7-seaters with all 3 point belts?

Page 1 / 2
richardmayes, Feb 2, 4:53pm
Do any other 7 (or 8) seat minivans besides Renault Espace or VW Touran have 3 point belts in every seat? 2006 onwards, <$15k.

I am having some trouble determining this from trademe auctions. people aren't very good at taking clear, informative photos for their auctions!
kazbanz, Feb 2, 4:59pm
Richard--MOST don't I'm sorry
Most have 6 lap and diagonal belts.
An exception is the Mark X zio which has 7 l and D
You will find more and more jappas with full l and d as we are getting later model product through
thejazzpianoma, Feb 2, 7:30pm
Unless it's from Europe where it's been the standard since the late 90's.
thejazzpianoma, Feb 2, 7:32pm
All Multipla's (if 6 seats is really enough). There are some late ones around.

Mercedes Viano would be another fantastic option, especially if you can fluke a Diesel one. This would be my pick of the larger people movers. In the smaller people movers I don't know why you wouldn't go with a VW Touran? Brilliant vehicle and far cheaper to run that it's peers.
richardmayes, Feb 2, 9:34pm
Touran too small. We want a V6 Renault Espace but they are a bit like hen's teeth. So thinking about alternatives. I would get a Mazda MPV 23T but she who must be obeyed doesn't want even the spare seat at the back to be lapbelt only.
klrider, Feb 3, 5:49am
Territory does, although not really a mini van they have plenty of room, with storage when all seats are up. Might get one around that price now.
kazbanz, Feb 3, 6:56am
Ok well then ask her the question. WILL 6 seats be sufficient?
If so theres a lot of options.
One or two are already 6 seaters such as the Honda Edix
otherwise the Mazda Premacy 2005 or newer is basicly a 6 seater. The seat belt is the least of your worries,
Then you can just remove /hide the belt with most of the current 7 seaters.
OR as I suggested the Mark X Zio is 7 l and D belts
poppy62, Feb 3, 7:00am
Citroen C8, Fiat Ulyssee, Lancia Phedra, Peugeot 807, Mercedes Vianno and all the later versions of the listed ( like Citroen C4 Picasso etc.) Volvo may have an option too.
kazbanz, Feb 3, 7:38am
from what year do they go l and D?
richardmayes, Feb 3, 12:47pm
Thank you, some helpful suggestions here.
skyblue17, Feb 3, 1:23pm
Loaded with extras and really classy inside and out.
thejazzpianoma, Feb 3, 1:28pm
Perhaps consider having someone import one from the UK (or Japan) or import one yourself.

I would also suggest you consider the engines carefully. The 3.0 Diesel is a real power house and will likely also fit your needs if power is what you want. The 2.0 Turbo petrol, while no 3.5 is actually surprisingly quick and is well worth considering IMO especially as it's a bit better on fuel. I think you will be surprised at how close it is on the heels of the 3.5 for power. I think of them like the 2.0 Golf GTI vs the R32, not as much between them as you might think.

If running costs are a factor I would also recommend at least driving the 1.9 Diesel if one came up, it's slow compared to the 3.5 Petrol, but still very usable in terms of being a family car. If this is going to get typical people mover use, as in short trips shuttling kids etc around town, the Diesel, even allowing for RUC and vehicle licensing will literally cost half as much to run. So you may find you would rather swap the power and the few times you actually get to use it for an annual family holiday to the islands with the money saved!

If you find you can be more flexible on the engine option it's likely going to be a lot easier to find one in NZ. Best of luck with it.
thejazzpianoma, Feb 3, 1:45pm
Some other thoughts, what about a Dodge Journey?

Can't say I have paid attention but I would expect those to be 3 point belt's all round type machines. It will be over budget, but you may be surprised how little over you can pick one up for if you are not in a hurry. Under 20K is certainly achievable with some patience. You would generally be getting a newer current model vehicle too, so at least there is some return on the extra cash outlay.

If you consider importing, then perhaps also consider the VW Sharan (although you would be looking at the last of the old model) and the T5 Multivan. Those Multivans can be very nice and the 2.0 Diesel versions can really boogie while still costing you only half as much to run as the 3.5 Espace.
richardmayes, Feb 3, 3:01pm
Thanks - we are 2 adults and 3 kids. Normally it will be just the 5 of us, but we want the ability to carry a couple of extras occasionally, AND a decent quantity of luggage or groceries at the same time.

I am not too worried if there is a central lap belt somewhere, as that seat would only be used occasionally. But the more proper seatbelts there are, the better!

We are ruling out the smaller ones that are built on small car platforms (e.g. Citroen Picasso, VW Touran, Honda Stream et al) - as those have lots of seats but there's just not as much room for anything else in those.

