7 seater pondering - jogger or something else?

[7seats]

We currently have a Qashqai, however due to the loss of my dad we’re now down to 1 car across 2 households meaning at max capacity we have more than 5 people.

Is the Dacia Jogger decent? We’ve seen mixed reviews but the big standout feature was that adults do fit on the 3rd row comfortably. Is it reliable/does it drive well? Are the passengers in the back comfy/is it noisy? Should we be looking to stick with Nissan and go x-trail route, or something completely different? (Only one we wouldn’t consider is Peugeot after the last 2 my dad had both having catastrophic breakdowns despite being brand new).

Thank you!

I would go and try and sit in them yourself to see, we have 5 kids (tall ones) so need proper 7 seats.

Dacia - not tried it so can’t comment

VW Sharan - we have and it’s superb, sliding doors and 5 isofix seats.

VW Tiguan Allspace - couldn’t fit in the back row without moving middle seats forward which restricted legroom on the middle row. Also has two seats fold together instead of 3 separately folding.

Volvo XC90 - have and is my favourite. We have an old model so it’s not amazing fuel wise, though not loads worse than a Nissan Qashqi but the newer hybrids/plug ins can be very economical. Boot space is great on newer models (2015 onwards) even with 7 seats up.

KIA Sorento / Caren’s - Sorento is nice inside, an SUV and surprisingly spacious in the back row, Caren’s is nice too but more of a car than an SUV.

Citroen Picasso - apparently great space wise and cheap but after a Volvo I felt it was too much of a drop in quality.

there are some newer seven seaters than these around if you have the budget, I would go and sit in them.

@SwirlingAroundSleep you are an absolute superstar, thank you SO much for taking the time with this! Super super helpful

Depends on your budget but there is a new VW Tayron 7 seater. We tested it recently and the seats weren't too cramped.

We've had a Dacia Jogger Hybrid for two years and we love it. It's not the last word in sophistication but it does everything we need from a 7-seater, doesn't come equipped with anything we don't want but still have to pay for, and compared to anything else delivering the same practicality is brilliant value for money.

Adults can fit in the third row. I'm 5'11" tall with 34" legs and have no trouble, and because the middle row tumbles forward access is very good - far better than the Skoda Kodiaq we also shortlisted.

The middle row kneeroom is a bit tighter than on some rivals but you sit quite high up and there's room for your feet under the front seats. I've never actually travelled in it but there have been no complaints from those who have. DCs are still in HBBs and love it.

Driving wise it's very light on the controls and for a vehicle that size and shape it's actually quite chuckable. Ride comfort is good - much better than so-called premium SUVs on low profile tyres - but the non-hybrid version is nearly 400kg lighter over the back wheels and is apparently a bit more bouncy although I've never been in one myself.

It's a long vehicle but relatively narrow, which suits the narrow streets where we live. Noise-wise it's no Lexus. Soundproofing is one area where the cost-cutting does show, and the hybrid system means the engine noise does not have a linear correlation with road speed: sometimes it screams at high revs at moderate speeds, then it will go completely silent on battery-only mode. I've got used to it and it's nothing that turning the volume up on the radio doesn't deal with, but if you want the hybrid it's worth checking you can live with it. By the way, the hybrid is much more powerful than the pure petrol, automatic, and much better on fuel, but costs significantly more so you'd need to do your sums if you're wondering if it's worth the extra.

It's also not a vehicle I'd choose to spend all day every day in on a motorway. The steering wheel is noticeably offset to the left and the seat lacks adjustable lumbar support. Also, the seat fabric on the top-spec Extreme version is made from recycled plastic which is not especially breathable, although it's washable.

I stongly suggest you at least go to a dealer and climb around in one. When I bought ours dealers had no demonstrators for test drives because across Europe they sell every single one they manufacture immediately, but things might have changed a bit now. Production at the Dacia factory in Mioveni, Romania, is currently throttled back because of the water shortages, but Joggers have been built in Tangier, Morocco since July 2024.

Mine was one of the last built in Romania and it has been super reliable - only routine servicing needed so far. If you service it annually at a Dacia dealer the warranty runs up to seven years.

I've posted previously about the Euro-NCAP safety rating for the Jogger - the one-star rating is utterly meaningless.

Any other questions, feel free to ask. We've just come back from a holiday in France and they are absolutely everywhere there.