Mercedes R Class and alternatives

Scuzi said:
The only gripe is that with the kids car seats installed in the rear, the middle seat is unusable.

I want nothing to do with the likes of an Espace, Picasso, Zafira or Galaxy.



Seems a 2011/2012, ~80k miles, R350 CDI long wheel base is within budget. From what I have seen it has 6/7 full size seats, huge rear legroom, and high levels of refinement and spec. Beyond that I know very little about them.
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You will really struggle to find a car, or SUV for that matter, where your middle seat is usable by an adult, with 2 kids seats flanking them. Trust me, I have tried.

Over and above that, if you need to use the rear seats also, you can only access them from the boot if you have kids seats in the outer two seats on the middle bench. As such, if you want to use these seats, you need one of the kids seats in the middle to allow access to the rear. So you really want to be looking for 3 ISOFIX seats on the middle row of a 7 seater.

Looking at the R-Class (I looked myself before), you simply wont get a usable middle seat. Of course, you can look at a 6 seater one, like the AMG shown above, but you will need one of the kids in the back. If you want any extra people coming with you.

Even many of the big SUV's don't have reasonable middle seat room with kids seats (X5's are a no, they are about the smallest "big" SUV going). What you really need to do is find something where the middle seat is also an ISOFIX seat. Only then will you find something with a wide enough rear bench to have a usable middle seat. The Disco 3/4 manages. Range Rovers (FF not Sport) have enough space, although I can't remember if their middle seat is actually ISOFIX.

You may find an early / higher mile Disco 4 XS in budget (probably the way to go with your requirements). Since you have already binned the likes of the Galaxy or Sharan, which are ideal for your needs, and vans like the Merc V-Class or VW Transporter, you really have narrowed the market significantly enough that you will struggle to find what you want.

I have heard reports that the Skoda Superb has enough rear bench width, but I haven't tried it myself. The new Kodiaq may have the room, but I haven't gone to see one in the flesh yet, so can't confirm.

[TW]Fox;30427185 said:
The answer to every motoring question is a 5 series. I therefore recommend you buy 2 5 series instead of 1 R class.
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Yep. 2 5 series is the way to go. One for kids, and the other for adults. Then draw straws for who drives the kids car.

My 5 series was decent as a kid moving motor. But almost useless if I wanted to take another adult beyond myself and my wife. But it's not a patch on the practicality on my Alhambra, which is why the 5 series went and the Alhambra stayed. I get that most people don't understand that swap, but when practicality trumps pretty much everything else, you have little option but to do what works best. And I have zero regrets on my side. The usefulness we have had out of the Alhambra has easily made it worth it.

Good luck with the search. You are basically not going to get what you wanted, because you have put too many conditions on what you will go for. But I wish you luck in finding a compromise you can live with. You are probably better off sticking with what you've got though, as there will be little out there that will do much better.
 
Or another solution. When the family comes over, leave your wife and kids at home and drive them to pick up a hire car.

Doesn't make much sense to buy 2x 5 Series' with the tax, insurance, MOT etc etc when you could just hire a car when family does come over.
 
I would have said Toyota Previa as my dad had one growing up and it was awesome space wise and never let us down despite being well on the way to 400,000 miles when we scrapped it.

Looking at the website they have something called a proace but way over budget.

Thought about a Land Cruiser?
 
Joe T said:
They are premium SUVs, so similar to the ones he mentioned. Also there's no seven-seater Ranger Rover. The one to look for is the Discovery, but it's still probably out of budget (unless older and higher mileage).
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The range rover sports has a 5+2 seat option (But may only be on the newer ones (2015 on))
http://www.landrover.co.uk/vehicles/range-rover-sport/index.html

You probably weren't expecting to see the Range Rover Sport on this list. However, you can spec it with a third row of seats that folds into the floor at the touch of a button, so it meets the criteria.

http://www.whatcar.com/news/best-worst-7-seater-cars/
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Discovery 3? Even a 4 in budget if you are happy with miles.

Don't really get bigger than that in the UK
 
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Probably less in it than you'd imagine, yes. And the R63 would no doubt be nicer to drive.

Disco 4 is what I'd personally be trying for. They aint bad. Had one for a weekend test and really liked it. Unfortunately the budget wouldn't stretch to the ones with the newer gearbox, which come with much lower tax too.
 
Thanks for the advice, some good food for thought here.

In my typical fashion, as I've continued to research I have refined my expectations which has resulted in inevitable budget creep. "If only I spent an extra grand I could have..."

We looked at two cars today. The first was a 2011 R350 CDI with abnormally low miles. It had been on the dealers forecourt for months and it wa quite tatty. Multiple scratches and dents, the refurbished front alloys were peeling, the brake calipers looked like they'd been found on a beach. Also the tyres were on the markers and there was a gap in the service history. I had no intention of buying once I had seen the car but the dealer wouldn't budge on the price due to "low miles".

The next was a much nicer '10 R350L CDI. It has been well looked after but given the age I think it's priced too high. Going to have another look tomorrow. My impressions are that it is not without its quirks (Navigation reminds me of an 80s sci-fi) but I really did enjoy the very relaxing driving experience. It definitely fits the requirements with the expected compromises.

Considering my budget has crept up to about £18k, I'll give the Disco 4 a closer look tonight. Thanks for the advice.
 
Some friends of mine got a Disco4 at the end of last year as they were struggling with space with their 2 little ones. They seem to be much happier with it, but when I saw it with the 2 child seats in I still wouldn't call the middle seat 'usable', at least not for an adult to sit there.
 
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I found a clean one and put a deposit on it today. Should have it by Saturday.
 
I really can't decide if they're nice or fugly. I'll go with nice! Definitely practical though.
 
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