Hi Guys,

I wonder if anyone has experience of 7 seater cars ? The two on the short list are :

VW Touran
Ford S-MAX
Hyundai Santa Fe

Any advice or experiences would be very welcome !

 

It all depends on what you criteria are for selecting one. The Santa Fe seems a bit of a wildcard in that lot. Of the three you've listed I quite like to s-max, but we've opted to look at the Grand Scenic as they are a lot cheaper to both buy and run - depending upon how new the 1.5 TD is between £30 and £120 per year to tax whereas the s-max is in a much higher bracket. We did look at the C4 Grand Picassos too but they are not as well built - they look okay to start with but don't seem to wear as well

 

Thanks for the reply Jon. The car will only do about 8-10k miles PA, mainly town driving. Reliability is the major factor, and a quality interior. Plan to keep the car for many years. Not to keen on the French cars I'm afraid.

 

S-max would be my choice.

 

I'd have the Ford of those you've listed - the VWs look dates and the Santa Fe is a typical big taxi, battered but who cares. French is a preference thing, but we've had 2 scenics in the past and have only upgraded for better spec or in this case we need more seats which is why we are looking for a Grand Scenic.

 

Toyota Verso ?

 

Years of experience of 7 seaters here!

Had the full size versions - 2 x Galaxy and a Fiat Ulysse.

Just changed my Grand Scenic for a Pug 5008.

Depending on how many you want to carry in the 2nd row, you'll need to consider the size of the middle seat. In the Scenic (old versions and the newer ones) and the S Max the middle seat is smaller in width than the outer ones. The 5008 has 3 same size seats in the middle row.

Of 3 you've listed, I've only driven 2 of them, the S Max and the Touran. The S Max would be my choice if it was between the 2. The Touran is pretty dated inside, VW seemed to give up with face lifting it. The S Max is a very good drive and the only reason we chose the Grand Scenic and then the 5008 was cost. You pay a premium for the S Max for a reason, but not a good enough reason for me to buy one!

 

Thanks guys the 5008 and Verso's are great shouts ! Thanks coupe you make some valid points about the seats in the Ford.

Any more opinions welcome !!

 

My folks have a Verso - it seems very claustrophibic for a 7-seater and very bland compared to the S-Max. Having researched that pug I'm having a re-think

 

There are some great deals on the 5008s at the moment.

Mine is a 59 plate 1.6Hdi 110bhp (don't snigger at the back ), 45k, full Pug history and it cost me less than £10k.

It's the Exclusive with all the toys, heated leather, built in DVD, head up display, Cruise, parking sensors, electric seats, panoramic roof etc.

Very similar to this one -

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge/1?logcode=p

Just had a long weekend away, wife, 3 teens and fully loaded 'boot.' We did 440 miles and averaged 49mpg.

Full size rear seats for 3 teenagers is a must. Go look at one, you won't be disappointed.

 

That one is about 5 miles from me and was the one that made me consider the pug, only drama is they don't so finance and Sod's law is I've just swapped current account and they want to see my account operate so I'm looking around for a reasonably priced loan

 

Thanks for that, very useful. Does it feel underpowered with just 110 BHP ? It just doesnt sound a lot for such a big car ! 49 MPG sounds very interesting though...

 

The petrol versions feel underpowered when you load them up, which is another reason why we are changing - it's all about the torque

 

As JonMc said it's not the BHP it's the Torque. The 110 HDi has bucketloads and pulls really well. Drive a petrol mpv with say 140bhp and then drive the HDi, you'll not want the petrol version.

I was pleased with the mpg, we use to get 31/32 in the Megane doing the same trip so getting a smidge under 50 is very pleasing.

JonMc, Moneysupermarket! Get a loan approved then get a deposit down. The one near you will not disappoint!

 

If you're not looking for a new car, then these might be worth a look. Renault Grand Espace - also come as a slightly shorter wheel base Espace. There is a range of engines 2.0T and 2.2T diesel and 3.0 v6 petrol.

The wife has 2.0 litre Diesel turbo (Dynamique S level) and I have to say its a very good car - very good torque so relatively nippy, very comfortable and quiet when cruising,fully loaded with sat nav, a/c, leather etc , 7 full sized removable seats and still a good luggage space behind the 3rd row which most of the current 7 seaters won't give you.

