Many of us like to keep fit and active in this day and age, and one of the best ways of doing that is to get involved with some kind of outdoor activity – like golf, cycling or stand-up paddleboarding, among more.
And if you’re going to devote yourself to one of these hobbies, then you’re going to need a big vehicle to transport about your expensive kit. Here are ten varied options for those looking for the best hashtag-lifestyle appearance.
BMW 5 Series Touring
A Five wagon is going to look right at home in the golf club car park, and its capacious boot will happily take a few sets of clubs within, all without the owner needing to drop the rear seats to accommodate a three-wood that’s sticking out of the bag at an awkward angle. Also would be fine with a roof rack or towbar-mounted rack for the on-road cyclists among us, although the BMW’s (mainly) rear-driven nature means it’s not the best off-road choice in the world.
Ford Ranger
You can sling anything into the back of a pick-up truck without thinking about it, so the ubiquitous Ford Ranger will suit canoeists, boarders and cyclists alike, among many more hobbies. The Ford’s tough underpinnings and four-wheel-drive gear also mean it can seek out remote lakes and other adventure areas of the wilderness, although golfers might want to give it a swerve – unless you get a rolltop for the load-bed, your clubs will be a bit too ‘on display’ if you leave the vehicle on its own for a while.
Hyundai Santa Fe
Unpretentious seven-seat SUVs make great lifestyle choices, and the Santa Fe has been around for years now, so there are plenty of different versions at all kinds of budgets. A big, long roof is ideal for bike racks or strapping other large paraphernalia to the top of the Hyundai, while you can drop seats six and seven inside to have a giant boot for taking ancillary gear. A frugal but torquey diesel engine on the older models also makes this a great tow car, for anyone looking to lug horseboxes or trailers with jet skis on them out behind the SUV.
Land Rover Defender
There are few vehicles of any size, shape or type that will fit into the countryside with more ease, and in a wider set of social scenarios, than a Land Rover Defender. You can even option these up from the manufacturer with various lifestyle accoutrements like full roof racks, side ladders and storage pods, and even snorkels and chunky running boards, while the Defender’s mighty abilities mean it’ll go pretty much anywhere in pursuit of fun in the great outdoors. Also, Land Rover is a suitably upmarket brand, so the key for the Defender will be more than acceptable when tossed onto the table in the clubhouse after a round of 18.
Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain
We could have picked any number of off-road-themed, lifestyle estates here, like an Audi A6 allroad or a Volvo V90 Cross Country. But the much rarer E-Class All-Terrain is an oft-overlooked take on the same formula, complete with raised suspension, a cast-iron prestige image and surprisingly capable off-road chops. The high-riding Merc wagon will look just as good sitting near the 19th hole of a golf club as it will do on the wild banks of a river far away from the public highways, and its silky six-cylinder diesel engine is a jewel if you can get hold of one.
Skoda Superb Combi
The Superb estate is a big car and there’s not much it can’t do for owners – the massive boot and versatile interior being the major selling points for lifestyle types here. Skoda also has a strong association with top-level cycling, often supplying the support cars for the big-three continental races (the Tour de France, Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia) – so for the keenest Lycra-clad contingent among us, there’s a genuine authenticity to putting your €10,000-plus road bike on the Superb’s roof rails.
Subaru Outback
The clue is in the name – this is a car squarely aimed at lifestyle types. Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive and solid reputation for reliability means you can venture deep into the wilderness in the Outback, searching out those perfect rapids to kayak down or a remote rock face to rappel over the edge of. It’ll also look classless in the golf club’s parking lot, as owning a Subaru doesn’t say anything about you other than a no-nonsense approach to pragmatism.
Toyota Hilux
Another pick-up truck to go with our Ranger choice above, the Toyota Hilux has a reputation for indestructibility that is unsurpassed – after all, it was a 1980s Hilux that British TV show Top Gear once infamously tried, and dismally failed, to kill in a series of increasingly drastic procedures. Such as burying it at sea, setting it on fire and collapsing it in a tower-block demolition. So, if it can cope with that lot, it can surely deal with any sort of sporting equipment you throw into its load-bed, without causing its owner any problems at all.
Volkswagen Golf Estate
The word’s right there in this car’s model name. Sure, it’s the German word for ‘gulf,’ rather than being an admission of Volkswagen’s penchant for 18 holes of cursing your way around a challenging links course in a strong offshore wind, but if a car was ever made for golf fans, it’s the VW Golf Estate. Huge boot, premium image, smooth manners – it’ll fit right in with the club’s clientele.
Volvo XC90
Sweden as a country has a healthy, outdoorsy kind of reputation anyway, so a large, cultured and sophisticated seven-seat SUV like the Volvo XC90 is going to be a superb choice for those with lifestyle activities. It looks as at home plugging its way through mud and hostile terrain as it does with a raft of cycles attached to its form, while the boot with the cabin in five-seat configuration ought to be able to swallow multiple sets of golf clubs and even a fold-up trolley or two, as well.