Eight- (or seven-) seater cars – thoughts and recommendations

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Batman

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#1590313 12-Jul-2016 14:17

Add 2009+ estima imported of course to your shortlist. You don't have to like it, but at least compare it with the nz new previa which is often overpriced by a leg and a kidney.

jonathan18

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#1590316 12-Jul-2016 14:24

joker97: Add 2009+ estima imported of course to your shortlist. You don't have to like it, but at least compare it with the nz new previa which is often overpriced by a leg and a kidney.

Sure, that makes sense, especially if I can find any with the lap/sash belts.

When you talk about the move to a CVT, was that a mid-model change? Wikipedia states the third generation was released in 2006, but mentions a "facelift" in 2009. So is what you're saying that all 3rd generation Previas/Estimas from 2006-sometime in 2009 will have the old 4-speed conventional auto, and all Previas/Estimas since then will have the CVT?

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#1590321 12-Jul-2016 14:28

Yes. The transmission is the same for Japan and NZ models. If you buy a pre facelift NZ new previa you should get a 4 spd dinosaur

Batman

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#1590322 12-Jul-2016 14:28

The facelift is easy to tell. Look at the headlights of a 2006-8 vs 2010+

Mark

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#1590329 12-Jul-2016 14:38

I bought a Mitsubishi Delica D:5 as the family wagon, seats 8 in comfort, easy to drive and you can get models with power everything so sliding doors and boot open and close from the dash controls or the remote fob.

They come in 2WD and 4WD versions and petrol or diesel (diesel model is newer and costs a truck load of $$$)

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#1590349 12-Jul-2016 15:10

jonathan18:

Odyssey: surprised at how low the roofline was;

Outlander: confirmed that back row is just not adequate.

Previa/Estima: this definitely was the most adequate in space, both people and luggage (though the MPV was pretty fair for this as well). Closest of the three people-movers to a van, so with all those benefits and disadvantages (but given my father loves his van, this isn't a bad thing for him!).

Yep, pretty much my conclusions as well. I think most are still single family cars, with more space than a stationwagon by having a higher roof height.

At some stage you'd need to go quite big to travel with lots of people in comfort. At that point though I'd watch what it's like for daily use, especially if someone other than yourself is going to be using it on their own. Parking etc can be a bit more involved if you're not used to taking a longer vehicle wider as you turn into parks etc. Definitely want to ensure you have cameras/sensors etc to warn of approaching objects etc. Just mainly thinking of what the vehicle is like to use when not in big group travelling mode.

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#1590457 12-Jul-2016 18:05

Heh the imported Estimas park themselves ;p

(Apparently)(i never tried it, never needed to. It has the dimensions of a car)

Other features that may be of interest -
Hid lights that point to where your steering wheel points
Electric doors and boot Inc matching remote control button
CD player that automatically rips mp3s!
Cameras that surround the car
Electric rear row of seats Inc electric recline
4wd if you choose (on button)

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olivernz

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#1590993 13-Jul-2016 14:12

Anyone have experiences with the Mercedes Vianos?

jonathan18

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#1598018 25-Jul-2016 10:43

joker97: The 2.4L old estima previa = 4 speed auto. It's a dog. Bullet proof, but a dinosaur.
New 2009+ has cvt.
The 3.5L (same engine as aurion and highlander) has a 6 speed auto Not sure about new gen. Maybe that's what you want.

My import has lap belts for middle back row. I thought the middle middle seat has a sash. Lol can't remember it has a vast seat in it. Thing with import is every car has a different spec i think it's like subway in Japan you pay for what you want and don't pay for what you don't want.

I won't rule out a cvt because you have no choice all newer jap cars have cvt almost.

Well, the hunt is still on for a vehicle. It has essentially still narrowed down to a Previa, but it seems the less efficient 4-speed auto was still in use in the NZ Previa until after 2009, as confirmed in a call to a dealer selling an '09 model. Previas from 2012 on TM show a marked improvement in efficiency, demonstrating the gear box change happened after 09.

So, it's a matter of either being happy with the 4-speed auto and sticking to my father's original budget ($16k) or getting a newer model but for quite a bit more money. The problem is there are very few Previas for sale generally - the only suitable one in budget from a dealer has sold, leaving about three private sales (which he's not keen on, but may have to revisit). And, while there are lots of Estimas, I'm yet to find one with eight full lap/sash belts, sadly (many even have only seven seats).

