What used family car should I buy?

The dilemma

Sarah loves her Mazda6 wagon but growing children, weekend sports and other factors are putting its occupant and load-hauling abilities under pressure. She's keen to move to a large seven-seat SUV and has been looking at the Toyota Kluger and wondering if is a good choice.

The budget

Up to $30,000

The shortlist

The Kluger ticks a lot of the boxes that Sarah is likely to have on her checklist but there are some credible alternatives with potentially prominent advantages. We'd recommend she put it in the yardstick bin while keeping her options open.

Some possibilities don't need to be delved into here. Mazda CX-9s in this price range have their nice points but are saddled with many of the same key question marks as the Toyota. Ford's Territory, while skewering the Kluger handily in some ways, doesn't do it to the degree of our chosen alternatives.

2012-on Hyundai Santa Fe diesel, from $23,200*

One of the Kluger's big shortcomings is its mandatory and thirsty petrol V6. This Hyundai, contrastingly, has a diesel engine with some of the best economy and driveability of any mainstream seven-seat SUV of this vintage

It's also a newer design than the Toyota (and looks and feels it) and a more surefooted, pleasing drive.

Where the Kluger's warranty and fixed-price servicing deals are generally done and dusted in this budget range (they run out after three years), a Santa Fe will still offer a frag of the former and lifetime's worth of the latter.

Final-row occupants, however, don't get curtain-airbag protection like they do in the Toyota, and vision is pretty poor thanks to the upswept window line.

Read Drive's Hyundai Santa Fe reviews:

Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento head to head
Large SUV road-test comparison

2012-15 Kia Sorento diesel, from $21,600*

This Kia is closely related to the Hyundai and offers the same basic functionality, driveability, economy and easy ownership.

That means it has the same advantages over a Kluger, though there are some flavour differences.

Its more conservative window line means better vision prospects for littlies out back. It's a touch better behaved through the bends and, in the case of 2014-on stock, comes with even more warranty coverage (seven years).

The flipside is a use-by date for Kia's fixed-price servicing plan (seven years for 2014-on stock), a less versatile middle-row seat setup (it has a 60/40 rather than 40/20/40 split) and its superseded status (it was replaced in 2015).

Where all Santa Fes are fitted with a reversing camera, it restricts this feature to middle-tier SLi and topline Platinum models.

Just like its cousin, final-row occupants miss out on head-protecting curtain airbags.

Read Drive's Kia Sorento reviews:

Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento head to head
Ford Territory vs Kia Sorento head to head
Large SUV road-test comparison

2013-on Nissan Pathfinder, from $23,500

Perhaps Sarah isn't willing to stomach the Koreans' lack of final-row curtain airbags. What then?

Well, this Nissan matches the Toyota on this fundamental point but is a newer (and still current) design.

Its sharp pricing on the used-car lot translates to better warranty prospects even though it has the same three-year deal - where a 2013 Kluger seems to be the best-case scenario in this budget range, a 2015 Pathfinder is a realistic proposition.

Nissan also throws in the longer fixed-price servicing regime (six years/120,000km).

It gives the Koreans something to think about beyond just its safer final row. It's noticeably roomier than both of those cars, has the cushier ride and superior final-row access and vision, too.

Unlike the Sorento, you don't need to shop up the range to get a reversing camera.

But it's also more ponderous to drive, has a less versatile 60/40 middle-row bench and, despite its relatively fresh origins, an oddly dated feel. With hybrid versions a tough ask for this money,

Sarah will have to settle for a petrol V6 with a similar economy question mark as the Kluger.

Read Drive's Nissan Pathfinder reviews:

First drive: Nissan Pathfinder
Large SUV road-test comparison

Drive recommends

The Hyundai and Kia have some prominent and fundamental advantages over their Japanese alternatives.

In a scenario where they're used primarily as five-seaters it's hard to say they're not better, with the Hyundai's more equitable reversing-camera policy and longer fixed-price servicing enough to give it a small edge.

Sarah, however, might well plan to use that extra seating regularly and be unwilling to compromise on safety. In that case, the advantage swings back to the Kluger and Pathfinder, and the Nissan - with its similar talent-set but superior value and ownership prospects - stands out as the better deal.

* Values are estimates provided by Redbook based on an example averaging up to 20,000km per annum and in a well-maintained condition relevant to its age.