Used Car Hunter: stylish seven-seat SUVs for £40,000
Our car hunter has £40,000 for a seven-seat SUV with boot space to spare, but which one?
“Dear Auto Express, I have £40,000 and want a seven-seat SUV that offers decent boot space when all seats are in place. What can I get?” - Joanie P, E-mail
In the modern world, having space is a luxury many can’t afford. So finding a car that is suitable for large families can be tricky, especially if you are working to a budget. Seven-seat SUVs are perfect for those people who require the extra seats to ferry the children to school, carry the family dog, or just need the extra boot and cabin space for luggage or shopping. The issue, however, is to get anything of that size with a modicum of luxuries you're looking at paying a premium price.
Thankfully, turning to the used car market may hold the answer as there are plenty of seven-seat SUVs which have enough kit to keep life interesting. The Kia Sorento is the sensible option, offering a considerable warranty and, for our budget, it's possible to get the latest model which is generous with its kit list. The Land Rover Discovery is one of the more obvious choices, not only offering drivers some of the best off-roading ability money can buy, but also quite comfortable too. If neither of those quite fit the bill, the Volvo XC90 is one of the safest cars on the road while remaining stylish and user-friendly.
Here's our expert pick of the three best used seven-seat SUVs available for a budget of £40,000, together with links to buy one through our Find a Car service…
Kia Sorento - the sensible choice
- For: Newest model here, value for money, long warranty
- Against: Smallest boot, handling lacks Volvo’s polish
Such is the quality of Kia’s recent models that the latest Sorento poses a challenge to rival cars from more premium brands. A lower list price means your budget puts you in line for a high-spec, low-mileage, ex-demonstration Sorento with the best part of its seven-year warranty left.
We found several examples around the £40k mark, including a 74-plate car with 5,549 miles and the 190bhp 2.2-litre diesel powertrain (good for 43.5mpg). In 2 trim this gets a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, cloth and artificial leather upholstery and a reversing camera.
On the key issue of boot space with all seven seats in place, the Sorento lags behind its rivals here. The precise capacity varies depending on powertrain, but expect at least 175 litres of room. This increases to 604-616 litres with five seats up (again, depending on engine) and 1,988-2,011 with just the front two seats in place. The rearmost two seats offer comparable space to the XC90’s, and while it doesn’t feel quite as premium as the Volvo’s, the 12.3-inch instrument cluster and slick infotainment touchscreen are a testament to the Kia being the newest car here by a few years.
See our used Kia Sorento deals
Land Rover Discovery - the rugged choice
- For: Comfortable, quiet, versatile, good off road
- Against: Not the most dynamic, so-so infotainment
The Land Rover Discovery is impressively quiet and refined, and has peerless off-road capabilities – a key selling point for some, if not all buyers. Corner too hard and body roll becomes pronounced, but the trade-off is good absorption of poor road surfaces. What’s more, this is one of the few cars available in which seven adults can sit in relative comfort.
We found a £37,555 71-plate, 38,616-mile 300bhp 2.0-litre petrol (25.1mpg) in S trim, which comes with adaptive cruise control, electronic air suspension and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
A boot capacity of 228 litres with all seven seats in place is ahead of the Sorento’s, but down on the XC90’s. Usefully, you can have 698 litres with six seats in place, 1,137 litres with five in use, and 2,406 litres with all of the back seats folded.
While the third rows in the Sorento and XC90 are fine for children but on the tight side for adults, the Discovery can easily take five adults in the back. Cabin quality is generally good, and the driving position is the most commanding here. Trim and option specifications are extensive, though, so specs can vary considerably between used examples.
See our Land Rover Discovery deals
Volvo XC90 - the stylish choice
- For: Strong interior quality, refined, good safety kit
- Against: Light steering, ride can be stiff on large wheels
The XC90 rides well enough on smaller wheels but, like the Disco, leans a bit when cornering. The steering is a bit light but, while this is not a car that prioritises handling, it’s a fine cruiser. The best thing about the Swedish SUV is how refined and quiet it is – a point on which it beats the more rugged Discovery. It also has a sense of style that the other cars don’t offer.
The budget is enough for a 23-plate XC90 with 26,265 miles on the clock and a 250bhp 2.0-litre petrol (33.6mpg). In Plus trim, it’s fitted with a panoramic roof, 360-degree cameras and adaptive cruise control.
The Volvo wins crucial points for its boot. Even with all seven seats up, you get 302 litres of space, roughly equivalent to what you’ll find in a supermini. This rises to 1,007 litres with five seats in place and 1,856 litres with just the front two. The Volvo’s cabin is tastefully designed and built to a high standard, although as with the Discovery, the infotainment lags behind the Kia’s more sophisticated and user-friendly system. Also like the Discovery, the Volvo comes with a long list of options to choose from when buying new, so don’t depend purely on the trim level of any used model you’re buying to have every piece of equipment that you want on it.
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