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do they exist?
Parents in law need moving every so often !
Budget £6000.00 as this will be a replacement for wife’s car (currently Honda Civic) I’ll keep my car Saab ttdi estate, and camper van.
Whats sporty ? SUVs etc ???
😜🤣😆😬😝
A bit out of your budget but a Tesla Model S P100D can come with 7 seats. Sporty enough for you?
Lol. No.
Mutually exclusive. Closest you'll get is the old 2.5t SMax.
You might struggle with sporty.
MPV or SUV are your only practical options. and unless you're planning on filling the extra seats with kiddies then it'll need to be one of the bigger ones.
Closest thing you'll get will likely be an S-Max.
Sporty 7 seater SUV ? & £6k are two distinctly different criteria...
The closest anyone ever came to putting these two crazy requirements together was this...
Can be found on eBay for your kinda cash...
Might need the rear seats cleaning first..

except Zafiras are just a bit shit, aren't they?
I've had 5 different 7 seaters and each time i've gone looking for a new car i've looked at Zafiras and felt a deep, lingering sadness as a result.
Not sporty in the sense of fast car sporty, but if you like a gamble ... one of these.
Mercedes R Class is certainly interesting.
S-Max 2.5 is within budget, could leave you with a fair bit left over for the much needed petrol.
Older galaxy can be had with a 200bhp diesel 2.2 engine.
not sporty though, no mpv really is.
200bhp isn’t that much when it’s pulling 2000kg.
galaxy does drive ok*for an mpv* though.
Can be difficult as a lot of times, like the vauxhall above, many of the seats are not suitable for older people to get in and out.
That Peugeot Rifter looked good that someone posted in the van thread?
£4.5K will get you a jet engined renault espace...



Fear there may be a degree of compromise with the seating arrangements though...

On the plus side, the price includes a 2nd espace with a 3.0 V6...
I meant Suv or MPV
Vauxhall Z is never gonna happen -EVER !!!!!
This Renault effort is a bit better finished

except Zafiras are just a bit shit, aren’t they?
To just call them shit would be extremely charitable.
You might manage to find interesting to some degree in the shape of an old Volvo estate with seats in the boot or an early Espace, perhaps some Merc estates I seem to remember too, and maybe an old Land Rover (Defender or Disco) or Land Cruiser or soemthing...
I suspect not as a daily driver though. And certainly not sporty.
If you're too much of a jessie for the jet version, there's this 245bhp Espace V6 for peanuts...
Based on my previous 7 seater vehicle history.....
If it needs to transport more than 5 adult sized people then get a Galaxy. It'll be the most practical car you will ever own but the least exciting.
My favourite seven seater thus far was my Nissan Pathfinder. Huge inside, agricultural to drive, 24mpg and £500+ VED. Loved it.
Quickest one was the S-Max - It's just like driving a Mondeo. Most Car like MPV you can get and plenty big inside, but not quite Galaxy big. Probably the closest to your requirements.
Renault Grand Scenic is the best value. Cheap to buy, extremely well equipped gadget wise. Zero reliability issues after 5 years. Wife loves hers.
4 weeks into a Mitsubishi Outlander. Liking it so far but too early to make any real, long term judgement. Drives well but suspension is a bit crashy. Economical. Comfy seats. Stereo is shit.
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richmtb
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<div class="bbp-reply-content">This Renault effort is a bit better finished
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I believe it still has a seating shortage though 🙁
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Older Honda Stream might do , 2.0 Vtec you would get the best available under budget .
As said cant be both, but 7 seater I am looking at at the moment Volvo XC90.
I really wouldn't bother with the 'Sporty' bit, accept your fate and go for comfy...
My Boss is on his second S-Max, first was a Tritium X which had massive wheels and not much wheel arch showing, the current one is so posh it's not even called an S-Max anymore, it's got it's own name which looks a bit like Vinaigrette but isn't.
For me 'Sporty', and it doesn't matter if it's a Coupe, Saloon, Estate, Convertible means a few things.
You sit fairly low in it, even if the car is actually a bit top-heavy, this gives you a feel for the balance of it.
The steering has feel and direct, this works with the above to give you an idea of what it's doing as it turns and brakes.
It handles well, it can change direction without getting all upset or flustered or rolling like a ship in a storm.
Frankly, for me, it doesn't matter if it's that powerful, or fast or even if it's got loads of grip - you don't feel those things, those things are go for hypothetical performance stats and 'ring times, in other words, for people who want to play real world top trumps with their mates, or to know they're better than the next person stuck in the same queue as they are.
I've never driven, been a passenger in, or indeed seen anything that looks like it could that had 7 seats. Sure there are fast ones with loads of grip - the Vinaigrette has a Sport button and it roars off, but you're sat several floors up, turning a steering wheels that I'm sure is connected to the front wheels somehow, but not so you'd know. The last one especially had a terrible ride for a family car and lots of tyre noise on the motorway. What's the point, you might as well get the one with the comfy seats and small wheels. We had a Citroen one on the books for a while, the passenger seat reclined almost flat like a first class plane seat and it was near silent with an auto, I'd rather that, than a Hippo in trainers.
£6k ain't buying you a Vignale though.
£6k ain’t buying you a Vignale though.
Not unless it's perhaps on fire at the time, no, my point is that in it's attempt to be 'Sporty' it completely and utterly fails, despite costing, no doubt, a lot of money and that instead of trying to a vehicle which is two things that seem mutually exclusive, they should look for the most comfortable and ideally economic* People Carrier possible for their budget.
*because of their weight and size they're not as fuel efficient as the equivalent estate or saloon, I'd imagine an older V6 Espace for example would make lots of noise, still not go very fast and drink fuel like the Shuttle.
an early Espace
Will be worth peanuts and be completely falling apart
A Sporty 6 seater?
Surely the only option is to buy one of these...

