You can buy these big German SUVs for €12,000

A fat German? Nowadays you quickly end up in the SUV corner. No problem: from Q7 to Cayenne and from X5 to Touareg… you’re spoiled for choice! To be able to drive a lot on the Autobahn, we opt for no less than a V8. Our budget: maximum 12 grand. In terms of operating costs, these guys are simply very expensive, so we have to have enough left over to keep them running.

Audi Q7 4.2 FSI Quattro Pro Line + – 2008 – 212,624 kilometers – €10,845

Well after the Mercedes-Benz ML-class and BMW’s X5, Audi introduced the Q7, but its entrance did not go unnoticed by anyone. It seemed as if Ingolstadt wanted to do a W140 with his newborn: surpassing the competition in size, but therefore also pompous, to the point of clumsiness. It is all the more striking that such an Audi in XL format drives very easily. It shrinks around you, so to speak, so that you can approach any parking garage with confidence. Try that with a Cadillac Escalade or the Mercedes-Benz GL below! From the offer, we noticed this Audi Q7: well under our budget (so that you have enough coins left to fuel the thirsty, naturally aspirated V8), the possibility of a Bovag warranty (€895, including extensive delivery package – always do with such a mastodont!) and just over 210,000 kilometers of experience – peanuts for a 4.2! As mentioned, the Q7 drives almost like a normal passenger car: no jack-in-the-box feeling, light and direct steering…

Fewer king of the road-like a Range Rover, but you are also bathed in luxury: from leather upholstery to an electric tailgate, from – of course – four-wheel drive (including automatic limited-slip differential) to xenon lighting and from heated and electrically adjustable front seats (including memory) via navigation to a panoramic roof. This über-Audi has everything that was pretty much possible fifteen years ago (youngtimer!). There is no room to complain about space either: passengers and luggage will not be short of anything. If desired, the standard spacious 775 liter luggage space can be expanded to a ballroom of 2,035 liters! In short: the 19-NPP-5 (February 2008, in our country since October 2010 and worn by five owners since then) gives you a lot, but also asks for a lot in return. We have already mentioned fuel consumption (1 in 5 in the city!), but maintenance will also be expensive. Road tax (curb weight: 2,240 kilos) and insurance also have a major impact.

Signaling

Brand Audi
Type Q7 4.2FSI Quattro Pro Line +
Construction year February 2008
Mileage 212,624
Asking price €10,845
Where to buy? Flex Cars, Zwaag

Technical data
Engine V8, 4,163 cc
Max. assets 257 kW/350 hp at 6,800 rpm
Max. couple 440 Nm at 3,500 rpm
Luggage compartment 775 l/2,035 l
Max. trailer braked 3,500 kilos
Avg. consumption 1:7.5
0-100 km/h 7.4 sec
Top speed 244 km/h
All data according to factory specifications

Mercedes-Benz GL 550 4Matic – 2008 – 267,151 kilometers – €11,500

When you heard the term ‘big Mercedes’ you used to think of the S and SEC models, but nowadays you have to go to the SUV department of Das Haus. We don’t want an ML – which is literally in the shadow of the Q7 – nor an antique G. But put those two in the blender and something like the GL comes out, like this Mercedes-Benz GL. Straight from California – called ‘550’ in accordance with the engine capacity, we stuck to the slightly more modest ‘500’ at the time. However, this red-purple car is no more modest than the Q7. In the US it was seen as the successor to the G. Sufficient off-road capabilities were therefore desired, and it has that! We call selectable low range, so that the 4ESP/4ETS system gives all wheels the right amount of drive power. The GL is also equipped with air suspension with automatic level control that you can manually adjust as desired – so you won’t be short of anything off-road. And also on the road, with adjustable shock absorbers that sometimes gently sway and then sportily take you to a German football stadium.

