BMW 320d Touring - long-term review

Those of you who read garage updates will know from my first report how I had a plan to fit my young family of five into an estate car.

A car like a 3 Series Touring, at this stage of my young family’s life, is essentially useless to me. Why? Because all three of my children (ages eight, five and two) are still in kids’ seats, and it’s impossible to fit three child seats across the rear. But what if you really want a 3 Series Touring, and refuse to compromise? Well, there is a solution. Kevin Macliver (think James Dyson of vacuum-cleaner fame) created a genius answer when he invented the Multimac – an all-in-one, child-seat bench that can accommodate all my brood. It wasn’t easy, but after many, many prototypes, lots of testing and much back and forth with the regulators, Kevin managed to get his product to the market. Game changer.

It comes in a few different sizes, to fit different cars, and either as a three- or a four-seater – believe it or not, you can fit a four-seat child bench in the back of a Mini! I opted for the three-seater version in black. It’s also worth noting that, if you are feeling particularly flush, you can have the trim of the seat finished in the same material as your car. It’s simple to install – just ratchet it to the seatbelt point, which is stronger than the Isofix... who knew?! – and the process is complete.

So what are they like? Well, they are well-made and do exactly what they say on the tin. But there have been a few criticisms from the kids – they say that the sides feel slightly hard and they don’t like the three- point harnesses I chose (a seatbelt can be used). It’s also worth bearing in mind it isn’t a quick job getting the contraption out if you want to put the seats down. Costing from £1,400, they are a bit pricey, but I wish I’d known about these earlier. Strap in kids, we’re all going on a track day...