Towing 7-Seater MPVs

There are many types of seven seater cars on the market these days, from MPVs, vans, estate cars to off-roaders. There comes a point when you need a seven-seater with off-road capabilities and the ability to tow a caravan or trailer. There are a few vehicles on the market that tick those boxes and we've chosen the top three that fit the bill.

Nissan Pathfinder

First up is the sensible Nissan Pathfinder. As the name suggests, it will find you a path through any terrain and with its good ground clearance, you could traverse fords and streams with ease. The privacy glass to the rear section is great for keeping the children and rear passengers cool, and it's good for security too.

With a kerb weight of 2,140 and the maximum recommended towing capacity of 85% of the laden weight (1,819kg), it can easily pull 4-6 berth caravans and trailers.

The Pathfinder is a serious all-rounder in terms of performance, handling, seating and equipment. There is the thumping 2.5 cDi diesel engine that averages 29mpg or the lusty 4.0-litre petrol V6 which has more torque but only returns 20mpg. At £30K ish, it's not the cheapest of seven-seaters but it certainly ticks many boxes in that it's almost three cars in one. The rearmost seats are excellent for children and thanks to a long rear end, there is still a good amount of boot space for bags and other paraphernalia.

Mitsubishi Shogun

Next on the list of the best towing seven-seaters is the Mitsubishi Shogun. It's another rugged off-roader, which again comes with a growling V6 petrol engine or a 3.2-litre diesel. The Mitsubishi Shogun V6 is the choice motor and is found in the sporty 3000GT, too. It looks fantastic in its latest guise and manages slightly better mpg than the Pathfinder (35mpg for the diesel although the petrol engine manages 26mpg).

It hits 60mph in 11.3 seconds or 9.3 seconds for the V6. At 1,865kg for the V6 it can haul hefty caravans weighing up to 1,585kgs. The main downside is the slightly lack-lustre interior and the 'after-thought' 6th and 7th seats. They are only good enough for small children and once up, they swallow the boot space.

Volvo XC90

Onto the odd-ball of the group, the XC90: It's a cross-over seven-seater that looks like an estate but an estate on steroids. In its 10th year, the XC90 still manages to pull buyers towards it, even without any major changes or facelifts. It's a testament to the Swedish car maker, which simply got it right the first time round. It's not the most efficient of cars, with 17.5mpg being returned around town, 31.7mpg on a motorway or an average of 24.6mpg for the petrol engine, but the diesel can return as much as 41.5mpg.

For off-roaders, the good ground clearance, solid chassis and supple suspension quashes bumps and lumps easily. The car-like driving position is excellent for other than the most serious of off-road duties, and if you have deep pockets, the 4.4-litre V8 gives a soundtrack that wouldn't be out of place on a racetrack.

The towing ability is such that caravaners all around the country are drawn to the Volvo xc90. Its maximum towing weight is an astonishing 1,854kgs, as it weighs 2,181kgs.

Kia Sorento

The Kia Sorento is big and strong enough to be used as a towing machine. It can cope quite easily with a roofbox, bike rack and trailer tent.

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Many cars have the ability to tow something, only a few are strong enough to tow something larger such as a caravan. The following are some examples: