Which? 7 seater

T-Maxx

With the family due to expand yet again :cool: it's time to move into the 7 seater market. This is uncharted territory for me to be honest and I'd like to please hear from people re their experiences with the different makes and models out there, what features to place emphasis on, safety , etc.

L-M

Budget?

blackbox

My experience goes back to a Mitsubishi Spacewagon, which is rather out of date now but had some features that were way better than most of the competition.

1. the seats folded into the floor. This is fantastic compared to having to physically remove them as per the Ford Galaxy, Sharan etc. The headrests had to be removed but there was a cubby for them. Where do you put seats that have to be removed - in the sitting room? - or in the garage to get sprayed with cat p*ss?

2. the second row of seats also folded flat so that there was a completely flat cargo area when only 2 seats were in use.

3. there was no lip at the back so bulky loads could be slid in and out.

On the down side it had very little luggage space when all the seats were in use (but more than a Zafira)

biko

Volvo XC90 can seat 7.

The XC90 is also known for the world's best performance in the SUV roll over test, as many other premium brands neglect to test this feature on their models.

R.O.R

Will you require more than 5 seats all the time, or are you after more space and flexibility? If you need 6 or more seats constantly then go for a Galaxy / Espace size with 7 fixed seats. If you need 5 seats and space go for an S-Max / Zafira with flexible seating options.

Will the various child seats / booster seats all fit next to each other?

Is the main driver used to vehicles that size? New Zafira and S-Max are much more car like to drive than older Galaxy / Sharan which feel very van like.

Obviously you are carrying very precious cargo so safety is an issue. Avoid the Chrysler Voyager which has a woeful NCAP (www.EuroNCAP.com) safety rating. Most of the new model MPV's come with 5 star rating.

Try to go for a diesel. MPG and re-sale will be much better than the petrol equivalents.

keefg

You don't give us much info regarding your budget or size of your family and a lot of it will come down to your own taste. I can recommend the Opel Zafira, worth a test drive anyway.

The 2 rear seats fold completly flat into the floor giving you a 5 seater option with a huge boot, even with all 7 seats up you still have room in the boot for a suitcase or several bags of shopping (but you WON'T fit a pram into the back of you are using all 7 seats).

Also worth noting that the 2 back seats are only really suitable for children on longer journey's but for a short local trip they are fine for adults.

The diesel models are very good if you can get one, the 1.6 petrol is a bit gutless when you have the rest of the familiy loaded up.

The diesel models also have service intervals of 20k miles and a camchain (so no belt to change at 80k miles) so it's reasonable to maintain.

As for safety, there are loads of front & side airbags on mine (2004 model) and every seat has a headrest & 3-point locking seatbelt. Plenty of cupholders & cubby holes for everyone (including the last row).

There are larger MPV's out there but (in my opinion) some of them are a bit bus like. The Zafira suits us fine as we can have a regular car for everyday use with the bonus of a couple of extra seats when we need them.

Happy hunting

RobAMerc

I have driven the S-Max, Grand Scenic and both new and older model Zafiras.

Older model Zafira is a terrible yoke - noisey, poor ride and felt van like.

S-Max is superb - handles well, smooth ride.

Scenic and newer Zafira both are capable and good family cars, but ......

I rarely care about a cars reliability and scorn those who think it is all a car should be judged on but when you got a car full of screamers and the car goes bang well then I imagine I'd not think like that, so for that reason I would probably avoid the Scenic (My sisters one has been a bit of trouble).

The Corolla Verso looks to me to be the most compact 7 seaters so should be easy to maneuver - never drove one, but having wrote what i did about reliability I wouldn't buy till I did.

blackbox

BTW no matter how low your budget is, don't be tempted by a Nissan Serena.

Only one word needed to describe them - woeful.

Guy:Incognito

R.O.R wrote: »

Will you require more than 5 seats all the time, or are you after more space and flexibility? If you need 6 or more seats constantly then go for a Galaxy / Espace size with 7 fixed seats. If you need 5 seats and space go for an S-Max / Zafira with flexible seating options.
.

While they dont fold into the floor, the seats in the Espace (and the Galaxy afaik) fold up forwards and are indiviual. They can be removed in any combination.

We bought a Grand Scenic recently. The missus loves it. The 2 rear most seats only get occasional use but are handy to have.

As I put in another similar thread, the only one in that segment we discounted straight away was the Zafira. I had one as a hire car and can honestly say there was nothing I liked about it. From Opels styleing (everything square) to the ride, comfort and fiddly seats. I just didnt like it one bit.

JHMEG

Someone on here made the point that get rear ended in a 7-seater and the people in the back 2 seats are history. Looking at some of the smaller ones like the Corolla Verso I can see how that conclusion would be reached.

Does Euro NCAP test rear ending? I'm not sure but I don't think they do.

I think I'd prefer something like an FR-V or a Multipla from a safety point of view.