Best car for three kids!

Hi guys,

In the end went for a 2nd hand VW Touran (Sport, to make me feel a little better about it). It is a nice motor with enough room for the family. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Cheers

Paul
 
I've just come across this thread and found it an interesting read as I'll be in the same position over the summer (dependant on clearing some credit cards!) and have been researching suitable cars.

We've currently got a Zafira which has met our needs so far, but as mentioned by an earlier poster, I'm not comfortable with having a little one in the boot space in case of a rear end collision. My wife has her eyes on a "4x4" (Vauxhall Antara, Ford Kuga, VW Tiguan/Touareg) but I'm keen on a 5 Series touring as I think the 4x4s she has in mind are going to be too small for 3 kids!

Does anyone own any of the 4x4s mentioned (or the 5 series) that could provide thoughts on their suitability for a family of 5 or suggestions for non-mpv alternatives (budget circa £12-15k). It would be only really have 5 of us in it at the weekends so the majority of the time would have only my wife & kids using it.

I took a look at the multimac link provided earlier in the conversation and think it's a great idea, but the price would be so off-putting when you can get 3 high quality child seats for less than a quarter of the cost (even less when they move to the booster seats!)
 
I spoke to a bmw dealership last week about this and they said that it would be tough to get three child seats into the back of a 5-series unless one was just a booster cushion type - i.e. with no sides. This would be no good for us as we (will) have three chilren aged 0-4 - so I think it's going to be an s-max for us (don't need to use the rear two-seats so the people-in-the-boot thing doesn't come up)
 
Yes this one has come up too - but I think A) you can't get three child seats in the middle row - you need to use the back row and B) the back row seats don't come out/go away?

Haven't researched this one so, as usual, imightbewrong
 
Yes this one has come up too - but I think A) you can't get three child seats in the middle row - you need to use the back row and B) the back row seats don't come out/go away?

Haven't researched this one so, as usual, imightbewrong

The middle row has got three individual seats, most definitely fit a full child seat it each one.

The backrow seats just fold in the boot and provide a flat floor :)

One of the few vehicles where you can actually have 7 adults in it as well if you so desired, I appreciate it is not part of the requirements. And with the 3.0 Diesel is is a really nice proposition. Albeit not the cheapest one :D
 
Update - for those who care :) Having looked at the usual suspects for a replacement (S-max, 5008 etc), and then doing more driving in the Octavia, I really came to the conclusion I don't want to change it. So we are having another look at the Multimac seat system. It looks like we can actually put our to-be-middle child in a forward facing position, which was SWMBOs main concern.

I had a chat with them yesterday and we are going to set up a demo - looks like it will cost £1500 (RRP) for a 3-way seat with an infant seat with various gubbins. Quite a bit but way less than changing cars, plus it should have a re-sale value. Also opens up a massive range of cars - e.g. we could get three in the back of an M3 folding hard-top in a few years :devil:
 
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Let us know how it goes... :thumbsup:
 
So far not so good - after an initial good contact with them they are taking a while to organise a demo for us - been getting on for two months since initial contact.
 
Just come back from a fortnight abroad where I have been driving around in a Citroen Xsara Picasso which would easily take three children in the back.

It's a horrible car to drive though and the last time that I experienced handling like that was on a boat
 
Yep - that's why I am interested in the multimac - there are cars that will take the kids in the back, but I don't really want any of them
 
I will keep an eye on this thread.

We are after a bigger family car (although only 2 adults / 2 kids), but we need the option to take more adults on occasions.

Currently running Ford C-Max, great to drive, but lacks the space we want.

Cars I am thinking of are S-Max/Galaxy, Discovery, FRV... but ... and this is the mad part, also thinking of a VW California Camper or similar. Not even sure of the seating arrangements, but presume you may have three clear adult size spaces in the rear, question is can you live day to day in such a vehicle. It will be also used for W/Es away. Prices are bonkers though.
 
how 'occasionally'?

I personally don't understand the reasoning behind buying a larger, heavier, less efficient car just for the odd occasion where you might need to squeeze in an extra person. In those cases you can probably get them in between the car seats in a good sized family car, or for short journeys have one child not use a car seat and adjust the seatbelt down with a clip.
 
just want more space, we go camping and the car gets rammed full of stuff, so space is good, with or with out extra people.

Also it may soon come to a point where we need to transport 2 extra adults.
 
So far not so good - after an initial good contact with them they are taking a while to organise a demo for us - been getting on for two months since initial contact.

Update on the Multimac.

Well, after literally months of nagging we managed to get a viewing of one. It looked pretty good - probably not amazing quality but I think we will be going for one instead of getting a new car - so that probably speaks for itself.

Looks like costing about £1500 for a three-seater with head-rests and their (very expensive) baby seat.

Quite a lot, but compared to swapping for an s-max/5008/whatever is peanuts. Also may well have resale value when we no-longer need it, although that will most likely be in eight-years.

So all in all a decent product but with poor service so far - I think they are a pretty small outfit (1-2 people in sales) and they have high-ish demand so are spread pretty thin.

Will update after install :)
 
Surprised no ones mentioned yet, but how about a used volvo xc90

All 7 seats as standard. Plenty of space for 3 childseats in middle row.

Get a diesel model, safe, spacious, and options for an extra 2 seats for around £7k. Id also prefer to go the 4x4 looking route than the people carrier route myself
 
One of the options for those needing 7 seats is the Volvo XC90. Be sure to get a D5 SE or luxury spec. You can fold the back row into the floor and when up, you can still fit some luggage in the rear.
 
Okay - got the multimac! Have yet to try it out but here's some poor quality photos. Took about two hours for them to fit, although there was an element of trial-and-error as each car is slightly different. Now we have it right I would estimate 1/2 hour each way to take out and put back.

Before

beforeh.jpg


After

For the two older ones

afterbigkids.jpg


Infant seat

afterinfant.jpg
 
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