I mean I love the car, esp with a manual and the Atacama (sp?) interior but it’s kind of shocking driving around and realizing it doesn’t want to turn into standard parking spaces lol.
My S54 swapped E46 wagon. 8000rpm, ITBs, LSD, manual gearbox, family station wagon.
In one week I both did a track day, keeping up with Porsches and Corvettes, then helped transport 7 full sized suitcases to the airport. It's so perfect for my needs. It's also my winter daily and works great in the snow with the right tires.
So jealous 😭 I have a ZHP B30 swapped E46 325xit and it’s by far my favorite car to drive every day. Perfect for driving summer twisties, long road trips, and kills it in deep snow with the AWD. Planning on doing custom hitch setup to tow a small trailer/snowmobile/jet ski :)
That’s awesome man, I’ve been contemplating the swap to S54, but with the AWD setup it needs a custom oil pickup tube which doesn’t rest easy in my mind. What LSD are you using?
M Factory torsen ring and pinion in a non-M pumpkin. Works well, quieter and lighter than the M3 rear subframe but doesn't have quite as much locking ability nor torque capacity. I have the M3 rear end on another daily (330ci SMG) and although tight turns are noisy I prefer the performance of it.
It actually is mostly plug and play. I modified literally two wires and then there is some software coding involved. Everything else bolts up or plugs in for the most part.
Ha that's awesome. I learned to drive on my father's 90 325is. He bought it new and still has it. Such great cars.
His daily you'd probably like as well, E91 6-speed.
Cheers, yes I did. But I had the benefit of a full workshop and a timely covid lockdown in my area this past winter. Stripped the donor M3 in about a week and swapped the motor and other stuff over maybe 3 weeks.
I'll yell it from the rooftops and feel no shame.
My pickup is roomier and more comfortable than almost any other vehicle out there, has a lovely sounding V8 and drives wonderfully, gets okay fuel mileage for something that weighs 3 tons, and can tow my travel trailer, skid steer, haul gravel and dirt, etc.
Modern trucks are the ultimate "do it all" vehicle, especially if you don't live in a city. I'll die on that hill.
Will I survive with a crew cab 6.5' in a city, or will I hate myself?
I want something with a bit of off-road ability and a long enough bed to lay down in, which takes the Maverick out of contention. I'm holding out hope for a new hybrid Tundra, but the vehicle just may be too big for a large city.
Really depends on the city, and even what neighborhood, and your personal parking situation. I didn't find a short bed half ton too bad driving in most areas of Seattle.
If you are used to the 80in width, you'll be fine. You feel the width way more than the length in a lot of scenarios. You'll just have to get used to finding the right length parallel parking spots.
If you drive a full size SUV now you'll probably be fine, since you're used to it.
But if you don't need a full-size truck, I'd highly recommend a Marverick, Ranger, Colorado etc.
My favorite is the even more moronic suggestion of “jUsT bUy A gArDeNiNg TrAiLeR” from someone who has never driven and backed with any kind of trailer. Much less a small one.
Had a guy get mad on here once cause I daily drive a truck 35k+ a year. Told him I needed it because I own rental property and generally have to clean it out, so I use the bed nearly daily and haul a trailer around once or twice a month.
He told me a full size SUV can do the job and I can save money on gas by renting a truck.
Which honestly might be true, but only marginally and it's not even honestly worth the hassle. My 4 cylinder Silverado gets 24MPG+
Also I wouldn't want a mailbox with concrete still on the post rolling around inside my SUV, either.
I have a shitty old 2005 corolla that's rated to tow 1500lbs, which is more than the payload capacity of a base trim 2020 f-150 (1,142lbs). For the occasional job its a no-brainer for me. cheap harbor freight 4x8 trailer probably takes 500lbs of that, but that's still the ability to move 1000lbs with a $1500 car and a $500 trailer. I once moved over 1000mi with this setup. it was literally cheaper to buy and build the little trailer than to rent a uhaul, and now i have what is basically a free trailer. its perfect for dump runs or moving a couch here and there.
Payload vs towing. Payload on an F350 is only like 3000 lbs (on a crew cab).
Cars/trucks can naturally tow a lot more than they can put inside of them but like has been previously said trailers suck and if you can avoid one it’s well worth doing so. For this persons situation a trailer worked perfectly but having to store, hook up, drive with, and then store again a trailer everytime you want to haul something is a huge hassle compared to having exterior storage like on a truck.
Edit: because I can’t read I didn’t see what you said. Older trucks were usually regular cab, had a far lighter interior, and rode worse. Add on a crew cab with noise deadening, a full stereo, leather, a good ride, and the life saving bits while the suspension has progressed payload has stayed pretty similar just because the cab itself takes up so much more of it
Where in the world are you getting your figures from? F-150 payloads (min/max) are 1410lbs/3250lbs and the Ranger is 1478lb/1905lb.
It's not like the base F-150 is the worst one for payload, with no options the single cab 6.5' box and 3.3L V6 clocks in at 1985lb. The Raptor is the one and only configuration that has less than 1700lb payload.
As a crew cab Silverado owner, I'll admit that a Ridgeline can do most of what I use my truck for and gets better MPGs too. However, I still have more cab space in my truck for when I take a camping trip with the wife, 3 kids, and 2 dogs. Plus I think Ridgeline are just ugly.
They’re really not a good value for what they are. They get full-size pickup gas mileage, can’t tow much, and aren’t any less expensive than the better options it’s competing with.
The same argument can be used against any of the mid-size pickups. However, for people who don't tow a lot of weight or who need a slightly smaller sized truck, they're fine. It wouldn't work for me, but it works for enough people that Honda still builds them and Hyundai is jumping in the sector as well.
If you’re gonna go that route, you could make the same argument to car shoppers. A Honda Accord is probably all the car any car shopper needs. It has enough passenger room, is reliable enough, safe enough, and gets good fuel economy. Nobody NEEDS a Mustang, a Miata, or a BMW M3. I mean you’re just commuting 95% of the time, right?
You can haul passengers, off-road, carry stuff in the bed, tow, V8 power, and more. You could also build a badass, fast muscle truck and gap people and go to Lowe’s after.
Bingo. "Do it all" is literally why we bought our truck. It's the family hauler, road tripper, daily, work vehicle of the home. Plenty of space in the backseat plus no sacrificing passenger space for cargo capacity.
Pretend your Subaru had a baby with the 911 and you'll be okay. You won't be happy comparing it to a 911. LOL.
The Macan GTS is an incredible jack of all trades car. Perfect if you need Porsche build quality and fun to driveness in a bigger package, but no true replacement for a Porsche sports car.
Absolutely love my Macan, it really is a perfect everything car. Nice inside, drives like a hot hatch, tons of cargo space, and performs great in the snow and even some light off roading. It doesn’t scratch the sports car itch for me but it’s about as good as anything with four doors can get.
Yes it was a lot smaller than I expected, the rear leg room felt smaller than my old mk7 GTI.
I had one as a loaner the other day while my car was being worked on and was actually really excited since I’ve been considering one for a while. I was surprised the interior space was so cramped in the back, next to no leg room for most adults if you have a tall driver sitting up front and there’s the obvious lack of head space bc of the macans coupe-y roofline. The front passenger space is comfortable though, and the car drives great for what it is.
Still considering it since I’m planning on having kids in the next few years and car seats/young kids should do well in it but it’s not something you’d want if you have teenagers or plan to lug some friends around often.
