What family car? 7 seater recommendations

[eggchaser1987]

Yes, another what car question but I'm all out of ideas.

Currently in the household we have a 09 ford mondeo estate and a skoda yeti. All well and good for the four of us, me, wife, a 2 year old and a 3 and a halfyear old. We have found that going places we tend to go with grandparents and that means taking 2 cars. This tends to be more hassle than it's worth, but it's handy having grandparents with us.

So I'm after ideas for a 7 seater. I have looked at volvo xc 70s, vw transporter and some people carriers but am I missing any obvious ones?

Budget of £9k minimum 7 seats and Nitshill be an everyday car for me so nothing that only does 10mpg!

Thanks

[ZX10R NIN]

The Ford Galaxy is the pick:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210210...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211071...

If you want something Transit/Transporter in size then I'd suggest taking a good look at the Hyundai i800:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211081...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210311...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206076...

[V8 Bob]

Ford Smax at that budget

[Chromegrill]

Galaxy or Alhambra/Sharan are the two obvious candidates with seven full adult size seats. Most other seven seater have child sized rear row seats which might be OK for occasional short rides but nothing more. Your little ones will grow faster than you imagine, but even if you don't keep the car once they reach their teens, strapping babies into child seats crammed onto a tiny rear bench with no legroom is no fun at all if the seats aren't good enough for an adult they won't be comfy for a toddler in a child seat.

Depending on willingness to buy older age and your risk appetite the Volvo XC90 and Merc R class (but that's usually 6 seats) or the Japanese exotica of El Grands and Alpgarges may be worth a shout too.

[djsmith74]

If you're considering JDM vehicles, then also look at the Toyota Alphard, as mentioned above. I'm currently running a 3L V6 Alphard as my daily, and can highly recommend it. As with the Elgrand & Stepwagon, they are unbeatable value for money for the specification / versatility that you get. And, if you buy one from a reputable dealer, then they are utterly reliable. Mine is 18 years old, and sailed through its recent MOT with no advisories - even the MOT tester commented on how good it was.

Have a look at some comments I made on a post over in the Camping & Caravanning section, from someone asking questions about these cars:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[eggchaser1987]

Thanks all, a few more to look at. I did think of the JDM type but assumed that the petrol in a v6 would be sky high. May have to look at these in a bit more detail.

[edc]

I bought a C4 Grand Picasso for exactly the same use case. Odd days out and holiday in UK and we've had 7 up with roofbox. In day to day use the rear seats are folded down for a larger boot. The boot is big enough for a toddler to use a travel potty in the back without having to move stuff out the way. If you would use the 7 seats more frequently or need more boot space with 7 up then go for the larger size Galaxy/Sharan size MPV.

[samoht]

eggchaser1987 said:

Thanks all, a few more to look at. I did think of the JDM type but assumed that the petrol in a v6 would be sky high. May have to look at these in a bit more detail.

You can also get them, or the slightly lighter Estima variant, with a four-pot 2.4, eg
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206206...
the Estima still has adequate performance for an MPV with this engine, and a bit better on fuel I think.
That one says hybrid, which may further help economy.

Worth thinking through how many miles you'll do a year in it, in general fuel isn't that expensive compared to other costs of ownership unless you do a lot of miles.