[Closed] 7 seaters ...

My sister has just picked up a Citroën SnoozeFest* that fits the bill, bar the sliding doors. Seems pretty well put together, but being French, the satnav is wobbly at best, and it's hardly an interesting place to be.

*C4 Picasso.

Budget? New? Used? Very used...?

If you haven't already, try driving a plush Vito or Viano - I think you'd be surprised how un-van like they can be. Mine's tuned and quick too and honestly feels more like a car (and mine's a shabby 2011 Kombi type too with only six seats).

Otherwise I was impressed with Fiat/Peugeot/Citroen van derivatives. Big and practical.

Oh and the Vito is rear wheel drive, which can be fun if you put rubbish tyres on (albeit predictable still)

OOPS, double post

Cfh thanks.

Is the rear row in those decently usable on a long (3hour+) journey?

I'm reconciled to it being dull. It's to improve an ageing relative's quality of life and in particular so they can spend more time with their grandchildren and we can take them to visit their extended family 3 hours away/take them away with us without ending up in two cars or being split in half as a family.

Touran.....
Owned one for 5 yrs and 75k most. 2ltr/140 diesel can be fun to chuck around(some on here may not agree)
Used for biking, could get 3 bikes inside with everyone's gear. Used to ferry 4 grandkids around. Used for caravan towing. If and when MrsT feels like downsizing from our Sorrento we are likely to get another 😆 She has arthritis btw and we are unlikely to return to a "normal" car due to her mobility issues.
Big brother, the Sharan or the Seat version?

Sliding doors and full size 7 seater? Seat/Vw shalambra....

Fwiw, I have liked the move from Touran to Galaxy. Outrageous amounts of leg room and storage, comfy, cruises the miles on motorway and a peasant enough place to be. Ours is the bigger engine (it wheezes with the 1.8, the 2.0 has been great to have when loaded up with kids, canoes and bikes). Ours is also Ghia/Titanium spec so also has nice toys and seats.
The extra space over a compact 7seater is all in the rear - legroom in rows 2+3, boot is 50cm longer than the Touran.
We have done near 50k miles in ours in two years, now at 120k overall. So far it's cost a wheel bearing and new thermostat, over tyres and servicing. It had just had clutch and exhaust when we bought it.

The seats are great. I was riding in some taxi Vitos and Vianos too in Madeira and they are so comfortable like mine but obviously much plusher overall. We've travelled across Europe in ours and I've done it in a oner from Central Scotland through Britain to East Switzerland. It wasn't much less comfortable than a very comfortable Volvo.

Is the rear row in those decently usable on a long (3hour+) journey?

Depends on the size of the passenger. They're not as good as the ones in the boot of a XC90, but better than those in a Nissan X-Trail or Discovery Sport for example.

(Looked at a lot of different 7 seaters reasonably recently! Bought a XC90. Would be ideal for your needs, bar the height is 3. The Citroën is nice and low. )

Sorry budget £10-14k preferably lower half of that.

Vans almost certainly not an option.

1. Work probably won't be happy (needs to be used for client meetings/professional business travel)
2. Most I've driven are a big climb up into the body that my relative probably won't manage.
3. Economy and refinement are never as good in a van and my suspicion is they aren't designed to the same level of occupant safety
4. Speed limits - I stick to the limits so losing 10mph all over the place is a pain in the arse on long dual carriageway trips (and I do a lot of them)

We have had a VW Sharan for the past 4 years due to adding hooligan number 4 to the family and I really like it for what can only be described as a bus. You can get 3 big and bulky kids seats in the middle row which isn't possible in lots of other mpvs that we tried at the time of buying, although you only want 2 its more an indication of size.
When I have to drive somewhere with my bike I fold down one of the middle row of seats and remove the bikes front wheel and it goes in vertically no problem and the daughters 20" islabike fits in without dropping any of the middle seats.
The seats are quite high up but only you can be the judge of what's too high and I couldn't live without sliding rear doors anymore!
Worth a look I'd say

Is the rear row in those decently usable on a long (3hour+) journey

In a full size Alhambra/sharah/Galaxy they are nearly full size seats, and when you pop middle row forward a click or two, more legroom in rear row than Touran/Zafira\C4 Middle row....

I didn't know the big VAG ones had gone sliding door. Bet they're out of budget but will check them out.

If I could get everything into a touran sized thing properly that could be tempting for running cost but worry a bit cramped out back.

Anyone had a Zafira tourer?

My instincts if there's any uncertainty is towards go big over small and use it as a van that's not a van much of the time.

