Car that fits wife + 3 kids + helper?

[Acegab]

12 hours ago, Greengas said:

$190k would be the upper limit of my budget...a little not here not there for non lo ti chia / 7 seater SUV with 80k Cat B COE. 

Get a used 2L Skoda Kodiaq and you'll be fine

[Atonchia]

10 hours ago, Shibadog said:

i have friends with 4 and 5 kids so have seen how people manage it. 

it seems you are not sure if u will need to ferry all 5 passengers often?

The thing abt changing to a big MPV/SUV that can take 7 pax is the driver might still be driving alone most of the time. And the 7 seater usually has terrible FC but that is a serious concern only if you clock high mileage regularly, so it depends on your transport needs too. For example if u stay in Pasir Ris, work in Tuas and wife is a homemaker then you'll be driving long distances in a gas-guzzler alone most of the time. 

Can your wife drive? If so, consider getting a 2nd normal sized car then you can use one car most of the time and then drive 2 cars out when the situation necessitates it. If not keen to buy a 2nd car as it will be rarely used, you may consider making use of the car sharing companies to augment your transport needs when necessary. However it will mean that the two drivers will not be able to baby sit the kids while driving. So it also depends on how old the kids are. Helper will have to be in the car with the kids that need the most attention. Or else, use Grab when necessary 😃 

 

other cars to consider:

kia sorento, hyundai palisade or santa fe, toyota alphard

not sure if hyundai is bringing in the Staria 

an uncommon option is the mercedes vito in passenger car guise 

If stay Pasir Ris and work at Tuas, FC sure better than making daily school drops. 😂

 

School drops usually short trip, many start-stop low gear and probably 30mins, the same time can reach Tuas from Pasir Ris if no jam. 😂

Maybe TS haven't reached the school drop stage yet. 😂

[Arogab]

11 hours ago, Throttle2 said:

If in your position, i would get a GLE450.

 

That was my friend's excuse when he sold his Maserati to get GLE450😂, but before he buy the Maserati, he say he just need a fast car cos his son got a Toureg. Haha, what an excuse😂

Now 2 sons got baby liao. We tell him to buy a mini bus, but he never did. Haha

[Arogab]

7 hours ago, Atonchia said:

No! 

Buy 3 houses and 3 cars. 

Period. 

Or

Go rental company.

Rent 3 places and 3 cars. 

If you come out and play.... 

Don't create issues... 

"you gotta keep them separated" 

 

You talking about me is it??😂 But I don't have 3 wives and I did not buy the other 2 cars, it's bosses buy one. Maybe they can buy 2 wives for me lah. But give me the money better😝

[Mkl22]

Why is the majority recommending an impractical suv 7 seater? Any any suv will never be more practical than a MPV to carry 7 or 8. No snow no mountain here, no need SUV. Unless one needs it to fjord the numerous “ponds” we have on the roads when it rains. 

[Chowyunfatt]

My advise to you would be an MPV. 2 child seats in the centre row, 1 child seat & helper in the 3rd row. It is not easy to buckle up a child in the 3rd row of an SUV. Most of the SUV 3rd rows are very tight, even for X5 & Q7. The other advantage of an MPV is the sliding door. You can buckle the kids and bring them out of the vehicle even in tight spots. Head room is also more spacious for an MPV compared to an SUV. Go to the showroom and try it out yourself, most of them have child seats for you to experiment around. Best of luck in finding a new ride for your family.

[Ct3833]

11 hours ago, Ct3833 said:

Wife,  3 kids plus a helper, full size MPV is the best. Consider new  odyssey or Sharan,  include  estima if you do not mind used . Forget about sienta or other small size MPV, you will face constraints from seating comfort to cargo  space. Some may suggest large SUv but to get in and out from the 3rd row of a large SUV is not as easy as compare to a full size  MPV. Go try it out to see if your family like it, depends on their preference. 

You can try a used Estimate,  Sharan, odyssey, sell it off if you do not like it, you won't lose much .

@Greengas, so sorry,  i forgot to mention a few other good full size MPVs  options becuase I was so focused on the 2.4L segment, the lower CC but full size MPVs are a good options as well but i personally find that they are under powered,  it is why there are  never in my list. But if you need something functional, these are  good options with decent carrying capacity. example are : Toyota Noah/Voxy, Honda Stepwagon, Nissan Serena e-power etc. 

