10 Oct 06
Volkswagen Touran
When the Touran sneaked the MkV Golf chassis into Britain in 2003 it was a five-seater with a seven-seat option, but since the arrival of the Golf Plus it's been a seven-seater with a no-cost five-seat option, in a rare attempt by VW to simplify the range.
(Just think yourself lucky that the Caddy Plus seven-seater hasn't been imported. Perfectly good car, but it would have made 254 VW dealers' heads explode.)
Unusually for VW, the Touran has always come with a lot of kit as standard, so don't be afraid of the cheapest seven-seater you can find.
Cheap choice: VW Touran 1.9 TDI, 2004, £8500.
Nearly new choice: VW Touran 1.9 TDI, 2005, £15,000.
Rest of the world: Vauxhall Zafira, 2005, £14,000. Spot-on from the word go. Seven seats always on board, but folding them into the floor is child's play. First one drove well enough, current one drives even better.