I have a 7 seater 4x4, but if old infirm passengers will be regular, they can be high to climb into. Other than that, my Volvo XC90 would be great.

3rd row of seats in a Mazda 5 aren't a bad size for kids. Bugger all boot space with them up though. You do get sliding doors....

And the Mazda is actually ok to drive, too. You'd get latest shape for your budget too.

Thanks all I see hours and hours of auto trader trawling in my future....

Anything else greatly received. 😀

Steer clear of the Zafira. End of.

If you're going down the people carrier route it's worth going big. The Galaxy is a superb motor. Drives like a car, is only a tiny bit longer than a Mondeo estate and I've sat comfortably in the rearmost seats (I'm 6'4"). Would recommend one without hesitation and will almost certainly be getting my second one soon. The Sharan/Alhambra is meant to be great as well. If I remember correctly the newer models have an integrated child booster seat in the back. I'd avoid French because... why take the risk..

Got one of the pre tourer zafiras on the 10 grand deal

It's been absolutely fine, no sliding door but 2 years and it's still been problem keen free, it's not exactly exciting and the rear seats are only OK for short legs on long journeys, but it's been great value, highly functional (is a great bike wagon too).

Steer clear of the Zafira. End of.

Including the new type ? I had a brief ride in one and it seemed quite nice as a passenger (but it was literally days old and ultra high specced).

Caddy Maxi Life ticks every box.
7 full size seats, twin sliding doors, estate car drive, available in DSG,
Big boot - even bigger with the rear bench slid out in one.
Floor pan is low too so no awkward step up.
There's pics of mine on a for sale thread somewhere.
Provisionally sold atm BUT I've yet to be paid so ...

I was in a uber plush Vito a few weeks back, was very impressed with how it drove and the interior was lovely and very quite! LOADS of room, and for an immobile relative probably the only real answer i would say.

"[i]2. Most I've driven are a big climb up into the body that my relative probably won't manage.
3. Economy and refinement are never as good in a van and my suspicion is they aren't designed to the same level of occupant safety
4. Speed limits - I stick to the limits so losing 10mph all over the place is a pain in the arse on long dual carriageway trips (and I do a lot of them)[/i]"

3 - My ancient T4 does 45mpg, probably not as good as an estate, but better than an SUV.
4- That only applies to vans, a minibus (Caravelle, Viano) has the same speed limits as a car.

2 - I once had a Frontera, with a 2" lift and large tyres. When giving my wife's great aunt a lift one time we had to fetch her a step to get in & out 😀

The new Doblo looks ok, comes in a seven seat version and easy to get in and out of, you just step in rather than stepping up or dropping down, the rear sliding doors are huge and leave a wide opening, we've got the earlier version and our elderly relatives don't have any problems getting in and out even with mobility issues, and when the seats are down its huge,
You'd probably get a new one with seven seats for 14k if you look around and haggle..

Last of the mitsubushi grandis with the VAG diesal, bullet proof and drive really well suprising boot space with all seats in place (really a six seater) has proper seats in third row - stopped making them in 2010

I'd definitely recommend the new Zafira Tourer. We had a 2litre diesel SRI version, lovely car, great for kids & bikes. Had no issues driving from Morayshire all the way to the south of France. 2 adults, 1 6ft tall teen & 2 youngsters. Handled itself very well, pretty nippy too.

I say we had one because it got written off after some dumb Bint on a motorbike came round a corner on the wrong side of the road & went head first into it. Safety features worked a treat.

Now driving a Ford Galaxy. Huge wagon. So much room it's just daft. Slower,automatic & more boring to drive but it was cheaper & the wife loves it. Note that the Galaxies usually cheaper than the S Max even though it's bigger. It's not as fashionable apparently.

Avoid at all costs a Picasso. 2 folk I know have them & can't wait to bin them. Constant electrical issues.

Another vote for the VW Caddy Maxi - my 95 year old mum can get in it, and it's got loads of space.

Zafira tourer is out I think. We won't get a walker or wheel chair in the boot with row 3 in place so best guess means no Mazda 5, Touran or other mid size. Also how close are those rear seats to the rear window??? How the heck would any one survive even a modest rear ending?

The Caddy Maxi wasnt something i had thought of. The taxi one I went in a while back was a bit of a nail. It seems to tick all the relative lugging boxes but based on limited passenger experience of them my concern would be it's still ultimately a van mechanically and structurally. Maybe I need to go and try one but my fear is it would suck at the waft along in tranquility at 50-70 that is 80% of my driving. It has to do this sort of thing well as I can spend six hours+ on the road for work in a day. I'm prepared to be convinced otherwise so try if you like!

