7 seater SUV advice

Problem with fortuners and other mid sized SUVs is the back seats, yes they are there but won’t be too comfortable. Your knees will up to your chest sitting back there. What you need is a full sized SUV(land cruiser 200VX) or rather go with the Hyundai H1/Vw caravelle.
 
Jchan11hk said:
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, a bit different to the mainstream offering and you can also enjoy the same Japanese reliability from Mitsubishi.
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I do like the Pajero Sport, definitely on the list to test drive. Mitsubishi engines are right up there

Jchan11hk said:
My personal favourite would be the XC90 thou.
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Mosgi said:
Carwow just released a list of best large SUVs.

Top 3
1. New Bmw X5 (out of budget, no demos yet)
2. Audi Q8 (Same as above)
3. Audi Q7 (Plenty on the used market)

Personally I'd go for the Q7 in 3.0Tdi guise.
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Sumen said:
Volvo XC90 , it has semi-autonomous driving mode as standard
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muisnes said:
I know OP specified budget of R750k max, but this looks like a nice discount on a brand new car (unless it is a marketing ploy)

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If money was no issue, the XC90 and the Q7 would be top of my list (they actually were, until I recently bought a car for my wife, and I didn't get a promotion I thought I was first in line for).

My hard-cap is R750k, with a definite preference for sub-R500k.

The_MAC said:
Not a 4WD off roader, but I strongly recommend the VW caddy maxi - performs like a sedan, costs the same as a sedan to maintain, it's not awkwardly hard to park, and the 6/7 seats are for adults, not children or people without legs, lots of space.
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For most of my driving family holidays, I can guarantee that at some point I am driving on a non-tarred road. I've been somewhat restricted by the iX35's capabilities, I do want to do a bit more riding off the beaten track. This makes the Caddy/H1/similar non-starters unfortunately.

epah said:
Second hand land cruuuuuuzer 200VX. You won’t regret it. That thing has all the space you need.
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I know. I love the Land Cruiser! I'm just worried that if something breaks, that I won't just have 50k to fix it. I'd also throw a Range Rover Sport (love these too) into this category, I can find one within my budget but it may be out of motor-plan and warranty.

handyman007 said:
Splashing about R 600k on a Haval without a reliable forecast of what the trade in will be in a few years?

No way.
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After the initial advice on the Haval, I spoke to someone who has a H6C, he's very happy - just says its a bit thirsty. Not a front-runner at this time, but certainly a dark horse. The plan isn't to buy and sell in a few years, but this would be a car I would keep for a while (at least 8 years).

Sepeng said:
OP, in a similar position - 2 kids, often times carting bikes, luggage and occasionally the odd grandparent here and there. So we considered a bigger vehicle. Then we looked at how often we needed more space. And the answer was, not that often. So we got a roof top box to cater for the 4% of the time we need more carrying capacity. Grandparents are visiting, we do need two cars. But that's a few times a year and we didn't want to buy a car that would be less fuel efficient, cost more, be harder to park etc for the 1%.
But every family is different so if you do need that extra space, do you need off-road capability? If not, then second hand H1s, Caravelles, Kombis, Sorentos would get my vote.
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Thanks for this post. I'm not planning on buying immediately - maybe only in 2-3 months time, so will think a bit more on my actual needs. The time the extra space is needed is not that often, family holidays, sleep overs (nieces and nephews, the grandparents), and times when I have to move with the whole family and cart my music gear around, and maybe a couple of other times in a year.

Awesum said:
VW Tiguan Allspace 2.0 TDI, R Line
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This isn't much bigger than the iX35, the performance and specs are right up there but do need a bit more space than what this would offer. Maybe the Allspace with a roof box?

epah said:
Problem with fortuners and other mid sized SUVs is the back seats, yes they are there but won’t be too comfortable. Your knees will up to your chest sitting back there. What you need is a full sized SUV(land cruiser 200VX) or rather go with the Hyundai H1/Vw caravelle.
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The kids will be able to fit easily into the 3rd row for at least the next 8 years, so I don't really have any issues here.
 
Bought a 2.2XLT Everest 5 months ago, very happy so far. Looked at and drove the 2.2 Fortuner as well. Everest finishes and "drive" just so much better imo. Did not like the 2nd row rear seat "hanging"arrangement (which takes up a lot of boot space) and the Fortuner only had an ugly light brown leather seat finish.
Shop around, got mine for about 10% under list price.
 
Uhm sorry but Land cruisers don’t break. You will buy one now for R750K and still sell it for R750k with 1million kilos 100 years from now. Yes your kids will fit in a fortuner but they won’t be comfortable, especially on long trips.