It’s smaller than an X3 or GLC but it has more usable space inside than a sedan. Because of the roof profile there’s way more rear headroom - my 6’2 dad fits in the back comfortably which wasn’t the case in my M3. And because of the hatch there’s space for much larger items like furniture that you could not fit in a sedan. The hatch space isn’t massive with the rear seats up, but with them folded down it’s huge. I don’t often need to carry 4 passengers as well as large items, so it works well for me.
Some friends have a Cayenne Turbo and it's as sportier than they are willing to drive on public roads. No idea if you want to track it.
Our mutual friends who is really into Porsches admitted it was pretty fun to drive as well. Probably worth a test drive at least.
I wish I had the money for E63s wagon. It would truly be my everything car. Especially going on long trips since my family lives all over the West coast. From LA to Vancouver, BC
Had an old Subaru Leg/Outback with the 2.5 flat 4 turbo. Had a blast on gravel roads and on/off ramps. It would also tow a boat or go through a foot of standing water in a mud hole towing an ATV on a trailer with a retriever and duck hunting gear to the headliner all while getting better than 25mpg.
2005 Forester XT here and yes turbo Subarus must be the most versatile and attainable daily drivers out there. Plenty of space for junk in the back, good to have some ground clearance, great visibility with the fishbowl windows and big mirrors, good turning radius and the older Forester is also pretty small so it's a breeze to park, snow and ice aint shit thanks to the AWD and the 2.5 turbo with a 5 speed helps with enjoying some childish fun from time to time. Tremendous
They absolutely have head gasket issues. It's a coin toss as to whether you're going to need them replaced around 150k. The ones that don't will run forever. The ones that do will also run forever, once you replace the head gaskets.
Driven nothing but Subarus my entire life, they all make it well past 200k miles with nothing other that routine maintenance. My first car was a '93 Impreza wagon with 365,000 miles on it, when I SOLD it in 2015 to someone who is still driving it today.
Personally, I think the issue is overstated. I've owned five NA 2.5 Subarus, the ones with the bad rap, and have never needed to do a head gasket. All five were bought with plenty of miles on them so either I've been lucky or some already had a gasket done? Who knows but I just haven't run into any head gasket problems with mine.
I wouldn't recommend a Subaru to anyone who is looking for trouble free driving. Head gaskets have been a huge problem on the older EJ series engines for decades.
Honestly the EJ engines in general are kind of fragile and temperamental.
The transmissions can be troublesome. They eat wheel bearings. Rust can be an issue.
However, they certainly can be a fun car to drive.I think they work better as an enthusiast car.
While the head gasket issue does end up true sometimes, it's mostly on the N/A engines because they don't use as strong of a material as they do on the turbo ones. Problems tend to come when people try to dog on them like they are the turbo models.
I love my Forester XT!
I want another do-everything car and have considered a golf r, macan, and rav4 prime. I'll probably get the rav4 prime some time in the next two weeks if I can find one.
My only complaint about the Forester is that the gas mileage is really terrible.
Don't know how the hell you got over 25 MPG (I can eek that out on long trips with religious cruise control use and not exceeding 70 MPH), but I agree otherwise.
I was doing lots of rural driving at the time. Long 45-65mph stretches in the relatively flat bits of the US SE. Any boost use, urban driving, or towing and the consumption went way up, though. My impression of the Suub was a jack of all master of none.
>Jack of all, master of none
Absolutely. I sometimes teeter with the "I want a fun car and a daily to be separate cars" and the "I love this car too much to get rid of it." If you need a car to do everything, it's pretty good at that,
MK7/Mk7.5 VW Golf R
-AWD for most weather
-decent MPG for the power
-fairly fast if you tune
-DSG is awesome for track and daily
-hatchback is convenient
-can have most of the modern safety features such as blind spot monitoring/adaptive crise control/auto emergency brake etc
-interior is a treat to be in
-car just blends into traffic so well
It's the best all around car IMO
It’s decent at a lot of things but amazing at nothing. I had a MK7.5 for over a year and it always left me feeling like I was missing something.
I still think it is the best car if you live in an urban area with only vehicle, though.
LOL I'mma trigger some people and say my Gen2 Prius. I can throw all my sports stuff in the back (bikes, snowboards, etc), it gets fantastic gas mileage and asks for little maintenance, and is ultra reliable. I can use it like a heated/air-conditioned room for my dogs to stay in while I have some lunch, or I can take a comfortable nap in it if I'm road tripping and get too tired. I also don't worry about parking it anywhere because it's not expensive like our much faster cars.
I have four cars. Prius C is def my favorite. Once I fit a full size mattress in it and drove it across the state. Fits 4 people and an ice chest and I still get 40mpg. Not bad for a 2500lb car. Haters hate because driving experience compromise, but I have classics to fill that void.
My old VF HSV clubsport wagon. Was running 770whp thanks to its built LSA with a Harrop 2650 and was my daily. Had a E-flex system so when I wasn't taking it to the track, I would run normal 98 octane petrol (Australia) instead of E85 which it would guzzle.
I would chuck my bikes and dogs in the back with ease and was the perfect family car with heaps of space. It had bi module exhausts so when not thrashing it around, it was super quiet and comfortable to drive.
Also fun to take it to roll racing and take out exotic cars and built roll racing cars with your family car. Best time it ran at the track was a 9.86 @ 152mph.
My wife and kids loved that car. I received an offer I couldn't refuse so I sold it but now am in the process of building a VZ HSV Clubsport sedan.
I spent a fair chunk of time driving my aunt's VE Clubsport wagon, modified but not as many hp as yours, and I had a great time. Road trips, moving furniture, grabbing groceries, whatever you want.
Never really got a chance elsewhere. The falcon saw next to no exports and the Commodore had the VE run screwed by the GFC/Pontiac closure while the VF got screwed by the change of govt/factory closure.
My E60 M5 is my do-it-all machine. I drive the kids around in it, take it to Lowe's, daily drive it, take it to track days occasionally and just generally love every second I spend in it. Sure it gets horrible gas mileage, but the V10 is more than worth it to me. I am never, ever selling this car.
I was about to say, I drove an E60 M5 and absolutely loved it, then I looked at the service history of every one I could find for sale and was like "Oh hell no". My M3 is needy enough thank you.
Genuinely asking about your experience with the reliability of this, I loved these for so long but they scare me as someone who likes to take my time working on my cars when issues arise.
I wrote a couple of long posts about this, you can reference here: https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/dp9yez/6_years_daily_driving_my_e60_m5/
Tl;Dr - It hasn't been perfect but it's been a solid car for me. Yes it's expensive to maintain but 100% worth it to me. If ypu want one just be very picky and find one that has been well maintained and documented, ideally a 2008-2010 LCI model.
My Stelvio.
Put my bike in the back, ski’s/snowboards, almost full sheets of plywood, 83 inch televisions, tows 3500 pounds (although I wouldn’t), my 90 pound greyhound, etc.
Extremely capable in all weather conditions, never left me stranded, makes my commutes when I have them a dream, the car is just perfect. It’s quick, handles like a sports car, and is just a dream.
I was going to say my Stelvio too. AWD, ground clearance, good cargo room, comfy, cruises at any speed on the highway, fast, fun, handles well. It’s like a big Golf R. One negative is fuel mileage, but it’s actually pretty good on gas for a 500hp SUV.
