While would be treasure hunters continue to seek the buried Volvo XC90 in conjunction with Pirates of the Caribbean, my personal hunt for a perfect family car could well be over. As in all treasure maps, ‘X’ marks the spot and in this case it is the ‘X’ from the fourth generation of the Lexus LS 460 on the SE-L trim.

This is an executive car that parents deserve as there precious children grow older and the need for an SUV or MPV becomes unwarranted. To find the perfect family car many boxes need to be ticked from comfort, safety, performance, that’s just for the adults, to being child friendly. So let’s be selfish here for starters, lets forget about the children just for once, put us first for a change and work out exactly what we want in a family car.

Well first up has to be street cred in looks and here, the Lexus gains plenty of brownie points along with ripples of jealousy at the school gates when other mums realise there is life after MPV’s. The LS 460 is the flagship model for Lexus, and boasts such a sleek sophisticated design that incorporates prominent wheel arches, a deep front air dam contrasting with sheer elegance of the concave and convex lines to profile, colour coded door handles and auto dimming electrically adjustable heated and folding door mirrors with the large 19” alloy wheel cementing its authenticity as an aristocratic pedigree. These cars will soon wipe the smile of the playground mafia’s faces.

Next thing we need as drivers is comfort and here the Lexus LS SE-L pulls out more punches. Starting with the leather heated and air conditioned lumber supported front seats, that sees the drivers having 10 way electrically adjustable function, electrically adjustable head restraints and seatbelt height with memory in addition a to a memory function for front seats, steering wheel door mirrors with three pre-sets - mine, him indoors and the nanny’s. The passenger seat gets off lightly with only an 8 way similar function. Thankfully the electronic duel zone climate control with separate driver and passenger controls keeps us cool calm and collected as the growing up fast children still indulge in their squabbles. For drivers convenience the Lexus 460 comes with a host of sumptuous luxuries such as smart entry and start system, illuminated entry system with puddle lights, cruise control electric multi adjustable steering wheel with easy exit and entry auto retracting facility which is even heated! The windows are obviously electric as is the electric rear and rear window sunshade, and sunroof.

Right lets check the list; ah yes, a decent entertainment system would be rather nice and in the Lexus 460 SE-L well, you might as well be inside a recording studio as the 10 speaker audio system with in dash 6 disc CD changer blasts out a bit of Green Day while Bluetooth connectivity will keep you from a possible three point on license and the colour satellite navigation system will stop any argument over ‘why can’t you read a map’ you useless husband!

Performance is a readily needed asset now and a new 4,608 cc V8 engine that is the most technologically advanced unit Lexus has ever built powers this new Lexus. Matched to a new unique eight speed automatic transmission the V8 will accelerate 0-62 in 5.7 mph – see who needs to go to Chessington when they have the Lexus? Top speed sadly limited to 155 mph yet despite being a high performance engine, is actually surprisingly economical returning 25.4mpg on a combined cycle with CO2 emissions in at 261g/km. The ride and handling is faultless thanks to the new platform and body shell that gives 30% more rigidity than its predecessor while the suspension comes with an improved Adaptive Variable Suspension System that now features a vehicle posture control keeping the passengers more comfortable when cornering. Manoeuvring the Lexus is precision personified thanks to the high power 46V motor driven speed sensitive Electric Power Steering that gives the best response and feedback according to the vehicle speed. Reassuring even the most pernickety of parents is the electro hydraulic braking system that the LS 460 is the only car to have in its segment. The revised electronically controlled braking systems uses a new ECU than basically provides better braking for all four wheels.

The next thing in looking for the ideal family car has to be safety and here we see more worlds first than the UK will ever see at any Olympics. The Lexus has the world first on Advanced Obstacle Detection System, Driver Monitoring System, Emergency Steering Assist, Rear Pre-Crash Safety System with Lane-Keep Assist a segment first. This is in addition to the comprehensive airbag protection that includes front and knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, front and rear side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Have I mentioned the ABS, Brake Assist System, EBD, Emergency Brake Signal, Electronically Controlled Braking, Traction Control, Vehicle Stability controls along with Adaptive Cruise Control? Oh silly me or if you are still not entirely sure about the length of protection the SE-L model has an additional advanced safety pack that, well, even if you two year old managed to start the car would come out without a scratch if he crashed it. However highly unlikely as being sensible parents, you would make sure the anti theft system with immobiliser, intrusion sensor, inclination sensor and siren along with the double door locks were firmly on.

