Best (estate?) car for 2 carseats, 2 dogs, 2 parents plus baby paraphernalia!

[Beesmummy]

Hi, we currently have a Renault Scenic which I love - small enough for our country lanes and parking in local towns, but big enough for one carseat plus luggage and our dogs.
BUT, number two is nearly here and there is no way we are all going to fit in, so I need something with a bigger boot.
Thinking about estate cars like Passat, Ford Focus etc -- any advice v gratefully received!? We need a fair bit of boot space for our spaniel and terrier plus travel cots, buggies, etc.

[bamboobutton]

we are about to lease a Saab 93 linear estate, DH is a car geek and spends ages researching stuff so it must be good. i know it has 5 stars in the euro-ncap.

[TweetleBeetle]

We have a scenic too - which we love but is not quite big enough whne we go away camping. Looking to change later this year, I love the Chrysler Grand Voyager but not yet convinced, wil keep an eye on this thread

[diddle]

i've got the new C4 picasso, DH has got the Grand C4 picasso, i can get 3 car seats in the back, but probably not two dogs plus baby stuff in boot. I think the grand picasso would be better for you. much bigger boots space with back row of seats down.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

Our passatt estate is huge!

[Beesmummy]

Going to look at all of these - please keep 'em coming, we are going to go round all the garages this weekend and next weekend and do test drives!

[arabicabean]

I love my new Mercedes E-class estate. The luggage space is great. It fits your requirements, but at a price.

[brimfull]

ford focus
not glam or aspirational but we have had ours for yrs and it's never gone wrong

[bessmum]

Did a double take at your name and family description! Our two little ones, double buggy, travel cot, two terriers and DH and I fit perfectly into a Ford SMax and it is easy to drive (I had parking sensors fitted but prob doesn't need them). Dogs go in a crate leaving a huge boot space still, plus if you are not taking the dogs you have 7 seats. We bought a second hand high milage one and it has been brilliant.

[Stayingsunnygirl]

Arabica - we've got an E240 automatic, and I love it. There's a huge amount of legroom in the back, and all three dses fit on the backseat without too much fighting. The boot's enormous too - and it's a lovely car to drive.

[Seuss]

Our VW Touran is v. reliable, no dogs at the mo but 2 parents,3 kids in car seats and three bikes in boot no probs - I like it cos there's plenty of room and yet it isn't massive and awkward when it comes to parking and stuff.

[Seuss]

Plus can pop up two seats in boot if nec.

[hedgepig]

we have a vectra estate the boot is huge. Internally 2 car seats across the back seat are fine but you wouldn't fit in a 3rd. An adult can squeeze in but it is a bit tight.

but I does seem to break down quite a lot. When I say break down I mean a new warning light comes on and you go to the garage to be told something you have never hear of has gone wrong and that will be £300 please . For this reason we are thinking abut changing it.

From my limited investigations you do get better fuel economy from an estate but my current thinking is a MPV will give more flexibility. I do like the look of the Touran seuss

[jendave]

We love our Touran. We can fit a large dog crate and a buggy in the boot easily and plenty of room in the back. Also nice to drive and sitting high up when you drive which I think is better than an estate (we previously had a Mondeo estate).

[lljkk]

We have a Passat estate, brilliant, meets all of OP's specs. Problem with people carriers (compared to estates) is they have much poorer fuel efficiency.

[Cosette]

We have a Volvo V70 estate with the family pack - 2 x inbuilt booster seats that just flip out of the seat when required. We also have the 2 extra seats in the boot - again they just flip up (rearward facing - suitable for up to 12yrs), and have been great for squeezing extra children in on the school run.

Sounds like your requirements are for younger children, but may be relevant depending on how long you think you might keep the car from.

The boot is big - we have 2 large dogs, and we can get 2 x teenagers, 1 x toddler, us, the dogs and a 3 wheeler pushchair all in the car together.

[Beesmummy]

Still looking - seen some possibles here and just looking at some Volvos now too! Ford S-Max's and Mercedes bit too expensive, even second-hand, we are ideally looking to spend under £7,000 which limits our options a bit.
Anyone got an opinion on the Vauxhall Zafira? Haven't been to see one properly yet, but we were behind one yesterday and it looked like the boot was a decent size.
thanks all

[Beesmummy]

PS Passat, VW and Volvo drivers - are the parts expensive?? We seem to be unlucky with cars and one of the good things about having a Renault has been (relatively) inexpensive servicing and parts.

[Marne]

We have a Vectra Estate, we can fit in 2 children (car seats), 2 adults, 2 pushchairs and sometimes the dog .

[Beesmummy]

We have bought Ford Mondeo estate - v boring but reliable, diesel and huge boot! (Passat was smaller) Also liked SMax, Touran and Volvo V70 but couldn't find cheap one.

[sazm]

we had a focus estate for a while,was a good car,but there wasnt as much room in the back as we expected esp for a rear facing car seat,
there was more room inside the peugeot 306 we had
(the focus was the older shape than you will be looking at tho)
but it was a good reliable car,

[despwifey]

We had a 05 plate Mondeo diesel but traded it as a bit plasticky and rubbish turning circle meant I found it really hard to park it in multi storeys. Was really showing wear after only 3 years too. Now have 53 plate V70, bought for less than 5K so a bargain. Great car, can fit spaniel in crate, pushchair and shopping in boot, 3 booster seats across back seat and I find it much easier to park. Much better soec than Mondeo too. V reliable. Volvo dealers tend to be pricier for servicing and parts than Ford/Renault however we're not planning on buying new every 3 years so wanted something a bit better quality. Hth

[karise]

307sw is fantastic! Comes with 2 extra seats if you have room in the house or garage to keep them. My friend has the 407 estate which she loves too if you need even bigger. Both handle incredibly well, especially the country lanes. Ours is diesel and we call it our 'work horse'. A great country car and more boot than the scenic any day!