Who is buying a family car?
A family
with three children all of them under 15 years, parents with just enough to
spend on one car; then a career mother with no car but has to transport all
three children from home to school.
That is
the profile of a family who needs a family car—a ride for all tasks—from home,
through the office to the market. The choice varies from multi-purpose vehicles
(MPV), sports utility vehicles (SUV), hatchbacks to crossovers.
Family
cars need to be great at multitasking, so there is a lot to consider when
choosing the right one. Transporting children, elderly parents, large dogs or
bulky luggage such as sports equipment can be stressful so make sure you buy
the best car for your needs.
If you
are considering owning a family car, there are some important factors to
consider.
While
your budget is an important priority, there are other equally important tips
below.
Investigate
family-friendly features
• Car
seat fit and cargo: Becoming a parent means days filled with baby snuggles and
cars filled with child-safety seats and tons of baby gear. Don’t forget that
you’ll need some serious trunk space to haul all the bulky baby gear such as a
stroller, portable crib and more. There are lots of other child-friendly
features you may want to shop around for such as integrated sunblind or
UV-filtering tinted rear windows to limit sun exposure on long journeys.
• Safety:
If there comes a time to test-drive, check out cars with advanced safety
systems in order not to compromise your family’s safety.
•
Interior colour: Dark-coloured interiors are much better at hiding the
inevitable spills and stains you'll get with young kids. Avoid cream or beige!
Leather is actually a very practical choice as you can wipe it
down.
• Talk to
your friends: Speak with friends, acquaintances and even strangers who are
driving cars that you’re interested in. Find out what they like and don’t like
about their car. Also, reach out to your social media networks for feedback on
what they’re driving their kids around in.
Hatchback
vs. saloon?
Hatchbacks
tend to have bigger boots than saloons.
Saloons
often look deceptively bigger than hatchbacks with a tailgate, and their sheer
loadspace in the boot can be bigger, but the reality is they are not as
flexible. Narrow openings and high boot lips mean that loading pushchairs into
many saloons can be tricky.
If you
don't want to go for a full-sized estate car, hatchbacks also allow you to
transport dogs and other pets in the boot, as well as larger items - useful, if
you regularly need to get large amounts of shopping and other lugagge into the
boot. With the rear seats down, some are big enough to be able to squeeze in
long or large objects such as flat-pack furniture or bikes.
Cargo
space
Be
honest: How much cargo do you haul? How often does your family travel or go on
vacation? Do your children participate in a lot of extracurricular activities?
Is there a family dog or are there three to consider? What about groceries and
other shopping trips? The more cargo you haul, the more space you'll
need.
• Ability
to fit in multiple car seats and booster seats safely
Multiple
car seats and booster seats need to fit securely and safely in the car and this
is not negotiable. Many parents, in addition to their own adorable little rug
rats, carpool other kids to school and every child has his own booster or car
seat.
Car seats
need anchors and some parents specifically search for their exact placement in
the vehicle before purchasing their family car. Fitting an extra car seat
safely in the middle row is crucial for many parents and so is the seatbelt
system for that particular vehicle.
Can you
switch off the passenger airbag?
If you
need to fit a rear-facing child seat (for babies) to the front passenger seat,
you must choose; It is not recommend fitting child seats in the front, but if
the need arises, it should be easy to turn off the airbag yourself. Read the
instructions in the owner's manual to locate the airbag 'off' switch (often in
the glovebox). However, don't forget to reactivate it when you have an adult
front-seat passenger - or once your child has grown larger.
Good
storage cuts clutter
Find a
car with lots of storage space to house children’s toys, food, drinks, mobile
phones and all the other detritus of family life.
Beware of
underfloor storage compartments in the rear footwells of some cars. These might
seem useful, but not if you’re using an Isofix-mounted child car seat with a
support leg, which cannot safely stand on top of a hollow storage area.
