I would have only considered the XL Ellie or the MZ Alphie which are very close in Spec.
I wanted Curtains for camping, 7 seats, twin sunroofs, cruise control- As much luxury as possible really!
Wasn't fussed about 4x4 but deffo wanted all electric doors and boot-This was the clincher(or one of them) as Ellie doesn't seem to have leccy boot option.
I looked at a LOT of Elgrands and Alphards online and in the flesh at Worcester Road Motors and Stuart Spencer Autos which are both local to me...and to be honest I ended up preferring the interior of the Alphie layout.
I also changed my mind about having leather seats once I saw the quality of the Toyota Cloth version vs my mates Ellie Leather which was looking a bit tired.
Ellie seats are more comfortable though.
Alphie 10 speaker stereo is amazing...not standard though, and oh my god what an absolute Pig to upgrade the head unit- Ellie is easier no doubt about it.
That cost me too much money, but I love what I ended up with.
So I was worried about the ubiquitous CAT issues, didn't want to have to deal with it at all.
Then I read about the Aircon pipes and again was slightly put off....
I guess this is the flipside of having a really good forum...both the bad and the good come to light.
Don't know about any common probs with the Alphie, but it could be that they just aren't discussed in the same manner- time will tell how good it remains, but the Alphie is genuinely the nicest Car I've ever had, or even been in because I don't want standard Euro personality lacking cars.
My mates have Audi Q7, and Merc C220, and have owned Beemers etc. and they are nice, just not the ride or luxury I want from a vehicle.
Ellie is better looking at the front, though I do really like my 2005 Alphie better side on and rear.
Fuel consumption is about the same between the 2 brands.
I got a 2 year warranty through Stuart Spencer Autos, and they have home repaired a sliding door motor, and Garage repaired a speed sensor. Both were 10 min fixes under warranty.
2nd hand is always a risk, so all about minimising it for me as it is my only family/work vehicle.
I wash it every week which is a first for me as the previous Zafira got washed 3 times in 6 years.
To sum it up, not much between them-personal preference I guess.
I would buy the same again even if money was no object, though I would probably have an Ellie and an Alphie.
Sorry for the massive post, but you did ask!