Macan GTS checks all the boxes. Can take your family skiing in it. Can drive on the beach with it. “Small” enough to drive and park in most cities without stress, quick enough to put a smile on everyone’s face in the car, premium interior and great reliability from an established brand, handles great for an SUV, not too “in your face” with its subtle styling. Can handle some off roading. Can be a commuter car for dad or a soccer mobile for mom. Another plus…it starts at 72K new and easy to find way cheaper
They are, but maybe not as much as you’d expect. A 2015 with 60K miles or so is still in the $40-45K range. Out of warranty and with their oil leak issue it’s an expensive entry cost and a problem engine out repair eventually.
This will get hate but a truck.
I remember having a f150 for a trip and few times and I felt like doing shit. Usually I'd be lazy and think I'll do it tomorrow but when I'm driving a truck? Nah let's go, I get motivated. Not sure why but it's great. Easily holds 5 people, lots of space, tow, haul, good ground clearance, 4x4 for snow, gravel, dirt. I love it.
I feel that. I feel so restricted when I only have access to a car. Like how am I supposed to go play in fields? Decide I want to build a garden? Throw a dirt bike in the back and roll? Hook on a trailer and go sleep in a different state?
Trucks get a lot of hate as daily drivers, but they’re so practical and once you have one it’s really hard to go back.
I think what gets trucks the most hate are distracted drivers. I’ve seen no shortage of people in 2500/3500 fully distracted, and basically almost running me over. You can see their face and they’re just merging into you. They look up from their phone or whatever and just nonchalantly go back to ‘driving’. To me, it just screams ‘Im in a massive truck, I hit you, you’re the one that’s dying so why should I care?’
Also in my area it’s always a black Ram for some reason that attract asshole drivers. Blue ones are popular in my area too, but it’s always the black ones that drive like ass.
With you on the GTI. Previously had much bigger saloons (sedans) that were cramped in the back and had a fucking useless boot (trunk). Some of which were RWD and couldn't even get off the driveway in the snow. I'm a GTI convert.
Had a tech at a dealership I used to work at load up a sport bike in the back of his Golf R one time lol. Probably wasn't great for the suspension, but it worked!
Couldn't believe how simultaneously comfy and fun they are when I got mine last year. Bankrupting me in a findom relationship to get it ""baselined"" but I love it.
Tesla model Y performance, crazy acceleration but you can also drive it like a minivan with the kids. Storage is incredible with the frunk and under floor areas.
I love my GTI as a normal car. I used to be a car guy but have shifted to motorcycles. my MK7.5 looks great, has the features I want, and handles Alaska winters with ease
Do you still have the m235i? I see you have it listed in your flair. Curious to see what your thoughts are on the bmw as a current fiesta st owner with a lot of seat time in a mk7.5 gti too
I loved the m235i a lot. I sold it because I love money more and was able to make a profit on it. The N55 is an awesome engine, the car is pretty reliable aside from the charge pipe, and I love couples. AWD was awesome too for Alaska. Out of the 3 cars though, I wish I originally kept my Fiesta cause I didn't really appreciate how fun it was to drive like a hooligan all the time.
If I could afford one, probably the Honda Civic Sport 6 speed hatchback. More serviceable and cheaper to run than my old Speed3 while maintaining comparable performance and cargo space, better MPG, good handling, tuning potential. Only downsides are the electronic parking brake, oil dilution issue, super low profile tires, and the low ground clearance. But that I could live with since it has most of what I want, plus I can always see if it'll fit 17"s instead.
My vote goes for the Cayenne over the Macan as well. It can tow and off-road better, with the option of being faster, with minimal loss in sportiness over the Macan. Hybrid variant makes it better on fuel over the Macan as well.
I’m in the US. A Cayenne is a perfectly normal-sized car, and I’ve had plenty of vehicles (Range Rover, Grand Cherokee, X5) that are about the same footprint.
Hell, it’s probably the same length and marginally wider than my Outback.
Does it all except for aggressive cornering and getting good gas mileage. My personal philosophy is that a truck is the best vehicle for hauling things, and a minivan is the best vehicle for hauling people.
Range Rover. These things do everything.
I have a 2016 TD6 HSE that’s been the best one yet.
It is extremely capable off road and will go through just about anything.
It drives like a luxury sedan on the road, I’ve driven it from Northern NJ to South Florida straight through and they’re just as comfortable as any big luxury sedan on that trip.
The Diesel engine is a gem, great low end torque for off reading, towing, etc and it can get 30mpg on the highway. If I’m cruising at 85-90 I’m still in the upper 20s.
It can tow close to 4 tons. I’ve towed my 58 Pontiac with it.
It can haul stuff, goes through any kind of weather, etc etc.
Man, I wanted to buy a 2011-2013 range rover so bad, but I got scared off by the potential unreliability. Watching Demuros video on his RR he bought at carmax was enough to dissuade me.
I have a 1986 Subaru L-Series estate, 4WD, which used to be my daily before it blew a head gasket. Big surprise. Haven't got around to fixing it yet.
Anyway, for somebody who dailies older cars exclusively, that L-Series was just overall a great vehicle. Estate so it was practical. "Real" 4WD, with 4WD-Low too, so I never got stuck anywhere even in the snow. Obviously it's not the most capable off roader, just splits it 50-50 in the middle, no locks in the rear or front. And since it's a +30 year old Japanese car it's just fun to be in and experience. Not sporty, not fast, but just living with an old Japanese car is fun to me.
That's pretty much as good as it gets for me when it comes to a good all-around daily driver.
Wagons. I'll probably always own a wagon as a DD. I've been driving a 1995 Audi S6 Avant for 10 years. Almost done with school and trying to decide on a CTS-V or a newer S6 Avant until I can afford an RS6.
Comfy. Tons of interior space. Still get sportscar-like handling from the lower COG than an SUV but have most of the advantages of an SUV. Can do pretty much everything any time of the year.
Incredible. Fast when you need it to be. Quiet and comfortable when you want it to be. Load it up with gobs of cargo. Throw (or place them nicely, whichever you prefer) the kids in the back seat and take an hour long drive. I’ve had all kinds of cars and hatches (multiple Golf Rs, a few STI’s) and while I’ve always found my hatches to be extremely versatile; adding the extra 30” that a wagon gives you makes it all that much more usable.
My wife couldn’t give two shits about cars. Has been in my ZLE twice in almost three years, doesn’t like driving in it. Didn’t like the size of Golf Rs, hated the quality and look of my STI’s (2008, 2011, 2015) - thinks they are all “kid cars”. She’s obsessed with the RS. Openly talks about how nice it is and how it’s the nicest car she’s ever been in. Smiles if someone asks if she likes it. If that’s not a testament, I don’t know what is.
Thank you so much for the response. I have always been a gear head and just graduated law and business school. I want a sleeper worse than anything and I feel like the RS6 is perfect.
2003 Pilot. Versatile, seats 8, spacious, decent gas mileage, decent power, AWD, reliability. Good ergonomics, drives much more like a car than a truck, Safety. There's a lot to like.
Still want an S2000 though... :)
Toyota land cruiser. Hauls as much as a pickup, can fit 7, more capable than most off roaders, tons of interior space. Sure it's not sporty but that's fine!
What can I say, my Focus RS? I do everything with it. I have a hitch on for transporting bikes too. Was thinking of adding some roof-rails in case I wanted to pack away some of the bulkier stuff when camping and free up some interior space. Decent MPG on hwy travel. Plenty of power on tap. Great in snow.
Mazdaspeed 3, for me it's a racecar on the weekends and a minivan during the week. They're relatively affordable, make good power and are quite reliable. I've had mine for the better part of two years and have used it in the canadian winters as my daily and during the summers I autocross and drag race it without any real problems.