We've done 30 odd thousand miles in it and it hasn't missed a beat. circa 30MPG.

 

Easier said then done - ever since I cleared some debt and became financially responsible I've found it more and more difficult to get a loan

 

 

I have managed to get all of the OP's choices to transport people about over the last 9 months.

They are all pretty useless when loaded with 7 people. The only luggage you can carry would have to be paper thin to fit in the boot space that's left over. Even with underfloor space the 7 seat option is very poor for the load/luggage.

If you use it as a normal 5 seater then the Ford is a better all rounder with bags of space. It also feels and looks the most modern inside. Good torque and toys.

The Hyundai is great because of the 4x4 and the diesel is not the most refined but as a good dollop of torque on tap but is a bit thirsty. The seat issue is still the same.

The Touran is a pretty bland "van" with seats and car fittings inside.

If you going for a true seven seater with luggage sapce get a VW T Series van.

Just my tuppence.

 

Couldn't agree more, but for me it's about using the extra seats for local running when the outlaws visit or kids football etc, when we go away camping there's only ever 4 of us so the seats fold flat, roof box goes on and the load carrying is no longer such as issue

 

Re luggage - see grand espace above.

The top photo is the space behind the 3rd row of seats with the 3rd row fully back. No roof box has ever been needed for us so far, even 5 up going skiing with all the gear.

 

For the 2-weeks a year I need the extra load space of a roof box I can't justify the increased running costs of a full-sized 7-seater, dearer to insure, tax and fuel so in the long run it's not for me

 

Out of that list, the S-max.

 

Fair enough but there's not much difference in size/ mpg etc between an Smax and the espace - a few inches/ etc probably. Out of the 3 it's obviously the smax to go for though.

Ours is the same, except it also gets used a a team bus for my boy and his rugby mates and various dads most other weekends a year, plus we have two very old in laws who I would much rather take in our car than drive very slowly in tandem with them in their wee mobile...

 

When we have the in laws in the car it would be for a day out - any more than that and we'd end up with 2 coffin shaped roof boxes

 

Lol - we're not far off that, but even what would be a ten minute drive for you or I takes about an hour if the oldies take their own car - what with finding the garage keys, going to the toliet, taking the rug off the engine (I'm not kidding), going to the toilet , a 50 feet reverse at a speed a snail would be embarrassed about, going to the toilet, a ninety eight point turn in their cul de sac, going to the toilet, etc etc and then a 12 mph crawl along a dual carriageway with me sweating and cursing behind as Lorry drivers give me the finger and hoot at me for driving so slowly. Then 40 minutes finding a space big enough to park their tiny Toyota thingy in ( ie. around 200 ft long) etc etc.... Argh. I'd rather give them a piggy back than do that too often - so even for one day a year I'm happy to have something big enough to take them

Of course when I'm feeling antisocial its the P1 or the old shed of a Bentley so we've got most bases covered.

 

lol sounds like your talking from bitter experience there fatboy ! Gotta love the oldies on the road eh.

Thanks for all the replis gents, they have been VERY useful !! Still not decided though lol

 

I went for a Nissan Pathfinder for a 7 seater as I couldn't stand any of the people carrier range. Perfect for 7 people or 5 people and 2 dogs or a lot of luggage plus never have to worry about snow/flooded roads. One of the best cars i've owned. I get 30mpg from it so not bad on fuel either (especially for a 4x4).

 

We have a Citroen Grand Picasso 1.8 16v petrol as a second car, its not going to break any speed records but its quiet, comfortable and cruises lovely on the motorway. It does struggle a little on hills when 7 up, but is perfectly adequate.

We currently average just under 30 mpg but will do 35 on a motorway run, as a contrast we borrowed a 1.6 hdi for a week and that did 38 / 43 mpg on the same runs. It was better when fully laden but overall no better to drive.

Factoring in the cheaper purchase price, no DPF or DMF to worry about plus cheaper fuel it was a no brainer.

A lot of people knock Citroens but apart from slightly dubious interior trim quality it has been one of the most reliable cars we have owned.

 

Land Rover Discovery ?

 

I've got the 2L turbo diesel exclusive version and can't praise it enough .. 7 seats aren't really suitable for adults in the very back though.