[Mkl22]

20 minutes ago, Ct3833 said:

But if you need something functional, these are  good options with decent carrying capacity. example are : Toyota Noah/Voxy, Honda Stepwagon, Nissan Serena e-power etc. 

the Noah 1.8 hybrid is a fuel saver. speak to the PHV fellas and you know that one should get 15-16km/l rather easily.

I would buy this if i need a 7seater with still good cargo room.

the only negative will probably be the perception of driving a PHV type of vehicle. but you know that parts are easily available and should anything break which i doubt will be that often, most components can be fixed within 1 day. this is probably the most important criteria for me  driving a people carrier.  ie Up time.

[Sp4wn]

if your wife can drive ... easier to decide. you can technically keep your car and get her a used car or something. i got my wife a citroen space tourer .. that way i could keep my macan and anytime i need to load the bus, i use her car. my first kid is 3.5y and my twins are 1.5y. we never hold them in the lap, each gets his own car seat. with the citroen, there's isofix for the entire middle row. so all 3 kids seats are "plugged in" there. i dont trust other systems other than isofix to be honest. citroen boot is big enough for a double pram, or there's 2 spare seats in the back. aircon in the middle row. carplay / android auto standard. honestly, for 100k it was worth it cos my wife doesnt give 2 shits abt the brand as long as its driveable. we saw a couple of cars but ultimately she found the citroen to be the smallest 7 seater that could fit 3 car seats ..

(im still trying to find a "this is my wifes car" bumper sticker for the citroen)

[Wormee]

14 hours ago, Apple-Tree said:

Actually, this bring to the FINE FINE Print of Car Insurance lor ...... I have NEVER Heard of Insurance exercising this clause one de ........

Like my newly switched to Income recently stated :

"Seating capacity
We will not pay for any accident, loss, damage,
injury or legal responsibility if the number of people
(including the driver) in your vehicle at the time of
the accident is more than its legal seating capacity."

My eLTA Card said about my 7 seaters Kia Carens U2 1.7L is "Passenger Capacity: 6".  So 5 seater is n -1 ah ?

So 2 Parent + 3 Kids + 1 maid = 6 people.

What ?? Kids is 1/2 people ...... LIKE Taxi ah ?

 

 

Bro "Passenger Capacity" means driver not included. So a 5 seater log card will indicate a "Passenger Capacity" of 4. 

Insurance states "Seating Capacity" so will be "Passenger Capacity" + driver lor. 

[Enye]

i have 3 kids and driving full size mpvs with sliding doors for around 14 years now

just make sure to get one that all seats are suitable for at least small adults to sit over long periods e.g drive to penang etc

suvs really cannot do the job of transporting the brood that well

if budget cannot allow buy new, just buy used....many value for money choices out there

but driver mentality has to shift towards comfort for the family members as passengers rather than wanting to have a drivers car with good power to weight and handling

i can never understand why some mpvs are modified to have loud exhausts and/or lowered suspensions

how fast can you go up/down the slopes of cameron highlands without your passengers puking out their meals along the way?

😬

Edited October 29, 2021 by Enye

[Wormee]

14 hours ago, Greengas said:

$190k would be the upper limit of my budget...a little not here not there for non lo ti chia / 7 seater SUV with 80k Cat B COE. 

$190k, maybe with a bit of bargain you could get a Kia Sorento. My friend driving one with 1 wife, 3 kids and a helper, same situation like you. 

Non lo ti chia. Nice SUV shape. Big 7-seater even spacious on the last row. Last chance to buy a diesel before 2025. 440NM of torque, plenty to haul pax and cargo. No need to worry about FC even though bro @Ct3833 is right. I made a jump to Estima and didn't care about the FC. Any big cars >2L petrol engine if can get 10km/L already tao chio liao. You get the big space and high seating position, stable high speed ride compared to a small cc turbo hatchback.

If you don't want diesel, can always look at GLB, Outlander, 5008, Kodiaq, Tarraco, CX-8 etc within your budget. But these are more like 5+2 to me. You cannot fit 1.8 tall pax in the last row comfortably. 

