What MPV with a twist?

[rottie102]

I've decided - I'm fed up with my Chrysler Voyager and it's gotta go.
I thought I've already replaced EVERYTHING on it but no - this time it's the ECU which in turn broke the alternator. So the car is in the garage because nobody knows how to make the new ECU work with the immobiliser , I will get it fixed but that's it!

But I have no idea what to replace it with.
It needs to be interesting, comfy (leather, aircon etc), HAS TO be auto and has to have sliding door/s and flat, low floor. Just like Voyager with seats removed, like a van. So as much as I'd like an X5 no tiny in the back 4x4s with their floor very high up.

Budget - up to 8k. I want it to be indestructible on London's speedhumps just like the Voyager was, so no flimsy Kangoos etc. Ideally with a big engine, V6 or V8.

I thought about selling a Voyager before but never came up with anything that would tick more boxes, so maybe PH will help.

I'm thinking something american would do? Just don't really know what models to look for which AREN'T a Voyager?

Another options are Nissan Legrand and Mazda Bongo but their interiors and most importantly performance leave much to be desired.

Mazda 5 is a bit too small and very difficult to find with all the comforts and AUTO.

Zafira VXR would possibly be an option but all of them are manual and I'd rather have something "nicer to be in".
Mitsubishi Sports Gear is on the list, just a bit too small.
I was also thinking a V-Class Mercedes but after some research on the internet they seem to be even less reliable than Chrysler!


Please don't come up with any estate cars, it has to be an mpv - I have a BMW 540 already.

Any ideas PH?

Edited by rottie102 on Sunday 5th December 01:20

[rottie102]

Thanks guys, TBH I'd really want something as NOT-minicabish as possible. Plus the sliding door are really important so that rules out the Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra and S-Max.

I went paragliding in the Isle of Wight recently and the guy took me to up to the mountain/hill in his Delica. It's UNBELIEVABLE how comfortable this thing was on a rough ground. Why does it have to be so bloody ugly though...

Chevy Astro is a good call, it ticks most of the boxes, how is with reliability though?

Is it possible to get this newer generation Toyota Lucida/Estima with any interesting motor?

[rottie102]

cptsideways said:

I'd be looking at Jap import cars, though maybe hard to find with leather.


Mitsubishi RVR maybe? most are 4x4 & they did a turbo nutter version too

I did mention the Mitsubishi in the OP.

I really like the Hyper Gear, I'd have it immediately if it would be slightly bigger.

[rottie102]

sawman said:

up to the point where you state an 8k budget, i'd be suggesting subaru tribeca, but I think they start at 10-12k

No sliding door...

[rottie102]

WTFWT said:

Seems you can make the Chrysler tick those boxes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78InPT4iqlw

Well, this exactly what I have - just 3.3V6.

[rottie102]

SubaruSteve said:

You'd get a newer shape Kia Sedona for 8 grand, not sure I'd want one but it is good value for money and has sliding door.

I just had a quick google

"This, then, sounds a brilliant substitute for a proper car . . . in the same way that a bunch of flowers from your local petrol station sounds a brilliant substitute for a proper bouquet from a florist – right up to the moment you give them to your wife as an anniversary present. And then, all of a sudden, they are not brilliant at all. They are an affront to everything in life that matters.

And so it goes with the Sedona. Behind the veneer of common sense and good value beats the heart of a wizened chrysanthemum. Its 2.9 litre turbodiesel engine pulls with all the vigour of a primary school tug-of-war team. The suspension is absolutely unable to deal with imperfections in the road surface. It jolts and shudders, and sometimes you get the worrying impression that the body is going to come off. Then your children will be sick.

It gets worse. The Sedona is thirstier than you might imagine, there is wind noise on the motorway, the interior appears to have been made from plastic that Lego rejected and the exterior has the visual appeal of a smashed dog.

I hated this car in the same way that AA Gill would hate microwaved meat. Or Brian Sewell would hate The Crying Boy. I hated it in the same way that I hate own-brand stereo systems. They have all the buttons and they have the low price tags but they have no soul. They were designed simply to milk people who know nothing about the subject. The Sedona is a white good. It is a fridge freezer with windscreen wipers.

And if you don’t believe me, consider this. Kia Motors is heavily involved with getting kids to walk to school. It will provide free high-visibility jackets along with information on how it can be done safely, and how you can get in touch with other parents to form “walking buses”.

It is actually saying that its Sedona is so terrible that you are better off taking your kids to school on foot. And it’s right."