ONE of the most spacious people carriers on the market, which offers a decent boot with all seven seats in place, is the Mitsubishi Grandis.

It's available with a 2.4 petrol but the pick of two engines is the 2.0-litre D-ID turbo diesel.

This It has a combination of good economy and performance, and these plus excellent equipment make it great value.

The second and third row seats fold easily and quickly to make a cavernous load area, and the rear two drop simply down into the floor when only five seats are needed.

The diesel is a little noisy when cold but is just as quiet as the competition on the move, and the ride is excellent, smoothly dealing with lumps and bumps in town at slow speeds.

There is quite a lot of roll in the corners and the steering is too light at times, but it clings on gamely when pressed, and feels very safe.

The equipment list includes loads of airbags, multi-CD player, climate, alarm and leather in many.

: Ford Galaxy