My sisters Alhambra has died. Needs to replace it with another 7 seater.
Requirements are:
7 seat
Middle row must be capable of having 2 child seats side by side.
Petrol ( mostly used about town)
Budget 20-25k
Obvious answer is another Alhambra/ Galaxy type but any other suggestions?
The middle row issue is the main one. She actually has 4 child seats so 2 go in back row, and 2 go in middle row (one at side and one at middle) which frees the end seat for being tipped forward to gain access to the rear.
Any knowledgeable suggestions welcome!
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Alhambra.
MPVs have more interior space than 7 seat SUVs.
One slightly left-field choice would be the Hyundai i800.
8 full size seats and a very large boot - is based on their Transit style van though RWD rather than FWD.
Discontinued in 2017 or 18 I think.
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The 5008 and the C4 Spacetourer and S-Max all seem to have 3 isofix seats across the middle row. Whether two adjacent could be used at the same time would need to be checked out on a test drive.
Looked at the i800, seems to only come in a 2.5 Diesel engine.
There’s also a Berlingo 7 seater version that they are looking into.
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There is a transit for families, i think it's called tourneo.
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Yeah. Don’t seem to be any in this price bracket and petrol though.
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tbh with these requirements and the price, I don't think I'd worry much about diesel vs petrol. Vehicles like this tend to have a pretty narrow spec, often its a case of take it or leave it.
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www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203314162374
How about one of these?
link snipped to remove unnecessary carp
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 23 Jun 22 at 02:55
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I know a couple of guys who have those, mountain biking types. Seem very pleased with them.
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...I think that for the 7 seats you need the longer Grand Tourneo Connect...
example here:
www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205306311171
(they do seem rather a lot of new car van for the money, compared with mainstream)
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Yes that's the version i had in mind.
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>> (they do seem rather a lot of new car van for the money, compared with
>> mainstream)
Along with the Caddy Maxi, tres populari in canine circles.
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I know it’s not an important factor, but how crap does that radio look in that Tourneo Connect??
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Thats the old "fiesta dalek" style dash
Check out the new ones, www.ford.co.uk/cars/new-tourneo-connect#gallery
Very smart. And as TnE said, thats a lot of metal for your money. 25 grand new.
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Is the Tourneo based on a Transit? It looks smaller, perhaps Ford Focus based?
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transit courier/connect with a fancy interior and more doors and windows.
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They look good. Wonder if twin child seats would fit on that “double” middle seat. I’ll pass on the suggestion to check out.
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...this says the outers of the middle row both have "Isofix",
www.parkers.co.uk/ford/grand-tourneo-connect/review/practicality/
...so I'd suspect so.
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The new Ford Tourneo Connect is of course just a VW Caddy with a Ford grille, in the same way that Mercedes stick their grill on the Renault Kangoo.
A Peugeot Rifter/Citroen Berlingo is very similar (small van with windows) but would be better value, and available used if that helps. Alternatively a Pug 5008 or Citroen C4 Grand Spacetourer.
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www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204194808158
Something like this Toyota Verso? Not sure about width of middle seat, but should be a paragon of reliability
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I think that there is a new Dacia 7-seater called the Jogger. Looks to be well reviewed. Not the highest safety rating compared with other cars but otherwise a bargain.
Might be worth a look?
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Yeah they are looking at that but apparently can’t get one before October.
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>> Not the highest safety rating compared with other cars but otherwise a bargain.
>>
AIUI, the reason for the safety rating is down to a lack of anti collision radar, BLIS, etc.
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I did read somewhere that a car can't now get the top star rating without blind spot monitoring and lane keeping, which means that if your interest is in crashworthiness you need to make comparisons on the detail, not the star rating.
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We still have our 2009 FRV 1.8 petrol auto, now 144k miles.
Have just driven from Scotland to Southampton down the motorway averaging 38mpg with 5 of us and a full compliment of luggage for a cruise.
3 full size child seats can easily fit in the back row and a 4th can go in the middle front seat while still leaving the boot space untouched (430 litres or so).
Not really an option of course as 2009 was when they were discontinued, but a worthy if largely unloved MPV.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Tue 28 Jun 22 at 08:11
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>> Have just driven from Scotland to Southampton down the motorway averaging 38mpg with 5 of
>> us and a full compliment of luggage for a cruise.
>>
Hmm. Nice luggage.
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Och gies a break mon - ah'm typin' oan a tiny 'phone while lyin' on mah erse oan a cruise ship in Bilbao :-)
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I can’t imagine a holiday much worse than being confined on a ship with a load of “others”. Far less making any physical or financial effort to do so.
;-)
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Anyway, I had a Galaxy at one time, not because I needed the seats, but because I needed the load space. I liked it, it drove very well and didn’t let me down. Then I got an Espace, which was the stuff of automotive nightmares.
If I was going to have that sort of thing again I might look at an S Max I suppose.
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Next door had an Espace, and was continually getting reasonably major problems. So he sold it and got another Espace.
You can imagine how that went...
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In the last 30 yeaRs ,I’ve had about 5 Espaces, with various degrees of success, the two new ones were the worst , including THE race , also
Had a Pug 806 which I loved, but the last two have been Alhambras and loved em , the last one is being replaced by A Grand Picasso grand ,here’s hopping it’s good
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I like cruises because it's a different destination each day and entertainment changes each evening.
The downside, as you ascertain, is a large cohort of corpulent Brexiteers.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Tue 28 Jun 22 at 09:45
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Likewise.....although I haven’t been on one since the last century.