And one of these...

And smush them together to make a 5 pot 250phb turbo shopping trolley.
Has to be doable for 6k - it's what I'd do, if you think about it it's really the only sensible option...
accept your fate - all 7seaters are dull. Get some beige elastic waisted slacks to go with whatever MPV you get
My touran isn't dull.
I never know whats going to break next.
Zafira vxr’s were definitely made for the OP.
And most chaps on here 🤪🤯
For the odd occasion you need to move 7 people, take two cars. A five seater and a fast two seater
Make sure your in the fast one when you go somewhere.
Mercedes R-series. Big enough for 7 normal sized people, diesel R350 at ~ 280hp and R500 has nearly 400hp.
Also heard from a mate that they’ll get you really excited when you are receive the service bill at main dealers.
I have it on good authority from other owners that the 2.0 Pug 807/Citroen C8/Fiat Ulysse is rather fast and exciting to drive. Mine must be broken because it is anything but.
Plus points are it's comfy, not too thirsty at 60 and has completely removable seats and the option of captain seats up front. Mine is sitting outside ready for a road trip. Its easy to work on and if you do preventative maintenance is actually fairly solid.
Minus points are it's French with all the great build quality you would expect, pretty much undocumented so the only workshop manual available is a pirated dealers disk that only works on 32bit Windows machines OR €€ per hour on servicebox to access the same job instructions, has an tendency to break swirl valves on the 2.2, eats 5 speed autos unless they have been meticulously maintained (6 speed is fine apparently) and you need a full dealers diagnostic tool to do anything more than reset the MIL which, again, only works on 32bit. The Eolys additive runs out and needs a Lexia reset, if the fuel cap sensor goes, same and the fluid is very hazardous and expensive. I have the normal DPF thankfully.
In short, buy a Galaxy.
except Zafiras are just a bit shit, aren’t they?
To just call them shit would be extremely charitable.
Comments made by people who, I can pretty much guarantee, have never, ever driven one. I have actually driven Zafiras, lots of Zafiras, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them at all. Older examples, going back maybe five or six years, were pretty basic and the trim was a bit cheap, but newer models are much better finished, the 1.4 turbo is really pretty sprightly, although you’re still talking about a large 7-seat vehicle, which is always going to have limitations. Over the last two years I guess I’ve driven a couple of dozen, over hundreds of miles, often a couple of hundred miles per vehicle, and they do the job they’re designed to do perfectly well, in a comfortable fashion, without too many stupid little buttons and other bells and whistles; (I’m looking at you, Ford).
Comments made by people who, I can pretty much guarantee, have never, ever driven one.
*waves*
I have. Driven [s]one[/s] three Zafira's that is.
And good friends have latest model.
Old model (blue one as pictured) was the most agonisingly uncomfortable seat I have ever had the misfortune to sit in, once you were past an hour or so. It was about as reliable as a Lada. Two of these, used as pool cars, I have used.
Latest one, I have had test drive in sporty one (uncomfy seat, again) and had one on hire twice. Agreed they are better places to be, and better put together, and the engine (both the diesel) were not bad. However, friends are now 2.5 years into owning one, and fed up of faffing with squeaks and a couple of warranty issues. It cost a fair old bit to buy new - and when an SMAX or Galaxy is as good as they are, I just don't get why anyone would buy a Zafira.
Comments made by people who, I can pretty much guarantee, have never, ever driven one. I have actually driven Zafiras, lots of Zafiras, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them at all.
Nope. I have the misfortune of having to drive them every so often (albeit usually only for a day or 2 at a time), along with many other types of similar, and not so similar cars. I fully stand by my assessment that they are truly awful. I acknowledge that some people are incapable of noticing the difference between something decent and a pile of crap, and won't see any difference :-). If you don't give a toss about cars, I'd say they are a good choice.
Do Vauxhall offer a 'not shit' guarantee, or is that something you offer personally?
I have actually driven Zafiras, lots of Zafiras, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them at all.
To drive, for a little while, on a single journey maybe. Although having driven several as hire / courtesy cars they are just about alright.
To live with as a family vehicle with a bunch of kids for an extended period of time with all that entails?
Not a chance. The Fords are much better at everything in every way.
Presumable a ford is worse and being shit than a vauxhaul though perchy?
So if you want the best shit sar you need to not buy a ford.
Nah. It’s just better at being not shit.
Big difference
2.4l Honda Stepwagon or Nissan Serena with a body kit might suffice?
How many latest model Zafiras are available for £6k?
Why are we having this argument ?
The OP asked for a sporty £6k MPV or SUV.. that Zafira was designed to perform what was asked of it..
Whether you like driving one/it is irrelevant.. it’s a vehicle that carries people and has a bonkers engine mated to some pretty robust brakes and you can take the rear seats out to get your bikes in.
It’s also Blue, and Blue cars are fast by definition.. and whilst the trim may not be upto Merc standards it’s wipe clean which means you can wipe the vomit up after a trip to the shops/tip/Mother In Laws.
And no-one will pinch it because it looks so shit.
And it isn’t a Ford.
And Fords are “four wheels and a board” that’s what Henry said, and they’ve continued that philosophy to this day.
Those Vignale things are actually really nice to drive and loaded full of kit.. they’re quite luxurious.. I test drove one, it was a nice place to be.
I think we are doing him a service, encouraging him not to buy a horrendous car.
And Fords are “four wheels and a board” that’s what Henry said, and they’ve continued that philosophy to this day.
Things have moved on from 1995. ‘Four wheels and a board’ describes most Vauxhall’s a lot better that it does most Fords, which have been a half decent drive for the last couple of decades.
There's only one thing worse than buying a Zafira.
And that's wanting to buy a Zafira.
To be fair they tick all the boxes. Just exceedingly dull.
This one is simple reading the OP and his comment.
A cheap, 7 seater, sporty economical thing ... doesn't exist (sorry).
Like many other posters accept it doesn't exist and compromise.
I'd throw in Mazda 5 2.0 Diesel Sport - goes like stink, 40 mpg and on budget ish.
James