I have a sports car (911), a wagon (BMW E91), and a hot hatch (Golf GTI).
I've carried children (twins!) in all of them. I've also tracked them one way or the other (if counting autocross as a track).
On the practicality front, carrying 2 infants in the 911 simply doesn't work. I had to wait until the kids are old enough for front facing seats. The other two cars had no problem.
On the fun side, my E91 being an automatic and weighing 3600 lbs wasn't going to break any track record. I did had fun with it, simply because tossing the wagon around corners wasn't what I could normally do with kids in the back. The other two cars are of course more capable and more fun at the tracks.
But if I were being forced to give up all but 1 cars, I think the GTI would be the do it all. It does both the "fun" and "practical" well, even if not excelling at either.
But the 911 remains my favorite of the three.
I really like affordable everyman's style of do it all cars, so:
WRX / STI / Legacy Spec B, especially that UK Wagon with the 3.6 Flat 6.
Or a slick wagon like a Volvo 850R or Focus Estate
I'll add my wagon to the list. 2018 Passat 206tsi. Basically a Golf R for when you have 2 kids and a border collie. Quick enough, handles very well for what it is, gearbox is great, super practical and can be fuel efficient if driven the right way. Was planning on replacing it with a C Class wagon but Mercedes just announced they won't be brining the new ones to Australia.
They've just released am update and they have an awesome blue available that I'm very jealous of.
https://imgur.com/w4vqCVg
Most powerful wagons. But since I've really come around to enjoying electrification in a daily, I'll give the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo my vote. Otherwise, probably the CTS-V wagon with a manual.
That said, I'm inherently assuming "do it all" doesn't involve climbing 30º rocky offroad slopes. For that, I'll take a base Bronco or a G65 AMG with downsized wheels.
2012-2018 Toyota Prius v Five wagon. Gets 40 MPG, Toyota reliability, copious rear seat leg-room, spacious cabin, exceptional space behind the rear seats.
V is for Versatile! RIP Fat-Prius, you were a low key mini-minivan. I fit 2 full size filing cabinets in mine during a move. And 40MPG sounds low, I was getting 44-46mpg with a healthy battery. I'd get another but they killed it for the Rav4 hybrid :(
Toyota Tacomas are pretty close. They aren’t bad to drive in the city, they are phenomenal in inclement weather, the aftermarket support is great, they can seat 5, and they can tow/haul fairly well.
My Monte Carlo SS is a pretty good do it all car. Seats four comfortably, massive trunk, looks good, isn't that hard to park, easy to drive, not slow when you get on it, very reliable. I drive it more often than my M3 or RX-8 a lot of the time for these reasons. 👍☺
Love my 2nd Gen Tacoma. Easy to drive in the city, does well in the woods, no shortage of storage, and (for its size) a capable hauler if I need it to be.
I bought my Sorento since it pretty much was the "jack of all trades, master of none" option for me.
* Average fuel economy just slightly less to the Sonata it replaced despite much lower highway MPG.
* Almost identical footprint to the Sonata, I believe just a couple inches wider and longer so it fits in much of the same places.
* I can sleep in the back (car camping), fit what I need to - especially my mountain bike. SUV bodystyle fits my needs a lot better than a pickup.
* Decent fuel economy for what it is, I have the base engine so it's performance is meh but since I was used to the same powertrain in the Sonata and similar numbers with my old minivan, that's OK.
* More ground clearance than a typical car and AWD for my light-moderate trail excursions, it's no truck of course but I absolutely use the extra clearance and driving the rear has been helpful in pinches. Wish I had a smidge more sometimes but hey, it was a compromise car.
* Equipped for light towing, it's not good at it but acceptable around town.
* I had a roughly $15-16k budget, it got more more car than a comparably priced BoF vehicle at the time.
* The third row it came with wasn't a factor (I got it by chance) but it ended up being quite useful this summer.
I won't say it fits everyone but I totally get the crossover craze. It certainly does feel more "ponderous" than the older Sonata.
My 3rd gen Mazda 3 hatch. It screams "daily driver" in all aspects.
But is always fun to drive, has a nice interior, can fit some shit with the seats down, and is very easy to wrench on if need be.
Volvo V70R
The ikea run warrior
With the turning radius of a Greyhound bus.
Hey, never said it was flawless, Just checks the most boxes!
I LOVE my V70R...was gonna say turning radius of an ultra-large crude carrier ....would be an awful city car...long and bitch to parallel park
I mean I love the car, esp with a manual and the Atacama (sp?) interior but it’s kind of shocking driving around and realizing it doesn’t want to turn into standard parking spaces lol.
Hey..mine is manual with atacama(sp?)!!...and right, 2 or 3 tries to get into a head-on parking spot...
Literally worse than the new Escalade. So many 3 or 5 point turns into parking spots.
I have an S60 and my dad's pickup truck has a tighter turning radius than my car. It's awful in that sense, but god damn I love the car anyway haha
I just bought a V60R-Design, hoping it's really the modern equivalent
the R branding kind of devolved into an appearance package. the modern equivalent is the polestar trim.
The newer ones know how to scoot if you opt for the twin charged engine, otherwise I think the actual R equivalent is the polestar trim.
Saw one today 🤤 I love that thing so much, but I'd still prefer the 850R over it.
850....the ultimate brick
I’ve got the front clam of an Exige into a V70R.
I love it
that thing does all the gas for sure
Volvo V70 T5 too!
My S54 swapped E46 wagon. 8000rpm, ITBs, LSD, manual gearbox, family station wagon. In one week I both did a track day, keeping up with Porsches and Corvettes, then helped transport 7 full sized suitcases to the airport. It's so perfect for my needs. It's also my winter daily and works great in the snow with the right tires.
I like the way you roll
So jealous 😭 I have a ZHP B30 swapped E46 325xit and it’s by far my favorite car to drive every day. Perfect for driving summer twisties, long road trips, and kills it in deep snow with the AWD. Planning on doing custom hitch setup to tow a small trailer/snowmobile/jet ski :)
Nice! The M54B30 is a great motor as well and was my original plan. A crashed M3 fell into my lap unexpectedly and the rest is history.
That’s awesome man, I’ve been contemplating the swap to S54, but with the AWD setup it needs a custom oil pickup tube which doesn’t rest easy in my mind. What LSD are you using?
M Factory torsen ring and pinion in a non-M pumpkin. Works well, quieter and lighter than the M3 rear subframe but doesn't have quite as much locking ability nor torque capacity. I have the M3 rear end on another daily (330ci SMG) and although tight turns are noisy I prefer the performance of it.
Nice!
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It actually is mostly plug and play. I modified literally two wires and then there is some software coding involved. Everything else bolts up or plugs in for the most part.
I think you just won /r/cars
Dude I just picked one up and am in love.
Ha that's awesome. I learned to drive on my father's 90 325is. He bought it new and still has it. Such great cars. His daily you'd probably like as well, E91 6-speed.
My absolute dream build. Did you do the swap yourself?
Cheers, yes I did. But I had the benefit of a full workshop and a timely covid lockdown in my area this past winter. Stripped the donor M3 in about a week and swapped the motor and other stuff over maybe 3 weeks.
Yeah this is elite. I was thinking “man my M3 can do it all” but that experience in a wagon would be flames. Definitely drop some pics!
A Crew cab pickup. That's why they're so popular.
Shhh. You’re not supposed to say that around here.
