Thanks everyone for your advice. I have made the choice, paid the money and now have a new set of wheels. :-)
I went for a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe with the diesel engine. It will be a comfortable long distance ride, with plenty of space and excellent fuel economy. It was a good price and there were 14 thousand km of RUC's already paid which sweetened the deal.
It is more a car to get me to the beach rather than along the beach, but when my wife asked " would you drive any car along those beaches?" I had to say "I don't know if I would" - I normally fish by myself ( Fridays is my normal fishing day as II work on Sundays). So if you see me out there (Number plate 1CTHU5) do stop and say hi. :-)