So I can honestly say us parents taken car of but what about the children. Well I think the electrically adjustable rear head restraints with memory settings, along with electric rear seat slide and recline adjustment will get them comfortable for the DVD they are about to watch from the roof mounted console – just decide in advance which one is to be in charge of the remote controls. If this argument gets a little heated they have their own air conditioning controls.

Last but by no mean least is the fifty million dollar question, is the boot large enough for the family holiday, and the answer is yes made even easier by the powered button to open and close the boot so your not standing there like a lemon trying put a suitcase or holding onto the shopping trolley whilst trying to open the boot. .

So that is it. I believe I have found the perfect family car. OK it will set you back a £71K for this model but the entry level comes in at £57,090 while middle of the road SE at £65,090 so money spent might just cover the extra in insurance groups jumping from 18 E to 19.

You have just dedicated the last few year to your offspring – now is time to re-enjoy driving and this Lexus LS 460 SE-L is the perfect car to do it in. Go on, you deserve too.

Jackie Violet

Existing Kia Carens customers will be having epileptic fits when they clap eyes on the all-new second-generation Carens.

Not only has the Carens grown, it is far better equipped, more safe, has new, powerful and economic engines and the ability to be either a five seater or seven, but in true typical Kia style; the ace up the Carens sleeve is outstanding value for money.

Six models will be initially on sale in the UK from a five-seater 2.0-litre petrol on a manual gearbox, in addition to a five and seven seater 2.0 litre turbo diesels with either manual or automatic transmission. Prices start from just £11,995 for the five seater S trim on a petrol but with seven seater's starting to take a greater share of sales in this traditionally five seater sector, I decided to focus on this, still retaining my top of the range status, so opted for the economical diesel engine mated to the top spec LS trim and letting the automatic gearbox take away the strain in particular of town driving or in my case, the school run.

Now please take a seat as I announce how much this will cost you. Ready, £16,995. Where one earth are you ever going to find a seven seater for this price? “Does it have doors”? I hear you cry, actually yes and a steering wheel, but “I bet that is about it”. No in fact its not, the LS is equipped with full climate control, electric windows, electrically heated, adjustable and folded door mirrors, automatic lights and wipers, thumping large 16inch alloy wheels, electric sunroof, cruise control and reverse parking sensors. All this I for a premium of £1,500 over the GS that has in its own right an impressive array of standard features. OK I have added an extra £500 for the seven seat option, £1000 for the automatic on a diesel engine but hey with this sort of price structure I cold buy his and hers matching for the price it would cost me to purchase a competitive seven seater.

“Yes” I hear you moan, “that’s all very well, but I bet is cheap and nasty to look at”. Well, not really, its quite attractive and by no means a cumbersome full blown MPV but rather more like a slightly raised hatchback thus cleverly disguising the fact it is a seven seater at all. The large windscreen offers excellent forward visibility while the uniform glass area around the Carens aids the maneuvering. Inside, yeah OK a bit plasticity, but highly functional. The height adjustable steering wheel clad in leather houses remotes for the audio including CD player and cruise control. The height adjustable drivers seat is a little tough on the back but does offer a good commanding view of the road ahead.

The instrument is clearly defined and the center console is in a T- shape sweeping outward to meet the driver for ease of use. With the handbrake being replaced by a release lever and push down brake to the left of the drivers foot, means lots more space for storage from a generous sized glove box to sunglass holder, cup holders, door pockets to a very useful two-tired concealed box that doubles up as an armrest. Row 2 gains door pockets and elasticated pockets in the rear of the front seats while Row 3 has bottle holders and a deep long concealed storage on both sides.

