Thanks.
We are looking into purchasing a 7 seater SUV or crossover and I was wondering if any of you have any recommendations at all. We would like something that would have some boot/truck space once the 2 rear seats are up. Space is #1 priority so if any of you have any suggestions or advice, I'd really appreciate it.
I used to have a VW Multivan. Great car with lots of space. Even with 7 seats in use there is quite some luggage space left.
The only disadvantage is it's height which makes it not fit in each parking garage.
Thanks for bringing size up. I am not keen on something that I'll have difficulty parking (eg Q7).
As everone here likes to say, have you tried the search function? not here per se but on any of the Swiss used car sights? Autoscout. ch or comparis.ch for example. They all have a number of seats option so just search for 7 seaters. Much easier if you did that, see your choices, review them online at say top gear or wherever, and then ask here what people think about the ones you are interested in after you do some research.
mmkay, thank you for pointing that out. I am well aware of those sights. What I am looking for, are personal recommendations from expats in Switzerland hence my thread on the ef.
Mercedes R class...top for family and great size...We miss ours thats for sure...
Actually one of the best people movers is the Fiat Mutipla.
They are huge inside and as they are built on a standard chassis and use a garden-variety engine, parts and repairs are cheap.
Good quality, built like tanks and surprising for Italian wheels, reliable.
Hey
Before we bought our Maverick ( not a 7 seater ) we looked into big cars also for our move from Ireland to Switzerland.
A few weeks before we moved over and bought the car,my electric scooter got stolen by some ****** hence we went back to our beloved 4x4.
Not so large but did the job and still serves us fine.
We also started with 2 pallets of personal goods, but packing box after box we soon discovered we had 4 pallets to ship to our new address, and since the bike was stolen, we had no need for a large 7 seater anymore as these went by truck.
Anyway big cars..here is what i had in mind before we went down the 4x4/Suv type of car we now have.
I had a look at the following :
Kia Carnival
Chrysler Grand Voyager
VW Caravelle / VW Multivan T5
Mercedes Vito ( long wheelbase)
All of the above cars have allot of room, seat option be taken out if needed and loads of space.
If you want a crossover the biggest you are going to find is the Q7..yet not as spacy as the van's above.
When i say "van", don't think metal shell with benches.. i mean we saw a few of them at the dealership and wow, they are pure luxury and not your " bring the builders to work " type of van
They look and drive like a normal car, serves both great space for bulky items and allot of people , but not at the same time
The cars mentioned above are available on the Swiss market, from young second hand cars till new.
Hope it helps making the choise a bit easier.
All the best and happy car hunting
Joey
The Volvo XC90 is regarded as the class leader in terms of flexibility - but it is quite big, and the only engine worth having (in terms of economy) is the D5 - which isn't as smooth as other diesels.
I know a lot of people with them - and one person who replaces one with an another.
Or you could consider the Renault Grand scenic. The 1.4L TCe petrol engine has as much power as the old 2L but with better fuel economy.
Easy for car parks and narrow parking spaces too.
Interior pictures here
1. If space is your priority forget about all SUVs, they often don't have more space inside than an average estate...
2. To get an overview what MPVs are available on the market, go to whatcar.com and compare them
The Ford S-Max is considered to be one of the best in class for this type of car.
Give us some more info: budget, petrol/diesel, new/SH, anu preferred brand...
Meanwhile, here are few options:
Mercedes-Benz GL (a bit too big)
Nissan Armada (a lot of space)
Nissan Qashqai + 2 (very good price)
Nissan Pathfinder (great looking car)
Citroen C-Crosser
Land Rover Discovery
Chevrolet Captiva or Opel Antara (same chassis but I don't think Antara comes with 7 seats)
Opel Zafira (budget one)
Volvo XC90
Hyundai Santa-Fe
Peugeot 4007
Mitsubishi Pajero
Mitsubishi Outlander
Suzuki Grand Vitara
Toyota LC200 or Landcruiser
As said,
The "S" in SUV is not about space (my co-worker could barely fit my MTB in his Porsche Cayenne, with only one seat put down...).
I'd take a look at the VW Sharan or the (cheaper but almost equal) Seat Alhambra. Both available as 7-seaters but I believe they are not as "bulky" as some of the other options described. They are not available as 4x4 - but do you really need that?
Budget: I know that anything decent probably starts around CHF 60-70k. I don't want to go any higher than let's say CHF 90k.
Petrol/diesel. Doesn't matter
New
No preferred brands
Thing is, we find the "people carriers" horrid looking. We really don't want to go down that route and that's another reason why I started this thread as I know deep in my heart that those nasty people carrier thingys are probably the way to go. I just wanted to see if anyone out there could give me some good tips to help me feel that and SUV could be the right choice.
The "S" in SUV stands for Sport-Utility Vehicle.
another vote for the S-Max. That's the practical car I'd go for next.
you can get quite a fruity little 2.5l turbo in it too. One would not want to hang around at the traffic light grand prix now, would one?
One question that hasn't been asked is:
How often will all 7 seats be used?
Anything with 7 seats - with a big boot with all seats in use - will be both costly to buy and also large to park/drive.
If that is the case, then you are going to have problems with anything that has 7 seats! Unless you have a family of midgets that is. I don't know of a single 7 seater that is smaller than something like a Q7, especially if you need luggage space too.
Cars have gotten a lot bigger in recent years, but parking spaces have not. So if you want a small 7 seater, you'll have to get something 10+ years old, and forgo luggage space and/or passenger safety.