My experience of the Caravelle (dads 2004 one) is despite all its fanciness it still doesn't do refinement anywhere near equivalent to a vehicle designed as a car from the ground up (my Mondeo is older with twice the mileage and it's still smoother and more comfy). I find it hard to believe a caddy would bridge that gap better. But I'm prepared to find otherwise.

What's the floor height like in a Viano (I agree with whoever posted above it does seem pretty close to car refinement on taxi passenger experience anyway)? Big step up?

i have a viano which has 7 seats. its a 3.0 auto and is so much better than the t4 it replaced its not even funny. it's so quiet and refined. i dont think its a big step up at all, its nothing like a transit for example. vitos and viano are 100% twin side loading doors. the beauty of the viano is i can fit the second rowforwards or backwards as per a taxi - this makes getting in much much easier, so at least you can try either. if you are local to essex feel free to come and try mine

oh, and 50 to 70 mph wafting is exactly the sweet spot for my viano.

^^^ thanks for the offer but we're in Hampshire. I hadn't thought about the taxi layout. That might bee good. Exit stage left to auto trader.. .

Kia Sedonas are great old vans, the later 2.2 is a much more economical engine, but the 2.9 is grunty and effortless.

Having looked into this in great length myself, go for maximum fire power on the size front, if it's a proper car you want. Forget your S Max or C4 Picasso. Or touran. Even the latest Galaxy I think has been downsized. The Seat Alhambra will have both kids and the 3rd adult in the second row comfortably. Not quite as good to drive as an s max in terms of feeling like a small car or going round corners, but is still very refined with the best version of the VAG 2.0 I've driven yet. Build quality is leagues ahead of my previous Passat. Only down sides is fuel economy could be better and the poor turning circle.

You seem to be looking for a car that is the size of a van (full 7 seater + boot space for a wheel chair etc), while still being a car just like your Mondeo.

This might be tricky.

The Caddy will sit at 75, give 45+ with the cruise on and be under 3k rpm
It is seamless with the DSG fitted.
OP - whereabouts are you?
Welcome to try mine if only to see if it suits

Suburban ftw

You seem to be looking for a car that is the size of a van (full 7 seater + boot space for a wheel chair etc), while still being a car just like your Mondeo

To clarify because I know what you're getting at...

I don't care if it's the SIZE of a van and I don't care if it's not as sharp to drive as a car.

I do care if it has terrible road and engine noise and slams and bangs about like a lightly loaded panel van because I still have to do 15000 miles on it a year on my own.

If anyone knows where I could all the moon's of Jupiter on a stick that'd be cool too. 😆

Too late to edit above.

My wife would have preferred a mid size if feasible. Personally I'm happy with the extra size of a Galaxy sized thing but I would have happily shrunk a little from that if it would have done the job.

I think I do need to look at the Caddy because it seems so good on the practical level.

As I said dweller - you're welcome to try mine.

Hammy that's very kind. We're in central Hampshire whereabouts are you?

South Hants 😆

Have a drive of a grand connect tourneo. They drive very well. You may not like the looks so much...

Bought a caddy maxi life a few years ago - yeah - probably a bit boomer than a car but size, seating flexibility ( rear bench removable, middle 2+1 tip/remove) and a very comfy driving position more than make up for it. Lots of storage cubby holes (annoyingly not for the jack!), lashing points ..not quite as big as a t4/t5 but a fair bit cheaper. And not with some of the reported t5 foibles afaia. 1.6 surprisingly nippy (tho diesel emissions fix awaited), prob easier to find than the 2.0. (or was 2 yrs ago).
Hyundai i800 was another I considered - nearer a lwb t5 and used for camper conversions, but the rear bench is bolted in and the middle row slides only I think...really needs some enterprising company to do a flexible seat conversion (unless one exists already).r

Oh, and there's a very active caddy forum , caddy2k.com .

We have a citroen C4 Grand Picasso.

Good on price.

Does well on comfort, 3 proper back seats capable of taking ISOfix seats, decent driver convenience re: electric toys etc. Loads of space for bikes. 2 bonus back seats if needed.

Bad bits:
Rubbish mpg
Terrible at towing
When (very) fully laden it feels like you need to will it up hills.

We have the 1.8 (ish) petrol manual one.

one of things with the 'van types' is that you can have insurance complications and sometime VAT implications on purchase.

I was looking at an MPV which is also available as a van version and the insurance company said that they didn't insure vans even thought the guy selling it was insured by the same company as an MPV... weird. might just require persistence.

