Edited by SLO76 on 02/09/2019 at 17:20

Citroen C4 Aircross long term test reports: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/our-cars/citroen-c5-aircross/ Three full sized seats in the back but only the outer two have ISOFIX tethers. Seems to be 6-8 inches wider than a Peugeot 3008.

HJ

I find it difficult to believe that the rear seats on a C5 Aircross are 6-8 inches wider than the 3008, a car which uses the same platform, and whose external width is, to within 1mm, the same. If we are to assume that the level of side impact protection is around the same, then i'd accept maybe a couple of inches could be found, but 6-8?.

Trouble is, these sorts of measurements are difficult to come by, especially irritating for people like the OP. I have similar difficulty finding a reliable measurement of the seat height. For example, the seat height on a Fiesta Active is listed on the Motability website as being exactly the same as the Fiesta. But i know the Fiesta Active has a raised ride height, so how can they be the same?.

Maybe what the OP should do is look at 7 seat SUV options within the monthy budget. That way there is the option of using one of the third row seats if they can't all fit in the middle row. I did have a look on the Skoda website and saw that a Kodiak (2.0 diesel) could be had from £270 per month.

If you do want three full sized seats in the back, the 5 seat version of the van derived cars (Peugeot Rifter, Citeoen Berlingo etc are probably the best bet cost wise, though don't have much in the way of "image"

Were it not for the OP's wife insisting that she does not want a people carrier, this would have been my suggestion. There are wider cars out there, but in the case of SUV's, all of them have 'sculpted' flanks, so are going to have less width across the interior. Sliding rear doors which, combined with the raised seating position, makes it so much easier to get the little 'uns into and out of their seats, and of course the truly enormous boot!. These factors make this the ultimate family car for those unconcerned with image!.

"My wife insists she does not want a people carrier, so I am looking at what SUV's might work."

I do question some people's logic. If you need to carry a lot of people - in this case 3 adults and 2 children in child seats - that is what a people carrier is for. Some but not all SUVs may do the same job, but the dividing line between an SUV and a people-carrier (or MPV) is blurred and not really relevant.

As RT says, you need to check a variety of cars physically, taking the unfortunate Adult no. 3 with you, to ensure that they not only fit but can sit in reasonable comfort.