Hi, just surveying your thoughts on the above cars...due 3rd child in September...have 3 and 2 year old and will need space for double buggy (P & T)...plus all the usual equipment...want something about 6 months old ...what would you recommend out of the above...or any others?

i absolutely love my VW touran - we bought it 4 years ago and its been the best car either dh or i have ever had! we've got 3 dc - able to fit all 3 seats in the back and huge space for a double buggy and shopping etc in the boot!

the thing i love the most though is the ease of popping the seats up and down in the boot - excellent for those days when dd invites friends or we're going out with family.

only down side is if all the 7 seats are up there would be no space for a buggy in the boot.

but i dont need a buggy anymore so its not a problem for me making it my all time fave car!

I love my S-Max - had it 2 years. I had a Galaxy for 8 years before that.

I prefer the S Max.

Thanks Canella and Ruby....am liking both Touran and S-Max!

Ruby, why do you prefer S- Max over Galaxy?

And what 'extras', if any do you think are necessary on either Touran or S Max?

The S-Max is less van-like - it feels (and looks) more like a car.

I found getting the seats in and out of the galaxy a real faff - they are very heavy and awkward and you have to find somewhere to store them. With the S-Max I can pop them all up to transport DC's and then flip them all back to load my shopping.

I have a few 'extras' - mostly to make it look nice [shallow emoticon] but I wouldn't be without 'park-assist'.

Thanks Ruby - yes, S-Max is a good looking car... I wanted a sporty-ish looking MPV...so may fit the bill- do you have 3 children to accomodate? If so, does it fit okay...we have M&P car seats...quite bulky!

Sorry - can't help with that as all mine are out of car seats now.

Another plus is that the middle row of seats move back a long way. Obviously, if you are using the rear seats you need to move the middle row forward or it limits legroom in the very back but if the rear seats are not in use there is loads of legroom for the middle seat passengers.

I recently took 6 friends (all adults) out on a long trip (a full load including me) and they were very impressed by how much room there was - and room for bags in the boot.

Hopefully someone else will come along and help with the car seat question.

We have an S-Max and I love it. I have 2 in proper car seats and 1 in a booster and as the middle row has 3 separate seats there is no problem fitting the seats in.

With the 2 back seats down the boot is enormous.

I love ours!

Thanks Ruby and Sidge...sounds just right!