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Hi William,

In general, Renault has picked its reliability game up over recent years,  but we would still advise a little caution. Electrical problems are quite common, especially with the windows and the engine management system, so buy carefully and make sure that it comes with a full service history.

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Hi Peter,

OK, you've a couple of good options here. There are five-seat versions of the Citroen C4 Picasso and Renault Scenic that are slightly less bulky than the seven-seat models and which will easily take three car seats across the back. Or you could try one of our very favourite cars of all, the Skoda Yeti, which has just about enough width to fit all three seats in the back. My best advice is to make sure you bring the kids and seats on any test drives you might be doing and make sure that all three fit and that the bigger ones can happily clamber up into their perches.

Let us know how you get on.

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Hi Andrew,

Hmmm. Well, spotted. The Sharan has indeed disappeared from Volkswagen price lists in Ireland (much as has the S-Max and the Galaxy from Ford's) and we're awaiting a call back from Volkswagen Towers as to its fate. The good news is that SEAT's definitely still selling the identical Alhambra, and that's a crackingly good car. You do need to go for the top spec Exclusive DSG model if you want to get an automatic version though.

Next year, Ford will be launching an all-new S-Max, which might be worth holding on for, while Renault's surprisingly still-good Espace (a touch old school but very, very comfy) is still just about on sale, and there's always the Chrysler Voyager. And then there's the Opel Zafira Tourer, a more direct rival to the S-Max than anything else. There's a 2.0-litre CDTi diesel automatic for €34,495 and it's almost as good as the S-Max to drive.

What do you think?

Update:

Just an addendum to this: Volkswagen Ireland has confirmed that the Sharan is no longer available, not even to individual order. 

Presumably, if you really, really want one your local Volkswagen dealer could get hold of one for you, but why go to the hassle when the cheaper, better-equipped Alhambra is there?

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Hi Pamela,

There's a few: Renault Scenic. Toyota Verso. Peugeot 5008. Citroen C4 Picasso. Land Rover Discovery. Chrysler Voyager. Ford Galaxy & S-Max. SEAT Alhambra. Volkswage Sharan. Renault Espace.

That list isn't it either!

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Hi Colin,

I'm afraid a people carrier is pretty much your only option. The Renault Scenic, Toyota Verso or Citroen C4 Picasso can all take three abreast, as can the Peuegot 5008. If you want a conventional car that can carry three kids, your only choice is probably a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate with the optional pair of rear-facing seats in the boot.

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Hi James,

Both are good, although French brands are never the most reliable, but of the two we'd go for the Picasso, simply because it's more stylish and strong second hand demand should keep your residual values shored up.

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Hi Don,

Ah, a familiar problem this one, especially to anyone who's owned a second generation Renault Laguna (yes, that's my hand up). It's most likely that the clunking noise is coming from the top suspension mount, which is a spectacularly weak area on second generation Lagunas. It's not a massive job to replace but get it done now before the mount breaks and takes other expensive items with it. In extreme cases, the noise could be coming from a broken spring, but if that were the case you'd probably notice the car sitting lower to the road on one corner. When you're getting the work done make sure the garage checks out the other suspension mounts as if one's one the way out, the others could be too.

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Hi Joan,

We highly recommend the Hyundai i40 Tourer. It has a huge boot (though the Passat's is larger again) and is very comfortable. It's not easy to choose between the i40 and Passat at a fixed budget, so see what you can get for your money. The Hyundai, for instance, comes with a great five-year warranty from new and a high level of standard equipment. Its 1.7-litre diesel engine is also better than Volkswagen's 1.6-litre TDI equivalent, though the Volkswagen 2.0 TDI engine is better again if that's within reach.

Either way you're making a good choice and we'd recommend you test drive both cars to see which you like best.

Expert answer

Hi Darlene,

Realistically, you're going to have to go down the MPV route to get three seats across the back. There are few, if any, conventional saloons and hatchbacks around now that can accommodate three full-size child safety seats next to each other. 

The obvious choices are the three French MPVs: the Citroen C4 Picasso, Peugeot 5008 and Renault Scenic, all of which have three individually adjustable rear seats and all of which will easily swallow three car seats in the back. The seven-seat versions of each (the 5008 comes only as a seven seater) will also give you some extra seating flexibility for when you need it. Ditto for the Volkswagen Touran, but not for the Ford C-Max or Mazda5, both of which use a narrow central-rear 'jump seat' layout, which isn't wide enough for what you need.

You could also, if you're looking for something a little more affordable, go the van-derived car route and the Renault Kangoo, Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo and Volkswagen Caddy will all swallow three side-by-side car seats.

But actually, the best two tips of all are the Toyota Corolla Verso (or latterly, just plain old Verso) and the Honda FR-V. The Toyota is a car we keep coming back to for recommendations here, as it's massively spacious, massively reliable and actually pretty nice to drive. There are also plenty of them around. That's sadly not the case with the Honda, but it's worth seeking one out if you fancy something a little more left-field and the six seats (in two rows of three) give you lots of options for loading people and/or luggage. Like the Toyota, the FR-V is hugely reliable and it's a bit more engaging to drive than its Japanese rival.

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Hi Dawn,

Going on personal experience, I'd say that the C4 Picasso would be the most economical of the bunch. All of them should be able to get between 45-50mpg, and I'd say the C4 should just nudge above 50mpg. That said, you have to remember that what dictates fuel economy more than the car is your driving style. Practice driving with light throttle openings, anticipating further ahead and always using gentle control inputs and you should be able to get that economy figure improved. Also, take any excess weight out of the car, make sure the engine is serviced regularly and the oil changed often and get a good set of low-rolling resistance tyres, and keep them at the right pressure. It all helps.