I’m after a bit of Briskoda advice.

We got the Honda FRV because the Mk1 Octavia couldn’t fit three kids seats in the back. This broke my heart, but apparently we can’t return children once they turn up so I had to part company with my vRS.

However, the FRV isn’t all I’d hoped it would be. It fits three kids seats with room to spare and returns about 45mpg average. I had 53mpg out of it last week, but on the whole it’s mid 40’s. This is great as the remapped vRS would return about 32mpg average.

However, the boot is nowhere as big and we struggle to fit all the stuff in that we take out on a big day out. I’m also into mountain biking and discovered that the FRV can’t use a rear mounted carrier due to a massive plastic spoiler. Because the boot isn’t as deep, it won’t go in the back without folding seats down, which it did in the Octavia. This means that my cunning plan of taking us all to Dalby Forest, leaving the Mrs and kids on the playground while I go for a ride isn’t going to happen unless I spend money.

The roof bar option makes it about a million feet tall as it’s a tall car to start with. My back is a bit iffy at the best of times and lifting a full sus bike onto the roof would end with me laid up for a week.

The other option is a tow bar, but this costs a lot of money. The third is a diesel vRS estate as the Mk2 will fit three seats across the back if I don’t use the massive Recaro kids seats and go for something narrower.

So, if you were me, what would you do? I need to move five people, enough stuff for a picnic including bats, balls & other toys, a full suspension bike and assorted biking gear and a Phil & Teds pushchair. The Mk1 Octavia did this ‘till our eldest could no longer fit between two forward facing child seats.

I would appreciate your input on this as it might become an obsession and cause me a massive headache.

Cheers,

Andrew.

Suberb?

Attaching a bike to your current car somehow will always be cheaper than changing vehicle, even if you have to pay for a really expensive rack. Of course if you fancy a new car anyway.........

Suberb?

I need a hatch and the new superb is still a bit above my limit. Also, as nice as it is, I'd expect my mum to approve and that's a reason not to get one.

Attaching a bike to your current car somehow will always be cheaper than changing vehicle, even if you have to pay for a really expensive rack. Of course if you fancy a new car anyway.........

You make perfect sense there Mr Zoidberg about the rack and have also hit the proverbial on the head. I want a car again, the FRV is just so damn boring. Technically brilliant, unbelievably well put together and so far ultra reliable. What it doesn't have however is any character at all. None.

Another thought was a Mondeo St155 estate.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201304016038750/sort/default/usedcars/transmission/manual/fuel-type/diesel/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/body-type/estate/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/model/mondeo/make/ford/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/yo125ju/keywords/st/page/1/radius/1500?logcode=p

Try to pick up a used Mk2/superb with a towbar already on it?

My sister has twins who are 4 and a 1 year old and they couldn't find a car that they could get all five in so they ended up with a 7 seater Citroen thing.

If you went for a mondeo or superb estate and you have a dodgy back watch out when getting things from the back of the boot, my dad did himself in trying to get something from the back of the boot like that.