Has anyone gone from a Mazda 6 (2003 shape) hatch to an Evoque?

We're currently looking to replace our aging 2003 Mazda 6 hatch which has done well by us, and is practical and comfortable, but now getting on a bit.

The Evoque and Volvo XC60 are two cars we're considering. Also the new Mondeo hatch if it ever comes out in Oz (now looking like late 2013 or 2014, which is a bit late as we'd like to buy early to mid 2013)

Wondering if anyone has gone from a Mazda 6 hatch and what you thought of the change.

We've got 2 little ones (almost 5 and 1.5).

We've had a look around both XC-60 and Evoque, and will have more looks. Both are lovely cars, and loaded with tech (compared to the Mazda). Volvo gives you a lot of bang for your buck and the R version has plenty of grunt, but the Evoque looks fantastic inside and out.

Any experiences/thoughts/ramblings would be appreciated.

Thanks,

PN

(19-11-2012 11:52am)pn12 Wrote:  We're currently looking to replace our aging 2003 Mazda 6 hatch which has done well by us, and is practical and comfortable, but now getting on a bit.

The Evoque and Volvo XC60 are two cars we're considering. Also the new Mondeo hatch if it ever comes out in Oz (now looking like late 2013 or 2014, which is a bit late as we'd like to buy early to mid 2013)

Wondering if anyone has gone from a Mazda 6 hatch and what you thought of the change.

We've got 2 little ones (almost 5 and 1.5).

We've had a look around both XC-60 and Evoque, and will have more looks. Both are lovely cars, and loaded with tech (compared to the Mazda). Volvo gives you a lot of bang for your buck and the R version has plenty of grunt, but the Evoque looks fantastic inside and out.

Any experiences/thoughts/ramblings would be appreciated.

Thanks,

PN

The dealer that we ended up buying our Evogue from was a Volvo/Land Rover dealership. When we originally went in, it was to drive the XC60 R-Design. We both drove it and loved it, loved the space in the boot, plenty of engine power as well with the V6. Loved how you could choose heated seats for the rear or get the built in booster seats, after we thought about it we figured our little one would only be in a booster seat for another 1 to 2 years max (he's 7) so I planned on getting the heated seats. We went home to "think" about it and told the dealer we would be back in a few days to order.

Ended up taking about a week to decide on everything so then we made the drive again to the dealers prepared to order. As soon as we stepped into the showroom I was drawn to a brand new Evogue that was sitting on the showroom floor... Hadn't been there the week before... I HAD to drive it, I just couldn't order the Volvo until I drove the Evogue just to make sure that the Volvo was the right decision. So very kindly the salesman pulled the Evogue out for us (it was a fully loaded dynamic) and went over all the controls, engine, all the tech goodies, etc.. Then came the drive WOW! There was no more Volvo from that point for me... The Volvo felt so dated after being in the Evogue. Don't get me wrong, there were several things that I liked about each vehicle but obviously the Evogue won out in the end. There is more room in the Volvo but as we are down to only one child at home now, space was not a huge issue for us. Another big plus for us was the all time 4 wheel drive with terrain response over the AWD... We went skiing in Austria last winter and had to chain up almost immediately with the AWD vehicle we had... I haven't taken the Evogue to Austria yet so the same thing may happen again but I doubt it. So far, there is no doubt that we made the right decision.

Good luck!

(19-11-2012 11:52am)pn12 Wrote:  We're currently looking to replace our aging 2003 Mazda 6 hatch which has done well by us, and is practical and comfortable, but now getting on a bit.

The Evoque and Volvo XC60 are two cars we're considering. Also the new Mondeo hatch if it ever comes out in Oz (now looking like late 2013 or 2014, which is a bit late as we'd like to buy early to mid 2013)

Wondering if anyone has gone from a Mazda 6 hatch and what you thought of the change.

We've got 2 little ones (almost 5 and 1.5).

We've had a look around both XC-60 and Evoque, and will have more looks. Both are lovely cars, and loaded with tech (compared to the Mazda). Volvo gives you a lot of bang for your buck and the R version has plenty of grunt, but the Evoque looks fantastic inside and out.

Any experiences/thoughts/ramblings would be appreciated.

Thanks,

PN

I have Mazda 6 Hatch 2004 sport also and the step up is quite big in refinement, The tech is obviously a big step forwards too, but you are moving to an SUV from a Car, so driving wise you have to expect a difference, even so the Range rover is a fatastic drive. You'll also notice an extreem loss of boot space, particularly if you are used to carrying long items. I've kept the Mazda 6 for the DIY/shopping runs.

(19-11-2012 12:31pm)AandM1228 Wrote:  The dealer that we ended up buying our Evogue from was a Volvo/Land Rover dealership. When we originally went in, it was to drive the XC60 R-Design. We both drove it and loved it, loved the space in the boot, plenty of engine power as well with the V6. Loved how you could choose heated seats for the rear or get the built in booster seats, after we thought about it we figured our little one would only be in a booster seat for another 1 to 2 years max (he's 7) so I planned on getting the heated seats. We went home to "think" about it and told the dealer we would be back in a few days to order.

Ended up taking about a week to decide on everything so then we made the drive again to the dealers prepared to order. As soon as we stepped into the showroom I was drawn to a brand new Evogue that was sitting on the showroom floor... Hadn't been there the week before... I HAD to drive it, I just couldn't order the Volvo until I drove the Evogue just to make sure that the Volvo was the right decision. So very kindly the salesman pulled the Evogue out for us (it was a fully loaded dynamic) and went over all the controls, engine, all the tech goodies, etc.. Then came the drive WOW! There was no more Volvo from that point for me... The Volvo felt so dated after being in the Evogue. Don't get me wrong, there were several things that I liked about each vehicle but obviously the Evogue won out in the end. There is more room in the Volvo but as we are down to only one child at home now, space was not a huge issue for us. Another big plus for us was the all time 4 wheel drive with terrain response over the AWD... We went skiing in Austria last winter and had to chain up almost immediately with the AWD vehicle we had... I haven't taken the Evogue to Austria yet so the same thing may happen again but I doubt it. So far, there is no doubt that we made the right decision.

Good luck!

Thanks for the detailed response.

Agree completely that the Evoque's styling (both internal and external) makes the Volvo (which is a good looking SUV) look ordinary.

When you drove them I assume that the R-Design XC-60 felt more nippy than the Evoque (well as nippy as a vehicle that size can feel).

Coming from a Mazda 6 the internal space difference will take some adjustment so we need to spend more time in the Evoque to get a proper feel for it.

It's amusing how when I lived in the UK (up to 2006) I never considered LandRover, but now I'm considering one from Australia!

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(19-11-2012 12:58pm)PhilSkill Wrote:  I have Mazda 6 Hatch 2004 sport also and the step up is quite big in refinement, The tech is obviously a big step forwards too, but you are moving to an SUV from a Car, so driving wise you have to expect a difference, even so the Range rover is a fatastic drive. You'll also notice an extreem loss of boot space, particularly if you are used to carrying long items. I've kept the Mazda 6 for the DIY/shopping runs.

Thanks for your insights.

We still haven't test driven the Evoque. The ride height didn't seem too much of an issue when it was stationary but I'm assuming it will take some adjustment when in motion. The space difference (especially in the boot) will be noticable, so we need to consider this carefully. We're trying to live with just the one car so we won't keep the Mazda 6 when we get a new car.