THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
SUVs have their detractors but, with pop-up seats, they’re the answer for large families
When it comes to picking up the children from school, driving the dog to a walking spot or loading up for a holiday, large sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are the cars of choice for modern families.
And for those with busy and active lifestyles, five seats just aren’t enough. They need the flexibility of seven — often including two that pop up from under the boot floor at the back.
But loud voices in the green lobby have such a dislike of SUVs they often ignore that many now run on electricity or are hybrids.
All the same, the new Weather Institute reports three-quarters of SUVs sold in the UK are registered to town and city dwellers. And they deserve their nickname ‘Chelsea tractors’, as the largest SUVs are most popular in three London boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, hammersmith & Fulham, and Westminster.
One in three new cars bought in these areas is a large SUV, says the think-tank, amid calls for advertising these vehicles to be banned.
It even prompted the head of the RAC Foundation, Steve Gooding, to say: ‘It is right to question if suburban drivers need a car capable of ploughing over rivers, across fields and up steep hills, just to pop to the shops.’
But edmund King, president of the rival AA, said talk of banning SUV advertising betrayed a ‘naive approach’, adding: ‘The auto industry is developing a wide range of cleaner, greener vehicles with some of the best in SUV styles.’
And they don’t have to break the bank. So if a seven-seater is for you, what’s on the market?
AT GOODWOOD Motor Circuit I bumped into TV presenter nicki Shields (one of the team which set up electric car website electrifying. com) trying out a sporty seven-seater Audi SQ7 SUV, which I’ve also driven.
This really is a beast, powered by a 507 horsepower V8 petrol engine linked to an n automatic 8- speed gearbox that propels it from rest to 62 mph in just 4.1 seconds up to a top speed limited to 155 mph, but managing an average of just 30 mpg and hefty CO2 emissions of 282g/km. This Vorsprung trim version with extras costs £98,940 though the SQ7 range starts at £79,845, with standard Q7s from £58,570.
even with her slight frame, getting into the two rear jump seats was a squeeze for nicki (I didn’t attempt it) so families with older children might struggle with this.
There is a choice of engines with the award- winning new seven-seater Kia Sorento SUV: two electrified 1.6-litre turbo petrol powertrains ( self- charging hybrid or plug- in hybrid) or a 2.2-litre diesel.
I drove one around Surrey for a day and it’s a full package at reasonable prices: £39,110 to £47,210 for the hybrid, £41,520 for the diesel and £44,995 to £53,095 for the plug-in hybrid or ‘PheV’. The latter offers 35 miles of zeroemissions electric- only power in normal use, and up to 43 miles in cities from its 13.8kWh battery. Average emissions are just 38g/km.
I’ve also just driven the big but nimble Toyota Highlander, available as a seven-seater, petrolelectric hybrid costing £50,610 to £52,590 (on-the-road-price).
It joins the maker’s Land Cruiser — loved by off- roading fans worldwide — also available in seven-seater form but as a diesel
priced from £ 42,405 to £58,420 (OTR).
Toyota’s upmarket Lexus brand offers the seven- seater RX L (petrol- electric hybrid only) priced from £53,805 to £65,465 (OTR), which is about a £1,300 to £2,000 mark -up on the five-seater range.
All of Swedish car -maker Volvo’s XC90s come with seven full-size — by which it means adult — seats and are priced from £56,135 to £75,190. The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version is priced from £65,540.
The next-generation X C90, due next year, will be available in pure electric form.
The battery-powered zero - emissions Mercedes Benz EQB made its global debut at the Shanghai Motor Show this month and will launch soon.
Designed to be ‘compact on the outside, spacious on the inside’, there are two optional seats in the third row which can be used by people up to 5 ft 4 in tall.
Mercedes-Benz already has seven- seaters including the GLB priced between £36,930 and £51,660. The top - of-therange GLB 35 has seven seats as standard.
The GLE (from £63,935 to £73,535) is about a £1,995 markup on five -seater models and is only available on selected engines and on AMG Line Premium trim level and above.
The luxurious GLS has been dubbed the ‘S -Class of SUVs’ and is priced from £77,110 to £ 121,525. The car borrows many features usually found in an S-Class limousine.
Skoda’s revised Kodiaq was unveiled this month and will be available to order soon, once UK pricing has been announced. So there should be good deals to be had on the current seven- seater version which costs from £27,955.
Peugeot’s striking 5008 SUV comes with a modular sevenseat system as standard and is priced from £29,590 to £40,920. It has a longer wheelbase offering more rear legroom but there are currently no hybrid or electric options.
The three individual seats in the second row each have an ISOFIX fitting for child seats. The third row seats cleverly fold away or can be removed to increase luggage capacity.
Citroen’s Berlingo from £24,265 to £28,895 is more of a modified van and compared to the five-seater version is 35cm longer but £2,000 more expensive. An electric e -Berlingo with 174-miles range will be available later this year.
THE seven- seat model Grand C4 SpaceTourer, is priced from £26,230 to £33,925 and available in petrol and diesel.
Britain’ s Land Rover Discovery has seven full- sized seats as standard and is priced from £53,150.
The Discovery Sport priced from £31,930 has the option of a five ‘plus two’ configuration costing £1,020, as does the £44,210 Defender 110 for £1,900.
The ‘plus 2’ option is a £1,620 extra on the Range Rover Sport, starting at £64,685.
BMW has three seven- seat models — the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer, X5 and X7. The 2series Gran Tourer, at £30,210, has a second row that fits three child seats. The seven- seater BMW X5, at £60,010, is about a £1,390 mark -up on the five - seater and has to be ordered with the ‘Luggage Compart - ment Package’ costing £565.
The BMW X7 costing from £77,670 to £95,745 is a sevenseater as standard.
Nissan has unveiled a replacement for its X-Trail SUVs. So deals on the current seven-seater will be around. It has a 2,000 kg towing capacity and is priced from £27,235 to £37,460, available with a 1.7l dCi 150PS diesel and a 1.3l DiG-T 158PS petrol engine.
Volkswagen’s latest 7- seater offering is the Tiguan Allspace priced at £32,740 to £45,145.