“OK” you; moan, “I bet the seats are complicated for this price”. Sorry, but these seats are the easiest I have ever had the pleasure of operating. Row 2 simply pull lever and both outer seats will slide forward making access to Row 3 easy, while these in turn, with one finger even, pull the strap and the seats tumble into a completely flat load, and then to retrieve, simply pull the tag towards you. Job done without having to remove headrests, parcel shelf’s, luggage restraints etc and can accommodate occupants up to 1.8 m tall. For extra versatility, the front seats can turn into a bed with Row 2, as can the center and Row 3. Row 2 also fold flat without having to remove headrests, which, coupled with Row 3 being completely flat, gives enough room to bring home the dishwasher or the Christmas tree.

“Well it must be tiny and cramped inside then”. Not at all thanks to very clever packaging, the Carens is longer, wider and higher meaning all occupants have plenty of leg, head and elbowroom. .

“Yes but at this price gosh it must be a ropey old engine”. Sorry to disappoint yet again, but its not. The Euro 1V compliant 1991 cc 16-valve CRDi engine provides better performance than the previous Carens with a top speed of 116 mph and 0-62 in 12.6 seconds while fuel consumption on the LS automatic is 39.8-mpg. “OK well than it has to as rough as hell to drive”. No, because due to its suspension, the Carens has a system fitted that allows it to be steered and maneuvered with little effort while ensuring high speed stability.

With the increase space the Carens now gains, means a reduction in noise, vibrations and harshness that will appease us Mothers whilst refeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeereeerring yet another outburst of world war three, with lots of sound proofing foam and isolating pads placed in key areas. Because of the Carens compact dimensions, coupled with precise rack and pinion steering parking is a breeze which is just as well as the panic buying season is upon us and inevitably one thing left off the shopping lists meaning yet another trip.

“Right” I hear you cry, “It cannot have everything of this price so that means safety has taking a bashing”. Ah afraid not, you see all Carens are fitted with six airbags – twin front, side and full length with the passenger having cut off switch to enable a rear facing child seat to be fitted. ABS along with EBD is also standard while protecting the Carens from would be thieves are an Immobiliser with the GS, while the LS trims gains remote central locking and alarm.

“OK” I hear you mutter, “you win”. Well I don’t personally, but Kia. Yet again they have pulled another trick out of nothing in producing one the cheapest but not the nastiest seven seater with a host of luxury toys mated to a very economic engine.

Citroen has given the C4 range another sibling that joins the hatchback, coupe and hugely successful Picasso MPV. But its not a baby, in fact it’s a Grand Picasso with seven seats, ready and raring to go in the UK showroom’s now.

But with prices starting from just £14,995 I don’t think they will stay in the showrooms for long if customers are not too bothered about the lack of toys especially on the entry level LX that does not even have a CD player. However when you reach the VTR + and Exclusive trims, the equipment, as standard, increases and money wise, they offer better value with prices around the 16/17K. This is still highly competitive in the seven-seater war dominated by the Vauxhall Zafria whereby one in three cars sold fall into this category.

Two petrol engines are up for grabs, a 1.8 litre and a 2.0 litre along with two diesels, a 1.6 litre and another 2.0 litre with a choice of four trims, LX, SX, VTR+ and top of the range Exclusive. My test car for the week was the VTR+ mated to the 1.6 HDI diesel engine with EGS.

The first thing you notice about the Grand Picasso is the abundance of glass especially at the front where the windscreen stretches back over the drivers head encouraging any glimpse of sunshine into the interior. Actually I found it too much but thankfully there were sunblinds to shield you from the suns rays, as my face started tingling. I suggest you invest another £500 for the optional Comfort Pack that includes a heat-reflecting windscreen along with a child surveillance mirror, perhaps not. Sunblinds are also on the side windows and back window that simply hook up.

