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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.

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Hi Sean,

As far as the gearbox is concerned, more is always better, so a six-speeder should help keep your fuel consumption down a bit, especially if you do lots of cruising in top gear. 

As for engines, the 100hp one you refer to is a 1.6 petrol, while the 130hp unit is a 1.9 diesel. Obviously the diesel will be more economical, as the 1.6 struggles with the weight of the Passat and also suffers from problems with its driveshafts. 

Buy carefully though, as Passats of that age have often been abused by careless owners. There's plenty about however, so you can afford to be picky.

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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 Noreen,

By and large, the Touareg is built to impressively high standards and you only need to look at the fact that the Porsche Cayenne uses the same basic mechanical package to realise that it's going to be of high quality. 

That said, there were some glitches with the early-build cars, and while a 2005 model should be over these wobbles, you need to make sure that all the various complex electronic systems are working properly. Watch for things like electric seat adjusters failing and be wary of glitchy infotainment systems.

Mechanically, the electronic control of the turbocharger can go awry leading to an inconsistent loss of power and get a mechanic (or the AA) to check the propshafts for potential wear and failure. 

Just as an aside though, enjoy it if you buy it. That generation of Touareg has one of the nicest cabins of any car of the past decade. A cracking car, and actually superior to its replacement, I reckon. 

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Hi Breda,

Well, on the one hand, both the Aygo and the Auris are very well built and reliable so both will minimise any potential for expensive maintenance costs, and both are very frugal and economical, so either would be a fine choice. The Auris might be a bit more of a painless switch if you've been used to a Golf, as it's similar in size and comfort levels.

But, as you say that your journeys have decreased in length, switching cars may not actually save you any money. Changing cars is usually more expensive than maintaining and running an older car, and you need to sit down and do your sums very, very carefully. Work out what the actual cost of change is for you (the price of either car you are considering minus the trade-in value of your Golf, but including the cost of finance) and balance that against the cost of continuing to run and fuel your existing car, factoring in some cash for a good service and a new set of tyres (often the best way to improve your fuel economy).

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Hi Morgan,

Can't go wrong with either of those, to be fair. The Golf is classier, the Focus slightly better to drive and a bit more affordable. Also consider the SEAT Leon (same as a Golf but a bit cheaper to buy, incredibly solid and reliable) or the excellent Kia cee'd.

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Hi Declan,

Well, obviously the 2.0-litre is more powerful, and with 150hp compared to the Golf 1.6 TDI’s 120hp, quite a bit more so. Lots more torque too, which makes driving much more effortless. There’s not a huge penalty in terms of fuel economy or emissions either, so you’re not going to have to shell out masses of extra cash in terms of running costs, and the 2.0-litre is more refined and smoother than the 1.6.

Is there any point to buying the 1.6 then? Yes — it’ll be cheaper to insure, and easier to sell on as most private buyers will shun the bigger engine.

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Hi Kevin,

It depends. Are you talking about the older model of Sharan, the one that was shared with the old Ford Galaxy? If so, then it’s simply down to the fact that, at the time, automatic gearbox technology was not as advanced, and they tended to be more thirsty than an equivalent manual gearbox.

If it’s the newer model you’re talking about (the current-shape one, with sliding side doors) then it could be that the DSG automatic needs servicing. It requires more intensive care and attention than a manual gearbox, and if it’s left alone it can malfunction, which could affect economy.

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Hi Paul,

The Toyota Previa, which is close to indestructible, but good luck finding one. Failing that, go for a (smaller) Toyota Verso, or a Volkswagen Touran, or a Kia Carens. 

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Hi Cindy,

I would go for either the Skoda or the Opel. The Skoda 1.9 TDI is very economical (50mpg should be pretty easy) and Skodas are well built and reliable. 

The only downside is that if it's pre-2008, it'll have a high rate of tax. That's something that the Opel with the 1.3 CDTi engine avoids, and it's still very economical, albeit slightly less so as you'll have to work the smaller engine a bit harder to keep up with the flow of traffic.