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Hi Oonagh,

Not many; you really need to be looking at MPVs such as the Volkswagen Touran and Toyota Verso, or the Ford S-Max or SEAT Alhmabra if you fancy something bigger. That said, the recently introduced Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage are just about wide enough, but it depends on what seats you're using. Also, larger seven-seat 4x4s such as the Volvo XC90 and Land Rover Discovery will take three-abreast, but they're expensive to buy.

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Hi Louise,

Yup, the Outlander is a cracking car (although you'll have to accept that it's not as spacious as the Discovery) and Mitsubishi does indeed have PCP plans available. Your local dealer will have all the details.

Read our review of the Mitsubishi Outlander

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Hi Ed,

Land Rover's quality has been getting better and better and it seems as if the current Discovery model has shaken off a lot of its reputation for weak gearboxes and electrical maladies. I think it's probably worth the punt, but there are two other good options - both the Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Land Cruiser are also available in 'business versions' that mean you can buy them for the price of a commercial but you get the back seats and luxury touches. That said, you'll have to tax them as a private car if you're going to carry the kids around - it's a €4,000 fine if you're caught with the incorrect tax.

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Hi Mark,

I'd say you're looking at in and around €45,000 for it.

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Hi Mike,

Actually, and please note that this is a dyed-in-the-wool Land Rover fan saying this, I'd actually go for the Kia. It's one of the best mid-size SUVs around, hugely comfortable and nice to drive and it's much better value than the Land Rover. Although the headline prices are quite similar, the Kia's much better equipped as standard. You'd have to spend well over €50k to get a Discovery Sport up to the same spec as the Sorento.

Relevant reviews:

Land Rover Discovery Sport review

Kia Sorento review

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Hi Gerry,

OK, lots of options here. Seven-seat SUVs are the coming thing and Hyundai's Santa Fe is one of the best. Lots and lots around for that kind of money so be choosy and buy the most recent one you can, so as to make the most of that five-year warranty.

The rear seats are a little tight though, so maybe look at a Ford S-Max. Big, spacious and really good to drive, you'll probably get a good deal on a nearly-new one at the moment as there's an all-new version about the be launched.

Or you could go all-out and get a Land Rover Discovery, which is a wonderful car but don't say I didn't warn you when it comes to running costs, and you won't find a two-year old one for that money.

Relevant reviews:

Hyundai Santa Fe review

Ford S-Max review

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Hi Liz,

A few key choices here - compact: Skoda Yeti or Mazda CX-5; medium: Honda CR-V or Kia Sorento; and large: Land Rover Discovery or Jeep Grand Cherokee. 

Of the lot, I think overall our pick would be the new Kia Sorento. It's big, comfy, spacious, has seven seats and is really well made.

Relevant reviews:

Skoda Yeti review

Mazda CX-5 review

Honda CR-V review

Kia Sorento review

Jeep Grand Cherokee review

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Hi Niall,

I think you'd have to talk directly to Revenue about that - they have very strict rules about what does and does not count as a commercial vehicle (it depends largely on the boot space) and your business may well have a bearing on whether or not you're allowed to run it as a commercial.

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Hi Peter,

As I guess you already know, Shane, Dave, Paul and myself from CompleteCar.ie are all on the APMP voting jury for Car of the Year, so we'll take this point by point if that's OK.

The Audi A3 Saloon was the model specifically being looked at, and while it's certainly at the pricey end of things for many families, more and more family buyers are being tempted in by the attractive repayments and resale figures offered by the German 'Big Three' premium brands. As for cabin and boot space, the A3 sits roughly between, for instance, a Golf and a Passat in this instance, and isn't far off the cabin space of  the current Audi A4. As a father of two, I've had my family out and about in various A3 models and can confirm that they're perfectly acceptably spacious.

It's a similar case for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Size-wise, it's pretty much spot on a rival for the Passat or Mondeo. Perhaps it's a little tighter inside, but not by much, and that's the price paid for a less space-efficient rear-wheel drive platform. Again, while it's at the expensive end of things for a family purchase, there are plenty out there defecting from the more traditional 'mass-market' brands such as Ford, Opel and Toyota to get themselves a slice of the premium action. Once again, it's often down to the tempting finance packages on offer.

As for the Outlander, it is, strictly in size terms, somewhat in-between things. Taking the BMW X5 as an example, it's slightly shorter (200mm) overall, but has a similar wheelbase measurement and it's slightly larger than the next BMW down, the X3. We judged that, given its overall exterior dimensions, its large boot space and the availability of a seven-seat version when specified with the diesel engine, that Large SUV was the best fit. A perfect fit? Perhaps not, but given the continual fracturing of the car market into ever smaller and more narrowly defined niches, it is close to impossible to find a perfect market segment for every car on sale without having an award 'for everyone on the audience'. We put the Outlander PHEV into the Large SUV category because we felt it would compete strongly there. Seeing as it took two awards home on the night (its PHEV drivetrain took the APMP Innovation Award) it looks like we were right.

The categorisation was discussed long and hard by the membership and somebody somewhere will always disagree.

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Hi Martin,

I'm afraid not. Land Rover Ireland won't disclose the figures as yet...

Here's the full story otherwise in case you missed it.