Men have always been drawn to high-performance vehicles that boast incredible horsepower. For them, the game is all about having the fastest and most powerful vehicle like a sports or luxury car. But all of these changes once you become a father. That stunning, red Camaro you’ve been eyeing no longer interests you. The priorities have changed, and now, all you want is a car big and comfortable enough for you and your children. If you plan to switch cars or buy a second one, here is a short guide to help you choose the perfect family car.
What Is a Family Car?
The term ‘family car’ was first used in Europe to refer to normally sized vehicles. Its name is derived from its functionality to carry multiple passengers while performing typical family errands such as going to the supermarket, dropping off the kids to school, taking them on soccer practice, and going on a vacation. Most parents prefer to have a family car with a large back space, incredible safety features, and folding seats.
What Are the Types of Family Cars?
The classification of family cars normally includes vehicles with at least two or three rows of seats like a minivan, SUV, or wagon. If you are a family of three or four, a wagon or a small 4-door will be enough for your daily needs and errands. Typically, a 4-door car gives you easy access to a travel bag and a car seat in the second row, while a wagon lets you put bulky items without taking up too much space.
On the other hand, large families might need a minivan, a bigger version of an SUV and sedan. While a typical sedan can fit a family of five, including bags, a minivan can hold seven passengers plus cargo. It is the best type of vehicle if you have four or more children. However, if you only have a small family but frequently travel with a couple of luggage, then an SUV will be the best fit for you.
What Features Should I Look For?
Family cars must have basic features such as reliability, cargo volume, connectivity, and family-friendly features. These are some of the most basic specifications that many parents are looking for. Another important factor that will affect your decision is the car’s safety features. Since you will be driving around with your kids, you need to make sure that the vehicle you’re choosing should have top-of-the-line safety features.
Today, many family cars have incredible safety capabilities like a rear seat alert that prompts you to look back on your passengers before exiting the car to ensure that you do not leave a sleeping infant or a child behind.
Other latest models have a rear and front automatic braking system that would help you maneuver in spaces where a small child is hard to see. Another feature of new cars nowadays is a teen driver control that lets you keep track of the activities of a new driver even if they are driving by themselves. The teen driver control feature also allows you to set a specific speed limit.
When it comes to family cars, comfort and connectivity are also big factors in your decision-making. Some families like to have rear-seat USB ports and in-car Wi-Fi to keep the little ones entertained while on the road. As per comfort, most newly released cars boast heating and ventilation on rear seats. They also have a rear sunshade that will help keep the passengers cool.
What Are the Top Family Cars?
In the 2021 Best Cars for Families review conducted by the US News, the hailing best 2-row SUV is the 2021 Honda Passport. It boasts a five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Admission for overall top performance. It checks all the boxes on your list with its amazing features such as Apple CarPlay, standard integration, rear sunshades, and heated rear seats. The 2021 Honda Passport also has an application that allows notifications to you if the driver exceeds the speed limit you’ve set.
Next on the list is the 2021 Kia Telluride, a three-row service utility vehicle that holds second place in the Best Three-row SUV for Families recognition for two years in a row. The Telluride has a complete driver assistance technology that includes blind-spot monitoring, forward collision detection, rear parking sensors, and driver attention monitor. It also has a one-of-a-kind feature called the Driver Talk, which lets you communicate to the passengers by projecting your voice through the rear speakers.
Another car manufacturer that produces high-caliber cars is Porsche. One of their top family-friendly vehicles is the Cayenne which can fit 2-3 passengers. It is known for having a large interior and a 745-liter boot. Aside from its incredible functionality, one of the benefits of this brand is that it’s easy to maintain. Porsche repair services are also easy to find in case you need something fixed.
Being a parent changes us in so many ways. Now, what matters most is not our wants but the safety and comfort of our children. They heavily impact our lifestyle and decisions, and for the first time in our lives, we are no longer putting ourselves first. Family is everything, and we want nothing but the best for the people who matter most.
