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We have a Monty fabulous tent, we are also a family of 4 my hubby is 6ft 4 and he has no problems with head room.  Can be pitched quickly compared to a pod tent only takes us 30-35 mins now - although I'm sure we could do it quicker if we didn't pootle so much.  I think it takes longer to put it back in the bag when packing away, lol !!!!  I think the lounge area has more usable area than a pod tent as there are doors coming off everywhere so everything tends to get put in the centre of a pod.  Unless you use one of the pods for storage.  Although £300 your budget would have to stretch for the Monty especially if you end up getting all the other goodies like footprint (which I think is a must - protects the SIG), carpet, extension etc.

I'm sure you'll get some great advice on here, I also got some great advice from Mark at Yeomans in Ambleside, where we eventully bought our Monty. 

Tunnels are by far and away your best option when it comes to getting a big tent that will fit on just about any pitch. The Montana 6 is very popular and desevedly so (I don't like SIG tents myself, but  that's just me.) But there are many other similar designs like the Vango Vail (500 and 700 versions.). It's actually a very good time to be looking for a new tent...last year was such a wash-out that there are still a lot of last years model tents left on the shelves, and the prices are being slashed to silly levels.

French pitches? In my experience, usually bigger and better than here. I've never had a problem and I've taken both a 12-man dome tent and a trailer tent with big awning and sun canopy.

Sunncap Sprint XL...Steel poles...good height...very solid...also available in polycotton if you've got the dosh. The item I'm linking may not be the cheapest available...shop around, you'll probably find it cheaper somewhere else.

http://www.outdoorfocus.co.uk/tall_fibreglass_steel_tents/Sunncamp/sprint/Sunncamp_SprintXL_info.htm.....

We've just bought a Wynnster Kestrel they come in 4,5 or 6

OBI camping Cowbridge and Outdoor Kit have them from £110.

Have a look at the Wynnster Carina 8.  It's a new model for this year.  It has 3 bedrooms, porch area and importantly a mesh area on the door for ventilation.  Make sure you see the tents at a display.  Ones that look good on the internet are sometimes not suitable when you see them and vice versa.

Hope you find what you want.

Biased as i am i vote you spend your money on a Wynnster Kestrel as jsdavies suggests above.  Great sturdy tent, huge space inside - we got the 5 berth (2 and a 3 pod) with ample room room in each pod. Great thing about this tent is that you can unzip the front and reposition back to create a lovely porch area that just cries out for you to sit there with a large glass of chilled vino!! and watch the world go by!  

Dosen't take long to put up and take down and is an all round fab tent. Great headroom too as my hubby is over 6ft too.

You can find out more about these tents if you look through the message boards  including some great pictures.  We even have our own Kestrel Appreciation Society!!

If to be used in HOTTER areas of France, i personally avoid dome tents as you are limited on air circulation.

I would go for a tunnel type tent.