What's the best vehicle for a growing family?
When it comes to daily transportation, our family was already prepared for our newborn’s arrival earlier this year. We already have an SUV and a minivan, so for us it was a simple matter of choosing a good car seat. We now have one in each vehicle.
But not every family’s driveway is ready for that first baby.
The folks at South Florida-based Leasetrader.com contacted me earlier this summer about a survey they conducted showing what parents-to-be consider when they pick out a new vehicle to accommodate their growing families.
What they found was…
Okay, wait. I’m a reporter, and the folks I spoke to were publicists for a business. Gotta check it out, right? So rather than just copy and paste what they sent me, I placed a call to the Automobile Association of America and put the question to spokesman Gregg Laskoski.
Laskoski pointed me to AAA’s 2007 Best Cars For Families list, compiled in partnership with Parents magazine.
What did they like?
They broke it up into five categories and selected three vehicles for each. For economy cars, the Mazda 3 “is simply too much fun to be so practical… The hatchback version provides extra storage space for strollers and suitcases.” For minivans, “Load the (Toyota) Sienna with eight passengers and there’s still room for groceries, baby gear, and lots more.”
The reviewers looked at a number of criteria (air bags, fuel economy, cupholders, cargo space, etc) and checked to make sure it was easy to install car seats.
The AAA/Parents list was not updated for 2008 or 2009.
And that brings us back to this year's Leasetrader.com survey. The company has a program called “New Lease on Life,” designed to help drivers get out of leases for vehicles that no longer meet their growing families’ needs.
Leasetrader polled 2,000 new parents and found that 43 percent prefer crossovers to SUVs (preferred by 31 percent) and minivans (preferred by 21 percent). The crossover of choice in the survey was the Mazda CX-7.
That result didn’t surprise Laskoski over at AAA. “Overall, our recommendation for any car buyer and certainly for parents is to find a vehicle that accommodates your most critical needs: driving safety; functionality … and affordability. Crossover vehicles are popular because they address all three of those factors in a practical and comfortable way that makes sense to many families.”
Other factors that were important to parents, according to the Leasetrader survey: video monitor with night vision for rear-facing carriers; automatic opening hatchback and/or doors; impact-resistant and secure child car seat; leather seats that allow for easy wiping of spills; and extra cargo space and fold-down seats for additional storage.
So should you go to Leasetrader.com and get a Mazda CX-7? I can’t help you there. This isn’t an endorsement or an ad for the company or the car.
This is a conversation among parents, so I’m interested in your input: what do you think is the best kind of vehicle for a growing family?
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
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Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby. 
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