Having seven seats in a car might seem unusual, but for many people, especially those with big families, it may be necessary.
Even if not all seven seats are in use, the space they create when they’re folded down means that same car can be used as a pseudo-van.
With this in mind, despite their size, seven seat cars aren’t the worst proposition on the UK’s roads. A group of motoring journalists from Auto Express have put together a list of the best seven seat cars on sale in the UK.
Coming in first place was the £18,995 Dacia Jogger. The Romanian car won praise for having decent boot space, even when all seven seats were up, for being “affordable”, and for having “strong residual values”.
However, it lost marks for only having a one star Euro NCAP rating, something which the reviewers admitted “might be off-putting” for some buyers. They added that brake feel was inconsistent on the hybrid and that the car felt “cheap” inside.
They said: "The Dacia Jogger is nothing less than the most affordable seven-seater car on the market, and by a country mile too. At its lowest price point, you need to spend considerably more to get the next cheapest model on this list and it clearly stands out against its rivals, winning numerous of our in-depth twin tests.”
In second behind the Dacia was the £39,995 Skodia Kodiaq SUV. The Czech car was praised for being good value for money, having a big boot, and coming with “clever cabin options”.
However, it lost marks because it's not the “most eye-catching”, has “flimsy rotary dials” and comes with a “fidgety ride” if specced on bigger wheels.
The reviewers concluded: “All Kodiaqs are an absolute doddle to drive. Not exciting, and the ride isn’t perfectly smooth, but few cars of this type are so easy to get on with, with predictable responses to every control.”
In third behind the Skoda and the Dacia was the £49,090 Hyundai Santa Fe. The Korean SUV was praised for having decent space in the second and third row of seats, coming with a level of equipment that was described as “generous”, and for being “eye-catching” to look at.
However, the car lost marks for being a bit “ponderous” to drive, having a “rough” sound to the engine, and being quite expensive compared to rivals.
The reviewers noted: “The latest Hyundai Santa Fe has taken a huge leap in terms of design, from generic to distinctive. It may have narrowly lost out to the Skoda Kodiaq above in our head-to-head twin test, but it shouldn’t be discounted.”
Auto Express aren’t the only car experts to have reviewed a Santa Fe. Reach Plc’s Christopher Sharp has too.
In his verdict for the Santa Fe he said: “Is the Hyundai Santa Fe perfect? No. I do feel the amenities of the third row of seats should be moved to the second row, or at least the second row should have the same options as the third."
He added: “The haptic touch pads should be replaced by buttons, and the four cylinder engine sounds very stretched when it’s revved hard or charging the battery. There were several occasions when I was in town at sub 20mph speeds and the battery is 50 percent, but the engine is still charging it and I thought ‘Why isn’t it waiting until the battery is at 20 percent to start charging?’.
“In the grand scheme of things these are only very little problems to consider; and it has changed my mind that SUVs aren't all leaning too much towards the S side of the acronym. If you’re looking for a capable family SUV that isn’t German or British, give this a look.”