Inside obviously a bright airy and totally uncluttered interior greets the driver. That is because they have laden the height adjustable steering wheel with all the toys! Not just stalks for the indicators, and wipers, but also the American style gear lever, paddles if you want to go off piste from the automatic and into manual mode, while in the middle, remote audio controls, cruse control, telephone activators and a few other bits and pieces. How are you supposed to steer your way through this minefield? The deep wide dashboard has two clever dash mounted storage boxes that flank the centrally mounted drivers digital display sensibly covered with a lip so the sun does not reflect onto the screen.

There are some really nice touches on the Grand Picasso, such as the CD player/radio being concealed from prying eyes and pops open when required, the air-conditioned central storage box that means the passenger can keep the drivers thirst quenched on long journeys. Because of the electric handbrake, which in fairness I did not like nor trusted is mounted on the dash, it frees up space between the passenger and driver seat so my handbag was happy, and lots of other storage solutions were scattered around the cabin. The air conditioning controls, electric window and door mirrors switches are located to the right of the driver for excellent ease of use. With all seven seats in place there is very little room for any shopping bags, but luckily all the seats are really easy to fold, tumble or even pull out if necessary. Overall a nice comfortable interior.

Unfortunately, that was all about to change when I switched on the engine. Firstly, it’s a noisy diesel, surprisingly as diesels are becoming quieter, but more importantly, this test car was fitted with a six speed automatic gearbox which gave a rather unforgiving ride as it lurched through the gears rather like dodgy roller-coaster and made me feel quite queasy. I tried to combat it with the integrated air freshener that wafts the cabin with nice smells, but no, it did not work. The Grand Picasso is obviously a large car and not one to be chucked around the tight bends, corners etc so I could not see the point of having paddles for manual mode. These are normally to be found on sports cars that provide a bit more excitement, not a full-blown family car.

The suspension was equally unforgiving but the Exclusive trim does come with a self levelling system which I am sure will be worth the extra money. The brakes were slow to react for such a large car and early braking is strongly recommended while the power steering was excellent for the small parking bays, it could have been tighter for the open road. However, being a diesel, fuel consumption is a very respectable 49.6 mpg on a combined cycle which is just a so well as with five children in the car, trips to the petrol station could become quite expensive. Further savings will be made with a relatively low insurance group of 7E, CO2 emissions right down at 150 thus Band C road fund licence currently at £110 and a 20% Benefit in kind Rating.

Safety wise the Grand Picasso VTR +comes with a host of features thus scored five stars in the Euro NCAP ratings for adult occupancy, two for pedestrian and three for child protection. As standard on the VTR+ is ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Emergency Braking Assistance, Electronic Stability Programme, adaptive driver and passenger airbags, drivers knee airbags, curtain airbags and front lateral airbags with the passengers having a cut off switch. The front seat belts have pre-tensioners while all seven seats have a 3 point inertia reel seat belts and adjustable headrests. Protecting the occupants is an energy absorbing side impact protection system and the auto activation of the hazard warning lights in an emergency stop.

Securing the Grand Picasso is remote central locking with deadlocks, an immobiliser, automatic boot locking when the car is in motion, and automatic re-locking after 30 seconds which is not enough time if you have to get five children in and belted up. What is clever is the electric child lock indicator and a seatbelt warning on the dashboard that informs the driver which child had not got their seatbelt done up or which naughty child has just undone theirs!

Whilst my test car has a price tag of £18, 695, it also came with lots of options like the Comfort Plus pack, Panoramic Glass sun roof, Techno pack, Boot pack, Seucitry pack and Parking pack which rockets the price up so be careful what you choose.

I personally would steer clear of the automatic gearbox and diesel engine. With the money saved I could afford a quieter petrol with top of the range spec whereby some of these optional extras on the VTR+ are included.

But the best new is price. Kia stay number one in the low cost budget section of the market and the Sedona, despite all the improvements, retains the exceptionally low price tag with prices starting at £15,995 for the entry level 2.7 V6 GS rising to top of the range 2.9 CRDI TS auto.