Cheers.

[Greengas]

Thanks for all the recommendations, it has been extremely helpful. Seems like it's a compromise between style and practicality. I have looked at some of the 7 seater SUVs but as some of you mentioned, they look better but 3rd row access is not the easiest. Admittedly little knowledge about the MPVs like the Odyssey, Estima, Noah etc so will be doing more research on those.

 

21 minutes ago, Sp4wn said:

if your wife can drive ... easier to decide. you can technically keep your car and get her a used car or something. i got my wife a citroen space tourer .. that way i could keep my macan and anytime i need to load the bus, i use her car. my first kid is 3.5y and my twins are 1.5y. we never hold them in the lap, each gets his own car seat. with the citroen, there's isofix for the entire middle row. so all 3 kids seats are "plugged in" there. i dont trust other systems other than isofix to be honest. citroen boot is big enough for a double pram, or there's 2 spare seats in the back. aircon in the middle row. carplay / android auto standard. honestly, for 100k it was worth it cos my wife doesnt give 2 shits abt the brand as long as its driveable. we saw a couple of cars but ultimately she found the citroen to be the smallest 7 seater that could fit 3 car seats ..

(im still trying to find a "this is my wifes car" bumper sticker for the citroen)

Yeah she drives but not enough to justify a second car I feel. Her office is 2 buildings away from mine so we don't need 2 cars for daily commute (mostly wfh these days anyway), which means it will purely be for the occasion when we need to load up.

My 2 kids are very similar in age to yours. Looking after a 3yo and twins must be quite exhausting!

[Darevil]

Honda Edix is the best !

 

3 x 3 seating arrangement. 

 

and very geh yan car. 😁

[Thaiyotakamli]

50 minutes ago, Sp4wn said:

if your wife can drive ... easier to decide. you can technically keep your car and get her a used car or something. i got my wife a citroen space tourer .. that way i could keep my macan and anytime i need to load the bus, i use her car. my first kid is 3.5y and my twins are 1.5y. we never hold them in the lap, each gets his own car seat. with the citroen, there's isofix for the entire middle row. so all 3 kids seats are "plugged in" there. i dont trust other systems other than isofix to be honest. citroen boot is big enough for a double pram, or there's 2 spare seats in the back. aircon in the middle row. carplay / android auto standard. honestly, for 100k it was worth it cos my wife doesnt give 2 shits abt the brand as long as its driveable. we saw a couple of cars but ultimately she found the citroen to be the smallest 7 seater that could fit 3 car seats ..

(im still trying to find a "this is my wifes car" bumper sticker for the citroen)

Hows the reliability? Pricing wise C4 really good price VFM 

[Jamesc]

No need to buy 7 seater lah.

If bring MIL put her in the roof.

[Sp4wn]

40 minutes ago, Greengas said:

Thanks for all the recommendations, it has been extremely helpful. Seems like it's a compromise between style and practicality. I have looked at some of the 7 seater SUVs but as some of you mentioned, they look better but 3rd row access is not the easiest. Admittedly little knowledge about the MPVs like the Odyssey, Estima, Noah etc so will be doing more research on those.

 

Yeah she drives but not enough to justify a second car I feel. Her office is 2 buildings away from mine so we don't need 2 cars for daily commute (mostly wfh these days anyway), which means it will purely be for the occasion when we need to load up.

My 2 kids are very similar in age to yours. Looking after a 3yo and twins must be quite exhausting!

my wife gave birth 1 day before lockdown last year ... so its been a hell of a ride. literally and figuratively. just put the twins in pre sch last week so finally... some freedom

[Sp4wn]

31 minutes ago, Thaiyotakamli said:

Hows the reliability? Pricing wise C4 really good price VFM 

so far ok le. my macan more problems .. my wife citroen (abt 9k km in 1.5y) no issues at all. not even a bloody squeak. (touch wood). 

servicing takes a couple of hours at most, also no complains on the service. its a straight forward b&b car. 

ill probably sell my macan if coe price comes down and tesla brings in model Y. its either that, or wait a bit longer, get e63 amg when the budget allows for it. at least with the "bus" i have a car that can carry the entire family ... and 1 car for myself when the time comes. but has to be 4 door. no more 2 door cars for me.