The Quintessential Family Car for Four
As opposed to Shari's recent quest for a 7-passenger Alternative to the Standard Mama Van, Erin seeks a suggestions as she transitions from a truck to a family car for four:
I have to give up my beloved truck for a family car that fits 2 children. I don't want to drive a minivan, even though so many people say they love them after they get past the stigma. I want something that sits pretty high off the ground for visibility, has enough cargo room to get my double jogger to Baby Boot Camp, and is as small and efficient as possible. It looks like the Honda Element might be my best bet, but I'm wondering whether the set-back rear seats makes it hard to load kids in and out of carseats. Does anyone have positive or negative experience with the Element as a family car? Any other recommendations?
You could look at the Toyota Rav4. We've found ours to be comfortable with two kids and it has enough room in the back for our very large dog. They say the 07 model has a little more room. Ours is 3 years old and has been very reliable and pretty good on gas. Good luck!
Posted by: Lolo | August 11, 2007 at 03:26 PM
I have three kids and we drive a Volvo XC90. It's got room for everybody (can even fit three kids in the middle row with car seats plus an integrated middle seat booster) and all the gear (I regularly have my Bob stroller, crate of essentials, grocery bags, yoga mat, and plenty of room for more in the back), but it doesn't feel enormous. It's not the best on gas mileage, but I just combine trips as much as I can.
Posted by: Heather K | August 11, 2007 at 08:41 PM
We also just said goodbye to our pickup. My husband wanted something that was efficient but had room for my son plus gear. We didn't have a large budget so we bought a Jeep Patriot. It's been wonderful - 29 miles per gallon, comfortable, washable back section with a 250 lb. load capacity. Plus it can tow a little trailer for our yard debris hauls. They make an off-road package for those that like to go way off the beaten track. We didn't go for that because we wanted top fuel economy. Oh, and they make a diesel version for those interested in biodiesel. Starts at around $15,000.
Posted by: Amanda | August 11, 2007 at 09:00 PM
I am the proud owner of a Honda Element and a mother of a 2-month old baby boy. The Element is a wonderful car and worked great when it was just my husband, myself and our two German Shepherds, but with constantly needing to access the back seat to put in/take out the infant seat, the door configuration becomes a real hassle. In order to open the passenger doors, you must open the front door. So, both doors need to be opened, which means constantly looking for a parking space that has ample room or looking for a space on the end. I would recommend a Honda Odyssey - sort of looks like a minivan, but the inside feels like a spacious sedan. The Element is a great utilitarian vehicle otherwise. How about the Subaru Tribeca? Or Honda CRV?
Posted by: Jennifer T | August 11, 2007 at 09:41 PM
I drive a Subaru Outback and I really love it. It's big enough for our family with two kids (three and one) and our boxer fits nicely in the back. We have a cargo box on the top to hold a little bit extra. My double BOB fits in the back no problem. It even fits with the dog if I take the wheels off. Good gas mileage and even though it's a wagon I don't feel like it's a total mom mobile. I couldn't drive a minivan either! Good luck in your quest...mol
Posted by: Molly | August 12, 2007 at 05:39 AM
We just bought a Ford Freestyle and love it! It drives like a car, has the room of a station wagon (but I do not think that it looks like one) and gets great gas mileage. It seats 7 but the back row easily folds down to hold tons of stuff and still seat 5 comfortably.
Posted by: Michelle | August 12, 2007 at 07:37 AM
I know many people who have a honda element and LOVE them! I would love one, but we are stuck with a mini-van (we are currently a family of 3 kids soon to be 4 children).
When we went shopping for our minivan I had my hubby install the carseats and put the stroller we use in the back to make sure it was easy for me to use and the kids were comfy. We found every dealership was more than happy to work with us.
Happy shopping!! :)
Posted by: Murphy | August 12, 2007 at 10:16 AM
We (family of four) drive an older Honda Odyssey van and love it. It's not great for mpg so we're looking at our next car being a Prius. :)
One thing I have to comment on here - you say that many people love their vans "after they get past the stigma." Is that the stigma of other people knowing they're driving a vehicle that doesn't get good mileage? Or is it the stigma of not driving a cool car? The stigma of soccermommyhood? I've always viewed cars as transport pods - nothing more really. I'd feel a heckuva lot more stigma driving an SUV...
Posted by: caroline | August 12, 2007 at 12:17 PM
I drive a 4runner and I love it. I have two boys and it works great. I like the idea of having a truck with the room to put almost everything we need. We can pull our boat with it and take it camping or up the mountain off the main roads. The only stigma with having an SUV is when you only use it for driving around town.
