The Next Family Car Question

[C.A.R.]

Such an exciting topic I'm sure you'll agree.

At present we have a company car with personal use (mine) and a Nissan Note mini-MPV thing which has been valued at about £1000 trade-in.

The A/C has packed up on the Note and I'm not sure I can be asked spending out £300 fixing it when we are thinking of selling it at the end of the year anyway.

We are also looking at child no. 3 next year, so need something slightly bigger than the Note.

I'd like to get a big saloon / estate car as I feel it will suit our needs, but as with much of the buying public Mrs C.A.R. wants an SUV-type softroader thing. I've even pointed out that frequently these don't have the same amount of space inside.

Budget-wise I'm looking at anything £4,500 up to £7,000 - the latter requiring extra saving-up or finance.

I've looked at-



Ford C-Max - Mrs didn't like it. Says it's too much like a Van. Said the same about Touran, Altea etc.



Skoda Superb / Estate - I liked it...Mrs didn't. Lots of high-miles examples and mostly all Diesel...



Nissan Quashqai - Mrs Loved it...but a bit cramped in the back for such a big car?

Then the next big question is petrol vs. diesel? Such a debate about this. I recently hired a couple of cars and was impressed with the economy and power from a 1.4 turbo Hyundai thing. That engine would suit my Mrs perfectly - but I fear our budget won't get us into something that modern / efficient?

The Diesel thing oft-discussed on here seems to only be going one way - higher taxation, higher fuel cost.

Do you consider an older Hybrid? Options seem limited to an old Toyota Prius or a Lexus SUV thing.

I need a car big enough for one rear-facing child seat and two booster seats, together with the associated baby-related paraphernalia next year. A mini MPV or Estate car make the most sense, but is there a sensible SUV out there?

Probably the most vague thread you will read today but hopefully I will update it frequently enough to keep it interesting!

[Mammasaid]

C.A.R. said:

I need a car big enough for one rear-facing child seat and two booster seats, together with the associated baby-related paraphernalia next year. A mini MPV or Estate car make the most sense, but is there a sensible SUV out there?

There's your issue, 3 child seats means 3 separate seats in the rear, which rules out most SUVs and Estate cars.

Alternatives include C4 Picasso, Smax, or Peugeot 5008 (if you can get one in budget).

HTH.

[C.A.R.]

Mammasaid said:

There's your issue, 3 child seats means 3 separate seats in the rear, which rules out most SUVs and Estate cars.

Alternatives include C4 Picasso, Smax, or Peugeot 5008 (if you can get one in budget).

HTH.

I feared as much.

I wonder, as it will very rarely have 5 occupants, the exception of the rare occasion we go on a UK holiday / weekend outing, you could get away with it in some of those cars?

Our 3 year old has a big bulky seat and her elder sister has a booster seat. My logic was that, next year the younger will turn 4 and be nearly ready for a booster herself. Looking at the hire car we have just now (Quashqai) I reckon you'd get two booster seats either side of a Group 1 seat?

I really don't want a big MPV but your reply makes it sound as though they're the only option with the modern child seats.

[Mammasaid]

Problem is that according to the DfT, under the new rules, backless booster seats are deemed unsuitable for children shorter than 125cm and weighing less than 22kg – this is the average height and weight of children between six and eight years old.

https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules

[here_we_go]

C.A.R. said:

Mammasaid said:

There's your issue, 3 child seats means 3 separate seats in the rear, which rules out most SUVs and Estate cars.

Alternatives include C4 Picasso, Smax, or Peugeot 5008 (if you can get one in budget).

HTH.

I feared as much.

I wonder, as it will very rarely have 5 occupants, the exception of the rare occasion we go on a UK holiday / weekend outing, you could get away with it in some of those cars?

Our 3 year old has a big bulky seat and her elder sister has a booster seat. My logic was that, next year the younger will turn 4 and be nearly ready for a booster herself. Looking at the hire car we have just now (Quashqai) I reckon you'd get two booster seats either side of a Group 1 seat?

I really don't want a big MPV but your reply makes it sound as though they're the only option with the modern child seats.

American, but might be helpful: https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/3-across-car-...

[ZX10R NIN]

Is getting a Multimac an option? That way you can get something like a Mondeo:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

A 2.5T Titanium X is within the realms of your lower budget marker if the Multimac works for you.

A good VFM option is the Mazda6:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...