7 Seaters?

[The_Hawk]

First things first, my wife is pregnant again with our third
Of course this means that it's time to start looking for a replacement vehicle for her 99 Subaru Outback, something with a little more space.

So far people have suggested the Ford Territory, the Honda Odyssey and the Peugeot 308.

In the real world we need something that can fit a largish pram and the shopping and of course the kids at the same time. This alone looks like it rules out the Odyssey and the Peugeot. (Not that there is miles more space in the Ford).

One of the next issues is where you can put child seats in cars? I started looking at the Caravelle but it seems to only have restraints in the second row... again a bit of a problem. For the eldest ISO fix could be an option if there is more of them somewhere else in the vehicle, although it would still be illegal unless there is a way to get more child restraint point into the car it looks like I'm screwed.

So does anyone know of any vehicle (from any stable) which seats 7 or more and has child restraint point behind more than just the second row AND has at least some luggage space with 3 rows of seats in action. At this stage price is less relevant, but in reality I'd like to get something for under $20 - 25k, but really will consider any options since there are so few.

Plan B would be to get three new slim line child seats to replace what we currently have and just stick with the same car, although cramming three seats across in a car isn't pretty.

FYI the laws are changing next year:

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/children/childrestraints/index.html

Summary of changes

From 1 March 2010:

* All children up to seven years of age must be secured in a child restraint.
* Babies up to the age of 6 months must be restrained in the rearward-facing restraint.
* For young children from 6 months to 1 year of age a rearward or forward facing restraint must be used.
* From 1 to 4 years of age the child must be restrained in a forward facing restraint.
* From 4 years to 7 years of age, a booster seat must be used.

If I had a vehicle with ISO fix point and an ISO fix booster I'd feel much more comfortable (assuming it's even legal) rather than being forced to to use an unsecured foam booster. (There is a lot of assumption here, I don't even know what's available to suit bigger kids in the iso fix range).

But back to the main point, are there any vehicles that fit my requirements?

[Golf Loon]

I`m sure Caravelles have a child support point on the back of each seat.

[Blitzen]

Not sure if I could help you out there mate.
Have you looked at the cheaper option of a set of roof racks and occy straps??

[The_Hawk]

I`m sure Caravelles have a child support point on the back of each seat.

The stats read: "Child seat anchor points mounted on back of 2nd row seats" which reads to me like "only the second row"... would love it to be all because the SWB Caravelle looks like it has plenty of space for both luggage and children

[Stuwey]

My work is full of queries like just this one.

Child anchorages can be added to a vehicle aftermarket, but not as easy as it sounds. Lots of rules to go by, which i can outline if you'd like to email me at work. stuart (at) willshire dot com dot au. I'm not sure of any other company that does the work that we do.

Factory wise, the Territory is the ONLY 7 seater available with 5 child anchorages. A hugely capable family bus. Third row seats can fold flat into the floor if you wish, unlike most 7 seaters.

Odyssey is an uber cool car, but the child points are in the second row only, and go up into the rear roof, so you can't sit anyone in the back whilst they are in use. From memory they only have two points anyways. (which might i add does not comply with ADRs, i dunno how they get away with it)

My answer to customers is always the Territory.

[The_Hawk]

Thanks for that. Territory has been on the options list for a while, the Kia Carnival has now also been added as all seats 2nd row and back have anchor points, although it IS a Kia..

I have a few months to look so will keep going for a bit.

[SoVeReIgN]

Thanks for that. Territory has been on the options list for a while, the Kia Carnival has now also been added as all seats 2nd row and back have anchor points, although it IS a Kia..

I have a few months to look so will keep going for a bit.

After the mindblowingly ridiculous failure rates with the older carnivals I wouldn't personally touch them with a 100m pole. (More than 50% blew their engines within warranty period iirc)
Tarago?

[Treza360]

After the mindblowingly ridiculous failure rates with the older carnivals I wouldn't personally touch them with a 100m pole. (More than 50% blew their engines within warranty period iirc)
Tarago?

Yep agreed there about the Kia.

Not sure really on your price range and I know it's a little cliche (Clarkson) but what about the Volvo XC90. Everyone else raves about it as well though. Don't know about the anchor points though.

Another one worth looking at might be the Toyota Kluger. The boss at work has a bunch of young kids and he has one of those. They're pretty clever inside and I'd take a punt and say Toyota are pretty good on the safety front with the latest ones.

Oh and congratulations by the way.

Cheers,
Trent

[bombsquad21]

Carnival is a def no no!!! For my family of 5 I drive an Lexus RX which is basically a tarted
up Toyota Kluger..., the baby seat mounts on the rear of the seat it's attached to. Which makes a HUGE difference. Kluger can seat 7..

[bombsquad21]

Oh and I forgot....Territory drinks juice like no mans business!!

[Treza360]

Oh and I forgot....Territory drinks juice like no mans business!!

Aaron drives a VR6, he knows about fuel economy or lack thereof.
Cheers,
Trent

[mikepologti]

another for the no no on the kia carnival , ive known 3 differant people with them and theyve had inumerable problems with , so its not an isolated incident.

[dubbed]

Oh and I forgot....Territory drinks juice like no mans business!!

The 6-speed made substantial improvements to fuel economy in the Falcon, I'd assume this would be the case in the later Territory too.

The Lexus is a nice car but a bit out of his 20-25k price range. In saying that, I don't know how well priced a 6-speed Terri is.

[KWICKS]

I drove a Terri Ghia 6sp a few weeks back, it had 70000kms on it. It was missing 4 bits of trim, was noisy with wind, tyre, road and creaking noises, towing a 2t van it returned over 22L/100km and on the open road with no load it was about 10.xL/100km. The woodgrain dash reflected on the steepish front windscreen creating a significant blind spot on the front screen during the middle of the day. The cloth looks worn and drab. About the best thing I could say for it was the gearbox IS a gem, smooth, quiet, and reasonably well mated to the big I6.

Based on this experience I'd buy an Odyssey (also driven several times) Luxury, 5 years old, 80000km, $20k every time. But its perhaps more a 6 seater, 7 at a pinch.

[The_Hawk]

Aaron drives a VR6, he knows about fuel economy or lack thereof.

The wifes car gets around 10L/100km so anything more will be extra, in reality it's more about actually getting something useful rather than being concerned with fuel efficiency, in reality we drive less than 10,000 km a year so at $1.50 a litre the difference between 10L/100km and 15L/100km is $750 a year.

When it comes to price, I'm not necessariy looking for a brand new vehicle, although if I can afford it I might go there. A 2005ish Territory is $25kish an '03 Volvo is not much more. The Hyundai iLoad has popped up as another option, although being a new model to the market it's only 08+ models which means I'd be looking at $30k+. The Kluger is another interesting option, $20 - $25k gets you an 04-05 model with leather (you can wipe spilt stuff off leather, you can't with cloth )

Like I said I have about 6 months to make a final decision and we are looking into some slim line car seats which will fit three across in the current car which is much cheaper than getting a new vehicle, but the allure of something new and shiny is still there (unless of course it's twins in which case I don't get a choice), that and it would be nice to upgrade from a 10 year old car with 200,000 on the clock.

But thanks for the feedback and options, keep em coming if there are others becuase I'll keep looking at the replacement car option while my wife keeps looking at the cheaper car seat option.