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Hello Jack

I am planning to replace my car (a 2003 Peugeot 406 station wagon with 2 extra seats in the back). I would love a similar car, but find Peugeot parts expensive. I find SUVs too big, so have ruled out the Kia Sorrento and Hynda Santa Fe. Can you recommend a diesel or hybrid or other very economical station wagon that has the option of 7 seats, as well as very good safety features?

If it’s a station wagon type vehicle you are looking for then you can definitely rule out trying to find a hybrid while diesel would depend on your budget and the distance you would travel each year.

Often the cheapest aspect of Diesel ownership is the price of the fuel. By the time you take into account the potentially higher maintenance and repair costs along with higher registration and Road User Charges, diesel can become an expensive option in comparison to petrol. Diesel wins the further you travel based on fuel consumption and cost and when towing large and heavy loads on a regular basis.

Multi seat vehicles are very hard to come by especially if the larger SUV’s are ruled out. A couple of possible options may be the Toyota Ipsum (used import) or the Honda Odyssey.

There are several good station wagon options all without 7- seats unfortunately.

To be fair to Peugeot, we are finding hourly rates and parts prices becoming very expensive regardless of make/model of vehicle.