Help please with a 7 seater car - Nissan Qashqai+2 any good for childminders?

[JW37]

Hello I'm just about to apply to register with ofsted as a childminder ready for a summer start. I'm looking for a new car for childminding but as it will also be the family car my husband has refused to look at most 7 seaters as he is very image conscious and how a car looks is very important to him.
We test drove a Nissan qashqai+2 today and the 2 car seats for our kids fit in the very back but there was no room for anything else.

Anyone driving one of these as a childminder? They have roof rails so we could put a box on and put double buggy etc in that but it seems a bit extreme!
Or can anyone recommend a 7 seater that my husband potentially might not be embarrassed about?

Cheers

Jayne

Volvo XC90. Very, very comfortable and cool. Small boot with all 7 seats up but huge boot with the back 2 down and they unfold really easily. We love ours and they are not as thirsty as they look, although parts are expensive.

We have one (my DH is the childminder, and in to cars!)

If you don't already have a double then the baby jogger city mini double WILL fit in the boot with all seats in use. Honestly. You have to take the wheels off, but they're very easy to pop on and off. I don't think there is another buggy that would fit.

It's ok, and manageable. Ideally we would have a bigger car I think but it was a compromise as DH didn't really want a minibus style car.

In terms of car seats, the back row is a bit of a menace when you try to fit them back there and a lot of seats (including one of the ones listed in the manual!) don't fit. We have 2 recaro young sports in the back row which are stage 1-2-3, middle row is generally a britax first class plus (group 0+1, we wanted flexibility), a booster (not high backed), and a Britax Duo Plus. We also tried the maxi cosi milofix and it fitted these spaces too, as does the Britax Kidfix which we also have.

Front seat gets either a maxi cosi infant seat, or the kidfix (can be fitted with a belt or isofix)

You will need to buy a crapload of car seats so whatever option you go for car wise think very carefully about which ones will give you flexibility,

Thanks that's great to know the city mini double fits in the back of a qashqai+2 I have the single version so happy to get the double one as well.

Snap we have the single too- beginning to feel like a buggy shed in our house.

Snap we have the single too- beginning to feel like a buggy shed in our house.

We've just bought the Kia Carens - really like it, got a good deal new and 7 year warranty. Not much room in the boot with the two back seats up though.