With the new year comes New Year’s Resolutions and life changes. After all, it’s not only your house that has to grow when you extend your family. As the tribe grows and you taxi not just your own kids but their friends too, perhaps in 2019 it’s time to consider a bigger family size car.
Finding the best family car is so important. Below are the different options to consider when choosing.
Hatchbacks
A hatchback is a car with a boot lid that is the entire width of the car. Hinged at the roof, the lid swings upwards to give access to the boot. Large hatchbacks will let you transport long or bulky items, such as flatpack furniture, skis or bikes. Hatchback cars come in a number of sizes. The most popular car in the UK, the Ford Fiesta, is a small hatchback. The Ford Focus is a medium-sized hatchback, and the Ford Mondeo is a large hatchback.
Estates
Have you looked at hatchbacks and found they didn’t offer enough space? An estate car could be the answer. Essentially, it’s a hatchback with an extended body to create more space in the boot, and possibly more space for passengers as well. More storage means more practicality. Although having a longer car naturally means it can be more challenging to manoeuvre.
Nearly all the big brands offer at least one estate car in their line-up. Popular models include the Ford Mondeo Estate, BMW 3 Series Touring, Audi A4 Avant and the huge Mercedes-Benz E-class estate.
MPVs
If an estate is still not big enough, an MPV (also called a people carrier) may be your best bet. Some MPVs have a third row of seats that pull out from the boot floor and can be useful if you occasionally need to transport seven people. To make loading easier, some MPVs also have sliding rear doors and seats that can collapse into the floor, slide fore and aft to prioritise passenger or boot space, or can be removed completely.
The Renault Espace was the first people carrier to hit the mainstream in the early 1980s, but MPVs are now available in a range of sizes from most of the big brands. Popular models including the Renault Scénic, Citroën Picasso, Ford C-Max and S-Max. There’s even a premium offering in the shape of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer.
SUVs
The high riding position that SUVs (or 4x4s) offer can make it easy to get children and other passengers in and out of seats, plus the boot can be relatively spacious. Some large SUVs, such as the Volvo XC90, come with seven seats.. Four-wheel drive may sound rugged and fun, but will cost you extra at the fuel pump. Many SUVs will come with four-wheel drive either as standard or as an option.