Posted by: lilah | August 12, 2007 at 03:16 PM
Although I don't have a minivan (our family of four gets around quite comfortably in the '93 Toyota Camry my father-in-law passed on to us), I've always gotten the impression that the "stigma" attached to the minivan relates to having succumbed completely to parenthood, so much so that one's car is no longer an extension of one's personality. Or, more terrifyingly, the vehicle *does* signify the owner's personality, and everyone gets the dreary message: BREEDER.
Of course, anyone whose car was never an extension of personality in the first place (mine never was) will have no problem driving a minivan. Except the low milage thing. I guess that would bother me.
Posted by: Zinemama | August 12, 2007 at 05:26 PM
We had a Honda Element and kept it until we found out we were having baby #2.
The Element was a pain because, as previous posters mentioned, you have to open the front doors in order to open the back doors and find parking spaces with enough room to open both doors. Also, I'm short and the Element is high off the ground and even though we had the running boards, I had a tough time getting our kiddo in and out of the Element when he moved from the bucket to a convertible seat.
So, we sold the Element and got an Odyssey. It's so much easier and it gets better gas mileage! (We got the one with the "eco" mode that goes down to three cylinders).
Posted by: Makila | August 13, 2007 at 09:22 AM
We just bought one of the new redesign Honda CRV's and love it. My husband SO wanted the Element but it was just way too impractical for use with our one-year-old's car seat. In addition to the door issue mentioned above, we couldn't even get our car seat to fit. No regrets on the CRV, however.
Posted by: christinadw | August 13, 2007 at 09:55 AM
we got an element last year and absolutely love it. the having-to-open-all-doors factor is a pain, but nothing dealbreaking in my mind, and the ability to hose the floors down is fabulous with kid and dog. of course, coming from a mitsubishi eclipse where we had to put my daughter in and out of her carseat via the trunk, i'm probably just happy with anything bigger than a midlife crisis sports car.
Posted by: jenn | August 14, 2007 at 01:09 PM
Thanks to everyone for sharing! I'll definitely look into some of the other suggestions.
For me, the resistance to a minivan is based on a desire to drive a car that reasonably matches my needs. I'm completely committed to parenthood and don't mind my vehicle saying so. I just don't want to drive myself to work every day with 6 empty seats just so I can pick the kids up and work out a couple times a week.
Posted by: Erin | August 15, 2007 at 11:37 AM
We have a Volkswagon Eurovan and we totally love it. I know, it's still a van--but it is so much more! I have two little ones--4 and 17 months and I can put both of their carseats in the rear seat and there is still plenty of room for another person(or carseat for that matter) in that seat and it also has 2 seats that face backward. They don't make them anymore--so you would have to get an 02 or older, but they are so worth it! I can put my double jogger in the back and still have tons of room for whatever I need as well. I love that I sit up high when I'm driving and it is really fun to drive! We actually have the Westfalia--the pop up camper version. It's not the full on camper-so no stove or anything like that--the top just pops up and makes a tent, so when we go camping--which is a LOT--my husband and daughter sleep up there and my son and I sleep in the seats that fold out and make a van. It is SO fun! Okay--that's my two cents...
Posted by: Merry | August 15, 2007 at 01:19 PM
When my second child was born we had to ditch my beloved, aging Tercel hatchback. I tried to locate an affordable station wagon but stumbled across a 2002 Chevy Impala instead. It turned out to be a fabulous choice for our family car. Two infant seats fit comfortably; there is leg room left over for the grown-ups; sight lines are good; it handles well; and the trunk is nice and roomy. It gets 20+ miles a gallon, which is not the greatest but seemed like a reasonable trade-off for the comfortable size.
Posted by: Tia | August 16, 2007 at 01:06 AM
I think it's still a good call to go for a minivan, Erin. I know that you already have your specific needs laid out, but it would be wise to expect more than that. You'll never know what's gonna come up in the future. It's better to be prepared with enough space in a car than have a hard time adjusting to unforeseen circumstances. I hope you're happy with the choice you made, Erin! :)
Posted by: Jocelyn Corlett | May 27, 2011 at 07:52 AM
What's wrong with minivans? I don't think they look that bad, and they get the job done. Minivans are perfect as the designated family car because they're spacious and tend to be really safe.
Posted by: car finance | August 23, 2011 at 10:51 PM