Chrysler Voyager v's Kia Sedona

[DairyNips]

Thinking of changing our Nissan Almera Tino for a bigger car now we have 3 DC.

Anyone have any info or advice on the Chrysler Voyager and Kia Sedona? Which is best? What are the differences? Are they reliable? TIA

When we were looking for a larger car I seem to remember that the Chrysler Voyager had a terrible crash test result. Could have improved now but I would check it out. We decided on a Galaxy in the end and love it!

Ah I hadn't even thought of that, will look in to it, thanks.

Not considered the galaxy but will take a look

Yes, I remember seeing the crash test in the "Which" report. I think they said it was the worst they'd ever seen.

It's difficult to get unbiased opinion but you can read "Which" free at your local library.

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good :-/ Really fancied a Voyager too. Wonder how the Kia Sedona compares in a crash.

I have a galaxy too and it's lovely to drive, my friend has an smax and she loves that too.

Will look in to those options too thanks

Anyone else have a Kia Sedona?

Bump

Morning bump..

The Chysler Voyager hasn't been on sale for a while. The Grand Voyager is an excellent car and massive with tons of kit. But very pricey. Kia are a decent manufacturer, and their new cars all come with 7 year warranty. It might help if you said what your budget was, and what age of car you were thinking of, if not new. I second the S-Max recommendation,

I've got a Sedona and love it! Just as roomy as the Voyager but a fraction of the cost.

Mine was second hand and has been great - they now come with a 7 yr warranty so obviously the manufacturers are confident in their reliability.

Ah thanks. It won't be a new one. Budget very low, £2,000 or below. We currently have an Almera Tino that is worth £1,500 at the most so ideally would just like to swap and not have to spend much extra.

Forgot that my friend has a Kia and she has 4 children. They have tried out a variety of 7 seaters and she says this has been her favourite!

I just had a look at "Which". I found the 2011 "used MPVs" page.

they seem to like:
the numbers are points scored

Honda FRV 76%
Mazda 5 54%
Renault Scenic 55%

Ford C-max 58%
Vauxhall Meriva 65%
Toyota Previa 67%
Toyota Verso 57%

They say don't buy the Sharan or the Voyager

the report might be sorted by vehicle size, It doesn't display very well.

You can read Which reports free at your local library.

You won't get a reliable 7-seater car for £2k, sorry.
We bought ours for £3k & spent £2k on repairs for it within 2 yrs. We've been looking at Sharans & Tourans recently & hard to get one that looks reliable bet for under £6k.

Friend has a Gran Voyageur & loves it. Gas guzzler, though & expensive repairs.
We have a Sedona & I mostly loathe it (DH thinks it's okay). Also a gas guzzler. Parts are very expensive & I now have high prejudice against all Korean cars.

Both drive like tanks. Both me & friend cycle as much as possible!

Mechanic says he would buy Galaxy if he bought 7 seater today (he currently owns a Sharan & he's seen what a heap of junk my Sedona is).

Transit Crewbus?

Ah thanks for the info.. Hmm not looking good for our budget. It does need to be reliable as we travel from Berwick Upon Tweed to Peterborough and Cornwall to see family a few times a year.

I have to say though, our current car (the Almera Tino) cost £1,600 and has never broken down. It has had a few repairs but nothing too serious. Surely there must be something out there?

how many people do you have to carry? Two adults plus three minors? And a boot? That doesn't warrant a Mums Bus.

I got mine on eBay for 3k and it was only 4 .5 years old, low mileage and have only had 1 very minor repair.

Would always suggest you go and look at a car before buying though preferably with a knowledgable sort!

I agree it is a bit of a guzzler especially "town" driving but when I drive to Scotland there isn't much difference in cost compared to our other car which is a 2ltr diesel. Probably wouldn't be my choice if I only ever did the school run though.

Piglet, yes that's right, 2 adults and 3 children. It may not warrant a mum bus but it would be nice to have a bit more room in the car, especially when we make the 9 hour journey to Cornwall. Extra seats would also mean we can take other family members with us places without it always having to be two cars. For instance, we use to take Mil to the metro centre whenever we went but now we can't as we can't fit her in. When my Aunty and uncle come to stay they come on the train and we can't take them round to see the sights very easily as we can't all fit in our car. Also, sometimes on a long journey the baby may need me to sit in the back of the car when they're screaming in their car seat whilst we're stuck in traffic (this happened with ds2 last time we travelled).

So, you can see there are times when I might need more seats.

I had a Kia Sedona for 2 years and finally had to get rid of it. It was top spec, full leather, really comfy, spacious, etc etc, but talk about a guzzler!! I was convinced at one point that we were leaking fuel. I could barely get 20 miles to the gallon. Traded it in for a Citroen C8. It's not as fancy, but just as spacious (maybe a bit narrower but still seven full size seats), electric sliding doors (Kia had manual ones) and best part - getting 45-48 mpg easy. I've got 3 kids too, and like you I prefer the extra room and flexibility. We go away for weekends a lot, and sometimes have other family members tagging along, but apart from that, I simply prefer the extra room. I looked at a lot of other models - 5 seaters included - and discovered that very few have genuine 3 full seats in the back. Of those that do, not many recline as fully as I wanted - my kids are young and still sleep a lot in the car. There's nothing worse than watching their wee heads lolling about cos they're not reclined far enough. I realised that the 7 seaters (not all) were the ones that had a decent recline. My husband doesn't like the C8, thinks it looks old and boring, but it ticks all the boxes for me. PLUS, there's loads of wee cubby holes, cup holders, flip up trays etc. HTH. Oh, and nearly forgot - we didn't realise until after we bought it - but the front seats SWIVEL round to face the back. This sounds a bit mental, but we've already had several picnics in the car - I mean, look at the weather! - and the kids think it's great (so do I)!

we have a sedona I don't think it's too bad on fuel (not great but hey).

The crash test ratings of the more recent style (not the one with the air vent bonnet) are much much better.

I love my slidng rear doors and the ability to take extra children / GP's ven though we are a family of 5. And for holidays taking the rear seats out gives an enormous boot space ideal for camping kit!

Ah thanks for the tips ladies

cara do you find the Citroen reliable?

I have a galaxy and love it. A few things to bear in mind if you haven't already considered them. ( If you like the Chrysler do look at running costs especially the larger engine and the crash test. Results have been shocking in the past, although currents models may have performed better. We didnt look at the Kia, it didnt have folding seats a must for us. We didnt want the hassle of having to remove /store seats when removed. Important to us, but not so important to others YMMV)

1. Carrying adults or tall children (especially relevent if you plan to keep the car into your childrens teens). We sat in a fair few MPV's - Chrysler, Ford, Toyota, Renault, Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot, Vauxhall to name a few. Most of them had restricted head or leg space when full. The Grand Voyager was my favourite, space wise, but the newest and previous models at the time had shocking crash tests. Also buy costs, running costs and repairs would have been expensive. In the Ford Galaxy, more bus like than car, even my husband 6ft+can fit in the rear most seats. (read: watch -Police- the children)
2. Car seats + adult passengers. Strapping young children in car seats into the 3rd row of seats is a pain. We could fit 3 fullsize car seats across the middle and adult passengers can still fit in the rear most seats.
3. People v Luggage - Fill the car with people and suddenly the boot can be very small even in the larger MPV's.

We really like the S Max but head/leg room at the back was a non starter for us.