Good luck.

Brilliant. Thanks all. Discussion with Mrs g-d now. I think I'm down to Caddy, Galaxy, Shalambran for a proper nosey and will Google the Tourneo option too.

Hammy I might just take you up on your offer to look at yours if you've still got it by the time weve chatted it through here at home.

The jack has its own cubby in the boot and the other parts sits in their own section on the massive tray above the front seats.
Dweller - I'm up and down the A3 a lot at the moment so no probs catching up at any point.
Message me and can sort something.

I've got an S-Max which is probably too small for your needs, but after almost 3 years of trouble free ownership we'll be looking at a Galaxy next as the kids get bigger.

I reckon an sMax would be fine, you should get a folded wheelchair in the boot with the third row of seats up.

I'm on my second s-max and they are great cars.

True.

I used to have a Chrysler grand voyager that would suit all your needs ,it drove really well and felt like a mobile board room masses of space even with all the seats in place and the stowand go seats were fantastic and folded into the floor to create a massive space.
I drove a caddy recently and thought it was terrible it felt like it had a solid rear end and was very industrial

Quick update in case anyone is interested we went and looked at a few things today.

SMax and Galaxy with third row in situ there was no real space behind seats at all for luggage/wheelchairs - unless the whole seats slide forward at the base and I missed that? I know the middle row does.

However, I noticed that the middle row seats move independently of each other in both. So I wonder has anyone got two boosters (rather than high back seats) in the outer seats with them pushed forward or back and an adult into the middle comfortably?

It definitely doesn't work in the Mondeo (overall seat width is impacted by the wheel arches) but in a large MPV the arch intrudes on the third row not the second.

Technically both our boys are road legal in seats without back rests but where possible I would rather they had the extra protection BUT if I could get them and my wife in the middle row and relative loaded in the front then it might be an OK compromise and then when there's just four of us the big seats can go in.

Also saw a Tourneo Connect (not the Grand) which looked like it carried some extra width in the seating. I kind of liked it from a lifestyle perspective (big tall tailgate, seats tumble to make it a van and a mid height driving position) and i love van wing mirrors but I fear it might suffer from being a bit too "vanny" for daily driver use especially with 1.6td/105 and 5 speed box. Anyone had one?

Random thing I spotted earlier that may fit van sized but refined to drive was Mercedes R Class. 6 seats, part car, part mini bus, part van, part private jet, part weird. But it is large and most likely a comfy, if not involving drive.

I have no desire for one myself, but popped up in an eBay search for something with a V8, pretty sure the usual diesel options will be available.

Buy a van and throw a settee in the back

I wonder has anyone got two boosters (rather than high back seats) in the outer seats with them pushed forward or back and an adult into the middle comfortably?

The rear rear seats don't slide , the middle row does as you know.

I have a baby seat on both sides of my galaxy middle row and my wife can squeeze past them to sit in the middle seat in comfort.

However, I noticed that the middle row seats move independently of each other in both. So I wonder has anyone got two boosters (rather than high back seats) in the outer seats with them pushed forward or back and an adult into the middle comfortably?

In our SMax we put the two kid's seats next to each other leaving an outer one free for an adult. This allows for better "tilt access" for the rear seats.

Regarding the wheelchair in the boot, the best thing you can do is try it I suppose. If you are local to me you can have a go with mine. I'm in Manchester - email in profile.

I can recommend a VW Sharan (or Seat Alhambra) as an incredibly practical family wagon. It's a proper 7-seater i.e. the rear 2 seats are proper adult seats and it's plenty wide enough for child seats in all the seats if you want. Sliding doors too. The passenger seat folds flat for a HUGE flat load space if you need it. It's like a van but with comfort.

Not remotely engaging to drive of course 😆

I have a Grand Tourneo Connect g-d in answer to your question. It is totally un-van-like to drive, motorway noise isn't much difference from my outgoing Focus estate. Its the 1.5 diesel 120ps though with 6 speed box. Handles well, just like a big estate really. It's a little un-refined on some of the bumpier back roads. I absolutely love it, as do my family. The third row of seats slides forward to leave a fairly decent bit of room. Although I've currently taken out the third row of seats for maximum load/bikes/dogs/kids shite lugging. Its bl88dy huge.

Although there's no denying its not the prettiest way to travel, not that I care though.

SMax and Galaxy with third row in situ there was no real space behind seats at all for luggage/wheelchairs - unless the whole seats slide forward at the base and I missed that? I know the middle row does.

