If boot space is the critical deciding factor, and you need a 7 seater, I’d be inclined towards the new Kodiak.
We went to look at the new Tiguan and didn’t even bother to test drive it, as neither of us liked the interior. We’ve had 4 previous generations of Tiguan and the new one is a definite step backwards in terms of quality, with cheap feeling plastics being used. I didn’t like the infotainment setup and my wife said that she simply couldn’t sit looking at the huge plank of piano black plastic in front of her with a sea of silly coloured lights in it 😂 I watched quite a few reviews though, and most reviewers mentioned that the ride quality wasn’t good (they also mention the drop off in quality).
The Allspace could be an option, albeit it’s getting on a bit now and is going to be discontinued. The Elegance is the far better equipped version, but the R-Line looks much better. Interestingly the new Tiguan has lost quite a bit of kit as standard over the old one (e.g. the Elegance now loses matrix headlights and panoramic roof) and the option prices are eye watering, so the Allspace, being the old model, is far better value (as well as bigger).
I had 3 different BMW iX1s on 24 hour test drives and as well as deciding that an EV wasn’t for us, I felt that BMW have gone backwards with their infotainment. It’s way too complicated now, isn’t intuitive and has lost the brilliant rotary dial. However, BMW standard kit is a lot better nowadays than you might think and many Motability cars can come bundled with great option packs. If you do have to add options they are a lot cheaper than VW charge, which is odd.
The Mazda CX-60 has a decent boot and is a big car, and Mazda are now offering £2k discount on the (overpriced) APs, but option packs (which were previously bundled with the car) are expensive. I haven’t driven it, but reviews aren’t great. A bit like the new Tiguan, ride quality isn’t great. Interior quality is very good, but feels a tiny bit dated infotainment wise, albeit they do have a rotary dial rather than touchscreen system, which gets my vote.
Having reviewed everything that was available we have gone for the new facelifted Tucson Ultimate. The boot is one of the biggest in the class (we have to cart a wheelchair around, so that’s important for us too) and it has absolutely everything as standard. No options available, or needed. I had both a PHEV and Hybrid on 24 hour test drives. The PHEV was by far the better car to drive as it runs on electric a lot of the time (so is very quiet and refined), whereas the Hybrid was starting the engine all the time and the fuel economy was poor (our current 2.0i petrol X1 4WD is better). The Hyundai is not quite the interior quality of our current BMW, but it’s a definite step up from the new Tiguan. The thing that really swung it for me was that it’s a nice drive, I absolutely loved some of the new tech (the blind spot cameras are just brilliant) and the infotainment system is much easier to use than the latest BMW versions and is far more intuitive. It’s not a 7 seater (if that’s important to you) but size, equipment and value for money wise it came out top for us. Hope that helps.
