needed back brake discs and pads, but nothing unusual, just as to be expected with ongoing maintenance.
 
I had a Nissan X-Trail for 9 months, 5 of which it spent in the garage in total - with me with a non-towing replacement. The scariest thing it did was set fire to itself when the turbo blew going down the M5 - thank God I wasn't towing because I have absolutely no idea what I could have done. The second was when exhaust gases were leaking into the cabin. How it didn't kill us before I managed to make the dealer swap the horrible thing. The swap car is a Suzuki Grand Vitara which may be uninspiring but does the job brilliantly and hasn't (yet) tried to kill me!
 
Kat said:
It is a terrible minefield and if you look hard enough you can find someone who has had a lemon whatever model you look at. Ours had a full service history but not all of it was with a Kia dealer, all with large reputable garages though. Only 1 owner from new prior to us and they part exchanged for a brand new volvo.

When we started googling the problem (and the prop shaft wasn't the only issue there were one or two other problems too) we found other people who had experienced similar.

What is most worrying is that the garage that sold us ours took it back and refunded us but then just chucked it into an auction so that car could well be doing the rounds still without the problem having been fixed.
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I am gobbed smacked! that's just shocking
just out of interest so that I stay way clear of it which model and year was it?

Avonbrook: I think your story wins! ;)
 
I enjoyed reading that reliability index and it made me feel warm and fuzzy about my decision to replace a Disco with a Santa Fe.

The Santa Fe is a nice little 4x4. I don't tow a horse with it and it seems a bit small for towing, but then being American, anything that isn't a mahoosive pickup seems a bit small for towing. The one I bought has high mileage but nevertheless (knocks on wood) it's been a great little car. They might be worth looking at. I think they use the same chassis as the Sorento.
 
Mel1 said:
actually after hours of research I found this very useful and easy to use website:

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/ratings/best/Large SUV

so that's quite useful to know
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The problem with that is that it is based upon cars that are under warranty so you will get uneven results (what about cars that are brilliant for the first three year warranty period and then have lots of problems at 4 years old?). It also fails to recognise the difference within a model, so a 2.5l auto might be a dog but the 3l petrol might be wonderful or the poor reliablity of an older model can unfairly influence the results for the newer version etc.

When we started looking to replace our Kia we spoke to a very informative chap at a jeep dealer who said that the Kia always does well on reviews but the caravan club ones in particular tend to be based upon cars that are less than a year old - totally irrelevant if you have a budget of £5k.
 
I have an xtrail and love it. I bought the petrol as there have been turbo problems with the deisels and although we dont do as many to the gallon its a lot better in fuel than my old mitsi pajero !! Approx 20p per mile on average, 40p a mile when towing
 
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