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Safe 7 seater car with large boot - ULEZ compliant

9 replies

Fargoer · 24/01/2023 18:45

Hi,

I couldn’t find a motoring section so posting on chat, hoping for all your excellent insights.

We need to buy a new car since the ulez expansion means our XC90 won’t be compliant.
We bought it with around 12,000 miles and it was £15K.
I like its reputation for safety and the size of the boot. It has given us very little trouble in the 7 years we have had it.

However, a ulez-compliant XC90 will be £50K+ and we don’t have that budget currently.

Anyone have a recommendation for a car that would work for us?
It has been suggested that I use one of the EV schemes but a) I am not sure I want a fully electric car, b) I have heard very mixed things about such schemes.

Any help gratefully received. Thank you

OP posts:
Holeinthetoad · 24/01/2023 18:50

We bloody love our seat Alhambra but can no longer buy new. I think the VW offering is ‘the same car’ but a bit more ££. I very much rate the sliding doors

Fargoer · 25/01/2023 06:48

Thanks is it the VW Sharan you mean? I think that has also ceased production unfortunately.

OP posts:
xyzandabc · 25/01/2023 06:53

We have a 2017 VW Touran. It's ULEZ compliant. Not quite as big as the Sharan I don't think but has served us well so far.

Interested in this thread?

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mummyof1lilman · 25/01/2023 07:02

I'd say look at the Ford galaxy. Vw Sharon and the seat Alhambra both suffer with electrical issues. Ford sold well so there is a good second hand market for them. If you are worried about ulez it might be an idea to stay away from diesel and buy petrol due to dpf and egr valve issues.
If you want an suv then I'd suggest toyota rav 4, kia Sportage or Hyundai Tuscan. Try and stay away from most European brands. Renault, Nissan (they are Renaults in drag) Citroen, Audi, vw Mercedes all suffer with issues as they get older.

I hope this helps!

EYESWIDE · 08/02/2023 16:00

2 of a HUNDRED WAYS CAR REMOTE KEYS CAN KILL YOUR FAMILY

A remote key (keyless car) stranded for 24 hours a savvy, experienced driver, a lone female member of my family, 100 miles from home, putting her in danger.
The car user’s manual didn’t tell her that if the key falls out of the car while the engine is running, you can still drive unlimited miles; then the car can’t start once stopped; you are stranded and the car cannot be towed because the steering is locked.

1 - TYPICAL POSSIBLE EVENT FOR ANY PARENT:
A young father with three children on board stops in a motorway service area and while the children run in to buy sweets, the father leaves the engine running, and steps out of the car to stretch his legs; he pulls a tissue out of his pocket and the tiny remote key falls on the ground, unnoticed.

The children return and pile into the car.
Over their chatter he does not hear or notice a soft tone and message on the dashboard screen behind the steering wheel “key not in vehicle”.
Why should he notice this message when the car is constantly “crying wolf” with pointless messages.

A few minutes later father and children are stuck in a motorway holdup that has lasted for 20 minutes and he carefully creeps his car forward in the holdup that crawls forward a few feet at a time.

All around, drivers are turning off their engines as the holdup is visible far ahead in the distance. To save petrol the father turns off the engine.
No one has told him that without the tiny remote key present in the car, once the engine has been turned off the car cannot be restarted.

The traffic suddenly starts moving but as he tries to restart the car a message flashes up “key not detected”. The car and steering are now disabled.
Fast vehicles are veering to avoid the family car trapped and stopped in a motorway lane. A second later a six-tonne goods vehicle driver, not realising the car is stopped, crashes into the back of the family car; all are killed.

After our deep searches on the net, it looks like the the motor industry has buried this type of danger. Utube has lots of videos by shocked drivers, testing their cars, driving unlimited miles with the remote key left at home.

2 - FACTUAL DEATHS:
In the USA there are a myriad of news stories about families being killed by remote keys (keyless cars) pumping CO gas into homes from garages:
here is a link to one report in The New York Times:
www.nytimes.com/2018/05/13/business/deadly-convenience-keyless-cars-and-their-carbon-monoxide-toll.html

I hope this message saves lives.

Fran92 · 14/02/2023 11:35

Hi op @Fargoer what did you go for in the end? We’re looking for a new car but can’t afford the XC90 unfortunately!

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 14/02/2023 11:38

The xc90 is probably one of the best 7 seaters there is so whatever you chose may feel a bit of a downgrade. It’s also a proper 7 seat so a lot will feel smaller.
are you going new or second hand?

Fargoer · 25/03/2023 16:41

Thanks all, really helpful advice.

@Fran92 we have decided to wait until a bit later in the year but it seems likely we will go for a 2nd hand xc90, @VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji is right, we tried a lot of alternatives out and the 6th/7th seats felt v small.

@EYESWIDE that is all a bit scary!

OP posts:
BlueSpark · 25/03/2023 17:03

Sorry but that is quite a ridiculous read and feels like natural selection.

For one, the car flashes that the key isn't in the car. It's obvious that you can't start the car without the key. That's why they sell the car with a key.

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