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Hi Mark,

Yes, a little. The Tucson is only available with a 2.0-litre diesel if you want four-wheel drive, and the rated economy for the 2WD 2.0-litre version is 58.9mpg combined, versus 54.3mpg for the 4WD version. And both of them are thirster than the 61mpg 1.7 CRDi 2WD model.

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Hi Tommy,

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Hi Eoin,

I hate to say it but an SUV may not be what you need. To get three kids in comfortably, you really need a car with three individual seats across the back and only the likes of the Land Rover Discovery or Toyota Land Cruiser have those - and they're big, heavy and expensive to run. 

 So you may need to look down the MPV route. Don't panic - it's not as bad as it sounds. Have a look for a nice Ford S-Max. Tonnes of room, extra seats in the (massive) boot and affordable running costs. 

That said, it depends on the age of your kids. If they're big enough to not need booster seats (or if only a couple of them still need one) that opens up your options a little. If you still fancy an SUV, try a Nissan X-Trail; spacious, reliable, good to drive.

Let us know what you go for

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Hi Aisling,

No, it should be OK as long as you are absolutely on-the-ball when it comes to making sure that it has a full service history. The Tiguan is essentially a tall Golf, so all of the mechanical bits are pretty robust and well proven, but watch for some small niggles. The electronic handbrake (if fitted) has been known to fail. The rear door handles can stick open, but that should have been sorted under warranty and the air conditioning can fail, but that's usually just the dashboard switches and not the deeper mechanical bits of the system. Oh, and check carefully underneath for signs of off-roading damage - Tiguans aren't really designed for proper mud-plugging, but the four-wheel drive system sometimes fools people into thinking that they're Land Rovers...

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Hi William,

Two excellent choices there. If it was the new-shape Santa Fe you were looking at we'd recommend that without hesitation. As it's the older shape one though you need to think a little more carefully, as its CO₂ emissions are on the high side these days. In that sense the Q5, in spite of being more expensive and smaller inside, is possibly the better choice.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Vincent,

Yup, very good indeed. Handsome, well made, cracking cabin and good to drive. It is a bit smaller than the Santa Fe though, comparable in size to Hyundai's own ix35 (they're built on the same chassis) so you'll have to compromise on interior space and boot volume. Reliability isn't a major worry (a 2010 or 2011 model will still be under Kia's seven-year warranty anyway), but it's worth pointing out that the rarely-seen four-wheel drive version is significantly more sure footed, even on smooth tarmac, than the front-drive model.

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Hi Joanne,

Not really, I'm afraid. It's small, cramped, unrefined and pretty dreadful to drive. All it really has going for it is excellent reliability. If you're looking for something compact but with four-wheel drive, try a Suzuki SX-4 instead.

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Hi there,

No major problems to report. The only mechanical malady that's been reported on the original Santa Fe is a juddering clutch, which was fixed by Hyundai in a recall. Other than that, they have a clean bill of health bar the usual checks. Actually, make sure you check for damage to the underside of the car - despite having four-wheel drive, they're not really designed for off-roading and could easily have been abused by a former owner in that respect.

One other thing - the original Santa Fe is dreadfully crude and nasty to drive. It's well worth trying to stretch your budget to get the post-2006 model, which is a superb car and far superior to the old one in every area.

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Hi Olukemi,

Well, like all Daihatsus the Terios is reliable and, once you get used to the narrow, upright cabin, it's even reasonably practical. Get the four-wheel drive version and it can even go off-road too. Unfortunately, that's where you'll want to keep it as the handling and ride are simply terrible. The Terios is really just designed for pootling around town at very low speed - get them on the open road, even a straight motorway, and they feel entirely out of their depth and in a stiff cross wind, they're simply terrifying.

Best avoided, really.

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Hi Andrea,

Yes, it's a cracking idea. While the old Santa Fe isn't as sophisticated as the current one (hardly surprisingly) it's still an excellent used buy, very reliable and nice to drive. 

A figure of 100,000 miles on the clock shouldn't be a significant hurdle as long as the service history is all up to date. The basic rule of thumb is that four-wheel drive and automatic gearboxes always add to the fuel consumption. The auto box on that generation Santa Fe wasn't the greatest so I'd say stick with a manual and 4wd is down to where you live - if you regularly need rough road or slippery surface capability it's worthwhile, if you live in town then not much.

Let us know how you get on