• Summary

    4 out of 5 4.0

    What does this car say about you?

    This is seething that I never consider when buying a car but at least it doesn't say mid-life crisis man. I prefer the looks of the LWB Grand Scenic to the SWB of the standard model which looks like a cut down version to me.

    What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

    Those who've been in it can't believe how much room there is in there. The middle row of seats can be moved & tilted individually to give loads of room. Moving them forward a bit it needed to give the third row some leg room. At 6ft I can just about squeeze into the third row but would not want to go very far.

    Would you buy this car again and why?

    I'd consider it but will depend on my requirements. The car is comfortable & has a solid feel about it. I like the flexibility of the space too. There are several neat features on this like the stowage space for the boot cover, the under floor & under seat stowage areas, the way the full size (much better than the MK2 version) third row seats rise out of the floor & even the bag hooks in the boot to stop you supermarket carrier bags emptying themselves over the floor.

    What are you likely to buy next?

    That very much depends on my requirements at the time.

  • Buying experience

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Type of dealer you bought from?

    Franchised

    Did you buy this car new?

    No

    What price did you pay?

    £6,700

    When did you buy the car?

    December 2014

    Did you get a good deal and why?

    Reasonably good. Always try to buy cars when the dealers are trying to clear stock.

    Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

    Still need 7 seats occasionally but wanted something a bit smaller/newer than our old Espace or similar.

    What was the dealer like?

    Helpful.

  • Driving it

    4 out of 5 4.0

    What's it like to drive?

    Just like a large estate. It wont set the world alight but it goes & stops as it should. The steering has a rather wooden feel that has taken some getting used to. I'm told this is similar to other cars in the range. But I'm adapting. The woodeness rather detracts from the whole car which generally gives a good ride no matter how many people are in it - just remember to pump the tyres up a bit when fully loaded.

    What's it like to park?

    Unlike my old Espace this car does not come with parking sensors so it can be a bit tricky. Visibility is good though & I'm getting used to knowing where the four corners are. Steering lock is good & the adaptive power steering makes light work of it.

  • Living with it

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Have you had any problems with the car?

    Having problems linking my Samsung Galaxy S4 mini to the Radiosat hands free Bluetooth but other than that so far so good.

    What's most practical about your car?

    The interior space which seems at least as much as our old Espace whiel the outside seems a good bit smaller. When you actually measure it there is only a few centimeters in it either way but the car looks smaller & feels smaller to drive.

    Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

    Always on TomTom Satnav system. I was a bit against it at first but now realise the benefits of knowing what the speed limit is for most of the roads I'm on & I've been able to warn me when I go too fast. Very handy to identify side roads in the dark too, even when you have no route entered into the system. Downside is that you have to subscribe annually rather than a lifetime subscription, which is costly.