Best car for a young family with a baby

jjdrer

There aare practicalities to take into account. Are you planning on having more than 2 or more children ? You need to take into account the width and shape of the back seat. Friends of ours have 3 children - 2 in booster seats and 1 in babyseat.
They have a Commodore which is a few years old. The seats...just...fit. There are almost touching. Where you buy a station wagon or 4WD make sure it has or install a strong cargo barrier (with very narrow gaps in it) to prevent objects moving forward if you brake, go around corners, are forced to swerve or are involved in an accident. Some small cars fit 2 car seats across what is supposed to be seating for 3 people. My nephew has a great little Ford Prius. It was very economical to run and quite sporty in some ways as it had so many standard accessories such as extra storage, drink holders etc. But..it was impossible for even a small bodied 3rd passenger to fit on the back seat as the booster seat took up part of the centre space. The babyseat just fitted in single space. You should be looking for safety before thinking about sporty. I would not even consider a 2 door or a car that is hatch-back. It is too hard to retrieve a passenger of any age from the back of a 2 door, especially in an emergency. A relative of mine found that very difficult when she had a mechanical breakdown and had to get her toddler out in a hurry. It is not that easy to get in and out of the back anyway. Many people with children requiring child restraints (anchors are already in cars) do not consider them safe. I know of several families who refuse to have hatchbacks for safety reasons. The covers that "hide" articles placed in some hatchbacks are not very strong at all. Relatives of mine have a Holden Commodore - Berlina (I think it is a 2006 model). They currently heave a babyseat and a good quality booster seat on the back seat. A large framed person would find it impossible to fit between the 2 childrens' seats. An average width person just fits.