Confused by Family Cars?
If you’re in the market for a new family car then the sheer volume of choice can be frightening. Family cars used to be a three-box saloon or an estate, but now there are a world of options: from MPVs to SUVs and lifestyle off-roaders.
So if you’re on the hunt for a family car then life isn’t as straightforward as it used to be, but that means there is a perfect car for you and your family out there somewhere. Here are some of the best options:
Volvo XC90
Price: £45,470
Engine: 2-litre Turbodiesel
Power: 225bhp
Volvo has become the watchword for safety over the years and the flagship XC90 has won countless plaudits for its performance and comfort.
A premium SUV with Tardis-like qualities, it seats seven in relative comfort and yet doesn’t look like a boat. It also comes fully-loaded with equipment and counts the equally respected Range Rover Sport among its main rivals.
2015 brought the first new XC90 for a decade and so far it has received a red hot reception. The 2-litre turbodiesel is a solid powerplant that won’t set any lap records, but it is supremely frugal and plenty fast enough.
Skoda Octavia Estate
Price: £15,990
Engine: 1.2-litre TSI
Power: 104bhp
A long time ago, Skoda was a joke in the UK and the jokes flowed thick and fast. Not any more. The Octavia has won award after award and is generally considered the finest budget family car in the country right now.
Essentially Skoda is VW’s entry-level brand. So it doesn’t ride quite as smoothly as a VW Passat, it isn’t quite as well-appointed inside and the doors don’t shut with quite as satisfying a ‘thunk’. But that all contributes to an almost unbelievably low sticker price for a car that will more than satisfy most families’ needs.
So if you need a family car and money is the primary concern, the Octavia could well be the pick of the bunch. The Estate version has ridiculous load space too.
Ford Mondeo Ecoboost
Price: £19,995
Engine: 1.0-litre Ecoboost
Power: 123bhp
The Ford Mondeo is one of the best-selling cars of all time on these shores and with good reason: it simply does everything well.
The downsized 1-litre Ecoboost delivers more power than an engine that size has any right to and the Mondeo is one of the most complete cars in the class.
Citroen C4 Cactus
Price: £12,990
Engine: 1.2-litre
Power: 109bhp
Citroen rocked the world with its exciting new Cactus, which marks a brave new design direction for the French manufacturer.
It’s cute, drives well and it has that clever plastic egg-box protection on the doors will keep the car safe from careless shoppers when you’re out and about. It looks like a big off-roader that shrunk in the wash and has a unique charm.
Aside from the plastic sides there isn’t too much truly revolutionary about the Citroen, but it does look different, it’s cheap and it will take care of the family.
Mazda 6
Price: £22, 895
Engine: 2.2-litre D
Power: 123bhp
The Japanese saloon is a stylish and luxurious alternative to the established European masters. It isn’t cheap, but it comes loaded with so much equipment that it leaves the established masters BMW, Mercedes and Audi in its wake in terms of value-for-money.
It isn’t perhaps as good as the Mondeo, but the Mazda is still a real alternative and it certainly looks the part.