Car choice: Nissan Pathfinder vs Volvo XC90

Alan Corsie wants to replace his old Honda CRV. It must have three individual rear seats for his teenage children

(Nissan)

A car for the head

The Nissan Pathfinder has a proper set of individual three rear seats and bags of room. As a Nissan it is an inherently reliable vehicle. Seven seats altogether come as standard, five really for adults, though they may find the legroom in the back a little tight. The Pathfinder is on the large side even for an SUV, and that means the 2.5 dCI diesel engine returns just 31.4 mpg overall, which still isn’t bad for such a substantial truck. A very tidy 2007 Adventura with 128,000 miles is £5,195 from a dealer with a warranty.

(Volvo (Volvo)

A car for the heart

The middle class, spacious and stylish 4x4 of choice has to be the Volvo XC90. I think the rear seats are quite generous and there is also the option of two more seats right at the back. The D5 diesel engine is very popular and manages to return a reasonable 34 mpg overall. Closer in spirit to Alan’s softer Honda CRV, it is more comfortable on the road than the harder 4x4s, but has enough ability on a muddy field. A 2007 automatic model with 135,000 miles is £5,750 which is good value.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com