Family cars

[Kenickie]

We're reluctantly giving in to the need for a) two cars and b)a car that's bigger than a Yaris.

I guess the main requirements are big boot space, more room across the back would be good so I think one with three full size seats, it needs to be automatic (definitely happy to pay the premium for this - would most cars come in this option nowadays).

Ideally I'd like a hybrid - P asked at the garage the other day and was told a Corolla /what used to be an Auris estate would be a good option for us.

Any recommendations/ones to avoid? I really like my Yaris so I'm tempted by another Toyota, but happy to look at anything really. I have no interest in cars other than reliability and space so I don't care whether it's cool/ what it looks like etc. I like that the Toyotas have a five year warranty, so something else with a long warranty would be good. I'm not sure if we're going to get something about three years old, or maybe get a new one on some sort of finance.

Preferably it would not be a total minibus or tank as I've only ever driven small cars and I'll be the one using it day to day as P will have the Yaris to commute.

[Squirrel]

My Ford C Max has been absolutely brilliant (it’s 12 years old now and still going strong), the 7 seater version is the S-Max like this
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 7en&page=2

So not a hybrid but a decent solid family car. You can tweak the specs / mileage / budget to find one that suits your preferences, I’ve got the “Titanium” spec and i would definitely go for that again.

[Glint]

Mr G has a mondeo, and I had a mondeo estate when S was born - they have huge boots but the boot size was more due to Mr G gigging rather than S!

It's purely my preference, but I prefer bigger cars that have a decent crumple zone. I know all new cars are safe, but it's just one of my things.

I'll probably be changing cars at some point this year and will consider kia and Hyundai due to the warranty. I can't say anything bad about the Ford's, and I like Honda. The Ford cMax is popular around here as is Renault scenic.

Look at what you like, be prepared to sit through loads of sales shite and expect to lose the will to live.

[Gannet]

I have a Peugeot 2008 and the boot is not bad but the 3008 is pretty big on boot space, dependent if you are in the market for new, they now have the hybrids in their new range and they are pretty well fitted out inside.

[Rhodonite]

I agree the c-max is a good choice. We got one when J was born and the boot was big enough for our two newfoundland dogs, not quite 3 full seats across the back though. D then took my c-max and I got a Vauxhall tourer (7 seats), it's definitely more spacious inside, but I don't think I'd get one again, but you can get them at a fairly decent price. We've just traded in the Vauxhall for a Grand C-max. The Grand has 7 seats, plus slidey doors We've put the middle centre seat down and will use the two rear seats when we need them. (we often need 6 seats, but rarely 7).

Or like squirrel said you can go for the S-Max which is also 7 seats, but bigger overall, and I think still has the sliding doors.

[purple_dress]

We got our Mazda 6 estate when I was pregnant with J and it's lasted us well and been reliable, easy to drive. The boot space is fantastic and the boot is flat when you open it with no lip to lift things over, so much easier to load. It is, however, the world's most boring car.

[smalex]

We've got a Seat Arona, also not a hybrid. We've liked it so far, it seemed well sped'd for the money and drives nicely. Also, decent boot. I find it difficult to be enthused about cars, so this is really the equivalent of me raving about it. We had two Ford Focus' before that. The first was a proper workhorse, couldn't complain. But the second died in a fairly catastrophic (expensive) way so I'm less enamoured by their reliability than I used to be.

[Cerise]

I had an S-max in Belgium and really liked it. Three full sized seats in the back and a good driving position.

[Mayday]

I have an S-Max. I love it. It might look big but don't be put off, it doesn't feel like a big car when you are driving it. It doesn't have sliding doors,just normal ones.

I had a scenic before which was fine, but my kids have loads more room in the back of my smax. Huge boot too.

[Smunder Woman]

I moved from a Yaris to a Mégane and it's not massively bigger to drive, but has a huge boot.

[F'Artiste]

We have a Peugeot 2008, and the boot space is pretty good (our fold down double pram lives there permanently, alongside a scooter). But having said that, with two car seats there’s barely any room in the middle seat (A can squeeze in, but would have to sit without a belt). So if that third seat is important, probably not much good.

