What car? Help me avoid an MPV or SUV

[Jeffmaniac]

Hi all,

Wife and I just had our first little baby girl and therefore need a semi practical car.

Trying to avoid the MPV / SUV brigade.

Requirements

Budget - ideally under £10k
No cars before 2005
Must be petrol - I do roughly 6000 miles per year and hate diesel
3 proper seats or enough space for 3 comfortably on the second row - essential
No French cars - I have had too many issues in the past

At the moment a Skoda Superb estate is near the top of my list but I am open to suggestions

Would S Class, Phaeton's, 7 series be big enough for 3 people comfortably in the back? I have been in a 2007 E class recently and this would not be big enough

Otherwise I will be forced to go for a Ford C-Max and cry for the next few years!

Thanks in advance

[benjijames28]

You have one kid and you think an e class isn't big enough?

I cart about a 9 year old, 5yr old and a 4 month old in my Audi a3, boot space can be an issue but that's it.

[Dusty964]

7 series and s class are ideal for 3 folk on the back.
Had both. Still have an s500l and no issues with 2 parents and an11 year old in the back.

[sawman]

theres probably a very good reason you have for wanting 3 abreast in the back - do you have a chauffeur?


when our kids where in car seats, we looked for something that would accommodate 2 car seats and a person in the back, and really struggled, I think the Lexus RX was a possible, as was the ford S-Max, and subaru Tribeca, which was new at the time, and of course the multipla - but in the end we didnt bother

[Monkeylegend]

Before I retired I lost count of the number of times I carried 5 adults plus luggage to Heathrow in my E class.

You need to have a quiet word with your other half

[chonok]

We have an Octavia Hatch (petrol) and interior space and boot space is more than big enough for the 4 of us.

[Bonefish Blues]

Outback, perhaps. Likely our next car after the XC70

[Jeffmaniac]

Monkeylegend - I am the chunky one

Looking for 3 proper size seats in the back as the in-laws have stopped driving anywhere apart from the local shops.

[mike9009]

Please do not succumb to the 'I need a massive car coz the wife is preggers'.

Our kids are now four and seven.

We have had an Alfa 156, MINI clubman (with roofbox for 2 weeks away) and a Nissan note. I currently have a 330i E92 coupe. The prams is the biggest issue and with one kid most prams will fold Up behind the passenger seat or easily fit in the boot. Longer journeys become the issue, but grandparents seem to accumulate high chairs, baths, changing mats etc to cater for these needs.

The car manufacturers have been great at marketing the need for a glorified van to transport your precious cargo.

It is a bit like saying, I need to buy a wardrobe so I must buy a transit van. It is just not needed. The need for loads of clobber diminishes from day one. In 12 months, which will fly by, the need for cynically marketed baby must haves will be much smaller.

All IMO, obviously.......

Mike

[Willy Nilly]

Pretty sure a Jazz would cart about the OP, his mrs, sprog, push chair and outlaws and £10,000 would buy a really nice one.

A Focus/Golf sized car would definitely do all you ever wanted to do with. So you'd best buy that knackered old 7 series.

[jonwm]

7 series should cover it lol

I've got 2 under 5 and another on the way and lease the wife a Leon Cupra, does her fine and don't intend to end the lease early when the 3rd arrives.

Have contemplated an S max as I think it would be useful but overkill for 95% of the time.

Might consider kuga, edge, tourag type next I think, I still run a saloon company car which does is fine on weekends and things

[Monkeylegend]

Jeffmaniac said:

Monkeylegend - I am the chunky one

Looking for 3 proper size seats in the back as the in-laws have stopped driving anywhere apart from the local shops.

The downside of the E class in the back is the middle passenger has to sit one leg either side of the transmission tunnel.

[jamiebae]

With a baby seat in place most cars aren't really comfortable for two adults along side them in the back. As someone else already mentioned, RWD cars aren't ideal as the transmission tunnel makes it uncomfortable for the person in the middle. Ideally you put the baby seat in the middle and an adult on either side but the only cars I've found with ISOFIX in the middle seat are MPVs.

I reckon the Superb is the most likely option of 'normal cars' to fit the bill as it's FWD.

[Bonefish Blues]

Superb also comes in 4x4 flavour too, doesn't it, so the intrusion will be the same a cross the range, I'd guess.

[spookly]

Big, saloon, petrol..... 760iL /endThread

[jamiebae]

Bonefish Blues said:

Superb also comes in 4x4 flavour too, doesn't it, so the intrusion will be the same a cross the range, I'd guess.

Possibly, but maybe not, I've been in them a few times as taxis and they seem to have lots of room, and for sure a Merc CLA (also available as a 4x4) has a lot more middle-seat legroom than a C Class because there's no real tunnel intrusion. In any case it's got a transverse mounted engine which also helps with legroom.

[rxe]

Pretty much any big saloon can fit three across the back in comfort. I've driven several hundred miles in an Alfa 156 with 5 up - baby seat in the back + 2 adults. No problems, so a bigger saloon or estate would do it easily. Middle passenger on the transmission tunnel is a small price to pay for not having an MPV.

Don't succumb to the "we've got a baby so we need to carry the world with us", it's utter tripe. If you had a 44 tonne articulated lorry, it would be too small after 6 months. We were fine with 2 boys in a 156 saloon, the only thing that eventually caused a problem was when they hit about 5'7" and needed more legroom - then we got a 159...

Specific thoughts:

- Alfa 159 SW. 3.2 version or the turbo petrol.

- Any 5 series estate or Audi equivalent.

- Jag saloon. You might turn up something interesting for your budget.... Biggest back seat and boot this side of a Roller....

[ZX10R NIN]

Jaguar XF SV8

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

BMW 550i

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Audi S6

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Insignia VXR

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

More sensible options:

Mondeo Titanium X Ecoboost

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Mazda 6 SE-L

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

[Frankthered]

To be honest, anything like a Focus or a Golf will be "cosy" for three in the back, although the Octavia might be a little bigger.

Is it something that you will be doing regularly OP? Is it something with which you could adopt a make do and get by attitude?

If it's not, then I'd agree with looking at the next size up - Mondeo, Mazda 6 and the Superb are probably good options. The Accord and Avensis might be others to look at with a sensible (dull?) hat on?

[gifdy]

Bonefish Blues said:

Outback, perhaps. Likely our next car after the XC70

Middle seat isn't comfortable