With two or more children, maybe one or two of their friends, plus the grandparents, the practical benefits of a seven-seater car are clear. But there’s no reason why you should be landed with an old-school beast of burden that's dull to drive and stripped of equipment if you’re looking to haul people and their luggage. The car that fits that bill the best? The Land Rover Discovery – our 2022 Seven-Seater of the Year.
Written by Keith AdamsPublished: 27 September 2021
The Land Rover Discovery has been around for a while now, but the latest round of improvements significantly add to the appeal to this already-talented large off-roader. The Discovery has always been a hugely commodious family car, with seven well-sized seats and the ability to remotely fold the rear two rows electrically at the push of a button. In addition, it comes with in-car wi-fi, all the charge points you’ll ever need for that growing brood – and that all-important commanding view out of the windows.
With the addition of a new range of mild hybrid engines, the Discovery will now go further between refills, and is also available with the latest Land Rover six-cylinder engines which have all the pulling power you’ll ever need. As well as that, you get all the off-road capability you’ll ever need this side of a Land Rover Defender. No wonder they’re so popular, and why we had no hesitation in making it our Best-Seven Seater car of the year.
Given the continued rise of SUV sales and buyers’ seemingly insatiable appetite for upmarket brands, it’s no surprise that two decades after BMW entered the 4x4 arena, it has now topped its offering with the gargantuan X7.
Seven comfortable, adult-sized seats come as standard in this plush SUV that handles with remarkable agility that belies its enormity. Cheap it isn’t, but you’re rewarded with high quality fixtures and fittings as well as a slew of contemporary technology to keep you and your passengers safe.
The impressively affordable SEAT Tarraco was our Best Seven-Seater in 2021 and narrowly misses taking the top spot again thanks to its great-value finance, generous equipment and overall value for money. But don’t think that this is a car recommended on purely rational grounds – the Tarraco is excellent to drive, with keen steering and handling, and sprightly performance from the more powerful models in the range.
So, it’s a good SUV, but it’s also a highly competent seven-seater – and although it lacks some of the legroom in the rear row that you get in the other models on this list, it does cost a fraction of the amount, and therefore takes a well-deserved win.
