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Hi,
We're seeking a car that fits our profile. Can you recommend a few car options and any advice on anything we haven't considered?

We're a one car family, 2 parents, 2 young adults and a 3 year old. We've enjoyed our V6 1998 Honda Odyssey for its roomy interior, 6 seats, comfort, quiet, power and sitting a bit higher up off the road. But, the 2 young adults will leave us over the next 2 years so perhaps we don't need such a big car that also guzzles the gas, and is very long, wide and difficult to manoeuvre. We'll be mostly driving around town with only 3 or 4 of us. But occasionally all 5 of us will pack into the car... perhaps most likely for long road trips.

Here's our wish list:
- comfortable ride for 5 people on a long road trip
- economical and easy manoeuvring around town
- good power when needed (up Wellington hills).
- quiet, relaxing ride.
- hoping for a sunroof
- can put on a roof box (usually for big road trip)
- 4WD a nice to have but no biggie.

To be honest, we haven't started looking at car yards yet. Hoping you might be able to give us a few cars to go check out. Perhaps there exists a few models that are famous for comfortably sitting 3 backseat passengers? Some vehicles we've seen on the road look suitable but a sneaky peek in the back shows a middle seat that looks fairly miserly - better suited for just 2 back seat passengers not 3.
Appreciate any advice
cheers

Sounds like you need an SUV but you will need to test drive a few and decide if you find this type of vehicle easy enough to manoeuvre. I find most SUVs are easy enough to manoeuvre in tight parking garages and proximity sensors and a reversing camera will help.

The Hyundai Santa Fe pre 2013 and current model are good choices and the 2.2L diesel motor is the favourite as it offers decent performance. Interior space is good and there's even a seven seater option - third row seats are good for small kids.

There are other SUVs to consider but you should take the kids along to ensure everyone fits comfortably; SUVs to consider are Ford's Kuga, Honda CRV, Kia Sportage/Sorento, Mazda CX-5 and Mitsubishi Outlander.

Have a look at some SUVs and if this doesn't work for you let me know and we can run through a few more options but the more space you need will increase the vehicle size.