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Hi Vincent,

 

Not that tough, these days actually. Would you consider an Opel Mokka? Not the greatest car ever made or anything but it has a higher seating position, which may help and, better still, its front seats are approved of by the Aktion Gesunder Rucken, which is the German Bad Back Association. If you don’t fancy the Mokka, I too am a bad back sufferer and I always found that the seats in the Citroen C3 Picasso were always very comfy. Worth a try at any rate.

Here are the reviews:

Opel Mokka X review

Citroen C3 Picasso review

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Hi Martin,

You're in an enviable position and, before going into more detail, we'd be very happy with any of those cars as an ownership proposition.

Personally, I'd be sorely tempted by the Evoque. There are plenty of colour and wheel options to change its appearance to your liking, it's much more of an occasion inside and it drives like a hot hatch (the chassis is very much road-biased, though it does well enough off-road when needed). Admittedly, certain versions of the BMW and Audi may be more economical, but I'd look at it very closely.

When the current BMW X3 came out it really took a leap forward from its predecessor in terms of comfort, quality and refinement, but between that and the Audi Q5 I may too be swayed by the fact that the Audi has had a more recent update. I also prefer how the Q5 looks. There's very little between them depending on which engines you're looking at.

The best advice is to go test drive each car for as long as possible, paying close attention to the specifications of the test cars.

In terms of automatic gearboxes, unless you're looking at a petrol Q5 (which I doubt!) or the high-performance SQ5 TDI model (fantastic) then the only option is the dual-clutch S-Tronic unit. This helps with efficiency and allows the driver more control when he wants it, but is not as smooth as a traditional torque converter gearbox, as fitted to the Evoque and BMW. They're both smooth systems, but the eight-speed item in the BMW is the most impressive, managing to minimise fuel consumption increases.

Hopefully that's of help, but come back to us if you need more

 

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Hi Niall,

Well, that kind of depends what you want it for. If you're looking at it because you want a big, four-door family SUV then, no. You see, that Pathfinder is based on the Navara pickup and it's a pretty crude device, lacking the kind of refinement and comfort you'd get from, say, a Land Rover Discovery. That said, if you're looking for something to do a bit of hard work and the occasional bit of off-roading, then go right ahead - it's perfect for that kind of life. Just watch the clutch, it seems to be a weak point and can be rather expensive to fix.

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Hi Michael,

The BMW X6 really does split opinion with its SUV-that-wants-to-be-a-coupé styling. It's less practical than the BMW X5 it's based on too. However, it's well made, exceptional to drive and fast. That 3.0-litre diesel engine is a gem too, being both frugal and powerful. I'd personally prefer an X5, but each to their own!

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Hi Ronan,

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Hi Keith,

No, it's not a waste of time at all. It's almost always better value to keep and fix an existing car rather than pay the cost-of-change to upgrade to something newer. That said, if you're convinced you need a better solution, then you won't do better than to go for one of the many car-vans on offer now. The Renault Kangoo and Citroen Berlingo are the best known versions, but there are also similar models available from Fiat, Volkswagen and Peugeot.  My personal pick would be the Fiat Doblo, fitted with the 1.6- or 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel engines. You'll find the cabin surprisingly comfy, it's quite pleasant to drive, very economical and good on tax and massively spacious in the back. There's even a seven-seat version available if you want to be really popular at the school gate.

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Hi Bartlomiej,

Well, it kinda depends what you mean by SUV. If you mean large, the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V etc, then it's probably best to wait until the new 1.6-litre, front-wheel drive version of the Honda arrives later this year, as that will be a big, spacious SUV that has emissions of under 120g/km, although the lack of four-wheel drive might not appeal.

If it's the smaller ones you're looking at then I'd suggest a Skoda Yeti. It bridges the gap, size-wise, between the very small Nissan Juke and the large stuff like Mazda's CX-5 and the Kia Sportage. Go for the 1.6 TDI Greenline version and you'll have a spacious, rugged, practical family car with Band A4 tax (€200 a year) and it should do a pretty steady 50mpg most of the time.

Want something a bit more flash? The MINI Countryman, with its 1.6-litre diesel engine, is super-frugal, but you do need to spend a bit on options to get the right look.

It may also be worth waiting a couple of months until the new Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 arrive on sale, as both should prove very affordable to run.

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Hi Niall,

There are two answers to this question. There's the right answer and then there's the answer that you can afford. The correct answer is the Land Rover Discovery; still the only car we've driven that can climb Everest yet carry seven fully grown adults in luxury car comfort. Trouble is, they're expensive as heck to buy and run. 

So, assuming you need the sixth and seventh seats for only occasional, child-transporting duties, there's the Hyundai Santa Fe. It's big, comfy, surprisingly good to drive and with excellent reliability. Circa €8k should get you into a 2006 model.

How does that sound?

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Hi John,

Interestingly, you haven't given us a budget to work with here, so that means a whole world of possibilities looked to be opening up, and then you hit us with the sub-2.0 clause, which instantly shut them down again.

So how about these for some suggestions:

Kia Sportage: you'll get a 2.0-litre diesel 4x4 auto for €35k and it's as stylish and good to drive as you could wish for.

Want something a bit more premium? How about an Audi Q3? Very stylish, but a bit more pricey. €41k gets you a 2.0 TDI quattro.

Finally there's the new Ford Kuga. Bigger and more practical than either of the other two mentioned, you'll pay €43k for a 2.0 TDCi diesel with Powershift auto.

What do you think?

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Hi there,

There is no one-source fixed list, so it depends on whether you mean proper two-seat commercial versions or the ‘tax-dodge’ five-seaters with commercial status. Of those second category, they’re becoming thinner on  the ground as  the tax loophole closes, but Mitsubishi still offers an ‘Executive’ version of the Pajero, Volkswagen offers a version of the Touareg and you can get a dealer-converted version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. There are also independent convertors who can alter a great many larger SUVs to ‘business’ status with five seats intact, but obviously you’ll want to shop around and find the best and most reputable.