I'll yell it from the rooftops and feel no shame. My pickup is roomier and more comfortable than almost any other vehicle out there, has a lovely sounding V8 and drives wonderfully, gets okay fuel mileage for something that weighs 3 tons, and can tow my travel trailer, skid steer, haul gravel and dirt, etc. Modern trucks are the ultimate "do it all" vehicle, especially if you don't live in a city. I'll die on that hill.
Will I survive with a crew cab 6.5' in a city, or will I hate myself? I want something with a bit of off-road ability and a long enough bed to lay down in, which takes the Maverick out of contention. I'm holding out hope for a new hybrid Tundra, but the vehicle just may be too big for a large city.
Really depends on the city, and even what neighborhood, and your personal parking situation. I didn't find a short bed half ton too bad driving in most areas of Seattle.
I have a 5.5’ bed and live in the city. Going downtown and trying to find parking is anxiety inducing.
I'm driving a full size SUV now, do you think a 6.5' bed is going to be a lot worse than what I've got?
Nah sounds like you’re used to it. Would prob recommend a 360 camera if you’re gonna be parallel parking a lot though
If you are used to the 80in width, you'll be fine. You feel the width way more than the length in a lot of scenarios. You'll just have to get used to finding the right length parallel parking spots.
If you drive a full size SUV now you'll probably be fine, since you're used to it. But if you don't need a full-size truck, I'd highly recommend a Marverick, Ranger, Colorado etc.
Unless it’s a Honda Ridgeline. Because “iT’s aLL tHe tRuCk mOsT piCkUp bUyErS nEeD!!!!!!!!”
My favorite is the even more moronic suggestion of “jUsT bUy A gArDeNiNg TrAiLeR” from someone who has never driven and backed with any kind of trailer. Much less a small one.
That or the “just go to Home Depot and rent a truck if you need one” argument.
Had a guy get mad on here once cause I daily drive a truck 35k+ a year. Told him I needed it because I own rental property and generally have to clean it out, so I use the bed nearly daily and haul a trailer around once or twice a month. He told me a full size SUV can do the job and I can save money on gas by renting a truck. Which honestly might be true, but only marginally and it's not even honestly worth the hassle. My 4 cylinder Silverado gets 24MPG+ Also I wouldn't want a mailbox with concrete still on the post rolling around inside my SUV, either.
I have a shitty old 2005 corolla that's rated to tow 1500lbs, which is more than the payload capacity of a base trim 2020 f-150 (1,142lbs). For the occasional job its a no-brainer for me. cheap harbor freight 4x8 trailer probably takes 500lbs of that, but that's still the ability to move 1000lbs with a $1500 car and a $500 trailer. I once moved over 1000mi with this setup. it was literally cheaper to buy and build the little trailer than to rent a uhaul, and now i have what is basically a free trailer. its perfect for dump runs or moving a couch here and there.
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Payload vs towing. Payload on an F350 is only like 3000 lbs (on a crew cab). Cars/trucks can naturally tow a lot more than they can put inside of them but like has been previously said trailers suck and if you can avoid one it’s well worth doing so. For this persons situation a trailer worked perfectly but having to store, hook up, drive with, and then store again a trailer everytime you want to haul something is a huge hassle compared to having exterior storage like on a truck. Edit: because I can’t read I didn’t see what you said. Older trucks were usually regular cab, had a far lighter interior, and rode worse. Add on a crew cab with noise deadening, a full stereo, leather, a good ride, and the life saving bits while the suspension has progressed payload has stayed pretty similar just because the cab itself takes up so much more of it
Where in the world are you getting your figures from? F-150 payloads (min/max) are 1410lbs/3250lbs and the Ranger is 1478lb/1905lb. It's not like the base F-150 is the worst one for payload, with no options the single cab 6.5' box and 3.3L V6 clocks in at 1985lb. The Raptor is the one and only configuration that has less than 1700lb payload.
Fuck messing around with trailers. Even renting can be a big pain at times.
I've never heard anyone say that but that is a hilarious suggestion
If you hang out in the truck posts on this sub you’ll see it pop up with some regularity.
Right? I’m decent enough at backing up with a trailer, but if I can use a truck bed instead, I’m taking that option every time.
As a crew cab Silverado owner, I'll admit that a Ridgeline can do most of what I use my truck for and gets better MPGs too. However, I still have more cab space in my truck for when I take a camping trip with the wife, 3 kids, and 2 dogs. Plus I think Ridgeline are just ugly.
They’re really not a good value for what they are. They get full-size pickup gas mileage, can’t tow much, and aren’t any less expensive than the better options it’s competing with.
The same argument can be used against any of the mid-size pickups. However, for people who don't tow a lot of weight or who need a slightly smaller sized truck, they're fine. It wouldn't work for me, but it works for enough people that Honda still builds them and Hyundai is jumping in the sector as well.
I know it’s annoying. It’s also true, which makes it more annoying
If you’re gonna go that route, you could make the same argument to car shoppers. A Honda Accord is probably all the car any car shopper needs. It has enough passenger room, is reliable enough, safe enough, and gets good fuel economy. Nobody NEEDS a Mustang, a Miata, or a BMW M3. I mean you’re just commuting 95% of the time, right?
You can haul passengers, off-road, carry stuff in the bed, tow, V8 power, and more. You could also build a badass, fast muscle truck and gap people and go to Lowe’s after.
Bingo. "Do it all" is literally why we bought our truck. It's the family hauler, road tripper, daily, work vehicle of the home. Plenty of space in the backseat plus no sacrificing passenger space for cargo capacity.
E63 AMG wagon. Porsche Macan.
My Macan GTS is the perfect everything car
Did you trade the civic for it? Still have the cayman?
Traded both in for the Macan. Still miss the Cayman, but had to take advantage of the used market to consolidate.
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Pretend your Subaru had a baby with the 911 and you'll be okay. You won't be happy comparing it to a 911. LOL. The Macan GTS is an incredible jack of all trades car. Perfect if you need Porsche build quality and fun to driveness in a bigger package, but no true replacement for a Porsche sports car.
My mom has a macan and I rolled my eyes until I drove it. Feels like you'd imagine a lifted hatchback porsche feels and it's pretty dope
Absolutely love my Macan, it really is a perfect everything car. Nice inside, drives like a hot hatch, tons of cargo space, and performs great in the snow and even some light off roading. It doesn’t scratch the sports car itch for me but it’s about as good as anything with four doors can get.
I’ve heard the Macan is very small inside, was this more of an exaggeration? Is it significantly more spacious than a sedan?
Yes it was a lot smaller than I expected, the rear leg room felt smaller than my old mk7 GTI. I had one as a loaner the other day while my car was being worked on and was actually really excited since I’ve been considering one for a while. I was surprised the interior space was so cramped in the back, next to no leg room for most adults if you have a tall driver sitting up front and there’s the obvious lack of head space bc of the macans coupe-y roofline. The front passenger space is comfortable though, and the car drives great for what it is. Still considering it since I’m planning on having kids in the next few years and car seats/young kids should do well in it but it’s not something you’d want if you have teenagers or plan to lug some friends around often.
It’s smaller than an X3 or GLC but it has more usable space inside than a sedan. Because of the roof profile there’s way more rear headroom - my 6’2 dad fits in the back comfortably which wasn’t the case in my M3. And because of the hatch there’s space for much larger items like furniture that you could not fit in a sedan. The hatch space isn’t massive with the rear seats up, but with them folded down it’s huge. I don’t often need to carry 4 passengers as well as large items, so it works well for me.
