The 10 best cars for extra-large families
Shifting a large family used to be simple; you'd hang your self-respect on the wall and buy an MPV – a Renault Espace or Ford Galaxy for example – and seek solace in the fact that you did at least look incredibly virile. But virility isn't enough for the modern extra-large family. No, they want style, luxury and ruggedness, to look fashionably frivolous, beautifully boxy or diligently discerning. Thankfully, you'll find a car to fit all those mindsets on this list.
Mercedes V-Class
It's hard to see past a van-based MPV – both literally and figuratively – if you need as much interior space as is physically possible, but not even the V-Class’ Mercedes badge can mask the strong scent of a commercial vehicle. The payoff comes from within, though. The V-Class has room for up to eight people, and unlike most conventional MPVs you get plenty of space left over for luggage, particularly if you go for the Extra Long model.
In fairness to Mercedes, it makes the V-Class feel posher than your average van. On the outside, you get a glitzy grille and alloy wheels; inside, you'll find pretty infotainment screens and large slabs of wood trim. Sadly, noisy engines and jiggly suspension blow away any misconceptions of true luxury.
Dacia Jogger
The Dacia Jogger proves that seven-seaters don't need to be expensive. Prices start from just £18,000, or about £4,000 less than you'll pay for an entry-level Volkswagen Polo.
The Jogger is as cheerful as it is cheap with pseudo off-roader looks thanks to its plastic wheel arch extensions, roof rails and trendy colour options like Dusty Khaki and Urban Grey. All Joggers come with bare essentials like a stereo and air conditioning, and you can choose two relatively thrifty petrol engines. Inside, hard plastics are everywhere, and the rearmost seats don't fold neatly into the floor as you might expect. Otherwise, this is a cracking choice if you need a cheap people carrier.
Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric
The Vivaro Life Electric is another van-based people carrier, and, no prizes for guessing, it's an EV. In many ways, this gives the Vauxhall a sense of luxury missing from the Mercedes V-Class because it delivers effortless power silently. It's very easy to drive, with surprising pick-up off the line, although it only manages 200 miles on a charge, and that will drop considerably in cold weather when it's fully loaded.
Being based on a van means the Vivaro Life has loads of room for passengers. You can deploy up to nine seats and still have a large amount of space left over for luggage. Huge door bins and a central storage space make it easy to keep the cabin tidy. Sadly, the infotainment feels a little basic compared to most of the cars on this list.
Land Rover Defender 110
Cars like the Land Rover Defender 110 are the reasons MPVs have largely been forgotten about, offering nearly as much space but in an SUV body that generates way more kudos. The Defender itself is probably the coolest SUV of the lot, effortlessly blending utilitarianism with a hint of luxury and the knowledge that this SUV can go places others can't.
The downside is that the Defender 110 could be a better seven-seater. Land Rover calls it a "five plus two", meaning the foldout third row best suits children or particularly flexible adults; you can always go for the much larger (although awkward-looking) 130 if you need a proper third row. Along with clever four-wheel drive you'll likely never use, the Defender comes with a punchy range of engines, including a six-cylinder diesel that's smooth, powerful and relatively frugal.
Kia EV9
The EV9 is Kia's statement car, showing that the South Korean manufacturer, once known for building economy boxes, can mix it with the big boys producing flagship electric SUVs. Things get off to a strong start with the EV9's handsomely chunky styling, which make it look like an old-school offroader, not a state-of-the-art EV. The inside is almost as convincing, with large infotainment screens and space for seven with boot room to spare. However, some cabin plastics feel unbecoming of a £75,000 SUV.
Electric motors that instantly serve up all their power mean the EV9 feels punchy even when fully loaded, and 800V charging speeds mean a 10-80% charge takes less than 25 minutes. The downside of the EV9's heavy, 99.8kWh battery is it feels clumsy in corners and can suffer from a choppy ride.
