Welcome readers,
In this blog we will explore how you obtain the converted title of “Daddy Cool” in relation to what you drive. For all you feminists out there I am not excluding you, it was just a catchy title. There are layers to this upper echelon of automotive versatility and through exploring them I believe a short list of vehicles will shine through. Effectively what we are looking for to qualify is something that looks great, has a respectable but not tyre splitting level of performance but most of all it has to be practical! This isn’t an exploration of out and out “Fonzie” this is real world, 2.4 kids, golf, winter, camping type cool. It’s the type of cool where you can clearly see through what someone drives that they know their shit. THAT is cool to me and when someone achieves that….tip of the cap.
So where to start? Well firstly forget ALL the poster cars. This is a real-world scenario. Something you can actually use for as many different roles as possible. Poster cars are one trick ponies. Amazing at what they do but undeniably true. Fast, Faster, Fastest, Dearest, irrelevant.
Our goal here is to find a vehicle that offers everything. The family versatility of space, safety and usability while still serving the purpose of being a driving machine and not a numb bus. Immediately the mind flicks to the BMW X5 and Land Rover / Range Rover and who can argue! Personally, I think there are better options though. Traditionally to tick the four-wheel drive box you had to look to vehicles like these and suffer the screen price and 20MPG but not anymore. This opens this category up significantly. The thing here is this list of stipulations applies to so many families out there its not hard to see why the boom of the SUV has come around. Cheaper vehicles like the Ford Kuga suddenly stack up. Sure, the 4×4 is an option on lower models and they might not be as desirable but not everyone has £80k to splash and their requirements are the same. If a Defender is in your head, get rid of it. I LOVE these cars, please don’t misunderstand but they break on a weekly basis, they use so much fuel and there is literally no space for anyone over 6ft. God dam do they look the part though and if you live on a farm I get it. How many 4×4 cars ever truly touch a blade of grass though? 5%?
X-Drive & Quattro on road cars opens these up to the average family wanting what we are discussing. Its hard to argue a 335D Xdrive M-Sport Touring isn’t right up there for Mr Joe Bloggs but once you tick a few boxes on options it’s a pretty dear toy. The temptation when looking at a car like this is going the whole hog! Personally, the new Audi RS6 Avant is the daddy. 600BHP, Quattro, bomb proof reliability, a build quality that is second to none and a lap time that would redden the cheeks of most “performance cars”. Budget aside this is the car I would buy. Money is relative however and the Audi is expensive. With those flared arches and low stance, it looks so dam good though. How Audi made an estate car sexy is a true achievement and its nothing new for them. While all other estate cars were yawn buses the Audi’s were sexy and cutting edge!
Granted if you are in the market for a car in the price range of the RS6 it does bring the X5M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo into the mix. This shakes things up as faulting either of these cars is very very hard. It really depends if your preference is the lower road stance of the Audi or the elevated driving position of the SUV’s.
Notice I have not mentioned the Land Rover / Range Rover’s much, this is purely down to my personal dislike of them, nothing more. The Vogue is a car that surpasses 99% of the competition when it comes to quality and technology, However I fear a similar percentage of people owning these cars spend most of their time behind the wheel crawling in traffic ferrying well-spoken children to their private schools complete with all their hockey and cricket gear.
Today we shop for brands and not vehicles more and more. So much is about the way a car looks and what it says about you and your family. They are an expression of how successful you are and this is human nature not a criticism. If you eliminate this from the buying motivation and got Spock using nothing but logic cars like the Kuga would be everywhere. We don’t just buy with our heads though and this is why the guy in his Vogue Shooting Break complete with a senselessly expensive bottle of Sloe Gin exists. Being human nature, this motivation has to be catered for and companies such as Audi who tap into the opulent and successful while offering 5 seats, loads of space and a huge boot sell lots of cars. Ok they might not all be the fire breather but that’s not the point.
Do cars like the Bentley Bentayga deserve a look in here? No. Don’t be daft. Sorry but god that thing is ugly and the price is nothing short of comical.
Real world if like so many you are looking for a car that will do all things in my humble opinion go and get yourself a 3/5 series M -Sport Touring diesel and sleep well knowing you did the right thing.
THE AUTO VIP.