20k Car for 2 Adults 3 Kids

[NickLCR]

Looking for a new motor to transport myself, the mrs, 2 kids 10&12 and a new born.
Something easy to drive for the wife who hasn’t long passed her test, and spacious in the back for the 2 kids and a baby seat, with a decent boot for the pram etc…
Ideally an auto and diesel.

Looking at upto £20k, and so far I’m looking at;

Volvo V60/V90
Volvo XC60
BMW 5 series estate

[Pistonheader101]

A good sized hatchback surely like a golf?

[ZX10R NIN]

Easy, it's the best E350cdi you can find.

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[Mogul]

Touran

[fflump]

Pistonheader101 said:

A good sized hatchback surely like a golf?

A Golf sized hatch doesn’t come close

[Si 330]

We have 3 boys, had 5 series estate and saloon, but the X1 we had as a tool for family transport was better.

[fflump]

Si 330 said:

We have 3 boys, had 5 series estate and saloon, but the X1 we had as a tool for family transport was better.

Ours at 12, 13 and 15 are in exponential growth phase-main issue with most cars is the duff central seat especially when coupled with a large transmission tunnel and intrusive central rear climate control module.

[Jamesgt]

fflump said:

A Golf sized hatch doesn’t come close

My wife has a golf. We have 3 kids (5,7,9). The oldest does moan she’s cramped next to the 5yr olds seat. I’d not want to jam teenagers into a golf next to a baby seat. That’s the same for most cars though. I’ve got my dads Range Rover at the moment at the width inside that car isn’t much better.

[Matt Cup]

If your missus is ok driving a larger car then a Skoda Superb might be a worthy consideration, they seem to be big inside and have a huge boot too.

[Magnum 475]

ZX10R NIN said:

Easy, it's the best E350cdi you can find.

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https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208309...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208168...

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https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208309...

This x 1000.

The 6 cylinder E-Class is hard to beat in this sector. A 5 series is also nice, but very hard to find in 6 cylinder versions - I spent ages looking for one, and bought an E-Class instead. The E-Class turned out to be one of the best cars I've ever owned.

[silent ninja]

fflump said:

Ours at 12, 13 and 15 are in exponential growth phase-main issue with most cars is the duff central seat especially when coupled with a large transmission tunnel and intrusive central rear climate control module.

Indeed this is the main problem - middle seats in the majority of cars are unusable. If you're prepared to move to a van (SEAT Alhambra, Ford Galaxy etc) they are the most practical by far.

Moving to a 7 seater SUV rarely solves this problem - usually seats 6 &7 are for small kids, and the middle seat in the second row is still terrible. So watch out for that. The SUVs that do solve this are v pricey (LR Discovery, Audi Q7 etc).

From what I've seen, the XC60 has a good middle seat. The BMW 5 series and E class are passable.

I would highly recommend you test the back seats out for yourself.

We have a SEAT Ateca which has served us reasonably well for 3 kids in the back, better than the Tiguan when we tested, but it's not perfect. It meets your budget. As an SUV it's very practical for prams and baby loading. the main drawback of cars is you have to bend over to strap your child in which can get tiresome (one of the reasons we sold our 4 series which was otherwise a practical car). Whereas with an SUV they are at a natural height.
We're moving to a BMW iX3 next.

Edited by silent ninja on Monday 12th September 09:16

[bennno]

We've got the v90 and its superb, so much on board safety and pilot assistance tech.

However for a new driver and if lots of urban running about, Berlingo Multispace.

[NickLCR]

Ideally I don’t want to move to the boring dad vans like the Galaxy and Alhambra. I’d really like something more ‘premium’.

I’d love a Discovery, but realisability puts me off. So far I’ve added the E Class to the list. Seems to tick all the boxes as well as the V90

[bennno]

NickLCR said:

Ideally I don’t want to move to the boring dad vans like the Galaxy and Alhambra. I’d really like something more ‘premium’.

I’d love a Discovery, but realisability puts me off. So far I’ve added the E Class to the list. Seems to tick all the boxes as well as the V90

Consider what driving your wife does, if it’s all about town and from school then a v90 or e class are both very big cars for a new driver.

[Danzelp]

I've had a V90 for 2.5 years, it's great and comfortable for long journeys for 3 kids and my once-per-week long work commute with Pilot Assist. But my OH now pretty much exclusively drives her 19 plate focus, much prefers it because of the size, and all told the focus is ample space for the kids really inc. a baby seat.

I'll most certainly be down-sizing it when I change. For the record the Octavia VRS I had before this was probably the sweet spot in terms of size/practicality/relative fun for the use case.

[DodgyGeezer]

Matt Cup said:

If your missus is ok driving a larger car then a Skoda Superb might be a worthy consideration, they seem to be big inside and have a huge boot too.

this ^^^ the Superb is aptly named, an alternative name could have been the Skoda Bulk Carrier - the boot is cavernous and the rear seats/legroom amazing.

[edc]

I was looking at a Touran for some time but ended up getting a C4 Grand Picasso. It's surprisingly good. The 3 individually moving rear seats make a big difference and as you have a little one you will have flexibility to put the car seat where you want. In 5 seat mode I can fit a double buggy flat down one side of the boot and still have half the boot space free. A lot of glass makes for good visibility and a slightly higher driving position too. 1.6 auto diesel isn't going to set any land speed records but recently did 7 up with roof box and had to stop myself going too fast. For this particular car I just went for value and practical. I can cover the other car wants in other cars.

[Turtle Shed]

I've currently got a 17 Reg RAV 4 diesel. Does absolutely everything I could want from a car, and best of all, it's a Toyota. If I had to replace it I'd buy exactly the same thing again.

[otolith]

E class is undeniably superb at what it does. Mine has also been an unreliable money pit, but you'd be looking at a substantially newer and lower mileage one than mine.

[Lucas_Wxm]

The wife has a first gen XC60, plenty of room in the back. I can sit in relative comfort in the middle stuck between a high back booster and a booster cushion. Boot is massive. Carries loads. But mrs wants to downsize now.

I’m in a similar position, kids are 11, 8 and 5. I to have been looking at the same cars as you. There’s a comparison on YouTube of the v60 and v90. A (English) German YouTube Chanel, autofeghul (I think). IIRC he said there wasn’t much between them in terms of size. The v90 has a slightly bigger boot.

With the wife wanting a smaller car, it would mean me swapping for the bigger family motor which I don’t mind. I’ve been looking at similar cars to yourself. I much prefer a wagon over suv. Just want to avoid diesel as I don’t do the miles. The V90 on R design guise is top of my list. Although the bmw 5 series (g31) is slowly creeping into budget, which could tempt me. Also looked at the newer E-Class’.

We have also looked at the second gen xc90. When we go out as a family of 5, the eldest doesn’t like been to close to the 2 little ones, so the third row would be used then. Although it’s not often we go out as a 5, so that third row won’t often be used meaning we could be buying a 7 seater for very rare use.

It’s a tough predicament.

The E-class listed I’m sure come in a 7 seat option. So not sure if that’s something that you’ve considered?

I

Edited by Lucas_Wxm on Saturday 17th September 22:38