Car choice: Classy trailblazer

Jack Jarmoszko enjoys hiking expeditions, thus his latest vehicle must have decent boot space, and he prefers a quality finish inside. He has £20,000 to spend

(Audi)

A car for the head

It seems that Jack is going to need a four-wheel drive and to quote him, “German build quality”, and especially inside. Indeed so, and the best car interiors for some time have been made by Audi. The Audi Q5 is an obvious choice and a very capable SUV. Apart from that, though, there is the less well-known option of the Audi Allroad. This is an estate car with a four-wheel drive system rather than being a true off-roader, but for most purposes it will work just as well as the Q5. Still, the Q5 wins out for me because it looks cooler and £20,000 will cover a 2011 2.0 TDi 143 Quattro SE with 50,000 miles, one owner and full service history, on sale for £16,700.

(VW (VW)

A car for the heart

Jack may not need a full-on 4x4, but some four-wheel drive ability will be useful – though not necessarily in a vast package. The Volkswagen Tiguan is worth investigating as a German compact “soft-roader”, which drives just like a car. Indeed, it is a bit like a 4x4 Golf but has a useful amount of flexibility as the rear seat slides back and forth so as to increase the amount of boot space. A 2014 diesel model VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI Blue Motion Tech Match we found, which will average 48mpg, costs £14,270 and has just 14,000 miles on the clock.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com