The station wagon with more than five seats has always remained quite rare and is now almost completely extinct. This Peugeot 505 Familiale holds its own bravely, thanks to an owner who has been driving it since time immemorial.
When it comes to cars with more than the usual five seats, it is clear that we are now in the age of the large SUVs. The high-legged one ended the era of the once immensely popular MPV. That would almost make you forget that there is another car form that can be equipped with a third row of seats: the station wagon.
In recent history, the first Dacia Logan MCV mainly comes to mind, although that car with its straight rear and double rear door also got some van traits. Real station wagons with three full seats also came earlier from the French corner. The Renault 21 Nevada was a welcome guest in the driveway of people with more than three children, but the Peugeot 505 is also a well-known example.
The 505 appeared in 1979, in a glorious era when it was still possible for home, garden and kitchen brands to score with a seriously hefty sedan. The four-door version was joined by a Estate after a few years, which in turn became available with a third row of seats. The name ‘Break’ gave way to ‘Familiale’. This Familiale got two full-fledged, forward-facing benches, for a total of no less than eight seats.
GR
As a car that is primarily intended as a utility object, it is quite difficult to achieve classic status. The 505 Familiale that Mickey Kleijwegt delivered to us today, however, has come out of the battle wonderfully. Due to the limited availability of old data, it is not entirely possible to say with certainty, but it could be that this car from 1983 is still with its first owner. In another scenario, the current owner has been driving it since 2001, but also for a long time. The car is neat. This is a GR, a middle-of-the-road trim level that was coupled to a 2.0 petrol engine with 98 hp. With that, the car must still be able to handle it well in 2020. Anyone who wants to know everything about the Peugeot 505 Familiale from 1983 should definitely download the brochure.
307 SW
In the 21st century, Peugeot has made another attempt to repeat the 505 Familiale party, albeit in a lower segment. Just like the eight-person 505, the seven-seater 307 SW was in the showrooms next to the regular 307 Break. In addition to seven separate seats, the SW also got access to, among other things, fully painted bumpers and a fixed glass roof. In the Netherlands, the model turned out to be a bull’s eye, but you still have to be at the much larger and especially higher 5008 for a seven-seater from Peugeot.
Now at … Mercedes
Is the seven-seater station wagon completely extinct? No. The only survivor we know comes from Mercedes, which also offers a small extra bench in the latest version of the E-class. The children who can sit on it look to the rear, but in our book this is (narrowly) regarded as a seven-seater. The option costs € 1,512
Peugeot 505