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Hi Pat,

This is a question we get asked so often and there's no easy answer. Well, actually there is, but it's an answer that many people don't like - an MPV such as the Volkswagen Touran, Toyota Verso, Citroen C4 Picasso or similar.

There are very, very few (if any) conventional hatchbacks or saloons that will these days take three child car seats across the back. There are some conversion kits available that will allow as many as four child seats to be fitted to a 'normal' saloon, but these tend to be designed around the big rear-facing infant seats and won't take your own seats.

The best I can suggest, if you don't fancy an MPV, is to test drive the biggest, widest saloons you can find and make sure you bring the kids with you to actually try the seating properly so that you know for definite before you buy.

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Hi Pat,

It depends on the seats you're using and how old your kids are. I'd suspect you may struggle, but it's worth going down for a test-drive mob-handed, with the kids and their seats, and see if you can all fit. If not, a good idea is to track down a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate with the pop-up seats in the boot.  Seven seats without the MPV misery. 

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Hi Patrick, 

It should pass without a problem. The NCT manual has a section on wipers for the front window only.

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Hi Peter,

The 2.0 TDI Golf is something of a canny buy - it's much punchier than the 1.6, yet comes with only a small penalty in motor tax and running costs, and in fact is good enough to undermine the case for buying the overtly sporting GTD.

That said, if you put the effort in, the 1.6 can be significantly more economical and, obviously, is cheaper to buy. In daily driving, unless you're really pushing hard, its performance is entirely adequate. You can read what our road test editor, Dave Humphreys, thought of the 1.6-litre BlueMotion model here.

As for the 2013 model, that was the MkVI Golf and it's still a fine car - reliable, comfy, spacious and nice to drive, but you will notice a palpable difference in quality and comfort between it and a MkVII.

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Hi Gerard,

Depends on the year. If it's post-2008 and especially if it's a GTC coupe then yes, it's lovely - nice to drive, punchy and frugal. If it's an older model then it's going to be pricey to tax and it'll be hard to shift on again as the market doesn't generally like hatchbacks with big engines. The coupe version kind of sidesteps that issue a little. 

Reliability should be fine, but test the electrics (especially the central locking and alarm) and check the boot for any signs of water getting in through leaky seals.

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Hi Eric,

We've not driven the new Superb estate in L&K guise as yet, but read our review of the Skoda Superb Combi from the international launch and you'll get a good feel for it we think, as the test cars were well-specified.

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Hi Anne,

Most MPVs will, so Citroen C4 Picasso, Renault Scenic, Ford C-Max, Peugeot 5008, Kia Carens and so on. The bigger ones too, of course, such as the Ford S-Max and Galaxy and the SEAT Alhambra. If you want something sleeker, such as a saloon, estate or SUV then it comes down to how bulky the child car seats are. Rule of thumb is to always bring the seats (and preferably the kids, even though I know how awkward that is) on a test drive to make sure that they'll all fit in comfortably.

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Hi Gearoidin,

The NCT checks for condition and tread depth mostly and will fail on those items and if the tyre is not the right specification for the car. There is a note in the NCT manual, however, for the tester to advise the owner if the tyres are more than six years old. Most tyre makers recommend that, even with very light use, you should not use a tyre that's more than ten years old as the internal structure starts to break down.

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Hi Ian,

Cracking car, but yes, you do get a good bit of tyre noise, especially in the back. Take it for a good test drive on the nearest motorway or dual carriageway to see if it's too noisy for you.

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Hi Laszlo,

I'm afraid not. When you import the car into Ireland it will have to pass through an NCT (National Car Test - our equivalent of the MOT) before it can be legally registered here. That shouldn't be a problem though - any car that can pass an MOT should also pass an NCT. The problem is that because you have owned the car for less than six months, you'll get caught for Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) when you bring it in to the country - and on a 2.5-litre V6 engine that's going to be 36 per cent of what the Revenue Commissioners judge the vehicle's market value to be. This could get very expensive and you might be better off selling the car before you move and buying something new here.