Sliding
seats
Sliding
rear seats such as the ones in the Golf SV (2014-) MPV can be a real boon. You
can push them back to increase rear legroom or slide them forwards to improve
boot space. Sliding them forward can also bring children closer to the front
seats – making it easier for front passengers to pass them drinks, for example
A family with three children all of them under 15 years,
parents with just enough to spend on one car; then a career mother with
no car but has to transport all three children from home to school.
That is the profile of a family who needs a family car—a ride for all tasks—from home, through the office to the market. The choice varies from multi-purpose vehicles (MPV), sports utility vehicles (SUV), hatchbacks to crossovers.
Family cars need to be great at multitasking, so there is a lot to consider when choosing the right one. Transporting children, elderly parents, large dogs or bulky luggage such as sports equipment can be stressful so make sure you buy the best car for your needs.
If you are considering owning a family car, there are some important factors to consider.
While your budget is an important priority, there are other equally important tips below.
Investigate family-friendly features
• Car seat fit and cargo: Becoming a parent means days filled with baby snuggles and cars filled with child-safety seats and tons of baby gear. Don’t forget that you’ll need some serious trunk space to haul all the bulky baby gear such as a stroller, portable crib and more. There are lots of other child-friendly features you may want to shop around for such as integrated sunblind or UV-filtering tinted rear windows to limit sun exposure on long journeys.
• Safety: If there comes a time to test-drive, check out cars with advanced safety systems in order not to compromise your family’s safety.
• Interior colour: Dark-coloured interiors are much better at hiding the inevitable spills and stains you'll get with young kids. Avoid cream or beige! Leather is actually a very practical choice as you can wipe it down.
• Talk to your friends: Speak with friends, acquaintances and even strangers who are driving cars that you’re interested in. Find out what they like and don’t like about their car. Also, reach out to your social media networks for feedback on what they’re driving their kids around in.
Hatchback vs. saloon?
Hatchbacks tend to have bigger boots than saloons.
Saloons often look deceptively bigger than hatchbacks with a tailgate, and their sheer loadspace in the boot can be bigger, but the reality is they are not as flexible. Narrow openings and high boot lips mean that loading pushchairs into many saloons can be tricky.
If you don't want to go for a full-sized estate car, hatchbacks also allow you to transport dogs and other pets in the boot, as well as larger items - useful, if you regularly need to get large amounts of shopping and other lugagge into the boot. With the rear seats down, some are big enough to be able to squeeze in long or large objects such as flat-pack furniture or bikes.
Cargo space
Be honest: How much cargo do you haul? How often does your family travel or go on vacation? Do your children participate in a lot of extracurricular activities? Is there a family dog or are there three to consider? What about groceries and other shopping trips? The more cargo you haul, the more space you'll need.
• Ability to fit in multiple car seats and booster seats safely
Multiple car seats and booster seats need to fit securely and safely in the car and this is not negotiable. Many parents, in addition to their own adorable little rug rats, carpool other kids to school and every child has his own booster or car seat.
Car seats need anchors and some parents specifically search for their exact placement in the vehicle before purchasing their family car. Fitting an extra car seat safely in the middle row is crucial for many parents and so is the seatbelt system for that particular vehicle.
Can you switch off the passenger airbag?
If you need to fit a rear-facing child seat (for babies) to the front passenger seat, you must choose; It is not recommend fitting child seats in the front, but if the need arises, it should be easy to turn off the airbag yourself. Read the instructions in the owner's manual to locate the airbag 'off' switch (often in the glovebox). However, don't forget to reactivate it when you have an adult front-seat passenger - or once your child has grown larger.
Good storage cuts clutter
Find a car with lots of storage space to house children’s toys, food, drinks, mobile phones and all the other detritus of family life.
Beware of underfloor storage compartments in the rear footwells of some cars. These might seem useful, but not if you’re using an Isofix-mounted child car seat with a support leg, which cannot safely stand on top of a hollow storage area.
Sliding seats
Sliding rear seats such as the ones in the Golf SV (2014-) MPV can be a real boon. You can push them back to increase rear legroom or slide them forwards to improve boot space. Sliding them forward can also bring children closer to the front seats – making it easier for front passengers to pass them drinks, for example
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