Ertiga

Overview

The Ertiga exists for households that need seven seats but do not want to pay for a ladder frame, and it solves that problem with a 4.4-metre body on a hatchback-derived platform. The 1.5-litre petrol engine makes 103 bhp and 137 Nm, which is the right engine for the job: not fast, but never short of breath at legal speeds even with the car loaded.

The third row is the usual stumbling block for cars in this class and the Ertiga clears it better than most, with a seat base high enough to give adults a decent knee angle for an hour and proper headroom for children. Folding it away leaves a flat load floor and a boot that will take four bags. Rear-seat space in the middle row is generous, and the ride is soft enough to make broken tarmac disappear.

The costs of that packaging are boot depth with all three rows in use, which is minimal, and a safety score that does not match the more expensive SUVs on this list. The automatic is a conventional torque-converter unit rather than a dual-clutch, so it is smooth but slow. For school runs and long weekends with grandparents aboard, none of that matters very much.

• True seating for seven
• 20 kmpl claimed economy
• Six airbags standard