Don’t even consider anything with “Rover” on it.
 
Thanks for the advice so far. I think I have a reasonable idea of what I want to look at. More comments are always welcome though.

Closer to the purchase time, I will def consider more premium options like the 200VX, XC90, Q7 etc (perhaps a year or 3 older than what I'd like), but still fall within the budget.

If I remember, I'll post updates on test-drives etc as I go about it. No promises!
 
I'm keen to hear if you give the Haval H9 any further consideration.

For 599k - the price of a new H9 - I can't find a Land Cruiser newer than 2015, for example.

That Haval engine does look tiny for a behemoth of an SUV though.
 
2016 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 200 4.5D-4D V8 VX from R699,995
https://www.autotrader.co.za/cars-for-sale/toyota/land-cruiser-200/1134620 for sale | Auto Trader. 2016 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 200 4.5D-4D V8 VX from R699,995 via https://za.pinterest.com/autotradersa https://www.autotrader.co.za/cars-for-sale/toyota/land-cruiser-200/1134620 https://www.autotrader.co.za/cars-for-sale/toyota/land-cruiser-200/1134620 via @AutoTraderSA 2016 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 200 4.5D-4D V8 VX from R699,995 for sale | Auto Trader.

He could always buy this one and fix it up.
 
For me, the Fortuner is the most sensible choice. Cheap to run, very reliable, much more reasonable than the expensive Audi's, BMWs, Volvos and Land Rovers and with very good resale values. Honestly, you can't really go wrong with them, and the drive in the new Fortuner is much better than the old. Very satisfied with mine. I know it's probably the more boring choice, but I have a fair inkling that mine will still be going strong long after it's double priced contemporaries have been dumped for a fraction of their original price.
 
The new Nissan Terra (not sure of SA release date) looks like it could be a contender too
 
As I understand it, the Fortuner, Everest, etc have a ladder frame chassis. This makes them less safe in an accident compared to vehicles with a unibody chassis e.g. BMW, Audi, Volvo, etc. However the ladder chassis is much more rugged and better suited to off road applications.
 
The German brands OP mentioned and land rover and XC90 will be much over your budget.
The VW Allspace will be great. Not as spacious as the Fortuner though, which is my first choice.
The new Toureg is also pricey.
Other things to consider are:
Fuel consumption
Hijacking risk
How often will you use the 7 seater
(Someone here mentioned considering a mid-size SUV with a roof top box or a small venter trailor.)
 
CX-5? It has all the bells and whistles in your price range. You can add a towbar of roof rack.

Only issue is the space it's more of a mid size SUV
 
SAguy said:
The new Nissan Terra (not sure of SA release date) looks like it could be a contender too
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Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for SA launch dates.

pb41 said:
As I understand it, the Fortuner, Everest, etc have a ladder frame chassis. This makes them less safe in an accident compared to vehicles with a unibody chassis e.g. BMW, Audi, Volvo, etc. However the ladder chassis is much more rugged and better suited to off road applications.
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I'd never thought/heard of this. Will keep it in mind.

Zyk1 said:
The German brands OP mentioned and land rover and XC90 will be much over your budget.
The VW Allspace will be great. Not as spacious as the Fortuner though, which is my first choice.
The new Toureg is also pricey.
Other things to consider are:
Fuel consumption
Hijacking risk
How often will you use the 7 seater
(Someone here mentioned considering a mid-size SUV with a roof top box or a small venter trailor.)
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If I do go with a premium brand (Audi, BMW, Volvo) it will be a bit older to fall in the budget. A colleague has an All Space, it's a great car, although maybe just a bit small in the 3rd row.

KOPITE said:
CX-5? It has all the bells and whistles in your price range. You can add a towbar of roof rack.

Only issue is the space it's more of a mid size SUV
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I do already have a mid-size SUV (iX35) and it's too small. The need for more space is largely driven by seating 6 people (4A+2C or 2A+4C) for trips around town, or on family holidays where extended family (eg grandparents) are joining. I'm also a musician and I can't cart my stage piano + accessories and my kids in the iX35.

The most sensible option seems to be the larger SUV (+ trailer for when the WHOLE family is going).
 
Mosgi said:
Carwow just released a list of best large SUVs.

Top 3
1. New Bmw X5 (out of budget, no demos yet)
2. Audi Q8 (Same as above)
3. Audi Q7 (Plenty on the used market)

Personally I'd go for the Q7 in 3.0Tdi guise.
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So I went previous Gen Q7. Went for the 3.0tdi, and it's been spectacular
 
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