A good friend who has similar circumstances (lives in Watford and only does 6.000 miles a year and needs 7 seats), looked at every petrol model available in the UK in MPV format (didn't want a 4x4) and settled on a brand new 1.8 zafira exclusive because of the price, he got it for 9799 on the Vauxhall partners scheme.

He prefered the Ssanyong package but as the dealer was to far away, he settled on the Vauxhall Zafira.

Edited by daveyK_UK on 25/01/2015 at 11:35

The 1.0 'Ecoboost' engine is comparatively new, so I wouldn't expect it to change even if there's a facelift - and if there is, you can expect a good discount on the pre-facelift model if you're buying new. There should also be some nearly-new ones around.

I think a Grand C-Max is your best bet - not too big if you only occasionally need 7 seats, and that engine is I believe livelier than its small size would suggest. It's not very economical when driven hard, but it should be fine in town, and better than a 1.6 or 1.8 Zafira. And generally Fords are better to drive than Vauxhalls.