My Dog Hates My Car! What Should I Buy?
Image: VW
Sometimes when we make vehicle selections, we have to keep the preferences of our family members in mind. In Dylan’s case, this means accommodating the tastes of his dog Chucho, a good boy who isn’t a fan of Dylan’s 2015 GTI.
(Welcome back to What Car Should You Buy? Where we give real people real advice about buying cars. )
Here is the scenario:
My dog Chucho, a 32 lbs Frenchie, is too big to fit under an airplane seat and too cute for the cargo hold. I travel from Seattle to Scottsdale every other month and Chucho does not approve of my 2015 GTI at higher speeds. The kind of high speeds that make a radar detector a must-have. He also doesn’t like being cramped in 1/2 of the back seat with bins, coolers, and stuff. I need to find a better long road trip cruiser.
Chucho’s requirements:
– Minimal NVH
– More space than VW GTI
My Requirements:
– Enough HP’s to pass 18 wheelers on single lane highways through Nevada.
– Not a turd to drive
– No SUVs
Nice seats for 10+ hour drives would be nice as well.
Since Chucho is a very good boy I can spend up to $60,000
Quick Facts:
Budget: up to $60,000
Daily Driver: Sort of
Location: Seattle, WA
Wants: Low noise, comfort, a bit of power
Doesn’t want: Something too small or an SUV
Expert 1: Tom McParland – Dogs Like Wagons, This Is a Fact
Image: Nissan of Portland
On one hand, as an owner of a 2015 GTI, I am a bit disappointed in Chucho’s take on your current ride, but I certainly can’t fault the pooch for wanting a bit more space and comfort.
If Chucho — and you — need something with a healthy amount of horsepower, a quiet ride, and some decent cargo capacity for long drives, the obvious choice is a luxury wagon engineered for the Autobahn. You need a Mercedes-Benz E-class wagon. Of course, the mighty E63 would be loads of fun but that’s not happening if you want a quality example. Unless, of course, you go with something quite a bit older than your VW.
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However, the regular E450 provides plenty of punch with its 362 hp twin-turbo V6. We tested the E400 wagon back in 2018 before it got a slight engine upgrade and found it to be pretty much perfect. With the long roof body, you can put all your cargo in the hatch, and Chucho can relax in the rear seats like a bigshot being chauffeured.
Here is a 2019 example near you with just under $30,000 right in your budget zone.
Expert 2: Owen Bellwood – Not all Wagons Were Made Equal
Photo: Secor Volvo Cars
Chucho sounds like a dog of impeccable taste, so only the best will do! And while Mercedes might be the go-to for a fast, comfortable wagon with space for your precious pooch, there are a few other options out there.
So, Chucho and Dylan, let me draw your attention to Volvo and its stellar lineup of roomy station wagons. Across its range, you’ll find more space than you can shake a stick at, a solid build quality that cuts out noise and vibrations, and something that is definitely not an SUV. And if you want a car with enough grunt to steam past an 18-wheeler, then Volvo has an answer for you, too.
Dylan, let me introduce you to your new ride, the Volvo V60 Polestar. Specifically, this Rebel Blue example that has covered just 16,000 miles – so it’s basically brand new! Inside, there’s a plush black interior with plenty of space for Chucho. Under the hood is a two-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 345 hp at 5,250 rpm, so you should be fine on those narrow Nevada roads. Plus, in this spec, it also stands out from the crowd of mundane SUVs and trucks that you’ll come across on the highways, and that’s always nice.
Expert 3: José Rodríguez Jr. – Zoomies in a Sportback
Photo: Audi
Dylan, I think a dog-approved Subaru might be the ticket, but you and Chucho deserve something with some pep for when you get the zoomies. We’ll need something more practical than a grand tourer coupé and something livelier than the average wagon. So, I’m recommending the 2022 Audi S5 Sportback.
Not only does the Audi S5 keep you in the VAG family, but it’ll come with a more premium experience for your goodest boy. While the S5 Sportback won’t be as spacious as a wagon, it’ll give you more cargo space than a sedan without having to resort to buying an SUV. And you’ll get a new car while staying roughly within budget since it starts at $55,300.
You could always go with something cheaper, like a 2022 Audi A5 Sportback, which would save you over 10k. The A5 Sportback might even be a better fit for you and Chucho because it has a milder ride, but you can always drive the S5 with a lighter touch. And it’s not like the S5 is as brutal as the RS 5, anyway.
I wanted to pitch you an EV because electric cars have quieter rides and plenty of passing power for single lane highways. But your 1,500-mile road trips would require many stops. If that doesn’t sound bad, there’s always the Audi e-Tron.
Expert 4: Adam Ismail – The Supercharged Wagon
See Dylan, Owen is a smart man. You should probably listen to him. As I read your criteria, I kept muttering with increasing intensity, “Polestar, Polestar, POLESTAR,” until the Italian market underneath my apartment kindly asked me to stop driving away its patrons.
The thing about WCSYB, though, is that you must suggest a different car — there can be no consensus! Our servers are actually engineered to self-destruct upon such an occurrence. Thus, my alternate for you and Chucho is the Jaguar XF Sportbrake, and my reasoning is simple. It’s 1) a wagon, 2) fast and 3) supercharged. Our old pal Kristen Lee described its 3-liter V6 as “ferocious.” The opposite of Chucho, a certified Very Good Boy.
Autotrader reveals two Sportbrakes in your area, courtesy of Vroom, both with under 40,000 miles and no accidents, well within your budget. One of them, pictured above, happens to be a snazzy first-edition example, black with a red interior. Personally I’d still have the Polestar blue, though Volvo wagons are the wagons you find most often on the road, and I only see XF Sportbrakes during allergy season when I drift off to sleep in a lucid, Benadryl-addled haze. I vaguely remember smiling as I opened my eyes on a random morning last week, so maybe that had something to do with it.
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