Want to know the best seven-seater.
Want to know the best seven-seater on the market.
Bridget Enabulele (Dublin)May 2013 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Bridget,
Do you mean medium or large seven-seater? If it’s a medium one, then the best ones are the VW Touran, Kia Carens, Toyota Verso, Citroen C4 Picasso, or Renault Grand Scenic. If you mean a bigger one, then the best ones are the Ford S-Max or SEAT Alhambra. Here are our reviews of them all:
Is the Renault Scenic reliable and frugal?
How reliable and economical is the 2003-2004 Renault Scenic 1.5 diesel?
Chris Mullins (Cork)May 2013 Filed under: reliability
Expert answer
Hi Chris,
Very economical — you should expect better than 50mpg. Reliable? Not so good — you should expect lots of electrical problems, and check the engine carefully for any turbo issues.
Most efficient MPVs on the market?
What is the best MPV for tax and fuel efficiency?
Brian McEntee (Cork)Expert answer
Hi Brian,
It depends where you’re doing most of your driving. The Toyota Prius+ has CO2 emissions of just 106g/km, and can get 60mpg if driven very, very gently, but it’ll be way too thirsty if you’re doing lots of motorway miles. The best diesel-engined MPVs are probably the 1.6 TDI VW Touran, the 1.6 HDi Citroen C3 Picasso, or the 1.5 dCi Renault Scenic.
What fuel consumption should I expect from my Renault Grand Scenic?
What fuel consumption should I be getting from a 2006 Renault Grand Scenic both 'urban' and on longer journeys? What factors affect the consumption?
Thanks
Rory Byrne (Bray)Expert answer
Hi Rory,
First of all, there are a huge number of factors that affect your fuel consumption. Tyre pressures is a major one - ensure they're in spec. Next up is your use of the air conditioning and other energy-sapping devices like rear window demister. The weight you carry in the car and whether you have a roof box or roof bars fitted will also have an effect. Last, but certainly not least, is your driving style.
You've not told us which engine you have so we'll assume it's the 1.5 dCi 105hp, as that's one of the most common in Ireland. The official urban figure for that car was 6.4 litres/100km (44.1mpg) and the combined consumption figure is 5.4 litres/100km (52.3mpg).
Hope that's of some help
How much will I get for my Renault Grand Scenic?
Hi, I'm just wondering how much I should get for a 2010 Renault Grand Scenic Dynamique: 24,000km, excellent condition. Trade-in value that is.
Thanks
John Power (Waterford)Oct 2011 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi John,
You didn't tell us what engine your car has so we're assuming it's the 1.5-litre dCi turbodiesel. You should get somewhere between €16,500 and €17,500 from a dealer on trade-in.
Please do come back to us to let us know how you get on.
Thank you
How much is my Renault Grand Scenic worth?
How much is my 2007 1.6 petrol 7 seater Renault Grand Scenic "Dynamique Luxe" worth ?, mileage is 65,000 km or 40,625 miles, NCT until May 2013, full service history. Does the extra features in the "Luxe" model make any difference - the main differences are climate contol, hands free locking system, and double sunroof.
Donal Murphy (Cork)Oct 2011 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi Donal,
The specification will help, but when you are trading it dealers tend not to pay too much attention to extras on the car, but in this case the climate control and double sunroof are a decent selling point. If you were to trade it in against a new car I would expect you to be offered around €9,000 for it and you could ask perhaps €10,500 if you were to advertise it privately, obviously to take less.
What's the best second-hand seven-seat MPV?
I am looking for a seven-seat MPV. What do you think of a 2007 Citroen C4 Picasso Grand manual - or a 2008 automatic? Was told Renaults were unreliable, what do you think? Any other suggestions?
Niamh Clarke (Naas)Apr 2011 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Niamh,
We spoke by e-mail and now I have a better idea of your budgets there are a few good ideas. I think the Ford S-Max is probably my favourite car of this bunch. I quite like this one. It is diesel, looks great and has low mileage. We reckon you could get them down in price a little too.
In relation to the choice between manual and auto in the C4 Picasso, that really is down to personal choice. It isn't the greatest auto ever but it isn't the worst either. You really should try it and see. The EGS box is a little jerky. Personally I wouldn't really fancy it but you should be the judge. This one is quite nice and has really low mileage.
I wouldn't say not to consider Renaults, but they weren't a good vintage at the time, so personally I don't think I would be spending money on a 2007/2008 Scenic. They have got a lot better since then though.
Lastly, you could try a VW Touran. It isn't that exciting but they hold their value really well and are nicely built.
Anyway Niamh, if it were my money, I'd have the Ford S-Max.
