What's the ultimate "family" car?

[rainmakerraw]

nick heppinstall said:

Here's mine :-)

Very nice. Do you reckon there'd be much of a squeeze in the middle between two baby seats?

[nick heppinstall]

rainmakerraw said:

Very nice. Do you reckon there'd be much of a squeeze in the middle between two baby seats?

Hard to say ... I suppose a lot depends on the seats. I've had 2 10 year olds on booster seats with an adult in the middle and she certainly wasn't squashed.

[rainmakerraw]

nick heppinstall said:

Hard to say ... I suppose a lot depends on the seats. I've had 2 10 year olds on booster seats with an adult in the middle and she certainly wasn't squashed.

Cheers, that sounds ample then. I'm desperately clinging on to five seater territory. When #3 is born I'll be in the market for a a couple of bricks!

[Welshbeef]

rainmakerraw said:

nick heppinstall said:

Here's mine :-)

Very nice. Do you reckon there'd be much of a squeeze in the middle between two baby seats?

Well if in a F10 5 series with 2 side isofix in place sitting between them is a nightmare and that's a wider car than the Superb.

S Max is a really good car R Class 320L CDI is in a different league and well worth a look.

[surveyor]

We had an Espace when the kids were younger. Decent car to drive for its size and height, was reliable (amazing I know), and not a murmur from the kids....

[nick heppinstall]

Welshbeef said:

Well if in a F10 5 series with 2 side isofix in place sitting between them is a nightmare and that's a wider car than the Superb.

S Max is a really good car R Class 320L CDI is in a different league and well worth a look.

As I said it depends on the seat. Boosters... Plenty of space :-)

[rainmakerraw]

Welshbeef said:

Well if in a F10 5 series with 2 side isofix in place sitting between them is a nightmare and that's a wider car than the Superb.

S Max is a really good car R Class 320L CDI is in a different league and well worth a look.

A nightmare for a child, though? The eldest is currently managing it in the Mazda 6, which is fully 90mm narrower than the Superb (1840mm v 2031mm). To be fair, as I said the new Mondeo is also 90mm wider again at 2121mm. The S Max comes in at 2137mm so not much difference.

[surveyor]

rainmakerraw said:

Welshbeef said:

Well if in a F10 5 series with 2 side isofix in place sitting between them is a nightmare and that's a wider car than the Superb.

S Max is a really good car R Class 320L CDI is in a different league and well worth a look.

A nightmare for a child, though? The eldest is currently managing it in the Mazda 6, which is fully 90mm narrower than the Superb (1840mm v 2031mm). To be fair, as I said the new Mondeo is also 90mm wider again at 2121mm. The S Max comes in at 2137mm so not much difference.

9 year olds grow quick....

[Fastdruid]

The S-Max and the Mondeo are the same "platform" but the S-Max is a bit wider inside.

You can see why when you look at an S-Max


vs a Mondeo estate



The S-Max is your classic slabsided MPV while the Mondeo angles in but of course that then reduces the amount of space inside.

[Chris V6 255]

I'm sure it's been said before but the Golf R estate ticks all the boxes for me.
Although it is DSG only which may put some people off.

With my sensible head on the GTD estate or VRS estate may be a better proposition if you do serious miles.

[sealtt]

theboss said:

So you did rate it, at one point in time?

sealtt said:

New M6 Cabrio has been a great choice for us, had mine for 8 months or so.

Full family can fit in no problem (2+2), cruise in luxury/comfort wherever you are going and then have fun on sunny days with the roof down. Plus great engine, 560bhp and very torquey - still gets around 32mpg-34mpg carrying on down the motorway. Can always fit our luggage in no problems too.

Very good looking car with a premium image, gets enough attention without pi**ing people off!

Edited by sealtt on Saturday 12th July 03:42

Haha, very good spot, I guess I did!

I only really started to become unhappy with the M6 in August time when I bought a Range Rover and realised how much better it was as a daily driver - it highlighted all that was bad about the M6 as a daily / luxury car, and so I PX'd the M6 for an F430 (now sold) as a 2nd car for fun - which obviously highlighted all the shortcomings in the M6 as a sports car. It was only really with these comparisons that I started to become disillusioned with the M6 and started having a negative opinion of it as just not quite cutting it as a sports car nor a luxury car.

(Maybe I was also annoyed because I took a fair bit of depreciation on it, if it had been a little cheaper my last (and lasting) memory would have been less painful!)

Edited by sealtt on Saturday 12th December 01:04

[sealtt]

On which note I respectfully change my vote to the Range Rover Vogue 5.0SC

Powerful engine with plentiful performance; top-tier luxury interior; fits the whole family - and the living room; all the mod cons; full off-road performance; looks smart wherever you go; and frankly is just a damn nice place to be.

[Welshbeef]

rainmakerraw said:

Welshbeef said:

Well if in a F10 5 series with 2 side isofix in place sitting between them is a nightmare and that's a wider car than the Superb.

S Max is a really good car R Class 320L CDI is in a different league and well worth a look.

A nightmare for a child, though? The eldest is currently managing it in the Mazda 6, which is fully 90mm narrower than the Superb (1840mm v 2031mm). To be fair, as I said the new Mondeo is also 90mm wider again at 2121mm. The S Max comes in at 2137mm so not much difference.

Are you happy with a 5 squeeze of want 6/7? /or look to wanting other parents with the big vehicles to take your nipped along and gift up a slab of beer as thanks...

Simply you cannot get an adult between two isofix seats unless it's an S max or bigger it's as basic as that

[nick heppinstall]

rainmakerraw said:

A nightmare for a child, though? The eldest is currently managing it in the Mazda 6, which is fully 90mm narrower than the Superb (1840mm v 2031mm). To be fair, as I said the new Mondeo is also 90mm wider again at 2121mm. The S Max comes in at 2137mm so not much difference.

Tell you what. I have 2 isofix seats in the garage. I'll try it in the morning and post a picture.

[Tonto]

[Welshbeef]

Tonto said:

Isn't the XJ just a 4 seater with fridge/champagne flutes in what would be the middle rear seat?

[DanielSan]

Money no object it has to be an RS6 let's be honest.

In the real world then I'd swap my STI Impreza Saloon for a Forester STI. No kids yet though so not an issue.

[Welshbeef]

DanielSan said:

Money no object it has to be an RS6 let's be honest.

In the real world then I'd swap my STI Impreza Saloon for a Forester STI. No kids yet though so not an issue.

Ferrari FF


But what about the RS6's competitor E63 AMG with its 5.4 V8 bi turbo?

[moustache]

For me currently, it is a SAAB 9-5 Aero

For me, as a echoed by other people in this thread, a family car has to do several jobs well, and come in at a reasonable price. Main factors are that I don't worry about it too much and it's comfortable.

The Saab ticks the following boxes:

• Fast (275bhp and 420NM)
• Ridiculously comfortable (properly designed seats)
• Cheap to buy and run (if you don't mind 30mpg average)
• something a bit different

Doesn't have the biggest boot in its clas but it's still big. I also don't feel I've had to compromise just because it's a family car. I still have a car I enjoy owning and driving

[Steve vRS]

Currently an Octavia vRS Estate. It is quick but not fast, looks good (IMHO) and the boot can swallow up all the gubbins you need with 2 kids.

Ideally I would like an M3 estate and can't understand why BMW won't make one, especially as Audi and Mercedes seem to have little trouble in shifting RS4s and C63 estates.

Steve