Best in class
Toyota Verso
You can, if you like, accuse the Verso of just being the beigest of the beige - a bland box designed to carry people around with the minimum of excitement or sex appeal. And you'd be right, up to a point. But here's the thing; the Verso may not be exciting but this is a family MPV. It's not supposed to be. What it is supposed to be is reliable, spacious, comfortable, economical and practical. Every. Box. Ticked. It's even quite a good looking car, once you allow your eyes to see past your prejudices, and the new BMW-sourced 1.6 D4D diesel engine is very decent. 60mpg is a realistic target. Best one: Verso 1.6 D4D 112hp Aura 7 Seat for €28,810
Also consider
Citroen C4 Picasso
You know how we just said family MPVs are supposed to be big, boxy and boring? Yeah, well Citroen clearly didn’t get the memo. The C4 Picasso and Grand C4 Picasso may be big and spacious, but boring they ain’t. Both inside and out they look as if they’ve wandered in off the set of the next Star Trek film, and while the big touch-screen setup may not be to all tastes, it’s certainly different. Citroen’s quality seems to have improved of late too, so you shouldn’t have too many worries on that score and the EGS semi-auto gearbox has been improved out of all recognition.
Ford C-Max
Take a Focus, make it a little taller and wider and boom, you’ve got a C-Max. Certainly if you’re a keen driver yet need the space and practicality of an MPV, then this is the one to have as it shares sharp steering and a beautifully balanced chassis with its smaller hatchback brother. There’s a facelifted, updated version arriving very soon, so there will be deals aplenty on outgoing stock but it’s worth bearing in mind that the boot space isn’t as good as it is for some rivals.
Worth waiting for
Volkswagen Touran
The new Touran lands on sale later this summer, and if the tall, five-seat Golf SV is any indication (and, let’s face it, it is…) then the new Touran should be comfy, quiet and classy. Certainly, the styling is a little more striking this time around, and the flexibility of the MQB platform which underpins it should mean that there’s a good trade-off between space for passengers and space for luggage. Launches: August 2015
Underrated
Kia Carens
Not a bad looking car, the Carens. Certainly within the expected confines of providing maximum space for minimum footprint, it looks reasonably good, and with the cabin architecture lifted more or less wholesale from the Cee’d hatchback, it’s every bit as classy and well put together as you’d expect. The 1.7 diesel is a good unit, powerful but economical, and the Carens is perfectly pleasant to drive. Only one problem – it never feels as spacious inside as you think it should do.