Best cars for families - please see further

Hjad

Morning,

I don't actually drive much at the minute, using the bus for work as easier, but with children on the way etc I won't be doing so, the car will be mainly used for city driving.

I only use their car when driving my mum around (she's disabled) which is not often at all and only little journeys - hence not actually seeing the usage effect on fuel - hopefully this has clarified that part:).

Thanks

sheramber

My son had one child and has just bought his second Honda Jazz. Copes with luggage for them for a weeks holiday.

We have a Fabia estate which is not too big but has loads of room.

We are on our second one, which is 8 years old and owned since 8 months old. It has only needed routine replacements, no major repairs.

wgl2014

What annual mileage are you planning on doing?

The difference in fuel costs between most cars will pale into insignificance compared to depreciation if you are just doing a low mileage. Bear in mind that short low speed trips in town are possibly the least economical ones.

forgotmyname

I recommed a Toyota Yaris, Ideal car for a young family and not so young family.

Sounds perfect for your needs.

kim81

We went with a BMW 320i Touring, from a Polo £10k a few years ago, heated seats and a huge boot.

Go to a CarGiant, they are happy for you to wander about and sit in lots of different cars. The one we went to the sales guys weren't at all pushy.

Zero_Gravitas

The answer to the question “what car should I buy?” under any circumstances is almost always a Skoda Octavia estate.

chunkytfg

Zero_Gravitas wrote: »

The answer to the question “what car should I buy?” under any circumstances is almost always a Skoda Octavia estate.

:rotfl::rotfl: Very True.


To the original Poster, why the QashQai? you don't need a 4x4 style car just because you have a family. A ford Focus will be plenty if you have 1 child.

If it has room for a car seat and the boot is big enough for a folded up pram and other stuff what else do you actually need? Every manufacturer makes cars that fit that criteria that can either be economical or not depending on the engine choice.

Toyota Auris Hybrid as mentioned would be good as would a Focus or an Astra or Skoda Fabia etc.

Do you care what it looks like? do you care what manufacturer it is? etc etc.

Arklight

Goudy wrote: »

£13k could get you a 2 to 3 year old Suzuki Vitara.
Plenty of room in the back and boot and comes out well in the NCAP tests.

Stick with the straight 1.6 petrol and FWD and you should see decent mpg, we see high 40's mpg on a steady motorway run
The 1.4 Boosterjet petrol turbo is a bit more fun, but there's not a lot between the two to warrant the extra money, the 1.6 does have enough grunt for FWD (maybe not 4x4 with auto 'box though), plus small turbo petrol's tend to be thirstier.

I wouldn't bother with the diesel, it's lifted from Fiat and the way things are going, diesels will soon be a liability.

Suzuki's always fair well for reliability and owner satisfaction. They are often off peoples radar, but once they come around to them they often go back time and again.

Look out for the SZ5 model and you'll get some decent kit.
Full length sunroof, Swede/leather seats, Sat nav, DAB, bluetooth and so on but the best reason is due it's safety kit.
It has a fabulous adaptive radar cruise control and radar crash mitigation system that works better than anything else I've tried and is well worth bothering about if you're lugging your offspring around.

The only negatives, the interior plastics feel a bit cheap (or hard wearing) but not those that you continually touch and the gear change can feel a bit baggy (but I'm jumping between a sporty car with a quick shift).

Another vote for a Suzuki. I went out looking for Qashqais and came home very happily with a 3 year old S-Cross for £2k less than my Qashqai budget. Pre this year's facelift, not a particularly inspiring car on the outside but it's very good to drive, especially for an SUV. The 1.6 pulls decently and has quite a bit of low end torque for a naturally aspirated petrol. The ride is firm enough that you can have a bit of fun around corners when it's not full of wives and kids (though if you want that cushiony SUV feeling it is perhaps too firm).

Suzuki seem to have made use of every available inch so there is tonnes of boot space, legroom and various cubbies. It also comes with roof rails which makes putting a roof rack on and off very easy.

Downsides, it won't turn heads, Suzuki tends not to do all the bells and whistles that other manufacturers do and as the other poster said, interior plastics and design are basic so you won't get that luxury feeling that a Qashqai or a Peugeot 3008 will offer. That said this is more than reflected in the price, reliability scores are excellent, and when things are included they are done very well. Afaik footwell lights, dual climate control, cruise control, and rear view cameras are standard on all the models and they've even thought to pad the bit of the door you might want to rest your elbow on when driving.

MPG is excellent. I get about 42mpg in terrible traffic. 51 in normal mixed driving and a real world 60MPG when doing motorways.

I would also look at the Honda CRV though these are quite a bit more expensive.

MX5huggy

Zero_Gravitas wrote: »

The answer to the question “what car should I buy?” under any circumstances is almost always a Skoda Octavia estate.

Ditto we went from a Ford Puma to an Octavia once the baby was 3 months old.

I’m concerned that your Yaris is poor on fuel, or more accurately concerned that you think something newer and bigger will be better on fuel, it is unlikely to be the case.

DigForVictory

Zero_Gravitas wrote: »

The answer to the question “what car should I buy?” under any circumstances is almost always a Skoda Octavia estate.

I'd agree but swap in Ford Mondeo. Storming vast amount of boot space (absolutely knocks the Focus out of the park) which is a godsend with a baby. (I got my first when I had 2 small & 1 awaited, that bump is doing his A levels now.) Plus three proper seatbelts across the back.

Shipping a disabled parent around - it May Not Be the ideal car as it is a bit of a drop to get into for those with iffy knees.
It's *gloriously* affordable though, as there are loads on the road & therefore you can afford to be selective.