What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Can you recommend a good petrol-engined SUV to replace our Toyota RAV4?

As my wife and I will both be retired next year we are looking to run one car instead of two. We currently have a 2008 RAV4 D-4D, which was used for towing and an elderly Golf estate, both diesel. We live in the country and bearing in mind the state of the roads, the weather, and the fact that we will do some regular short journeys, we want petrol and something sturdy with good ground clearance. We will do about 10,000 miles per annum max. We would not want to spend more than £12,000 including part-ex. We had thought about a Fiat Panda 4x4, but is four wheel drive that critical?

Asked on 13 July 2013 by RM, Herefordshire.

Answered by Honest John
A new Dacia Sandero Stepway 90TCe on suitable tyres would probably do the job for just under £8000. www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/dacia/sandero-stepwa.../. If you want more space, a Dacia Logan MCV: www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/dacia/logan-mcv-2013/. If you deem 4WD necessary, you might find a used Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.4 D-4D within budget, or a Suzuki Grand Vitara SWB. A Suzuki Swift 4WD is coming soon.
Similar questions
Against my better judgement I have owned two Land Rover 1.8 petrol Freelanders and, as predicted, both have been unreliable with many problems over the years. Despite that I still like the car. It is the...
My wife has a 5-year-old 1.6 petrol engined Fiat Sedici with 30,000 miles which has been an excellent buy with absolutely no running problems, just regular dealer servicing. It has proved to be economical...
The heavy snow over last November and December left me marooned for days because our lane was never cleared. Although fond of my ageing Polo estate, I'd have felt more confident negotiating icy rural Somerset...
Related models
Space, practicality and off-road fun in an engaging, affordable package.
Good looking, on road handling much better than previous version, comparatively cheap, impressive off road.
Bigger and now 5-door only. More luxurious but not as practical as previous RAV-4. Car-like road manners. Petrol and diesel automatics. Facelifted 2010.
Chunky and quirky looks. A rare sight on UK roads. 1.4 D-4D AWD surprisingly enjoyable to drive.
Excellent equipment across the range, great fun to drive regardless of the engine, sport version is huge fun, 4x4 is great for rural areas.
Space and practicality of a small hatchback for the price of a tiny city car, low prices and cheap PCP deals make this one of the most affordable cars.
Impressive value for a new car, cheap to run, easy to drive.