Renaul Espace Prolapse?
As much as the E class is the best suggestion - v6 diesel lovelyness and a nice smooth ride i dont know how usable the rear seats are.
May as well just get a T5 and enjoy using it for bike trips.
Tesla Model X or BMW X5 4.8i
Not helpful at all (this is STW after all) but the wife and I took one of these out for a test drive the other day (just for fun, while looking at cars we could actually afford):

It costs about a quarter of what our house is worth, and is much nicer inside 🙁
Does everything you want but may be a bit spendy...
Realistically, in this part of the world you'd be looking at a Honda Odyssey or a Ford Territory, not sure you can get them in the UK though.
Think this would be interesting & sporty
Have you thought about a Berlingo? Or a Skoda? They cannot be beaten.
Nissan Elgrand is the clear answer here.

?
You can get SUVs with massive engines which go plenty fast, but sporty wouldn't be how I'd describe them!
I've got a 3.8l v6 seven seat Kia that fits this mould!
Cheeky Autotrader search shows some fun options...
E-class 3l e280 with 143k on the clock £5k?
I like the look of Hyundai i800's.
Have driven one, its a van. Blooming huge though, if it was Tourneo territory you were in I'd suggest it but its overkill unless you want 5 passengers and full bikes standing up.
Just had a look at that autotrader link, that honda Elysion looks fantastic.
If you can live with ugly also look at the Subaru tribeca.
Theres plenty, but I'm afraid your £6k budget is a bit of a killer.
x2 for the Elysion. The black one though, the white's interior is mingin'!
sadly I have to agree with the Zafira comments. Awful, awful seats, even in the new ones.
Budget wont get one, but I have recently been driving a 220d Gran Tourer. It looks a bit like a Zafira, has 7 seats like a Zafira but doesnt cripple me with back pain when I drive it. Lovely car, sadly ridiculously priced.
Incorrect.. plenty of facelift versions on eBay for under £6k... and the older versions are plentiful for under the budget of the OP.
How about one of these, again plenty of them available on eBay for under your budget with a variety of specs for your budget...

Audi Quattro all road, 4.2 v8 under budget be a use they are a bit old but loads of fun and decent rear seats!
