S-Max, C4 Grand Picasso or something else?

[Arefrenchcarscrap]

We have a 2006 BMW 325i touring. Two kids (2, 4), third on the way. Need a bigger car. May buy new or nearly new, depending on discounts, finance, spec etc.

Required spec:

• petrol (mileage of only 4k per year, almost all urban)
• 7-seater with fold flat third row (no room in house to store seats, which I think rules out the Qashqai +2?)
• reliable
• decent level of mod cons (BMW is a bit old and was bought second hand, so lack of things like Bluetooth and GPS is a bit annoying, looking forward to having these in the new car)

I have narrowed it down to S-max or a Citroen.

From what I can see, the S-Max is a little bit pricier, has a slightly sparser spec, but at least it isn't French.

Is there anything else out there I should consider?

Am I being silly about the French thing? My mother had some really crap Peugeots...

For nearly new, you'd need to check that the warranty is fully transferable, anyhow. Toyota are (we bought our Avensis tourer nearly new), I don't think Vauxhall are, would need to check for Kia.

Andno, you're not being silly about the French thing. There's some gem, but a lot of the most unreliable cars around are French makes, according to Which?.

Kia's warranty is transferable. So is Ford's.

What did you decide?

We are also about to make the same decision, but most of the cars in this spec are diesel. I'm not too keen on buying a diesel car - just wondered what your reasons were for preferring petrol?