We went on a little trip down memory lane the other day, back to when we were expecting our first child. All that excitement and splendour and joy and change. It was so exciting and new. But there was one teeny-tiny little rain cloud; getting rid of a nippy motor and swapping out for a more sensible family car which, back then, meant getting a beige Volvo. But not anymore. Family cars have gotten cooler and cooler by the year, making it totally possible to be a both sensible, comfortable and, dare we say, cool.

Needless to say, we have been on the prowl recently. We’ve done a fair bit of researching and test driving to find the best family car.

The Mazda 3 For Small Families

There is so much that is amazing about this car, but we’ll start with the price. Actually, we’ll start with the running costs and then move onto the price. Mazda has SKYACTIV engine technology that makes it one of the most economical cars on the market, and certainly the most cost-efficient to run in this class. Ticking this box was a must-have, what with a family and all. The other thing that we found to be amazing were the Mazda deals we found, with one company offering to beat any written quote by a $1000. As a car, wow, it was the pinnacle of comfort. Smooth, spacious and with plenty of luggage space for what we would need, and it was so stunning to look at, and from every angle too. However, any more than four passengers could make this a little cramped on long journeys.

The Hyundai IMAX For Massive Families

When you have a family, space can pretty quickly become the most important asset of any car. After all, you want to be comfortable, especially if you are totally outnumbered as parents. That’s where the IMAX comes in. It can fit eight. Yeah, eight people, and still has a copious amount of luggage space to offer, even with all the seats being used. Price wise, the cheapest we found was $38,000, which we thought was a pretty good deal considering how many cars you got for your money, and that fact it was a dream to drive. It was a little bit like driving a van, which makes sense, but it didn’t feel anywhere as big as it actually is. So, yeah, if you need to transport two-thirds of a soccer team, this is the one.

The Mazda CX-5 For Those Wanting An SUV

Five seats are pretty middle of the road and standard these days, and this medium SUV seemed to offer that without sacrificing any comfort. It looks so good too. Big, sturdy, save good engine options, an attractive price proposition and such a smooth ride. It may not be a car to buy your teenage kid but, for you, yeah. Definitely. There isn’t really anything bad to say about it, not from our weekend test-drive anyway, and apparently not from anyone else’s either given it is the top selling medium SUV in the country. It’s not even close either. It’s over 20% in front of the number two, the Hyundai ix35. So if it is an all-around awesome car you’re looking for, the numbers speak for themselves.