Seven seater/van

[mamaidhofboys]

Hello,
I hope everyone is well? Looking for advice on vehicles. We have four boys ages 1, 3, 7 and 9. Looking for a new car but want something that will last us many years. Not sure whether to go for a seven seater car or to hit the van market. Important to me are space, legroom (tall kids already) a workable boot, good fuel economy.
Currently have the BMW 216d which is lovely but impractical for getting in and out of the rear seats and very little boot space. Can anyone tell me what they have and pros/cons?
It’s a bit of a minefield and I’ve come to the conclusion that a ‘roomy’ 7-seater doesn’t seem to exist so also open to your experiences of vans etc.
Thanks in advance.
Marie xx

No first hand experience to help, but I am in the same boat as you needing space for up to five full sized humans (in my case, elderly, overweight and infirm ones) in addition to two isofix child seats. I have ruled out most of the seven seat "cars" - especially the SUV types - on the basis that they just don't meet our actual needs on space, despite their marketing blurb.

The VW Sharan/SEAT Alhambra would be OK for us, I think, but would severely limit cargo space with all seats in use and there are some worrying reports about its reliability, particularly relating to emissions control. I've already ruled out the Ford Galaxy because of the reliability issues on its automatic gearbox.

I am leaning towards a van-based MPV, and like the look of the Citroën SpaceTourer/Peugeot Traveller family. Much better fuel economy than the Ford Tourneo Custom, VW Caravelle or Mercedes Benz V-class, as well as being many thousands cheaper.

That said, it's still out of our price range at the moment so the Citroën Berlingo/Peugeot Rifter LWB seven seaters may yet prove to be an option. Within this segment I've ruled out the VW Caddy Life (too expensive) and the Ford Tourneo Connect (automatic gearbox reliability).