I'd say the kadjar is roughly the same size if not slightly bigger than the s-cross. We've got the same CVT box in out Nissan it's a jatco gearbox and so far so good its smooth and quiet

A couple of points. First, the SX4 S-Cross is not a large car. It is around 8cm shorter and 4cm narrower than a Ford Focus hatchback. Secondly, the cheapest auto S-Cross on Autotrader is £9260, so you won't have any option but to go above £8k.The previous SX4, which is a different car altogether, has a t/c auto, and along with it's 1.6 n/a petrol is supremely reliable, but being smaller than the S-Cross, is possibly not going to be big enough.

Another point, if you are and have been driving a motability car, surely any no claims bonus would be transferable?. My wife gets a motability car, and when i strarted as a self employed window cleaner (nearly 10 years ago), i hadn't insured a car of my own since about 8 years prior. As far as i recall, the van insurers were happy to use the no claims from being a named driver on the motability car.

As for other cars, sadly being 5'10'', i can't really help!. Had you not been looking for an auto, i'd have suggested a VW of some kind. The reason being that i'd read ex VW boss Ferdinand Piech (6'7") ensured he could comfortably drive any new VW before signing off!. But, as i'm sure you are aware, any VAG auto will have a dual (or single for the Up) automated manual, which we couldn't recommend as a 2nd hand purchase.

We currently have a Jazz (CVT), and while the car is exceptionally spacious for its size, i am aware of the fact that the front seat does not go that far back. Fine for me, but i doubt you'd get comfortable.

I have a Renault kadjar on the motability scheme. Being a large person I drive with the seat as far back as possible. There is barely enough legroom space in the back for my teenager son. I want to buy a mpv/suv or any vehicle that has high seating and is easy to get in and out. It needs to be a petrol version and have low insurance group since I will be starting with nil NCB and may want my daughter added to insurance. Main preference is a torque converter auto for reliability. Budget is £8k but may go above. How reliable is the suzuki scross cvt box? Thanks

It's not necessarily the insurance group that makes the most difference, it's often the personal details (especially age)/claims history of those using the vehicle, including where they live and what the do for a living.

For example, I'm in my mid 40s now, and I was looking to replace my (now) 13yo Mazda3 1.6 petrol a couple of years ago. I normally pay about £250 - £300 for my insurance (just me) for commuting/work use as an engineer but only up to about 10k miles (at that time).

The quote for the latest (gen-3 at the time) car was actually similar, about £15 lower than I had just been quoted to renew for my current car. I was also looking at a VW Scirocco GT 2.0 petrol 180PS (only 900 miles on the clock/9 month old ex-showroom demo) via a car supermarket for about the same purchase price (original price about 5k more than the Mazda and much quicker). The insurance quote came in at, if I recall, about £285 or so, the same difference as the new Mazda but on the higher side. I was expecting it to be £400+.

Not so many non-DSG auto box cars about these days - the CVT in Toyotas/Hondas are reliable though not very sporty, the TC auto in Mazdas is and is smooth, but saps a reasonable amount of power, so they aren't as quick as rivals but they handle well. Shame they didn't do a CX-5 2.0 petrol auto in the previous version.

Some of the PSA cars come with a nice TC auto, but I'm not sure when that was introduced into their MPVs/SUVs, and up until recently, reliability has been a mxied bag. HJ likes them, though more the newer cars, which might be out of your price bracket.

I'd say you might have to (unfortunately) test out the space/seating positions of a good few MPVs/SUVs (don't commit to anything whilst looking) first, then come back with your shortlist. You can always get a few online/over-the-phone quotes for the shortlisted cars for the insurance to see what they translated to in real-world costs. Sometimes a higher insurance, mpg and general servicing cost can be offset by lower maintenance costs (a more reliable car).