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Another what car thread and the ever exciting 7 seater options. We are looking into changing to one of the above. Does anyone have any experience going through the process of buying any of the above of similar? Looking at 2015/16 models. Cheers
Friend at work had an S or C max, he's not really a car person but even he couldn't stand the interior & dash of it.
Replaced it with a BMW 2 series Grand Tourer which he's much happier with I believe.
Our older 1.9 TDI Touran - Uber practical and comfortable. Also the most costly car we had with endless issues (beyond usual wear and tear imo) and pricey parts.
Galaxy - a big step up in size, as is smax from the Touran. Much more agricultural in build, cheaper parts. Very reliable for us, not as comfy especially for 5' Mrs_oab. Much more a mile muncher and lots of kit hauler.
Both cars did 150-160k before we got rid with multiple issues.
We have a 1.6 petrol grand Cmax and it’s fine for our needs. Easy for old people to get in. Good for the dog and bikes.
But it is slow when it comes to going up hills. Luckily we don’t drive too far .
I’ve had a collection of beige people carriers.
Smax was the best to drive, Galaxy was best for practicality
Currently have a 7seat Outlander
Missus_s went with a Zafira. It's a big old thing but easy to park, grippy, etc. Switchgear is a bit bizarre. Seats clever (things like the tonneau fits under the boot floor as well). 1.4t petrol is quick enough but only gets 33-35mpg in town running.
We preferred it over an smax and because she needed a petrol it was far easier to find the vauxhall. Not made any more either so expect them to become future classics and hold their value 😉
Had an Smax for a few years now and its great. 140k on the clock and still doesn't miss s beat.
Massive in side, apart from the back seats but we don't use them very often. Gets driven to tbe Alps or Pyrenees twice a year and it makes it a very easy drive. Boot full of camping gear, 4 bikes and a full roof box, and it just cruises along at 80. Mines the 2 litre tdci titanium.
Our Touran has been a pain in the 4ss - compounded by the lying deceitful conduct of our local VW dealer.
For anyone that doesn’t know - all VWs are required to have a “sunroof service” every 2 years (£300) so if you didn’t know this and your sunroof leaks because of a latent design defect VW have known about for years they will tell you to do one and cough up £1000 for the repair because their “warranty you can trust” won’t cover it.
Oh and we had a year of the car constantly stalling and doing random emergency stops which they told us was because we were idiots and couldn’t drive - they then told us the car needed a new software update which stopped it doing this but claimed the two things weren’t linked.
I have a few friends looking at outlanders. Just stay away from the hybrids, they are missing the back two seats due to the battery.
If you like a Ford, there's also a 7 seat version of the Tourneo Connect.
Had plenty of Tourans and a Galaxy, I prefer the Touran, always had diesels but the next one will be petrol, the diesel we currently own has had a £1000 egr valve replaced under warranty and a water pump fail out of warranty, £400 with the cambelt.
My work car is an Octavia 1.5tsi with DSG & its a fantastic engine to drive.
Got a 1.6tdi Grand C Max. It's fine, not exciting but does the job. 3rd row of seats is only suitable for under 12s and there's no boot to speak of when in use. We've got the Sony satnav - I wouldn't bother paying extra for that option.
Had a 14 plate smax. Didn't like it. Space was good but lots of stupid design flaws. For example the boot interior was raised. So every time you got back with the shopping it all feel it when you opened the boot.
Similar issue with the glove box. Open it and everything falls out. Got rid of it in the end. They may have sorted out these issues in the newer version.
Like rich_s we went for a petrol zafira tourer. Much bigger than the c-max that we also looked at and really the only option for a petrol 7 seater within my budget. Economy round town not amazing but not as bad as I thought it might be. On a run it's much better, 45ish loaded up. Massive inside, comfy (very!) and as well put together as any other car I've had. The 1.4 turbo is surprisingly good even in such a large car, but I'm very much a pootler not a petrolhead.
I've had a galaxy and currently have an smax. Galaxy was essentially a van, lots of space but to me it felt bigger to drive. Smax offers almost as much space and feels very car like to drive. There are minor annoyances as jeffl describes, but they've never bothered me much. I'd have another.