The seat is high on the stand, so that the GL is more likely to evoke associations with a Range Rover than with a Q7, which feels much more like a normal passenger car. This occasion also falls within our budget, but that’s not enough. According to the provider, the import costs have been paid, but it still needs to be registered with a Dutch license plate. Moreover, the Benz is not visually armpit-fresh, with a dent in the hood and a missing exhaust tailpipe. Moreover, there is no warranty. Just like its compatriot, it is generously packed (including DVD players in the headrests), there is no shortage of space (luggage space 620 liters/2,300 liters), it can also tow 3.5 tons and struggles – i.e. with a healthy thirst. Plaster on the wound: Mercedes maintenance seems to be relatively affordable…

Signaling

Brand Mercedes Benz
Type GL 550 4Matic
Construction year June 2008
Mileage 267,151
Asking price €11,500
Where to buy? Langwerden Carparc. Aalten

Technical data
Engine V8, 5,461 cc
Max. assets 285 kW/388 hp at 6,000 rpm
Max. couple 530 Nm at 2,800 rpm
Luggage compartment 620 l/2,300 l
Max. trailer braked 3,500 kilos
Avg. consumption 1:7.4
0-100 km/h 6.5 sec
Top speed 240 km/h
All data according to factory specifications

Porsche Cayenne S – 2004 – 157,333 kilometers – €11.95o

The above models may be quite controversial due to their appearance, but the Cayenne, introduced in 2002, was not only because of its appearance. Because: an SUV from Porsche! Which was also supplied with a diesel after a few years… Two decades later we know better: without the Cayenne, Porsche might not even have existed anymore. For our budget we find this Porsche Cayenne: an original Dutch copy that is several years older than its compatriots, but with a lower mileage. We are repeating ourselves: this used car also has everything on board to make traveling as pleasant as possible, does not suffer from a lack of space either, can also tow 3,500 kilos with brakes and drinks like a Templar. Besides that, the 44-SL-GZ (4 ex-owners since December 2004 – not too bad) distinguishes itself because the Porsche DNA has been maintained as best as possible.

See the structure of the dashboard, the relatively low seat and the active driving experience that this used car offers. On the one hand, it devours corners as if it were a hot hatch. Leaning? What is that? And if things go too fast, the almost oversized brakes have little trouble with this 2,245 kilo four-wheeler. On the other hand, the Cayenne holds its own on unpaved surfaces: it has a differential with which the four-wheel drive adapts to the terrain conditions (normally 63 percent of the power goes to the rear wheels, 37 percent to the front wheels). Smooth surfaces are therefore a fun playground. You don’t have to be afraid of disaster: the power distribution is continuously adjusted via a multi-plate clutch. Porsche Stability Management (PSM) controls ABS, ASR and the electronic brake force distribution. You see: there is a lot of electronics available to make it excel on all kinds of surfaces. Electronics that, if they break down, will cost you big bills. In any case, the Cayenne is an expensive one. But one that leaves a deep impression. Now our Dutch team!

Signaling

Brand Porsche
Type Cayenne S
Construction year December 2004
Mileage 157,333
Asking price €11,950
Where to buy? Van Dijk Auto’s, Waalwijk

Technical data
Engine V8, 4,511 cc
Max. assets 250 kW/340 hp at 6,000 rpm
Max. couple 420 Nm at 2,500 rpm
Luggage compartment 540 l/1,770 l
Max. trailer braked 3,500 kilos
Avg. consumption 1:6,7
0-100 km/h 7.2 sec
Top speed 242 km/h
All data according to factory specifications

Which of these big German SUVs will you cheer on the Dutch team next year?

In summary: the Audi Q7 drives most like a normal passenger car, but that doesn’t really give you the feeling of being on the road in something special. The GL from Mercedes-Benz and Porsche’s Cayenne provide that: the Porsche thanks to its dynamics, the Benz thanks to its who-does-me-what experience. Would you prefer something different from the European Championship host country? Then the BMW X5 and the Touareg from Volkswagen are options. Not a V8 SUV from the country of Lothar Matthäus and Rudi Völler? Consider the aforementioned Range Rover, the Volvo XC90 with Yamaha V8 or various American models. What will you kick off the European Championships with?