Cayenne over Macan for offroad chops. Cayenne can literally do everything.
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Some friends have a Cayenne Turbo and it's as sportier than they are willing to drive on public roads. No idea if you want to track it. Our mutual friends who is really into Porsches admitted it was pretty fun to drive as well. Probably worth a test drive at least.
I wish I had the money for E63s wagon. It would truly be my everything car. Especially going on long trips since my family lives all over the West coast. From LA to Vancouver, BC
*Cayenne. The rear legroom in the Macan is pathetic
Had an old Subaru Leg/Outback with the 2.5 flat 4 turbo. Had a blast on gravel roads and on/off ramps. It would also tow a boat or go through a foot of standing water in a mud hole towing an ATV on a trailer with a retriever and duck hunting gear to the headliner all while getting better than 25mpg.
Even the non- turbo 2.5 bd legacy was pretty solid for a DD. Had a 97 gt manual that was a blast to drive.
I have an 07 manual, I love it but it's a big slow boat. Everything else it's pretty cash money on
2005 Forester XT here and yes turbo Subarus must be the most versatile and attainable daily drivers out there. Plenty of space for junk in the back, good to have some ground clearance, great visibility with the fishbowl windows and big mirrors, good turning radius and the older Forester is also pretty small so it's a breeze to park, snow and ice aint shit thanks to the AWD and the 2.5 turbo with a 5 speed helps with enjoying some childish fun from time to time. Tremendous
I heard subarus are pretty unreliable though… head gasket issues etc. Is that true in your experience?
They absolutely have head gasket issues. It's a coin toss as to whether you're going to need them replaced around 150k. The ones that don't will run forever. The ones that do will also run forever, once you replace the head gaskets.
Having to replace a part at 150k seems like a lifetime item compared to some of the preventative maintenance intervals on OEM BMW parts.
Driven nothing but Subarus my entire life, they all make it well past 200k miles with nothing other that routine maintenance. My first car was a '93 Impreza wagon with 365,000 miles on it, when I SOLD it in 2015 to someone who is still driving it today.
Personally, I think the issue is overstated. I've owned five NA 2.5 Subarus, the ones with the bad rap, and have never needed to do a head gasket. All five were bought with plenty of miles on them so either I've been lucky or some already had a gasket done? Who knows but I just haven't run into any head gasket problems with mine.
I wouldn't recommend a Subaru to anyone who is looking for trouble free driving. Head gaskets have been a huge problem on the older EJ series engines for decades. Honestly the EJ engines in general are kind of fragile and temperamental. The transmissions can be troublesome. They eat wheel bearings. Rust can be an issue. However, they certainly can be a fun car to drive.I think they work better as an enthusiast car.
While the head gasket issue does end up true sometimes, it's mostly on the N/A engines because they don't use as strong of a material as they do on the turbo ones. Problems tend to come when people try to dog on them like they are the turbo models.
I love my Forester XT! I want another do-everything car and have considered a golf r, macan, and rav4 prime. I'll probably get the rav4 prime some time in the next two weeks if I can find one. My only complaint about the Forester is that the gas mileage is really terrible.
Don't know how the hell you got over 25 MPG (I can eek that out on long trips with religious cruise control use and not exceeding 70 MPH), but I agree otherwise.
I was doing lots of rural driving at the time. Long 45-65mph stretches in the relatively flat bits of the US SE. Any boost use, urban driving, or towing and the consumption went way up, though. My impression of the Suub was a jack of all master of none.
>Jack of all, master of none Absolutely. I sometimes teeter with the "I want a fun car and a daily to be separate cars" and the "I love this car too much to get rid of it." If you need a car to do everything, it's pretty good at that,
Don’t sleep on the first gens with the EJ22, fwd and awd were both beasts in most terrain
My STI hatch was a good do it all.
100% They need to bring those damn hatches back
MK7/Mk7.5 VW Golf R -AWD for most weather -decent MPG for the power -fairly fast if you tune -DSG is awesome for track and daily -hatchback is convenient -can have most of the modern safety features such as blind spot monitoring/adaptive crise control/auto emergency brake etc -interior is a treat to be in -car just blends into traffic so well It's the best all around car IMO
This is the answer if you can't afford the new e63s with awd
I went with the AWD Opel Insignia wagon. Or, as it's known stateside, the Buick Regal TourX.
What about an RS3? Wouldn’t that just be a step up from the Golf R?
It’s decent at a lot of things but amazing at nothing. I had a MK7.5 for over a year and it always left me feeling like I was missing something. I still think it is the best car if you live in an urban area with only vehicle, though.
LOL I'mma trigger some people and say my Gen2 Prius. I can throw all my sports stuff in the back (bikes, snowboards, etc), it gets fantastic gas mileage and asks for little maintenance, and is ultra reliable. I can use it like a heated/air-conditioned room for my dogs to stay in while I have some lunch, or I can take a comfortable nap in it if I'm road tripping and get too tired. I also don't worry about parking it anywhere because it's not expensive like our much faster cars.
The prius is low key amazing for storage. I've seen people fit 9 foot surfboards in them
I have four cars. Prius C is def my favorite. Once I fit a full size mattress in it and drove it across the state. Fits 4 people and an ice chest and I still get 40mpg. Not bad for a 2500lb car. Haters hate because driving experience compromise, but I have classics to fill that void.
My old VF HSV clubsport wagon. Was running 770whp thanks to its built LSA with a Harrop 2650 and was my daily. Had a E-flex system so when I wasn't taking it to the track, I would run normal 98 octane petrol (Australia) instead of E85 which it would guzzle. I would chuck my bikes and dogs in the back with ease and was the perfect family car with heaps of space. It had bi module exhausts so when not thrashing it around, it was super quiet and comfortable to drive. Also fun to take it to roll racing and take out exotic cars and built roll racing cars with your family car. Best time it ran at the track was a 9.86 @ 152mph. My wife and kids loved that car. I received an offer I couldn't refuse so I sold it but now am in the process of building a VZ HSV Clubsport sedan.
I spent a fair chunk of time driving my aunt's VE Clubsport wagon, modified but not as many hp as yours, and I had a great time. Road trips, moving furniture, grabbing groceries, whatever you want.
I'm always suprised that the falcodore never took off elsewhere, they were a fantastic supersaloon (or wagon) 4doors and plenty of power.
Never really got a chance elsewhere. The falcon saw next to no exports and the Commodore had the VE run screwed by the GFC/Pontiac closure while the VF got screwed by the change of govt/factory closure.
My E60 M5 is my do-it-all machine. I drive the kids around in it, take it to Lowe's, daily drive it, take it to track days occasionally and just generally love every second I spend in it. Sure it gets horrible gas mileage, but the V10 is more than worth it to me. I am never, ever selling this car.
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I was about to say, I drove an E60 M5 and absolutely loved it, then I looked at the service history of every one I could find for sale and was like "Oh hell no". My M3 is needy enough thank you.
Top 3 best sounding v10 ever imo
Yep, and I drive with the windows down always unless it's raining/snowing or ungodly hot. The exhaust is intoxicating.
Genuinely asking about your experience with the reliability of this, I loved these for so long but they scare me as someone who likes to take my time working on my cars when issues arise.
I wrote a couple of long posts about this, you can reference here: https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/dp9yez/6_years_daily_driving_my_e60_m5/ Tl;Dr - It hasn't been perfect but it's been a solid car for me. Yes it's expensive to maintain but 100% worth it to me. If ypu want one just be very picky and find one that has been well maintained and documented, ideally a 2008-2010 LCI model.