Got a zafira, it's ugly, interior is bearable, it's fairly dull to drive, fuel efficiency is ok, but it's been 100% reliable these past 4 years and the flexibility with folding down the rear seats is the best of all the 7 seaters imho
I had an 08 SMax, fairly nice 2.0 Titanium. Never really liked it, wasn't put together very well, felt a bit agricultural.
Then had a Zafira Tourer 1.6 diesel, smoother, more refined, comfier. Faultless over 90k. Not even a Vauxhall fan but that was a good car
I had a 2009 SMax. I am flummoxed at comments about them not being very well put together. It’s was as well put together as any BMW or Audi of its day. The engine was a peach, I had the 2.2 diesel and was way more refined than the POC in my brothers A4 at the time and the VW lump in my current T5. Was a properly nice engine with more than enough poke. It also drove well too, based on the mondeo chassis, so best in class handling of the time. Ok it’s a people carrier so never going to get the pulse racing, but was an Uber efficient tool that drove well. Not sure what the later models are like but it would probably be my go to if we’re after another people carrier, though they’re a bit more pricy these days.
Had 2 Tourans, uber practical, both diesel and very good fuel economy. Comfortable and easy to drive and park. Nicembuild quality inside, better than my Audi A5. Mechanically the first one cost us a fortune just out of warranty and VW service was appalling. Second one has been much better but has just had the ERG valve replaced at 90000 miles, 6 years and a brake caliper sticking. Gnerally though beter than the first one. At 2015 / 2016 reliability should be ok.
Remember though under the bonnet SEATs, VW, Skodas and Audis are very similar and in many cases identical parts wise.
Perfectly happy with our Galaxy. Huge & practical, decent enough drive and I find it comfy. Certainly not a dynamic drive or indeed an aspirational car to own but it does what it’s supposed to do perfectly well.
I find the interior innocensive and it seems well put together.
I’ll caveat the above with the fact that my last few vehicles have been a T5, several Landrovers and a Kia 4x4 so my idea of comfort and quality may be skewed.
We have a 2017 Smax and I'm really happy with it. Loads of space for people and bikes and okay to drive. No reliability issues, but it's only 2 years old so I wouldn't expect any. It is the 2 litre 150 ps diesel and averages 42ish mpg.
We looked at the Cmax grand, but decided it was too small as we have three growing teenagers and an octogenarian father in law to transport.
Also looked at the Touran. Seemed like a good car; practical and well made, but the Ford was a bit cheaper and the attitude of the VW dealer put me off.
I had a 2009 SMax. I am flummoxed at comments about them not being very well put together.
It's the newer ones that look like they've been put together from bits from Halford's clearance section, badly stuck together.
I hired a brand new fiesta last year, it wasn't great. Drive fine etc but the dash was cluttered, hard to read in the dark and a bit plastiky. Totally functional though.
Thanks for the responses folks much appreciated!
What the hell training programs do VW dealers get!? So many examples of real attitude issues - I drive a Mondeo soley because of the lying clown at our VW showroom.
We had a big issue with our Golf a year (see my post history if you care) and the VW dealer was shite. Inchcape Chester. For years I'd used them to service it and they were fine, nice, reasonable price etc. Then the suits and hairstyles moved in.
Some of their old staff moved to Skoda (Mitchells Cheshire Oaks) which seems pleasant enough.
On the OP's point, we also had a Mazda 5 2.0d a while back which also ended up being a bit pants. Lovely car, but at 7 years 70k the local main dealer (who we didn't buy from) recommended getting rid as they all get issues around that age - big, heavy, diesel. Lots of suspension wear, dpf, dmf etc.
My experience of ford is mixed, mondeo was superb as a car but rattly. Dealers were indifferent. Nothing ever actually broke on it though, which is better than my golf ever managed.
2010 SMax. 100k on the clock. Not missed a beat other than wear components.
The very back seats aren't massive. Think of it as a 5+2 rather than 7 seater.
Things do fall out of the boot and the glove box, but they are minor niggles that we can live with. Next will probably be a Galaxy as my lad stuggles to fit on the back seats when we have 6 people in it.
Got a petrol smax (2010 240bhp😎) as I couldn't find a petrol touran that wasn't way overpriced.
I think the interior is fine and it's good for shifting stuff.
Mine can be a bit thirsty round town but 35mpg on a run.