The best MPVs for sport enthusiasts

Available as a six, seven, or eight-seater, in three different lengths, the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is the MPV class leader in every way.

Inside, it enjoys the typical high levels of luxury that you’d expect from the premium marque and then some extras that only an MPV can enjoy. The middle row of seats can be installed to face rearwards creating a sociable cabin for friends and family and there are tons of practical options like a luggage cover, which includes a fold-out storage tray, and a handy pop-up table in the rear compartment – perfect for a game of cards on the move. 

It comes with a lot of excellent tech and driver aids, it’s supremely comfortable (as a Mercedes should be) and it has an electric tailgate and sliding rear doors. 

For the ultimate adventuring MPV, Mercedes also offers a full camper van conversion that is designed for enjoying the great outdoors, the luxurious V-class Marco Polo. 

Where the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is very much a minivan MPV, the Volkswagen Touran takes a different approach, providing a seven-seater with more compact dimensions.

However, unlike the V-Class, the Touran’s seven seats are better suited to occasional use and young children, the car performing much more comfortably as a five seater.

The car is incredibly practical for sports enthusiasts. With all the rear seats folded down, the Touran offers nearly 2,000 litres of boot space, which is enough to store mountain bikes and almost any other sporting equipment you can think of.

Furthermore, opt for the 2.0-litre 148bhp diesel engine and you can tow a trailer weighing 1,800 to 2,000kg – perfect for a whole team’s worth of kit or a multiple kayaks. You could even tow a caravan and enjoy your adventures in comfort!

Another van-based MPV, the Citroen Berlingo is the perfect multi-purpose vehicle for shuttling you and your friends to a rugby match. 

It’s a supremely comfortable car too, with all passengers enjoying their own individual seat. And if you really need it to be, the Berlingo can be even more spacious and comfy by opting for the seven-seater XL variant. 

Furthermore, it’s an incredibly practical car, with lots of cubbies and lockers creating 186 litres of storage space, in addition to Citroen’s fantastic 92-litre Modutop ceiling-mounted storage. 

And that’s on top of the boot as well, which, if you go for the medium sized Berlingo M, is a generous 775 litres. 

Finally, it offers first-rate accessibility via two sliding side doors and an opening tailgate window. 

If you like the look and sound of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, then it’s worth taking a look at Volkswagen’s Caravelle too. With a slightly cheaper starting price, the Caravelle is another incredibly comfortable seven-seater, although if you’d prefer, it can also be a six-seater by replacing the rear bench for two individual seats. Whichever you choose, it’s a very practical car for carrying sports equipment.

Furthermore, it has a sociable cabin setup, with the middle seats able to swivel to face the rear, which is ideal whilst journeying on route to an outdoor adventure.

There’s even a handy pop-up table for the rear seats as well, great for a quick card game or for planning the upcoming excursion. 

For accessibility the Caravelle is available with electric side doors and tailgate. 

The Peugeot Rifter provides a low cost MPV, which is ideal for smaller budgets. The car is available as a seven-seater and with a Standard or a Long body length, for those who require additional space.

The Rifter has a comfortable cabin and offers low running costs as well. If you opt for the Long variant, you get a spacious boot with 1,050 litres of room for storing equipment. Fold all the rear seats down and that extends to a whopping 4,000 litres, which is enough to carry your club’s and the opposing team’s sports equipment, or tents and climbing gear for you and all your friends.

Inside, the car takes a more functional approach compared to the other more luxurious MPVs on this list, with lots of hard plastics, but with its affordable starting price it’s a small issue to complain about.  

The Ford S-Max brings a streamlined style to the MPV market, looking more like a traditional car than a minivan.

Furthermore, it has been designed to handle more like a saloon car than an MPV as well, resulting in one of the best multi-purpose vehicles to drive. Like all MPVs it’s spacious and comfortable too. It also offers seven seats, although the third row is best reserved for shorter journeys and small children. 

For storing equipment, the boot offers a decent 285 litres with all the seats in place, 700 litres with the third row down, and over 2,000 litres with all the rear seats folded down, providing excellent practicality – all wrapped up in one rather stylish package.  

The Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer injects a healthy dose of style to the larger MPV class, with suave, streamlined looks.

But it doesn’t stop there either. As standard, you get dual-zone air conditioning for comfier journeys, cruise control, and handy rear parking sensors, in addition to a 7-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

It offers seven seats for friends to join you in your adventures, and it has lots of neat storage areas dotted around the cabin for snacks, books, and other items.

For larger equipment, the C4 SpaceTourer is a leader in its class with a 537-litre boot and that’s with the third row in place. A simple one handed mechanism lowers those seats, extending the boot to near 2,000 litres, which is plenty of room for various sporting kit.  

Seven seats not quite enough for you? Then check out the comfy Peugeot Traveller, a large van-type MPV with up to nine seats and a whole lot of space – that’s almost enough room to carry a first team football squad.

Available as an eight-seater as standard or nine with the Business variant, and offered in two lengths, Medium and Long, the Traveller is the MPV for those who need the most boot and cabin space for all their sports wares.

However, the Traveller gives a fair bit more than just everyday spacious practicality, it also comes well-equipped too, with standard tech such as: a seven-inch touchscreen with DAB radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, rear parking sensors, and climate control. 

Like the Peugeot Traveller, the Hyundai i800 is another big van-like MPV that has enough room for eight adults to ride comfortable and space for kit too. In fact, with all eight seats in place, the i800 still manages to offer a staggering 851-litre boot, which is more than enough room for a day’s outing, whether carrying rock climbing gear or life vests and oars for kayaking.

Unfortunately, unlike others on this list, the i800 is a little trickier when it comes to removing seats to open the boot space further, but if you plan to keep all eight chairs in place, then the i800’s only rival is the Traveller.

And in this regards, the i800 pips it to the post with that much larger boot. It doesn’t comes as well-equipped though, but it does have that most important of features for an MPV of this size, and that’s rear parking sensors.

Also, the i800 is a lot more enjoyable to drive than its size would suggest, providing a pleasant driving experience.  

The Seat Alhambra may take a functional approach to its styling, looking somewhat basic compared to other models on this list, yet it proves itself to be a very competent seven-seater.

Inside, the cabin provides lots of space and practicality for shuttling you and your pals to a mountainside or a football pitch, and there’s a decent 267 litres of boot space with all the seats occupied. Fold the third row down and that extends to 1,167 litres or 2,297 litres if you put all the rear seats down, which is a lot of space for camping gear.

Furthermore, the Alhambra comes packed with standard equipment to make your days out all the more comfortable, from a 6.5-inch infotainment system, to multi-zone climate control, stop/start technology, comfort suspension, and a whole lot.