Nope you're right which is why I didn't chip in with my usual S Max answer (run what you've brung :-)) - I'd say the second row are only for the under 13s too for any distance, although curiously they solved my middle ones car sickness. That, or he can hide it under the other seats 😯

i've always been a bit wary about 7 seaters. we were tepmted to buy one ourselves but seeing as we really didnt need something that big we opted for a c-max
my 2 main concerns are that with all the seat up, there is very little space left for luggage so you'n need to travel light or get a roofbox
the other concern is how safe are they? for example if they were hit from behind, how safe would the passengers in the last row of seats be in a collision?
me and my mates hired a ford tourneo to drive down to bpw. with 9 of us and all our kit in the large boot (bikes were in a separate sprinter van) it was a very comfortable ride. plenty of leg and head room and all the mod cons of a traditional car

with all the seat up, there is very little space left for luggage

The Sharan/Alhambra isn't bad in this respect. We can fit a pushchair and various coats/bags in ours, but granted it's not going to fit 7 people on a camping holiday!

how safe would the passengers in the last row of seats be in a collision?

I'd suggest as safe as the rear passengers in a Toyota Aygo or any of those other tiny city cars. Presumably they wouldn't even be on the market if they didn't pass all the various safety tests.

I'd suggest as safe as the rear passengers in a Toyota Aygo or any of those other tiny city cars. Presumably they wouldn't even be on the market if they didn't pass all the various safety tests.

there seems to be a smaller crumple zone to absorb any rear impact...so the rear passengers would be more likely to sustain injuries as shown by the video below...makes you think

as far as i can tell NCAP dont test for this in new cars

The new (2016) Touran is worth a look if you can find one - the demonstrators come up on Autotrader now and again but the "new" stock is very limited.

The new model has 3 rows of seats (the back rows fold flat) and a massive boot that's almost as big as a Galaxy or C4 Picasso when the middle row of seats are slid forward a bit.

MPG is mid 50s to mid 60s on a good run (diesel version) and it's pretty comfortable drive.

The one caveat is that new VWs do seem to have buggy software so some of the "extras" don't work as reliably as you might expect e.g. city parking brake, radar collision detection, park assist etc. The sat nav on ours sometimes gets stuck "calculating" to the route and the only way to fix it is to stop the car, turn the engine off and lock the doors.

It goes without saying that VW dealers per the parent brand appear to be complete shysters and getting them to fix these problems is only marginally less difficult than pushing water uphill with only your nose or a sieve as the available choices.

With our Alhambra we can fit one of those huge buggaboo double buggies in the boot with no issues with rear 2 seats up. The rear 2 seats are also isofix (plus rear airbags) which is handy. So we sometimes put baby in the back if carrying an extra adult next to the two eldest in the middle row. OP, think you can get booster seats as an extra built into the Alhambra/Sharan.

Thanks all. Need to track a Sharan down down near me to look at. Won't be buying new so can't spec any specific whizzy stuff. Tourans out on budget.

R class could be a left field contender but flipping heck they hold some value and yikes to possible running costs (£500ved and 30mpg on the base diesel engine!). I'm going to have a quick look at a lwb one though - it's so daft it might just work.

The most annoying bit about all this is I only actually want to sit 5 people it's just getting them in with two on booster seats and one who is immobile. What really hacks me off is five adults can fit in the car but i cant get three adults and two kids on booster seats!!!!!!! Balls the search drags on....

Citroen Berlingo? They are quite wide so should fit the bill if you don't actually need 7 seats. Sliding doors too 🙂

Dweller - let me know where you are as I am out and about over the next few days so most likely driving past you in mine!
As a hint to the size of the boot - I picked my gas BBQ back up on sunday from a friends and put it in the boot.
With the rear bench seats in.
Without having to take the side gas ring or table off.

Well, after reading and researching, just bought a Sharan tdi 4motion today. Pick it up next week then across to the UK for 3 weeks and working at the World Cup in Fort Bill.
1 owner, fsh, highline spec, 4 winter tyres on rims, 170kms €2700. Its the new bike bus.
Simple cat, no pdf and millions of sensors. Remap imminent.

Pretty scarce but pleased we found one.

Hi Hammy

I was going to drop you a line but wasn't able to see an e-mail or contact details in the ads / your profile. I'm a worrisome middle aged fart and always ultra cautious about plastering my location on a front page on the public bit of the Internet.

E-mail (in spambot proof form) is in my profile.

If you don't mind dropping me an e-mail can hopefully sort something.

🙂

Well thats weird!
Always had an email in there 😯