At the same time, it will be our main daily family car too, so we don't want a massive 4x4 or a Kia Carnival etc!

Odyssey, MPV and Espace are our current shortlist. Not too big, not too small.

My personal preference is wavering between the Renault (because of the flexibility of the removable seats and totally flat load area) and the MPV (because of the turbo engine and all the reversing / parking cameras that would hopefully reduce the number of dents she puts in it) and the Honda because I just generally like and trust Hondas.
richardmayes, Feb 3, 3:04pm
Thanks jazz, I like European diesel engines, but on reflection I like the idea of a French car with a bulletproof Nissan VQ35 engine in it even more! So if there is a Renault Espace in our future it will be a V6 one.

We are in the Wairarapa so most trips involve open road; something with a reasonably big lazy engine that can get up to 100km/h without wringing it out in every gear would be preferred.

Thanks for all your other suggestions, a lot to think about there.
thejazzpianoma, Feb 3, 4:03pm
For your use that makes a lot of sense, while the 3.5 will still drink plenty (they are a particularly thirsty engine IMO) it won't be anywhere near as criminal as for those trying to use these things for short town running.

You will probably also very much like the VW 2.0 TDI, should you decide to import or fluke a cheap Multivan in NZ. Lots of lazy power from those, with bucket loads of torque from just above idle.

I have seen a number of very inexpensive Viano's with the 3.5 Petrol in Japan go very cheap of late too, would be worth a look, plenty in NZ already too.
supernova2, Feb 3, 8:32pm
IMHO cross the Renault off your list. There is just no, or very little, support for them in this country now which is a shame.

Also Turners had a Viano that is in the damaged vehicle auction because it needs new keys. If that is enough to effectively write off a vehicle what the beep beep beep is the cost of a key?
thejazzpianoma, Feb 4, 5:36am
Key wasn't the only problem with that vehicle (I too saw the listing) and keys are very expensive for any late model vehicle, especially if you don't have any to start with. If you want to make cheap keys a priority the OP would be pretty much limited to an L300 or Hiace. not exactly the vehicles someone who is concerned about safety would want.
richardmayes, Feb 4, 5:48am
I have owned and been around enough oddball cars that garages don't know anything about, that driving something unique which you never see on the roads here does concern me. It's nice knowing you can call the professionals if you need to.

But at the same time, most cars have a lot of good days and only a few bad days, and you feel much better about fixing a car (or paying to get it fixed) when it's one that you really like.
thejazzpianoma, Feb 5, 11:36am
If you are concerned about the Renault, you could always give the nice guys at Speed a call and have a chat about what is available ex NZ. I am too out of touch with Renault to really comment.

I would have no issue at all with Mercedes or VW product, it's exceptionally well supported here in NZ and there are loads of dealers and specialists around. Likewise loads of parts ex NZ and plenty of suppliers.

Support for the Dodge should be pretty good now too with both Fiat and Chrysler getting a serious revamp and shake up in NZ with the merger.
nzangel1, Feb 6, 1:37pm
I owned an 11 seater Hiace and apart from the driver and front passenger having retractable 3 point belts the remaining 9 were lap belts.
tez, Feb 10, 8:47pm
I have to put in a vote for the territory; we brought one as an occasional 7 seater; with the back seats down boot area is fantastic, when they are up its fair to say the boot is a bit lacking - still fit the big pram in there but not much else! Its a fair bit roomier than the mpv however it does like the fuel (quite a lot of it in fact. ) and I have seen a few people complain about faults on them - haven't struck anything yet ourselves but you never know!
richardmayes, Feb 11, 8:10am
My boss had a Territory Ghia from new, it was a nice car. until the front suspension noises started, and never really went away despite repeated trips to the shop.

But on the other hand, the Big Boss bought an identical one for his wife and apparently that car never gave any problems at all.

I think I'll steer clear of those.
tamarillo, Feb 11, 1:28pm
Volvo XC90 of 05 had full belts everywhere. I think all the big Volvo wagons and these jacked up wagons did. Some have come from uk recently and all had full belts on all 7. Only just in your price range but solid cars known for being capable of many miles. Nothing weird mechanically to service, the petrol ones are, I think, ford engines.
tamarillo, Feb 11, 1:30pm
tez wrote:
I have to put in a vote for the territory; we brought one as an occasional 7 seater; with the back seats down boot area is fantastic, when they are up its fair to say the boot is a bit lacking - still fit the big pram in there but not much else! Its a fair bit roomier than the mpv however it does like the fuel (quite a lot of it in fact. ) and I have seen a few people complain about faults on them - haven't struck anything yet ourselves but you never know![/quotepetsonslly I hated driving these, had a few as renters and found them cumbersome and very thirsty. But then most big petrol suv are same, that's why euro wagon or something like previa seems better choice, as a driver.