I hope this helps.
What car has three ISOFIX points?
Hi
We hope to trade in our 2005 Skoda Octavia during the summer for a car that has three isofix points in the back. We would prefer not to get a seven-seater as we don't need that many seats. Our wishlist would include the three isofix points, a big boot to accomodate a double buggy, low tax and fuel efficiency. We have been looking at the Peugeot 307 SW. The trade in value of our present car seems to be in around the €5,000 mark. We can afford to add another €,5000 to that.
Any advice greatly appreciated! Many thanks.
Feena Farrell (Kilcock)Feb 2011 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi there Feena,
The Peugeot 307 SW would be a good solution for you and it is great value and cheap to run. The 1.6-litre diesel engine is the best-seller in that model, is fuel-efficient and has low road tax. You would get one for within your budget alright. My sister has driven one for the last few years and apart from some loose bits of trim it has been a very solid car. Unfortunately there are only two ISOFIX points in the centre row.
Absolutely brilliant is the Fiat Multipla. Is it a little on the unusual side, but has a really clever 3+3 layout that your kids will really enjoy. The difficulty is that there are only two ISOFIX points in this too.
A little bit of research seems to suggest that there are normally only ISOFIX on the outer seats in the second row of a car. There are exceptions though, with the latest Renault Scenic (late 2009 on) having three ISOFIX points in the second row of seats. But this is outside your budget.
The Citroen C4 Picasso can take three ISOFIX seats across the rear and this might be a little bit outside your budget too, but perhaps you could haggle a little. Here is an example of one.
However, I reckon the solution for you is a Honda FR-V, which has three ISOFIX points across the six seats and it is a really good car. It only came as a petrol model early on, but if you don't do too many miles it should be okay. Here is one from 2006 within your budget.
Hope that helps.
Do older Renault Scenics have electrical problems?
I am thinking of buying a second-hand Renault Scenic, but I've heard the horror stories about window motors, coils and electrics. Did Renault sort out these problems? If so what year was that?
Thanks
Damian Lawless (Dublin)May 2010 Filed under: reliability
Expert answer
Hi Damian,
The Scenic's problems are well documented. We're not aware of a good set of data from Irish buyers, but in the UK, the Driver Power Survey 2010 revealed that 20 percent of Scenic owners reported electrical problems and the car scored particularly poorly in terms of reliability and build quality.
It also depends on what model you are talking about. Look out for the following:
1999 - 2003 model: leaky sunroofs, broken wiper motors, automatic gearbox problems and oil leaks.
2003 - 2009 model: ignition coil, auxiliary belt tensioner, timing belt, alternator, fuel filter, crankshaft sensor, oil leaks, idler pulley, water pump, thermostat, catalytic converter, door seal and sunroof leaks, problems with the key card and battery faults.
We're not saying that every version will have all or any of those problems, but these have been reported by previous owners.
What seven-seater for our new arrival?
We need to get a seven-seater when our fourth child arrives soon, so we're looking at a SEAT Alhambra, VW Sharan or Ford Galaxy.
We have a 2003 Focus Ghia saloon plus a budget of around €10,000 to add to it. Do you have any other similarly-sized car suggestions that we've missed and is it a concern if a second-hand car that is five or six years old has three or more owners if the mileage is less than 60,000?
Tonya Kirwan (Wicklow)
May 2010 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Well firstly, congratulations on your impending arrival. I am going to be conservative and say that you might get around €4,000 for your Focus, but let's say that you have a budget of around €14,000.
You could indeed have a Ford Galaxy for this price, with a 2005 model with 79,000 miles (1.9 110hp diesel) costing you €12,950.
It seems to be hard enough to find examples of the Alhambra around that are on sale from official SIMI dealers, which is something we would recommend, but you would pay very similar money for an equivalent Alhambra.
The Sharan is pretty much identical to the Alhambra, but they tend to end up a little bit more expensive because of the VW badge on the front, so I think these should probably be avoided, as there is no major benefit for quite a lot of extra money.
In terms of alternatives, there are a few you could look at. Have you considered the Opel Zafira? The rear seats might not be as big as you would like, but they are fine for small ones and it is a nicer car to drive than the ones you have mentioned.
If you wanted something a lot newer, you could have a petrol Renault Grand Scenic. We found a 2008 example with low mileage for under €14,000. I know you might prefer a diesel, but if your mileage is low then this could be a good buy.
In terms of your query on mileage on older cars, it isn't unusual for cars like this to have low mileage, because they tend to do things like short school runs and are often second cars in families. However, you can always be as sure as possible by buying from an SIMI dealer.