Die hard Kia fans will notice the Sedona is taller and wider yet shorter than it’s predecessor as well as the sleek stylish lines not often associated with MPV’s. The Sedona retains its best asset, the rear sliding doors, electrically operated on the LS and TS models, which are simply fabulous if you have young children and there is an auto reversing mechanism to ensure no trapped fingers. Just make sure you lock the doors in case a finger accidentally pushes the operating button as the door will open but an alarm will sound notifying the driver.


The improvements to the interior are fantastic starting with the lower floor making it easier to access and the seating configuration has changed to a 2-3-2 format with all seats being able to slide forwards, backwards, recline, fold in half, store upright or taken out altogether. However, Kia decided against the third row of seats folding flat as that would have meant they would shrink in size which would be no good for budding teenagers or the in-laws and they would have been mounted higher thus encroaching on the headroom and luggage space. But what about the shopping I hear your cry!


Well, you can fold the back part down and the bags will happily sit on that with the overflow actually in the luggage area itself. There is more space between the plush upholstery seats and they are far more comfortable. The instruments, in particular the gear lever, are closer to the driver for ease of use and the chunky four spoke steering well is tilt adjustable to accommodate all sizes of


Four trims are available and all come with this fabulous triple zone air conditioning that sees row 2 and 3 having their own roof mounted air vents with separate controls from the front, positioned in row 2 ensuring every occupant is cool, calm and collected. The DVD is a factory fitted options and well worth the £700 while the CD is MP3 compatible. Other standard features include front and rear electric windows, electric plus heated door mirrors, central locking, roof rails, and a “conversation” mirror whereby you can spy on the children, but they should be banned as very distracting.


The LS for an extra £2000, gains climate control, twin electric rear sliding doors, reversing sensors, privacy glass, front fog lights and electrically operated rear quarter lights. But if you splash out another £2000 for the TS, then leather upholstery, cruise control and front seat warmers are included. Value for money? My bet is on the LS 2.9 litre diesel on a manual gearbox at a cool £19,495.


Storage is plentiful from cup holders, coin box, CD case, a two tired glove box, an optional table with four cup holders between the front seats and sunglass holder, while row 2 has the fold down picnic trays and bottle holders with row 3 gaining lidded compartments and cup holders.


All models come with a choice of either a five speed manual gearbox or an electronically controlled five-speed automatic that incorporates Kia’s Sports Mode sequential manual change feature if the driver chooses to go “off piste”. I drove both versions and whilst being a die hard lover of automatics, found this needed a very delicate right foot to ensure smooth ride and gentle encouraging nurturing up the endless hills of the beautiful roads we were driving on in Germany and Austria. Swapping into the manual proved more successful in a comfortable ride for my fellow passengers and, as a manual does, put the pleasurable aspect of driving back in the limelight.


Kia will continue to offer the V6 petrol along with the 2.9 diesel litre now with a second-generation common-rail injection and a variable geometry turbocharger. With diesels now accounting for 87% of the large MPV segment, Kia expect this option to be the most popular choice especially as fuel consumption on a combined cycle is 36.2 mpg (manual transmission) and 31.4 mpg (automatic). The new chassis combined the with reduced length, wider track and stiffer body gives a more stable handling and ride as well as reducing the noise level and vibration inside the cabin.


Stopping distances are less thanks to disc brakes in all four corners which was a relief negotiating those hairpin bends the Germans so love and manoeuvring the Sedona is child’s play thanks to the variable rack stroke system that lightens up the steering for the parking bays and stiffens up at higher speeds. This feature is a world launch for Kia and results is a class leading turning cycle of just 5.82m.


Kia are gunning for a 4 star rating in the Euro NCAP tests with six airbags, 3-point seatbelts for all seven seats with the 6 outside ones being height adjustable. Keeping the occupants safe is the key parts of the stiff body structure that have been reinforced with special high strength steel so the body shell deforms in a controlled manner if an impact occurs and forces are channelled away form the passenger cell. ABS with EBD is standard while TS buyers can purchase at an option, ESP including Traction Control and Brake Assist.


The Kia Sedona is a fabulous family car that looks good, makes great use of space, has an excellent array of equipment all mated to a very reasonably price tag.