Help needed! Car for three kids in middle row

[carseatmare]

I have 3 kids and I cannot find a perfect car for them all. AIBU to think it shouldn't be this bloody hard?!

Currently have an s max. It's brilliant space wise BUT the gear box is crap (auto) and it's failed three times. It needs fixing again but it will cost more than car worth.

We have two 6 year olds in a Britax car seat (high back booster)

And an older child that is just out of car seats now. He's just tall enough to not need one.

S max fits us all beautifully. Even an adult can sit between the car seats.

I've looked at various 7 seaters eg Skoda kodiaq but it's not great to put one of the kids in third row. It's not actually recommended for car seats and is less safe. And getting in and out is a nightmare.

Just looked at a ford tourneo BUT it's somehow narrower and my son barely fits in middle despite saying "three seats" in middle

What else is there? I can't afford much more than £25k really so no Audis etc

Older cars are hard to find locally eg galaxy so not ideal

I need a car, automatic, that will fit three car seats or two car seats and an adult in middle row. Proper seats... not 2.5 or 2.8 but three proper seats.

We've got a Citroen C4 Picasso. It fits three car seats in the middle row using isofix (so three full seats) and gives you the option of using the two additional seats in the back row. If you keep them folded down, you've got lots of space in the boot.
I really like ours. It keeps wanting oil, which I find weird (never had that before) but otherwise it's been fine. Ours is a 2014 reg.

S-Max - you know the answer . All the other 7 seater cars I have tired you’d have to use the third row.

VW Sharan/Touran? The French cars are good for this. We ended up with a Berlingo which has really grown on me.

Older style Berlingo. Also has sliding doors which makes buckling up easier and door opening safer

Hey, we’ve recently upgraded our car to a VW touran due to baby number 3. It has three full seats in the back and also two extra in the boot. Ours is automatic and drives great 👍🏻 I think the boot might be slightly smaller than the smax but not really noticeable especially with the boot seats down. We got ours for around 23.5k for a 2020 plate x

Seat Alhambra

I had a VW Sharan and loved it. Sliding doors amazing. Only sold as didn't meet ulez but will look at getting another.

The 7 seater Seat Alhambra!

I haven't tried one with car seats but I driven a C5 Aircross a few times and the back seats were pretty roomy. Three actual full seats, not a bench or tiny middle seat.

I drive manual so can't comment on the auto gearbox, but the one I drove was a comfortable drive, if a bit boring.

We found our sharan so unreliable! It was in the garage constantly.

We currently have a galaxy with a manual gearbox and have had no issues but I’ve heard bad things about the auto boxes. Could you drive a manual instead? Ours was around 10k and is 2015 but they are cheaper now.

I think the only other options are van types sadly.

Peugeot 5008

VW Touran. It's brilliant. It takes 3 child seats in the middle row. When the kids were older I used to ferry 6 of them about regularly. And we've had a 6 foot+ adult in the the 3rd row many times with no complaints. If you're not using the 3rd row of seats the boot space is massive (it's admittedly very small when you are using both 3rd row seats). Middle seats fold flat, slide back and forth a bit for more or less leg room/boot space. I've even fitted a 2 seater sofa in the back of mine with the boot shut. It's narrower than some equivalent cars so easier to fit into tight spaces/entrances. We got our first in 2006 and I'm on my 2nd now (2017). Both were bought used and have been really reliable. Can you tell I love it? 😂
Edited to add - you say you need 3 full size middle row seats. These are. I used to take four 6 foot teens to school and back every day in ours.

MG HS with change to spare. Also have a look at smaller car seats we had a narrow maxi cosi in my mini which was great for saving space

We've got the Peugeot 5008 and it fits three car seats across the middle beautifully

VW Sharan or Seat Alhambra

Seconded. We had a Sharan a few years back. 2.0 diesel and automatic. Couldn't fault it

I had a touran and it was the most practical car I've ever owned

Stick with another s-max, our automatic was great. We now have a BMW Grand Auto, do not get this, the middle seat is rubbish. I mourn the days of the S-Max.

It needs fixing again but it will cost more than car worth.
I have never understood this spurious comparison. It's an apples/oranges comparison, especially with cars which are continually losing value in any case.

If the car is otherwise OK, get it repaired.

Also

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/4960258-best-car-for-3-kids-not-people-carrier

Mercedes Vito Tourer (Not V Class). Should be able to pick up a second hand one of them for that money. 8 Seats and loads of room for DC

Renault Grand Scenic

C4 grand picasso (what I have) or Seat Alhambra (what I wanted but was a bit out of our price range at the time!)

We have 3 car seats across back of Skoda Kodiaq. We only use the 3rd row for the dog, would never put a child there. We absolutely love our car, the boot space is insane. Why couldn't your older child sit in the middle seat between the twins? It's actually the safest position in any car :-)

I have a skoda octavia and my teenager sits between two child seats. I can fit there too, although I find it awkward to put my feet.
It has a huge boot.

How old is the oldest dc? How big is the smallest adult?