7 Seater SUV and/or Crossover recommendations

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
41
It is a Seat Alhambra 140bhp diesel, automatic SE - I think

42
I was actually eyeing a Lincoln Navigator the other day...you can get a very decent deal for a recent model in Germany.

43
I didn't know she was married to

A Lincoln Navigator is about as socially exceptable as inviting Gary Glitter to a childrens birthday party.

44
Just keep in mind that there's going to be a vote on banning any kind of car that has a CO2 output of more than 250g in fall 2011. This will more than likely include many, if not most, of the 7-seater options named here.

And it's not only the CO2 output that can get your car the 100 km/h sticker if the vote comes through: if your Diesel car doesn't have a particle filter, if the front of your car is deemed dangerous for pedestrians or if your car weighs more than 2.2t, it'll also be banned (from being imported) / restricted (to 100km/h on the highway).

I'm hoping the voters won't be stupid enough to factually introduce a speed limit of 100 km/ on Swiss highways (if 25-30% of all cars on the road are restricted to 100 km/h, that's what's going to happen). But hey - we're talking about the same voters who brought you the EEA-No, mandatory finger-printing of all new passport applicants (including the storage of the finger-print data in a central database), the Alpen-Initiative, the Verwahrungsinitiative etc. etc., so let's not bet on a no.

To my own surprise, I had to find out that my own Suzuki Grand Vitara would be banned, because it's 3g over the 250g limit. FG.

45
We went to the Zurich Motor Show on the weekend and the boys LOVED it. We were also looking at 7-seaters. My younger boy would immediately jump in the drivers seat while the older one set to work, finding out how the third row went up and how you got in/out of the car.....anyway, back to the thread...

If you're looking for something smaller, and you don't need the 7 seats most of the time, then you might also consider the Ford Grand C-Max. It's quite a small car so good for Zurich streets and parking. It has sliding doors at the back which I love - so practical. It also has 7 seats but the third row is strictly for kids only, and there's no boot space left when the third row is up. It was relatively cheap I thought for a new car.

But I really liked the VW Sharan - that would be my first choice. Unfortunately we're moving back to Aus and neither of these cars are available there.

46
You mean socially acceptable? and who is Gary Glitter?

and what is so wrong with this?

http://www.autoscout24.de/details.as...885710T&gkid=x

47
The engine size. It's a bit obscene for Europe.

48
You know, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind of looking around in the surrounding countries. Thanks for bringing that up. I'm not familiar with the Lincoln Navigator (I don't recall seeing them here in ZH and I'm originally from the jungles of Africa where those kinds of cars are what dreams are made of )

Oh now that just sucks I had no idea! Thank you so much for this info!

49
Yeah, well...it's a 5-something liter V8...nothing better than that. I'd rather keep dodging train fares than driving a Sharan-Cmax-Zafira-Sardine can on 4 wheels.

50
Oh, you people and your store bought cars. You don't know what a real car is like until you make your own. So easy too- and cheaper!

51
A gorgeous car ! and suprisingly not that expensive, seen the USD price on them, allot a car and good value for money..

Friends of us have one here, the only thing she keeps saying is " its a b*tch to park in town" other then that, wow..

When ever they come by with the car, the misses has to drag me upstairs as i keep drooling..

Our puny Maverick looks like a baby beside it Might get sticker that says " wait till i grow up "

Details of the 7 seater Navigator / L version :

Lenth, 567.2 cm, Width 233.2 cm,Height 198.9 cm

and

More pictures and details on this website :

http://www.lincoln.com/suvs/navigator/

And a good few of them for sale in Switzerland.. check out http://www.autoscout24.ch/AS24Web/Li...&zipcountry=CH

Why not check out FORD USA Models?

The Expedition is a 7 seater also.. looks nice , similar to the Lincoln above.

http://www.autoscout24.ch/AS24Web/Li...&zipcountry=CH

The only downside is , they have huge engines for European standards, so they will drink .. but program you satnav from tankstelle to tankstelle and you will be fine

* i am not affiliated with this website..sigh one can only dream ..can we? *

52
It drives like an oceanliner and is a nightmare to park. Otherwise it's a fine truck. I once rented one for a road trip... three people plus tons of baggage... awesome. But I wouldn't want one as a daily driver, even less in Europe.

There's nothing wrong with big engines as long as you can afford the fuel and the taxes. (Many cantons use engine displacement to calculate car taxes.)

53
Have fun driving this "baby" through a Autobahn Baustelle (construction site / road works). The left lane has to be at least 2.5m wide, the right lane at least 3m (in Germany, don't know about here).

If you want to take the left lane, that leaves just 16.8cm, or around 8cm on each side. If you can do that for 5km, you can apply at the next Circus.

On the right lane, you are behind all the lorries....

I'm sure it's a great car for the Australian outback, or driving on Route66.

But Europe? Not so.

54
Yes, if I remember correctly you get the baby seal club, the bunny skin ear muffs and the rare (sorry now extinct) tree-fern free with each model as well as gratis "how to get right up bunny or tree huggers noses" manual....what benefits, right alongside that bullbar with the chrome trim that really brings out the bloody debris on the front....hehe. Nice car though.

How I would love to get hold of an electric version of this though....that would really freak out the bunny huggers.

55
Honestly, I would rather be behind the lorries that can keep a stable 80 through the road works than behind the bleeding car drivers with thier mosquito attention spans and screaming passengers that can't decide what speed between 61.43 and 76.45 they want to do.....and yes, I spent over 24 hours in two days on the autobahn last week in Germany so this is a pretty up-to-date experience.

56
Exactly ! imagine driving that to or from Zurich, cars behind you beeping, no one can overtake you must be fun to drive but hell to park at any given carpark in Switzerland.

Must be a " sunday " car as no trucks are on the road then..what todo the rest of the weeks..would you fit a "smart " in the back of it ?

i'm just saying its a nice car but probably not suitable for what the OP needs, due to its size.

Still, i wanted to post the picture and details as the OP said not to be familiar with the car, so in order for her to decide if it would suit, i did so.

57
Oh, come on people...in Kentucky the Navigator is a compact car.

Jokes aside, it drives like a charm and for people who can drive, these streets shouldn't be a problem at all. It has got a very decent turning circle. Also, unless you're trying to go "too fast too furious" at the traffic light, it won't use all that much gas either. It all comes down to choice. I'd rather invest a little more money and drive a vehicle that I really like than drive something that turns my stomach just by looking at it (i.e Alhambra, Sharan, Cmax, Zafira).

58
And in Kentucky my wife is my sister.

59
...nothing wrong with economizing.

60
Meisie, if you like the Navigator...and have the urge for something more powerful and a tad bit more cash at your disposal...you could consider the ultimate abomination, the heresy of heresies...a Cadillac Escalade!!

The only downfall, you'd have to spend your evenings picking Smarts, Prius and other smalish random things from the grill.