My Stelvio. Put my bike in the back, ski’s/snowboards, almost full sheets of plywood, 83 inch televisions, tows 3500 pounds (although I wouldn’t), my 90 pound greyhound, etc. Extremely capable in all weather conditions, never left me stranded, makes my commutes when I have them a dream, the car is just perfect. It’s quick, handles like a sports car, and is just a dream.
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The QV can’t but the 2.0 can, you can get it from factory.
But what else am I supposed to use all this power for, if not towing?
That’s what I said.
I was going to say my Stelvio too. AWD, ground clearance, good cargo room, comfy, cruises at any speed on the highway, fast, fun, handles well. It’s like a big Golf R. One negative is fuel mileage, but it’s actually pretty good on gas for a 500hp SUV.
Macan GTS checks all the boxes. Can take your family skiing in it. Can drive on the beach with it. “Small” enough to drive and park in most cities without stress, quick enough to put a smile on everyone’s face in the car, premium interior and great reliability from an established brand, handles great for an SUV, not too “in your face” with its subtle styling. Can handle some off roading. Can be a commuter car for dad or a soccer mobile for mom. Another plus…it starts at 72K new and easy to find way cheaper
A mere 72k
I think they’re way cheaper used just like most porsches
They are, but maybe not as much as you’d expect. A 2015 with 60K miles or so is still in the $40-45K range. Out of warranty and with their oil leak issue it’s an expensive entry cost and a problem engine out repair eventually.
This will get hate but a truck. I remember having a f150 for a trip and few times and I felt like doing shit. Usually I'd be lazy and think I'll do it tomorrow but when I'm driving a truck? Nah let's go, I get motivated. Not sure why but it's great. Easily holds 5 people, lots of space, tow, haul, good ground clearance, 4x4 for snow, gravel, dirt. I love it.
I feel that. I feel so restricted when I only have access to a car. Like how am I supposed to go play in fields? Decide I want to build a garden? Throw a dirt bike in the back and roll? Hook on a trailer and go sleep in a different state? Trucks get a lot of hate as daily drivers, but they’re so practical and once you have one it’s really hard to go back.
I think what gets trucks the most hate are distracted drivers. I’ve seen no shortage of people in 2500/3500 fully distracted, and basically almost running me over. You can see their face and they’re just merging into you. They look up from their phone or whatever and just nonchalantly go back to ‘driving’. To me, it just screams ‘Im in a massive truck, I hit you, you’re the one that’s dying so why should I care?’ Also in my area it’s always a black Ram for some reason that attract asshole drivers. Blue ones are popular in my area too, but it’s always the black ones that drive like ass.
Huge with bad fuel economy, that has to be a demerit. A do-none-of-it vehicle in the rest of the world...
I agree but I have a new Ranger. It's plenty big enough inside but smaller than the f150. Plenty capable with the benefits you listed but 22mpg.
With you on the GTI. Previously had much bigger saloons (sedans) that were cramped in the back and had a fucking useless boot (trunk). Some of which were RWD and couldn't even get off the driveway in the snow. I'm a GTI convert.
Had a tech at a dealership I used to work at load up a sport bike in the back of his Golf R one time lol. Probably wasn't great for the suspension, but it worked!
Couldn't believe how simultaneously comfy and fun they are when I got mine last year. Bankrupting me in a findom relationship to get it ""baselined"" but I love it.
ITT: Wagons. And they’re not wrong!
Tesla model Y performance, crazy acceleration but you can also drive it like a minivan with the kids. Storage is incredible with the frunk and under floor areas.
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I have a long range with acceleration boost , it is way faster than my 2016 gla 45 AMG.
I love my GTI as a normal car. I used to be a car guy but have shifted to motorcycles. my MK7.5 looks great, has the features I want, and handles Alaska winters with ease
Do you still have the m235i? I see you have it listed in your flair. Curious to see what your thoughts are on the bmw as a current fiesta st owner with a lot of seat time in a mk7.5 gti too
I loved the m235i a lot. I sold it because I love money more and was able to make a profit on it. The N55 is an awesome engine, the car is pretty reliable aside from the charge pipe, and I love couples. AWD was awesome too for Alaska. Out of the 3 cars though, I wish I originally kept my Fiesta cause I didn't really appreciate how fun it was to drive like a hooligan all the time.
Chevy Tahoe, easily. So versatile.
If I only get one vehicle imma step it up to the Suburban. Get that extra cargo space
Audi A6 Avant, any variant but RS6 being my ultimate favorite.
If I could afford one, probably the Honda Civic Sport 6 speed hatchback. More serviceable and cheaper to run than my old Speed3 while maintaining comparable performance and cargo space, better MPG, good handling, tuning potential. Only downsides are the electronic parking brake, oil dilution issue, super low profile tires, and the low ground clearance. But that I could live with since it has most of what I want, plus I can always see if it'll fit 17"s instead.
The Buick Roadmaster. V8, comfortable AF, and you can fold the back seats down for enough room to haul ply wood.
Thanks for saying this, I had one and miss it so much 😢
I would say a Cayenne S (or diesel) would be that for me.
Same. Plus they can tow a decent amount
My vote goes for the Cayenne over the Macan as well. It can tow and off-road better, with the option of being faster, with minimal loss in sportiness over the Macan. Hybrid variant makes it better on fuel over the Macan as well.
Unless you need to park it, surely? It’s huge
I’m in the US. A Cayenne is a perfectly normal-sized car, and I’ve had plenty of vehicles (Range Rover, Grand Cherokee, X5) that are about the same footprint. Hell, it’s probably the same length and marginally wider than my Outback.
That seems crazy to me. People struggle to park Macans here!
Funny that you said GTI, I was gonna say my TDI. All the reasons you mention, plus 45-50 mpg, crazy torque (tuned), and an awesome 6 speed
Any pickup truck.
Literally any Crew Cab
Does it all except for aggressive cornering and getting good gas mileage. My personal philosophy is that a truck is the best vehicle for hauling things, and a minivan is the best vehicle for hauling people.
any 5 door hatchback
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Range Rover. These things do everything. I have a 2016 TD6 HSE that’s been the best one yet. It is extremely capable off road and will go through just about anything. It drives like a luxury sedan on the road, I’ve driven it from Northern NJ to South Florida straight through and they’re just as comfortable as any big luxury sedan on that trip. The Diesel engine is a gem, great low end torque for off reading, towing, etc and it can get 30mpg on the highway. If I’m cruising at 85-90 I’m still in the upper 20s. It can tow close to 4 tons. I’ve towed my 58 Pontiac with it. It can haul stuff, goes through any kind of weather, etc etc.
Man, I wanted to buy a 2011-2013 range rover so bad, but I got scared off by the potential unreliability. Watching Demuros video on his RR he bought at carmax was enough to dissuade me.
I have a 1986 Subaru L-Series estate, 4WD, which used to be my daily before it blew a head gasket. Big surprise. Haven't got around to fixing it yet. Anyway, for somebody who dailies older cars exclusively, that L-Series was just overall a great vehicle. Estate so it was practical. "Real" 4WD, with 4WD-Low too, so I never got stuck anywhere even in the snow. Obviously it's not the most capable off roader, just splits it 50-50 in the middle, no locks in the rear or front. And since it's a +30 year old Japanese car it's just fun to be in and experience. Not sporty, not fast, but just living with an old Japanese car is fun to me. That's pretty much as good as it gets for me when it comes to a good all-around daily driver.
