People carriers - any that aren't the pits?

[yellowbentines]

Chicharito said:

We sat in the boot... and were usually wedged in so tightly that there was no chance of flying through a window in a crash!

Those were the days, my mates folks had a Cortina estate, from memory you could fit about 14 kids in between the boot & back seat - as you say safety was provided by means of being wedged in, you weren't going anywhere!

[missing the VR6]

CO2000 said:

JonnyFive said:

Mazda 5.

Go and drive one, they're very nice and actually pretty nimble for the size of them!

Diesel sports are good, great handling for what they are & nicely geared unlike the petrol ones.

I'd say the best handling MPV apart from maybe the S-Max.

I've had as demonstrators various MPV's, from the age of 25 - 30(now), I have no kids and no requirement for them, here's my thoughts based mostly on driving experience.
Mazda 5, actually enjoyed driving it, the diesel is a must in Sport trim but watch the tyre wear
S-Max, drove the 2.0TDCI very accomplished handler
Old shape Galaxy, it's tank but drives much better than a french equivelent
Corrolla Verso, had one as a hire car for a week 2.0tdi (110bhp I think) inert, lifeless, boring.
Zafira, it's a Zafira does exactly what it says on the tin, not much fun to drive. Suspect the GSI/VXR could be a giggle though.

[sticks090460]

Seat Alhambra.

[carl_w]

yellowbentines said:

My folks used to have a great car for carting the 3 of us kids and all of our gear around the length & breadth of the country back in the 1980s, Ford Sierra I think it was called - I'm pretty sure they do a modern equivalent

It also depends on how committed you are to the cause. One of the long-termers in EVO had the rear seat taken out of his M3 and replaced with a mounting frame for 3x child seats. Many things are possible if you want to avoid the hateful people carriers. The only reasons to buy one are if you secretly like them, or your missus wears the trousers.

[MC Bodge]

yorkshirephil said:

We have 2004 Zafira GSI, its as much fun as an MPV can be as well as being a bit different to all the diesels out there and its well within your budget.

So long as you don't want to be able to see around the windscreen pillars and can tolerate a tall Astra that isn't very long in the boot and either too roly-poly or too firm?

The seats in the back feel as if you are perched on top of them rather than sitting comfortably in them.


I'm amazed that anybody interested in cars would want one. Get an S-Max if you must!

Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 1st December 08:37

[benjj]

Decision made I think - E46 330d Touring.



Thanks for all the help and comments re MPVs though, perhaps we'll need one one day but for now it can remain but a dream (nightmare!)

Ben

[MC Bodge]

benjj said:

Decision made I think - E46 330d Touring.



Thanks for all the help and comments re MPVs though, perhaps we'll need one one day but for now it can remain but a dream (nightmare!)

Ben

Check the luggage space. The Touring boot isn't that big -compare with a decent-sized hatchback.

[furtive]

Having driven all the MPV's recently I ended up with an S-Max 2.0 turbo petrol. It was the only one that had an engine capable of actually moving the car, had the most toys, was the most comfortable and drove like a normal car.

[Tyson1980]

I've always liked the look of the ford S-Max...

Dont really know why