I’ve only been on that one...a weeks duration around the Caribbean with RCCL ( Song of Norway) jumping on local buses, exploring independently. Avoided the evening entertainment but didn’t dislike the week.
A few years ago I discovered SCIC. Dutch company, small gulets sailing the Turkish coast and Greek Islands. Most of us chose to sleep out on deck at night, dive overboard at sunrise, max 10 passengers ( I stipulate no Brits on my chosen trips) great food, open bar, excellent conversations with an eclectic mix of passengers. Hope to join another such trip early September. Chill with a book, drink local wines ( on my first trip we ran out of beer and had to resupply at short notice) discuss with the captain each morning where you want to sail, then snorkel, SUP, and kayak the day away. My kinda cruise.
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>> A few years ago I discovered SCIC. Dutch company, small gulets sailing the Turkish coast
>> and Greek Islands. Most of us chose to sleep out on deck at night, dive
>> overboard at sunrise, max 10 passengers ( I stipulate no Brits on my chosen trips)
What nationality are you, then?
I am sorry. I just feel that i need to keep my hand in.
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Well, of course I wish you a pleasant holiday if that’s your thing. I suppose you should try to stop short of pushing any of “them” overboard however tempting that may periodically become.
;-)
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Strangely enough, booked a cruise for next May. Greek and Turkish islands.
You dont need to mix with the unwashed, and as the jock doc says its a hotel bar in a different place every day.
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 28 Jun 22 at 10:48
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Oh Lord!
..."Of All The Gin Joints In All The Towns In All The World, He Walks Into Mine"...
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>> Oh Lord!
>>
>> ..."Of All The Gin Joints In All The Towns In All The World, He Walks
>> Into Mine"...
For 7 days. I paid the premium drink package so its Tanqueray no 10 thank you.
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Oh well, perhaps I’ll try it when I’m a bit older. Don’t feel I’m quite there yet.
;-)
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>> Oh well, perhaps I’ll try it when I’m a bit older. Don’t feel I’m quite
>> there yet.
>> ;-)
You chose a time when the Kids are at school, chose a cruise that has a bit of kulture ( we will be going to see the site of one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world) and avoid the sundeck.
Give your fellow pax names. There goes the fat family, oh its mrs saggy tits, or Varicose vera.
Great fun.
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I’d be the bloke with the crippled arm at the moment. :-(
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>> ( we will be going to see the site of one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world)
...I think Duncan will choose to be out....
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>>
>> Give your fellow pax names. There goes the fat family, oh its mrs saggy tits,
>> or Varicose vera.
>>
>> Great fun.
>>
..of course, they may all be doing that back at you. Their verdict could be interesting.
"“O, wad some Power the giftie gie us to see oursels as others see us!"
Last edited by: tyrednemotional on Tue 28 Jun 22 at 12:04
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My son has a BMW 2 series Gran Tourer, it has a 1.6 petrol, 3 cylinder mini engine with an auto' gearbox i love driving it (compared to my Polo with a DSG gearbox)
Also it doesn' look like a van with windows. A lot of them do !
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Is it a 7 seater ?
And I’d hazard a guess that with that engine/autobox combo it doesn’t have flappy paddles.
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It is a 7seater.
3 rows of seats
Limited luggage space with the 3rd row up.
Sorry no steering wheel paddles
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Blow me down....I’ve never heard of a 2 series Grand Tourer. I’ve heard of ‘Grand Coupe’ in various series BMW which is a 4 door rather than 2.
That’s what threw me.
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Its not brilliant, handling is meah due to the height, the engine (in this, the mini and citroens/pugs) is universally regarded as fragile and sorry it does look like a van.
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Mrs BB has a 2016 BMW 220i Gran Tourer, so a 2.0 4-cylinder petrol with a proper TC auto (the facelifts have a twin-clutch jobbie). It has 7 seats but the rear row is so small as to be suitable for very short distances only.
It handles nicely and goes well but the suspension is just too hard (this is our first BMW and will be the last for this very reason). The dashboard controls are too small and confusing, and the build quality is poor (fabric blind for glass roof fallen down, door seals coming off) and worse than the Mercs we have had. The dealers are both useless and expensive.
Funnily enough our new neighbours have a 218 Gran Tourer (the 3-cylinder engine) and they are not impressed with theirs either. Not recommended.
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A cruise is my idea of hell. Don’t like “luxury” hotels all that much and a floating one seems infinitely worse as am highly prone to motion sickness. Yes I know they have stabilisers and all that but believe me I would be sick. I can’t travel on coaches or as a passenger in a car for any distance come to that although driving is fine. Trains and planes are OK
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God forbid you do anything outside your comfort zone.
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>> one seems infinitely worse as am highly prone to motion sickness.
NFN I would suggest! :-D
Last edited by: zippy on Tue 28 Jun 22 at 19:42
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Ships are jolly handy for getting oneself and one’s car across the English Channel or the Irish Sea for example. They are also pretty good for moving large quantities of traded goods around the world.
However, taking a holiday on one is nothing short of absurd.
;-)
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Tue 28 Jun 22 at 19:51
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Have seen a few Citroen Grand Picasso (later named Spacetourer I think) on my recent travels.
Possible contender? - not sure if their autoboxes are TC or manky automated manuals.
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Amazing!
Wouldn’t have thought there was much call for 7 seater MPVs on a ship…
Must be a big old boat!
;-)
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...they're good for wheelchairs...
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7 seater recommendatio - Lygonos
