Which large family-hauler should I buy?

The dilemma

Jean-Pierre is expecting his sixth grandchild soon but his Honda Odyssey is already at capacity with two adults and five grandkids on board. He needs an eight-seater that can deal with four children in restraints, plus an eight and six-year-old, but isn't sure where to start.

The budget

About $60,000

The shortlist

There aren't an awful lot of eight-seaters on the market and even fewer if you ignore heavy-duty 4WDs like Toyota's LandCruiser and Nissan's Patrol (Jean-Pierre has no off-road ambitions and we reckon he could do without lifting children up into a bulky, high-riding package).

The list shrinks even more if you sidestep Hyundai's iMax (it's functional but a bit crude) or - like this scenario - need a minimum of four child-restraint anchor points (goodbye to Toyota's Tarago, which has only three).

People-hauling versions of VW's new T6 Transporter, meanwhile, aren't on sale in Australia quite yet, so are an unknown quantity for now.

Honda Odyssey VTi, from $37,610

The Odyssey, like Jean-Pierre's earlier model, is more car-like to drive and easier to handle in tight urban spaces than most people movers.

The cabin adds more space and seating for eight to its renowned user-friendliness, plus five anchor points for good measure.

Its mandatory petrol four-cylinder drivetrain is reasonably thrifty, its quality obvious and Honda caps service costs for five years/100,000km.

But the eight-seat capacity only applies to the base VTi and, in this company, the cabin is a little cramped. None of the anchor points are Isofix, and the roof-mounted second row's can make access to the third row tricky.

It's unintimidating to drive but some of the flair of its predecessors has been lost, and its fully-loaded performance isn't snappy. Six-monthly/10,000km service intervals mean more visits to the dealer (and cost) than with many alternatives.

Read Drive's Honda Odyssey reviews:

Honda Odyssey VTi road test

Kia Carnival Platinum, from $58,290

This Kia has more cabin and boot space than an Odyssey, plus a more convenient array of anchor points (three Isofix, four top-tether).

It also avoids that cars spec/seating limitations, so Jean-Pierre can target the topline Platinum with its many luxuries and safety trinkets.

Its petrol engine (a V6) has more to offer in the fully-loaded role and a diesel can be specified to optimise low-rev shove and economy.

It's covered by a seven-years/unlimited km warranty and service costs are fixed for seven years/105,000km (with yearly/15,000km intervals).

But the Carnival's bulk is felt around town and through the bends.

Read Drive's Kia Carnival reviews:

Kia Carnival Platinum diesel road test

Mercedes-Benz Valente, from $56,380

This Mercedes has bags of space, bags of seats (nine if you tick the box for the front bench-seat option) and this group's most plentiful supply of child-restraint anchor points (six, plus four Isofix).

Its diesel engine is strong and frugal, and it drives better than a dressed-up commercial van should. It's a Benz for about the price of a range-topping Carnival, which is tempting.

But you'll be resorting to the options list for something as fundamental as a reversing camera (standard on the other cars here) and Benz's fixed-price servicing deals are pre-paid rather than pay as you go.

It's commercial roots aren't always far from the surface, whether it's the cabin's hard-wearing ambience (Benz's luxury-orientated V250d people mover fixes this but has an $80k-plus starter and only seats seven) or the lack of user-friendly foldaway seating solutions like its rivals here.

Read Drive's Mercedes-Benz Valente reviews:

Mercedes-Benz Vito first drive
Mercedes-Benz V250d road test

Drive recommends

The Kia rides to the points victory on the back of this group's happy functional/driving medium, better value than the Valente, a more appropriate budget/trim balance than the Odyssey and a better ownership pitch than both.

Or they can choose between opposing but equally fundamental compromises.

The Honda is a people mover for those who don't want to feel like they're driving a people mover but can struggle when stretched to the limit of its people-carrying abilities. The Benz makes light work of bus duties but at the cost of sometimes being the most bus-like when you don't want it to.