A dealer suggested a Prado, given it meets the requirements of eight seats, all with lap/sash belts - but that's a damn big vehicle, with a relatively large and inefficient engine - overkill in this case I think.

Can anyone else think of eight-seaters with acceptable space and lap/sash belts in all eight seats?

Thanks for any further advice.

Batman

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#1598053 25-Jul-2016 11:00

I think in your budget the answer is no unless you buy a van, not sure how much they cost.

By the way you must have realised the latest model previa and estima 2.4L has a CVT just so you don't get a shock of your life

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#1598054 25-Jul-2016 11:02

It's not just the transmission, it weighs 200kg lighter than the prev gen according to Wikipedia but not sure at least some diet anyway may not be the full 200kg.

I would suggest that when you load it up your fuel consumption will go up, but that's no different to other published data of other vehicles

My 2006 3.5L (done 180000ks) does 11l/100ks on the open road when fully loaded up

jonathan18

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#1598181 25-Jul-2016 13:38

Yeah, I was hoping to confirm was when indeed the CVT was introduced to the Previa, as I can't find this recorded anywhere. 2009 models show poor fuel economy compared to the current model, suggesting that age still had the 4-speed; indeed, on TM there are two 2012 models, one which shows the worse consumption while the other has the superior consumption - wonder if the CVT came in that year?

TBH, I have been convinced that more recent CVTs aren't the devil's spawn that was in my 2001 Primera; the general rule of thumb appears to be don't touch Nissan CVTs from before the mid 2000s, with the CVTs in relatively recent Toyotas being regarded as pretty good; hence why I'm ok looking at the Previas with CVT - it's just a big jump up in cost compared to say one from 2007-2009.

Estimas are, until I'm proven wrong, are out on the basis of not one I've looked at having eight lap/sash seatbelts.

So, yep, vans may have to be an option, but again they need to be relatively new to ensure eight full belts, and the price for these start in the mid 20ks. Some of the Toyota Vellfire from the late 1990s (eg this and this) have full belts, whereas one has to go to a 2011 Alphard or a 2012 Elgrand to find them. The Hyundai iMax has them (eg this is a lot of newish van for the money), but it's a BIG vehicle, at 5.15 x 1.92 x 1.925m! (Previa something like 4.8 x 1.8 x 1.75.)

At this stage I'll be suggesting the Previa - if he wants to keep within budget, it'll need to be one with the 4-speed auto; if he's happy to spend more, it can be the CVT model. Otherwise, to get what he's after in a van he'll be still looking at mid-20ks anyway, but will have something substantially bulkier.

I don't think fuel economy is going to be the end deciding point, given it's not going to get a huge amount of use - just needs to meet all the other key criteria!

jonathan18

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#1598184 25-Jul-2016 13:45

This suggests that, at least in Japan, the CVT in the "Estima" did indeed get introduced in in 2009 - still confused re NZ-new Previa...

http://paultan.org/2009/02/04/toyota-estima-receives-a-facelift-in-japan/

Batman

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#1598293 25-Jul-2016 15:57

jonathan18:
Estimas are, until I'm proven wrong, are out on the basis of not one I've looked at having eight lap/sash seatbelts.

I never really thought about lap belts ... The middle seat on the middle row has a full car seat. The middle seat in the back row is fully protected by the middle row (think airplanes).

Anyway i found this not sure what the real data is like
http://www.roadsafetyobservatory.com/Summary/vehicles/seat-belts

jonathan18

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#1598323 25-Jul-2016 16:38

joker97:
jonathan18:

Estimas are, until I'm proven wrong, are out on the basis of not one I've looked at having eight lap/sash seatbelts.

I never really thought about lap belts ... The middle seat on the middle row has a full car seat. The middle seat in the back row is fully protected by the middle row (think airplanes).

Anyway i found this not sure what the real data is like
http://www.roadsafetyobservatory.com/Summary/vehicles/seat-belts

Yeah, child seats fixed with solely a lap belt are fine. In fact, even when they are fixed with a three-point seatbelt, given this usually requires the use of a locking bracket, they're essentially only fixed in this dimension anyway. Given the seatbelt holds the child restraint not the child, there's not going to be any of the issues with "seat belt syndrome" that can result from having an actual body restrained with solely a lap belt.

But I'm certainly not happy with anyone in my family using a lap-only belt to strap themselves in.

http://cpsafetycom.azurewebsites.net/articles/lapbelts.aspx

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10366454 While I don't agree with the claim that no seatbelt at all is safer than using a lap belt, I'm still not willing to use them, or own a car with them...

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