Five Seat Continent Crusher

[Leithen]

Making plans to visit various friends and relatives throughout Europe over the summer with the family. France, Portugal, Italy, with time possibly spent in Spain, Switzerland and Germany.

We are a family of five, myself, Mrs L and three children 12, 10 & 8. The idea of a road trip (with the additional distance from Scotland) has long appealed, with the memory of single life trips to Le Mans, Bordeaux and Italy calling to me.

But what to do it in? The family Volvo XC90 is capable, has seven seats, so the kids can be separated etc. But as much as I love it for the safety, it is dull as ditchwater. So can the PH hive mind find a suitable continent crusher that would be fun, memorable, comfortable and quick?

The biggest hurdle is that it needs to have five proper seats. So many fun things are purely four seats, or four and a half at a push. It can be a barge, or anything really. Budget up to £50k. Any ideas?

[RazerSauber]

I assume you'll be stopping regularly to give tiny bladders plenty of bathroom breaks. Would a Tesla Model X fit the bill? There are a few on AT under or within a haggle of £50k. Google says they'll fit 3 child seats in the 2nd row.

[Silvanus]

Tricky one, as realistically you need a third row, nobody wants the middle seat on a really long journey.

[Chrishum]

Merc R63 AMG has the correct number of proper seats.

[Silvanus]

Chrishum said:

Merc R63 AMG has the correct number of proper seats.

There is an R500 on Autotrader, can't find an AMG (one of the first cars that sprang to mind). They are underrated cars but not particularly interesting other than the engine.

[TTmonkey]

Ditching one of the kids with grandparents would really open up your options….

[VS02]

Mercedes S63 AMG with 5 seat package,

Mercedes S350d

BMW 760Li

Bmw 730d

Audi S8

Audi A8

Jag XJ R

Range Rover Supercharged Autobiography

Alpina B5

Alpina B7

Audi RS6 Avant

E63 AMG estate

BMW M5

Porsche Panamera Turbo

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Volkswagen Phaeton

Bentley Flying Spur

Bentley Mulsanne

early Rolls Royce Phantom

Lexus LS500h

Audi SQ7

DS 9

Jaguar XF Sportbrake V6 S

Volvo V90 Polestar Engineered

Volvo XC90 T8

Volkswagen Touareg

BMW X7

Aston Martin Rapide (?)

Kia Stinger GTS

Lexus RX450h

Mercedes GLE 400d

Mercedes ML 63

Mercedes GLS

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model X

Audi e-tron

DS 7 Crossback


List is endless really

[anonymous-user]

L405 Range Rover? Audi A8/S8 / BMW 7 series / Merc S class?

[Olivergt]

Toyota Land Cruiser, preferably the Amazon.

We had a 1998 Land Cruiser Amazon - 8 seater, was by far the best vehicle for our yearly jaunt down to the south of France. 3rd row was essential with 3 kids and still loads of room for luggage.

Would be something like this for me:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206287...

They are immensely capable and not that boring to drive, especially if you fancy a little off road while you are away...

Edited by Olivergt on Monday 21st November 17:59

[Hereward]

Sorry to be boring but I cannot see a reason to discount your XC90 and save £50k, to be honest!

Great driving position, comfort, visibility, safety, cabin space and you don't want to be doing silly things in performance cars with your 3 kids in the back.

[Silvanus]

BlackWidow13 said:

L405 Range Rover? Audi A8/S8 / BMW 7 series / Merc S class?

Having been in the back of all of those, other than the RR, they are geared up for 4 passengers not 5, middle seat on all of them is compromised.

[Baldchap]

I'm currently in Clermont-Ferrand having done Costa Blanca - Barcelona - here in the last two days.

I've had a few decent distance cars over the years but the sheer comfort and capability of the Alpina B5 for this sort of thing is unimaginable. I've never felt so much like I was in the right car for the job.

Don't know what used prices are like, but I'm willing to say there's not a better car for this sort of thing. The ride quality and refinement at speed is just perfect. Even the dog likes it and the Mrs doesn't complain about getting a shift on because it's so comfy.

Did a 904km jaunt down there from the ferry on our way out and arrived fresh as a daisy. Knocked about two hours off Google's arrival time, too. From memory it did about 33mpg too - not bad for 621bhp and 800Nm.

[Silvanus]

VS02 said:

Mercedes S63 AMG with 5 seat package,

Mercedes S350d

BMW 760Li

Bmw 730d

Audi S8

Audi A8

Jag XJ R

Range Rover Supercharged Autobiography

Alpina B5

Alpina B7

Audi RS6 Avant

E63 AMG estate

BMW M5

Porsche Panamera Turbo

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Volkswagen Phaeton

Bentley Flying Spur

Bentley Mulsanne

early Rolls Royce Phantom

Lexus LS500h

Audi SQ7

DS 9

Jaguar XF Sportbrake V6 S

Volvo V90 Polestar Engineered

Volvo XC90 T8

Volkswagen Touareg

BMW X7

Aston Martin Rapide (?)