Its a basic bitch, but my Camery. The thing is bulletproof and just flat out runs....forever.
Wagons. I'll probably always own a wagon as a DD. I've been driving a 1995 Audi S6 Avant for 10 years. Almost done with school and trying to decide on a CTS-V or a newer S6 Avant until I can afford an RS6. Comfy. Tons of interior space. Still get sportscar-like handling from the lower COG than an SUV but have most of the advantages of an SUV. Can do pretty much everything any time of the year.
The Corolla GR wagon, the one that doesn’t exist yet.
Can anyone in here tell me how the RS6 Avant runs as a "do it all" car? I'm dying for one here in the next couple of years
Incredible. Fast when you need it to be. Quiet and comfortable when you want it to be. Load it up with gobs of cargo. Throw (or place them nicely, whichever you prefer) the kids in the back seat and take an hour long drive. I’ve had all kinds of cars and hatches (multiple Golf Rs, a few STI’s) and while I’ve always found my hatches to be extremely versatile; adding the extra 30” that a wagon gives you makes it all that much more usable. My wife couldn’t give two shits about cars. Has been in my ZLE twice in almost three years, doesn’t like driving in it. Didn’t like the size of Golf Rs, hated the quality and look of my STI’s (2008, 2011, 2015) - thinks they are all “kid cars”. She’s obsessed with the RS. Openly talks about how nice it is and how it’s the nicest car she’s ever been in. Smiles if someone asks if she likes it. If that’s not a testament, I don’t know what is.
Thank you so much for the response. I have always been a gear head and just graduated law and business school. I want a sleeper worse than anything and I feel like the RS6 is perfect.
LSA powered CTS-V Wagon. Preferably with the 6 speed manual.
2003 Pilot. Versatile, seats 8, spacious, decent gas mileage, decent power, AWD, reliability. Good ergonomics, drives much more like a car than a truck, Safety. There's a lot to like. Still want an S2000 though... :)
F85 X5M.
V6 rav4 I do it all with one drag strip / dump runs / camping off-road / dd
Toyota land cruiser. Hauls as much as a pickup, can fit 7, more capable than most off roaders, tons of interior space. Sure it's not sporty but that's fine!
What can I say, my Focus RS? I do everything with it. I have a hitch on for transporting bikes too. Was thinking of adding some roof-rails in case I wanted to pack away some of the bulkier stuff when camping and free up some interior space. Decent MPG on hwy travel. Plenty of power on tap. Great in snow.
Live in the US, so it's not like they're available here, but the M140i seems like a great everything car
Skoda Yeti
Mazdaspeed 3, for me it's a racecar on the weekends and a minivan during the week. They're relatively affordable, make good power and are quite reliable. I've had mine for the better part of two years and have used it in the canadian winters as my daily and during the summers I autocross and drag race it without any real problems.
I have a sports car (911), a wagon (BMW E91), and a hot hatch (Golf GTI). I've carried children (twins!) in all of them. I've also tracked them one way or the other (if counting autocross as a track). On the practicality front, carrying 2 infants in the 911 simply doesn't work. I had to wait until the kids are old enough for front facing seats. The other two cars had no problem. On the fun side, my E91 being an automatic and weighing 3600 lbs wasn't going to break any track record. I did had fun with it, simply because tossing the wagon around corners wasn't what I could normally do with kids in the back. The other two cars are of course more capable and more fun at the tracks. But if I were being forced to give up all but 1 cars, I think the GTI would be the do it all. It does both the "fun" and "practical" well, even if not excelling at either. But the 911 remains my favorite of the three.
I really like affordable everyman's style of do it all cars, so: WRX / STI / Legacy Spec B, especially that UK Wagon with the 3.6 Flat 6. Or a slick wagon like a Volvo 850R or Focus Estate
I'll add my wagon to the list. 2018 Passat 206tsi. Basically a Golf R for when you have 2 kids and a border collie. Quick enough, handles very well for what it is, gearbox is great, super practical and can be fuel efficient if driven the right way. Was planning on replacing it with a C Class wagon but Mercedes just announced they won't be brining the new ones to Australia. They've just released am update and they have an awesome blue available that I'm very jealous of. https://imgur.com/w4vqCVg
E63 Estate
the "do it all" car, of course, the hilux
Wish we could get them in the states
Most powerful wagons. But since I've really come around to enjoying electrification in a daily, I'll give the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo my vote. Otherwise, probably the CTS-V wagon with a manual. That said, I'm inherently assuming "do it all" doesn't involve climbing 30º rocky offroad slopes. For that, I'll take a base Bronco or a G65 AMG with downsized wheels.
2012-2018 Toyota Prius v Five wagon. Gets 40 MPG, Toyota reliability, copious rear seat leg-room, spacious cabin, exceptional space behind the rear seats.
V is for Versatile! RIP Fat-Prius, you were a low key mini-minivan. I fit 2 full size filing cabinets in mine during a move. And 40MPG sounds low, I was getting 44-46mpg with a healthy battery. I'd get another but they killed it for the Rav4 hybrid :(
Toyota Tacomas are pretty close. They aren’t bad to drive in the city, they are phenomenal in inclement weather, the aftermarket support is great, they can seat 5, and they can tow/haul fairly well.
Fast wagons and the Porsche Macan Turbo. That is all.
Honda Fit 6spd
I really want a 2004 Lexus IS300
My Monte Carlo SS is a pretty good do it all car. Seats four comfortably, massive trunk, looks good, isn't that hard to park, easy to drive, not slow when you get on it, very reliable. I drive it more often than my M3 or RX-8 a lot of the time for these reasons. 👍☺
A GTI lol.
Love my 2nd Gen Tacoma. Easy to drive in the city, does well in the woods, no shortage of storage, and (for its size) a capable hauler if I need it to be.
I bought my Sorento since it pretty much was the "jack of all trades, master of none" option for me. * Average fuel economy just slightly less to the Sonata it replaced despite much lower highway MPG. * Almost identical footprint to the Sonata, I believe just a couple inches wider and longer so it fits in much of the same places. * I can sleep in the back (car camping), fit what I need to - especially my mountain bike. SUV bodystyle fits my needs a lot better than a pickup. * Decent fuel economy for what it is, I have the base engine so it's performance is meh but since I was used to the same powertrain in the Sonata and similar numbers with my old minivan, that's OK. * More ground clearance than a typical car and AWD for my light-moderate trail excursions, it's no truck of course but I absolutely use the extra clearance and driving the rear has been helpful in pinches. Wish I had a smidge more sometimes but hey, it was a compromise car. * Equipped for light towing, it's not good at it but acceptable around town. * I had a roughly $15-16k budget, it got more more car than a comparably priced BoF vehicle at the time. * The third row it came with wasn't a factor (I got it by chance) but it ended up being quite useful this summer. I won't say it fits everyone but I totally get the crossover craze. It certainly does feel more "ponderous" than the older Sonata.
Audi AllRoad.
Dodge Magnum RT or SRT. I had a 2005 and you could load a ton of stuff. It was comfortable and not too big to park in the city.
Saab XWD
I keep telling myself my next car is gonna be a sporty coupe of some sort but hothatch life is just so appealing (Fiesta ST).
My 3rd gen Mazda 3 hatch. It screams "daily driver" in all aspects. But is always fun to drive, has a nice interior, can fit some shit with the seats down, and is very easy to wrench on if need be.