Lexus LM
If Mercedes wants to know how to build an appropriately luxurious van-based people carrier, then it need only hop on the plane to Japan and set up a meeting with archrivals Lexus. Lexus' LM brings 'luxury' of an entirely different level to the people carrier class, with thickly padded multi-adjustable seats with a massage function, a fridge and – icing on the cake – a 48-inch TV that sits on the bulkhead between you and your, er, driver. Cabin quality is superb – even by luxury car standards – and you can choose ultra-plush four or seven-seater configurations.
Okay, so the Lexus isn't the driver's tool craved in these parts. Still, its petrol-electric powertrain runs in eerie silence at town speeds, and Lexus has another trick up its sleeve: brakes specifically programmed to stop the car as smoothly as possible. Noice. The Lexus' engine can feel a little strained out of town, and the ride quality also suffers at higher speeds.
Volkswagen ID.Buzz
Making a genuinely desirable people carrier sounds nigh on impossible, but Volkswagen vans, unlike competitors, have a heritage that traces back to flower power and the swinging sixties. All Volkswagen had to do was paint its ID.Buzz in snazzy contrast-colour paint jobs, et voila, you have a people mover that everyone wants.
Inside, you get the same bright colours as the outside, and while the infotainment screen can be buggy to use, it at least lends the cabin design a soothing simplicity. Driving the Buzz is relatively easy. With instant power and only one gear, it's very easy, and the stubby nose and tight steering lock make it highly manoeuvrable. While only a five-seater for now, a long-wheelbase seven-seater version is due out any day now and gets a larger battery that should increase range from the current model's (optimistic) claimed 255 miles. We couldn’t not have the Buzz on this list…
Range Rover
Seen as unbecoming of the full-sized Range Rover, Land Rover used to leave seven-seater duties to the rabble at the lower end of its line-up in the form of the Discovery Sport, Discovery, Defender and Range Rover Sport, but that's changed for this latest model. The new Rangey is available with a third row of seats that can accommodate tall adults (once the middle row has glided, electrically, out of the way), and stadium seating means everyone gets a good view out the front of the car.
Everything else is as you'd expect, which is to say, it's very luxurious. A large central touchscreen controls all the car's functions, leaving the way clear for Land Rover to plaster the cabin with expensive leather and wood. Power comes from your choice of six-cylinder diesels, PHEVs or petrol V8s, all of which have plenty of power. And, this being a Range Rover, it can get almost anywhere you car to point it.
Citroen E-Berlingo
Much like the Jogger before it, the Citroen E-Berlingo provides cause for celebration if you think all seven-seaters will be ruinously expensive to buy – prices start from just under £32,000 for a seven-seater XL model. Inside, the Citroen feels a cut above the Dacia in terms of interior quality. It's even more spacious, and all models come with modern infotainment that can mirror your smartphone.
The E-Berlingo electric powertrain's lack of gears and instant grunt make it very easy to drive. It feels spritely for a car of this ilk, getting from 0-62mph in nine seconds dead. What's harder to live with is the 182-mile on-paper range, which is nigh on impossible to achieve in the real world. That'll be fine on the daily grind of the average commute, but longer-legged family holidays? Not so good.
Nissan X-Trail
It would be easy to put the Skoda Kodiaq as the last car on this list. The consummate all-rounder with seven seats and a competitive price, the Kodiaq is an ideal candidate for large families. But the Nissan X-Trail gets the nod because it adds mechanical curio into the mix.
You see, hybrid versions of the X-Trail boast an EV powertrain with a petrol motor bolted on to act as a generator. The result? A car that drives like an EV – with instant power and (often) silent running – without worrying, like the BBC, about where your next charge will come from. The X-Trail is even roomier than the Qashqai and has two extra seats. But the cars are similar in most respects, the X-Trail boasting decent interior quality and excellent infotainment. Disappointingly, the hybrid powertrain doesn't provide the superb fuel economy you might hope for, though.
Mercedes
Land Rover
Dacia
Vauxhall
Kia
Volkswagen
Citroen
Lexus
Nissan
V-Class
Jogger
Defender
Range Rover
Berlingo
Vivaro Life Electric
EV9
LM
ID.Buzz
X-Trail
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