FAMILY CAR BUYING GUIDE—Best Buys in Family Cars

Thinking about buying a car? You’re in good company. According to Media Audit, nearly 21 percent of parents in the U.S. are planning to purchase a vehicle in the next 12 months. Nine percent plan to buy new; 10 percent plan to buy used; the rest are undecided.

We asked six national experts what makes a great family car. And we got six very different answers. Kristin Varela, founder of MotherProof.com, paid a lot of attention to safety, but she also noted that parents can drive fun cars, too — that’s why she recommended a convertible! In these days of $3-a-gallon gas, Keith Turner, who writes a nationally syndicated column, “The Family Car”, focused on fuel economy. And for Joanne Helperin, an editor at Edmunds.com, it was the little things that mattered. If those back seats are contoured, she said, you’re going to have trouble getting a car seat inside.

Editors at Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports has the most comprehensive auto-test program and reliability survey data of any U.S. magazine or website. CR engineers and technicians at its 327-acre Auto Test Center test cars and trucks at the track and on public roads for performance, convenience, comfort and safety. CR’s team of survey experts compile and analyze reliability data on more than 1 million vehicles each year — the largest consumer survey of its kind in the U.S. Visit ConsumerReports.org.

Lauren Fix
Lauren Fix is a professional race car driver, award-winning automotive and lifestyle expert, and author of two upcoming books, The Carma Coach and Just Drive It! She has appeared numerous times on Oprah, Today, The View, CNN, and National Public Radio. She is the automotive editor of YourLifeMagazine.com and contributes to USA Today, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s World, Redbook, Self and many other national magazines and websites. Her website is LaurenFix.com.

Joanne Helperin
As senior features editor at Edmunds.com, Joanne Helperin writes automotive lifestyle articles and manages Edmunds.com’s Women and Family Car Guide (Edmunds.com/women). Joanne has bought, sold, leased and rented all the cars for her own family, using everything from brokers and dealers to print ads, auctions and the Internet. Someday, she’ll busy herself designing the perfect family car: It would include fewer cup holders and more places to put other important things, like a purse, trash and a box of tissues. Read her blog, The Driving Woman, at blogs.edmunds.com/women.

Keith Turner
Keith Turner is a veteran journalist who has been writing his self-syndicated auto review column, “The Family Car”, since 1994 for parenting publications nationwide. In his more than 20 years of newspaper experience, Keith worked as a reporter and editor for newspapers in Michigan, California and Alaska. In 1989, Keith was a member of the Anchorage Daily News staff that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Meritorious Public Service for its dramatic series, “A People In Peril”. Find him online at TheFamilyCar.com.

Kristin Varela
Kristin Varela is the founder and chief executive mother of MotherProof.com, a company dedicated to providing women in general — and mothers in particular — with useful and entertaining car reviews. While the list is expanding daily, her cutting-edge print column is published by numerous daily papers, regional parenting magazines and international websites. Varela has been featured in or has appeared as an expert guest on ABC’s The View, CBS The Early Show, CNN Headline News, PAX TV, ABCNews.com, Parenting, Working Mother, Ladies Home Journal, Travel and Leisure, and more.

Joe Wiesenfelder
Joe Wiesenfelder joined cars.com in September 1997 as one of its first members and has more than a decade of automotive journalism experience. As the senior editor and vehicle profiler, he helps develop the site’s award-winning advice content. From new car reviews to expert advice on vehicle safety and fuel efficiency/fuel related technologies, Joe has covered a wide range of automotive issues in his career. He has also written for Motor Trend, Wired, Spin, Car Stereo Review, Stereo Review, Audio and Video, among other publications; he has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, CNNfn, CNBC, MSNBC and VH-1.

Toyota Prius (pictured below)
Base price: $21,725
Fuel economy: 60/51 MPG
Recommended by: Joanne Helperin, Keith Turner, Kristin Varela
Helperin says, “The Prius lets a family go green affordably and with little sacrifice.” She likes not only its fuel economy, but also its “ultra-low emissions, generous interior room, and excellent build quality.” She adds: “For the safest ride, be sure to order the optional side and rear curtain airbags.”
Turner likes the Prius for its legroom and its gadgets, including keyless entry, push-button startup, and a Bluetooth cellular phone connection that synchs with your cell phone and mutes the stereo when a call comes in.
Varela cautions that the fuel savings may not, in the end, offset the higher sticker price of a hybrid, but buyers can take comfort from knowing that they will be “contributing to cleaner air for our children.” She notes a couple of important safety features — including a back-up detection camera, which could prevent back-over injuries; and a tire pressure monitoring system, which could prevent tire blowouts.

Honda Accord
Base price: $23,350 ($30,990 for the hybrid)
Fuel economy: 24/34 MPG (25/34 for the hybrid)
Recommended by: Consumer Reports, Keith Turner
The Honda Accord is Consumer Reports’ Top Pick family sedan. They like its agile handling, smooth engine, roomy cabin, and impressive crash-test results.
Turner points out that the hybrid version of the Accord has all of those features, plus the world’s first V6 hybrid engine, which seamlessly shifts from six cylinders to three when less power is required.

Toyota Avalon
Base price: $26,625
Fuel economy: 22/31 MPG
Recommended by: Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports says this large sedan “combines comfort and convenience with a powerful and smooth V6 engine.” They like the secure handling, quiet ride, and expansive rear seating.

Ford Five Hundred

Base price: $22,930
Fuel economy: 19/26 MPG
Recommended by: Lauren Fix
Fix calls the overhauled 2007 Ford 500 “a great family car” and a “safe choice for any driver.” She likes all the head and knee room and the fact that drivers facing tough winters can opt for all-wheel drive.

Volvo C70 (pictured below)
Base price: $38,710
Fuel economy: 21/29 MPG
Recommended by: Kristin Varela
Varela calls the Volvo C70 “a fun and sexy hard-top convertible for families not ready to trade in the sportster for the minivan.” A convertible seems like a real family-car option when you can still count on safety features like these: Hidden roll bars pop up when an imminent roll-over is detected and extend if the car is rear ended at more than 20 mph (with the top down) to protect rear passengers from flying debris. Side curtain airbags protect front passengers’ heads in the event of a rollover. Varela also notes that, although the car seats a family of four, it’s a lot more fun if you leave the back two passengers with a sitter.

BMW 5 Series
Base price: $42,495
Fuel economy: 21/29 MPG
Recommended by: Joanne Helperin
“Chauffeuring the kids around doesn’t mean giving up a fun ride,” Helperin says. She credits the entire BMW 5 Series lineup with “an incredible balance of ride, performance and comfort,” as well as “velvet-smooth engines that inspire driver confidence.” Although the sedan is roomy enough for a family of four, Helperin says larger families should choose the wagon, which has all the “killer driving characteristics” and even more room for baggage.

Subaru Outback (pictured below)
Base price: $24,795
Fuel economy: 22/28 MPG
Recommended by: Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports likes the upscale features brought in for the 2005 redesign of the Outback, including automatic climate control and an oversized sunroof in Limited trim. They call the ride “supple, controlled and quiet.” This is a popular wagon with some of the size and feel of an SUV.