Dear Drive… Should I buy a large SUV or a people mover?

Dear Drive... Where we answer reader, viewer, and listener questions. Something on your mind? Call us on the radio show or email us at contactus@drive.com.au.

Cynthia asks:

This is an interesting question, one that a lot of growing families face when it comes to making their new car purchase.

With six people to ferry around, often on a daily basis, a regular car, SUV or even dual-cab ute with seating for five just won’t cut it.

That limits viable options to a decent range of seven-seat SUVs or, gasp, a people mover.

But which is the better option? Well, that depends on your needs.

Let’s look at seven-seat SUVs first. SUVs with third rows are plentiful, with almost every major manufacturer offering large family haulers in their ranges.

Popular models include the Kia Sorento, Toyota Prado, Hyundai Palisade and Mazda CX-9.

Among the Large SUV class, the Hyundai Palisade (pictured above), Nissan Patrol, Land Rover Defender 130 and new Nissan Pathfinder offer eight seats in a two-three-three configuration. In the case of the Palisade, there are also seven-seat variants that feature individual captains chairs in the second row.

Those armchair-like second-row seats also bring the added benefit of creating an aisle between rows two and three, making for much easier entry and exit into the third row.

We’d suggest your family of six would be better served by seven-seat variants of the Palisade.

Pricing starts at $72,000 drive-away for the Elite trim level, in either seven- or eight-seat configuration, or around $83,300 drive-away for the range-topping Highlander trim, again with either seven or eight seats. That’s for front-drive V6 petrol-powered variants. Opting for the available diesel engine and all-wheel drive will add around $4500 to the price.

One critical area families need to consider is boot space. After all, it’s no good being able to fit all the humans in the car without having space left over for luggage, should you decide to go on a road trip.

Here, the Palisade measures in at 311L with all three rows of seats on use, expanding to a maximum of 1297L with the third row folded away. Bearing in mind that with six people on board, row three will be in use, that’s starting to look slim, even if you can stack seats seven and/or eight with luggage and bags.

And that’s where people movers come in, offering the flexibility of seven or eight seats along with much-increased cargo capacity over their SUV counterparts.

The Kia Carnival is Australia’s top-selling people mover and for good reason. With comfortable seating for eight and a minimum of 627L of boot space, expanding to 2461L with the third row folded away, the Carnival has the space, comfort and convenience perfectly suited for larger families.

And the Carnival is more affordable than a raft of large SUVs, starting at $51,690 drive-away for the entry-level S  petrol variant and topping out at $71,890 for the all-you-can-eat Platinum diesel.

But that doesn’t mean larger families are flocking to people movers, Kia selling 6853 Carnivals so far this year. Compare that with the top-selling Toyota Prado and its sales of 19,097 to the end of October, and it’s easy to see that Large SUVs remain a popular choice when it comes to ferrying families.

Note too, the Volkswagen Caravelle, Mercedes-Benz V-Class (including the electric EQV) and LDV Mifa and Mifa 9 EV can be had in a seven-seat (2+2+3) layout for more room too.

While there’s no doubt a Large SUV like the Prado or Palisade is a perfectly great choice for a lot of families, when it comes to regularly needing space for six, seven or even eight people, a people mover makes a lot more sense.

The third row in many large SUVs is a packaging compromise, with a lack of toe-, knee- and legroom the biggest compromise, genuine comfort taking a back seat, so to speak, in the back seats. And forget week-long road trips with the whole family – and their luggage – along for the ride. There's not enough space.

Comparison: Kia Carnival vs Hyundai Palisade

And that’s a people mover’s big flex.

Its reason for being is in the name. It’s designed for moving people in a comfortable and practical package.

They are the kind of vehicle large families should buy in great numbers but don’t. More practical than an SUV, with more space and greater comfort, a people mover is the best option for a family of six. Or seven. Or eight.