I’m looking to replace our ageing VW Sharan which has done well at transporting kids (x4), bikes etc to france, commuting up and down the M1.

A newer (09) galaxy is the obvious choice but as a slightly curve ball choice there’s the Merc R class – I know it’s going to more expensive to run (drinks fuel/ high ved) but it just looks a nicer place to sit for hours.

Our eldest only now travels occasionally with us so the dodgy middle seat won’t get used much.

Any experience of the R Class out there or other choices other than a galaxy?

How about the E Class estate? I’ve got the E350 CDI with a tow bar fitted and while we only have one junior mcobie, it is huge inside and with the bikes on the bike rack we fit everything needed for weekends away with ease.

Did a long weekend away with 3 blokes, all our kit and bikes and we had plenty of room and travelled to/from Wales in comfort.

Lovely place to sit on long journeys too 🙂

I looked an R Class a while ago and did my research. Big and heavy cars with very expensive running costs. Nice places to sit but not a great car to drive due to the weight. Plenty of cheap ones around which should be avoided unless you like to invest in money pits. If you want a 4×4 Merc get the ML class otherwise Ford is you sensible choice.

Looked at the R class when changing my car. Came to the conclusion that it was likely to be a money pit. Bought an s-max.

E Class would be nice but need the 7 seats and don’t really want the old 2 rear facing seats in the boot.

As I suspected, R Class being a big money pit – they must be a reason why they don’t hold their prices well.

R class are based in the ML platform and hence quite heavy. They will have higher costs than running a S-max but seem to be pretty reliable on the Merc forums. 3.0 cdi is a very good engine – although get the turbo actuator checked.

E Class would be nice but need the 7 seats and don’t really want the old 2 rear facing seats in the boot

Fair enough – I remember the hatred as a kid having to sit in those rear facing seats in the boot 🙁

Other idea then would be the Audi Q7 (don’t shoot me) big old beast of a car, but nice to drive, and not too bad on fuel/ved/running costs/reliability if you go for the 3.0d engine.

Q7 not going to be any easier on the pocket than the Mercedes. I’d stay away from big engined prestige 4wd SUV’s that are over a few years old. Big bills lie in wait at some stage.

Q7 not going to be any easier on the pocket than the Mercedes. I’d stay away from big engined prestige 4wd SUV’s that are over a few years old. Big bills lie in wait at some stage.

sorry – missed the “09” bit of the OP – my bad 😳

I would agree with Loddrik – older then 3 or 4 years is probably not worth the risk on those types of vehicle.

Probably can’t go wrong with the Ford option…

The Galaxy is the practical option – cheaper to buy, likely cheaper to run, absolutely huge inside. Very little comes close to the size of the thing, unless you want a van…

If I did not need the seats for three growing kids, I would have a much smaller estate, and C-class is top of that list…

Q7 would probably be top of the list if I could triple my budget (If I could triple my budget, I think the Mrs would have some of that for a new kitchen…)

Probably will be a galaxy. Keep that for a few years and then once I no longer need the 7 seats go for a large estate A6/5 Series

Hyundai Santa Fe as a possible alternative or whatever that fugly Subaru MPV was, nice car shame about the face.

We just got a 2010 vw caddy maxi life. Take back row of seats out it still seats 5 6ft plus guys and easily takes five bikes in back. So practical not too bad to drive