Certainly, if we had a hypothetical third child we’d have to change car.

[Flora Poste]

I've got a Grand C-Max (the 7 seater one) and it's been brilliant. You can get 3 car seats in the back (just - it's not quite as wide as the S-Max), it drives like a normal size car (NOT like the Galaxy we had as a courtesy car that was like driving a hearse!). But the best thing about it are the rear sliding doors - just brilliant for getting kids strapped in in car parks and on busy roads. Decent sized boot if you don't have the rear seats up.

[Loralei]

I love my Galaxy but it is an absolute beast. I would definitely recommend Fords if you value reliability over having anything interesting. My favourite feature is the heated front windscreen so you don't have to defrost your car on cold mornings A few of my friends have C-maxes and S-maxes and only have good things to say about them (other than that they are dull!)

[Kenickie]

Thanks, all. When people say big boots, are there things that would fit the four of us, plus a buggy, plus a couple of big suitcases and maybe a travel cot for going on holiday? Or will we just end up getting a roof rack anyway?

The SUV /seven seaters seem like overkill for just us and two tiny babies, but would people just keep the back row folded down to get the extra boot space? Would they give a lot more room than a five seater estate type thing?

The three seats in the back was because my sister always sits between her kids on long journeys so I was thinking it might be useful to have that option, but I don't know how normal that is. Also I guess it would be nice to be able to fit another person in if we needed as in our current one there's no way that anyone could get in between the car seats.

I have an irrational thing that Japanese cars are the most reliable but it sounds like Fords are well worth checking out. I'll see if I can look at some of the other options too.

[Mayday]

I have had a sofa and a wide range of furniture in my Smax, And my endless tip trips Ken you'd easily get that in.

I keep the back row folded down. I'm not sure you'd get anymore boot space with an estate, but for us it was more the width of the seats that swung it, as we need to fit in a 6ft 2 teenager and 2 siblings who cannot sit close enough for any touching to avoid the whole he touched me/his leg is on my seat arguments obvs you are a while off this

We did have an estate actually but the seats were so narrow it had to go. And while the boot space was about equal because most SUVs are taller they are easier to get stuff in and out.

[Squirrel]

My favourite feature is the heated front windscreen so you don't have to defrost your car on cold mornings

Yes me too!

Ken if you look up the specs of the cars you’re interested in, you’ll be able to find the exact boot capacity.

[Texaco Shirley]

I have to say I would never for a second consider sitting between 2 car seats for a long journey

[Princess Morripov]

We have an X5 as a family car but I don’t think that it’s great for boot space, unless you play some deep Tetris to squeeze things in. If all four of us go out in it, there’s not a lot of space for any shopping if we’ve got the pram in the boot. It looks like a fucking tank but it’s not big enough

We will be going down to London for a few days for my brothers wedding and using it to drive to the airport parking for holidays and we will definitely need to get a roof rack now there’s two kids or it would be pretty uncomfortable.

[Rhodonite]

I've jumped in the back to try to stop crying, on more than one occasion! I'm not entirely sure how it's going to work with the middle seat folded away!

I agree about going to look at them, we needed a big boot because of the dogs, and it's surprising how many big cars have tiny boots!

[Kenickie]

Thanks. I'll definitely look at some, but wanted to try and narrow it down as there seems to be so many options and I really don't understand cars. Are the ones suggested here mostly SUVs? What's the difference between an SUV and an MPV? And both of those are different from an estate because they're higher off the ground and more like vans, right?

A heated windscreen sounds good. I have a reversing camera in my Yaris and definitely would like one in the next car. I want a hybrid for the environmental benefit rather than to save money, but it's not a deal breaker.

I'm trying to work out how much space we actually really need on a day to day basis, and whether it's worth the hassle to get something a bit smaller/cheaper and then use a roof rack for holidays or even hire something bigger. it's hard to know whether to go for something a bit bigger than the Yaris, or jump up to something big enough that it'll suit us whatever we want to do in the future.

The Citroen C4 Picasso seems to come up a lot in twin groups, does anyone have experience of that one?