Kia Stinger GTS

Lexus RX450h

Mercedes GLE 400d

Mercedes ML 63

Mercedes GLS

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model X

Audi e-tron

DS 7 Crossback


List is endless really

Nearly all of those saloons/estates are compromised for 5 and the Volvo would be better. Most of those have a very small middle seat. That may not be an issue depending on the size of the kids. If they are teenagers, you need a 3rd row having been in the back of a few of them they are not great for 5. Can't see how many of them will be any more fun either, the Volvo is a pretty decent car and is popular for a reason.

[LunarOne]

I've just come back from a trip to the U.S. where I had rented a Jeep Grand Cherokee (or similar). Due to lack of availability I was instead given a Chevrolet Traverse AWD, which is the smallest of their 3-row SUVs with the Tahoe in the middle and the Suburban as the largest. I needed to be able to move 6 people in comfort and it really was just the ticket.

Despite my penchant for premium German marques, I really liked it and if I had a family and lived in a country without tiny parking spaces, I could easily see myself having one. Was really pretty effortless experience to drive and more than enough power with its 3.6L V6. If I had to take 5 people across a continent, I'd do it in something like that. I finally 'got' the SUV.

I wouldn't have it in white though if I were buying...

[Draxindustries1]

Baldchap said:

I'm currently in Clermont-Ferrand having done Costa Blanca - Barcelona - here in the last two days.

I've had a few decent distance cars over the years but the sheer comfort and capability of the Alpina B5 for this sort of thing is unimaginable. I've never felt so much like I was in the right car for the job.

Don't know what used prices are like, but I'm willing to say there's not a better car for this sort of thing. The ride quality and refinement at speed is just perfect. Even the dog likes it and the Mrs doesn't complain about getting a shift on because it's so comfy.

Did a 904km jaunt down there from the ferry on our way out and arrived fresh as a daisy. Knocked about two hours off Google's arrival time, too. From memory it did about 33mpg too - not bad for 621bhp and 800Nm.

Any average 5 seater car with decent leg room as long as it has a large enough boot would be fine.
We've done all over Europe in a Transit, Belgium, sth of France , Austria, Switzerland, HU, BG , Italy Czech Rep, Slovakia and Poland to name just a few. Apart from some routes in Germany it's 110kph wet, 130kph dry.
There's only so fast you'll need to go, on cruise at 130kph the kms get eaten up with no issue.
Even a Fiesta Mrs D and I have had no problem doing Calais to Malaga in one hit, no aching joints , nothing.
Theres too much thinking that you need big power to cross Europe. Those that do invariably have little to no experience of European driving.
The OP's Volvo is an ideal car for 5 with luggage, comfortable, economical and would do the job just fine..

[964Cup]

+1 for keeping the XC90. It's exactly what we use for that purpose. Previously we had Disco 4s - which are completely brilliant, if now ageing a bit, but run on devil juice so aren't London/ULEZ compatible. Also the only reason a Disco is a more exciting prospect than an XC90 is that you can keep going when you run out of roads. Which we did, and which was great fun at the time.

My hot tip for XC90s (which is the final nail in the coffin for any idea that they might be fun) is to run them on 19s with winter tyres. On our air-suspended Inscription Pro T8 the resulting ride quality is fabulous, as is the reduction in road noise. We do a lot of 1100km non-stop runs with no complaints from anyone, and the driver assists work properly in left-hand drive countries so the car largely drives itself on the autoroute.

Spend what you would have spent on upgrading on something fun in which to do the same trips without the kids plus a bung to a suitable friend/grandparent/whathaveyou to keep them in check while you remember what (the other kind of) fun looks like.

[anonymous-user]

Silvanus said:

BlackWidow13 said:

L405 Range Rover? Audi A8/S8 / BMW 7 series / Merc S class?

Having been in the back of all of those, other than the RR, they are geared up for 4 passengers not 5, middle seat on all of them is compromised.

Are you speaking as an adult, or an 8-12 year old child?

[Silvanus]

BlackWidow13 said:

Silvanus said:

BlackWidow13 said:

L405 Range Rover? Audi A8/S8 / BMW 7 series / Merc S class?

Having been in the back of all of those, other than the RR, they are geared up for 4 passengers not 5, middle seat on all of them is compromised.

Are you speaking as an adult, or an 8-12 year old child?

Have you seen the middle seat in those cars? It's basically an armrest with a seat belt. Wouldn't sit my 8 year old in the middle seat for anything more than short journeys.

[Macron]

964Cup said:

We do a lot of 1100km non-stop runs with no complaints from anyone.

You, Sir, have the bladder of a camel.

[Leithen]

Silvanus said:

Tricky one, as realistically you need a third row, nobody wants the middle seat on a really long journey.

Yes, that's the challenge. A long wheelbase Maybach with the rear centre console removed and a rear facing seat in the middle would have been great if it had been an option..... The long wheelbase version would have a had a screen between the front and rear seats...