If practicality and space are your main priorities for a new car, you can't go wrong with an MPV. They have plenty of room for growing families while also offering impressive flexibility, comfort and – in some cases – they are good to drive too.
The Citroen Space Tourer is the best large MPV people carrier with eight-seats. In fact, depending on which model you choose, the Space Tourer can carry up to nine adults (including the driver). As a result, this big Citroen is popular with family car buyers and taxi hire companies.
To sum up, then: An MPV is a minivan, or people carrier, designed to carry five to seven people in comfort. An SUV is designed, primarily, to be an off road vehicle that can, and usually is, driven on the roads, and a crossover vehicle, is a cross between an SUV and a family saloon.
Reliability of MPVs
BMW 2 Series Active/Grand Tourer 2015-present
Multi-purpose vehicles are often also referred to as multi-passenger vehicles (MPV) and multipurpose passenger vehicles. MPV classification includes SUVs, recreational vehicles (RV), pickups, panels, vans, campers, minibuses, sport utility vehicles, and similar vehicles.
Today, things are a little different. The traditional MPV has fallen somewhat out of fashion and seven-seater car buyers have been flocking towards SUVs. This has caused the number of seven-seat MPV models on the market to dwindle, with many manufacturers having exited the mainstream MPV sector completely.
Over the last 40 years or more, car buyers have taken the idea of the seven-seater car firmly to their hearts. Today, seven-seat vehicles are hugely popular with families but the latest crop bear little resemblance to those on offer even a decade ago.
The concept of a 7-seater MPV was pioneered in Europe by the original Renault Espace that began production in 1984, but it took almost a decade for rivals to catch on in a big way. When they did arrive, these ‘multi-purpose vehicles’ offered a safe, comfortable and practical way to transport big families and names like Renault’s Espace and Scenic, Vauxhall’s Zafira and Ford’s C-MAX, S-MAX and Galaxy became regulars in the best-seller lists.
An MPV is essentially a van that a number of people can travel in, with seats inside rather than space, and windows on the side.
The Mazda MPV (Multi-Purpose Passenger Vehicle) is a minivan manufactured by Mazda. Introduced in 1988 as a rear-wheel-drive model with optional selectable four-wheel drive, this was replaced in 1999 with a front-wheel-drive version with optional all-wheel-drive in some markets.
They are generally both categorised as large cars, but you get subsections within the SUV market for starters. There are mini SUVs, compact SUVs, and full-size SUVs. On the MPV side of things, they tend to be a bit bigger than your average estate, but they too span the small, medium, and large car categories.
The Toyota Innova is a car manufactured by the Japanese carmaker Toyota since 2004. It is a compact MPV and mainly sold with three-row seating.
MPV is a new term in the last few years, referring to a "multi-purpose vehicle" or "multi-person vehicle." MPVs are designed to carry passengers on regular trips.13 Jun 2021