What to buy: Cars for all the family

Stereotyping and the car industry eh? Hardly unknown bedfellows – it’s barely 20 years since the industry stopped running ads about women being completely clueless when it comes to cars.

Nevertheless, big industries run on the basis that they can match products to different demographic groups: you don’t make a car unless you know who’s going to buy it (the Renault Avantime may blow this argument out of the water, but bear with us).

Big saloons and estates are for big families; they’ll probably be driven by Dad. MPVs or cute SUVs may be directed at Mum – she’s less likely to be bothered about performance or looks but likes the security of a big car.

The young lad wants something cool and sporty – within reason, the parents’ budget and what they’ll allow their pride-and-joy to get behind the wheel of. The daughter may fancy something compact, easy-to-drive, something that works well with music or phone devices.

And the empty nesters? Something safe, reliable, cheap to run. Some extra capacity for the grandkids…

Of course, all of this is very broad and potentially rather reductive. Separating what people are more likely to buy by their age or sex is rather open to criticism, yet on balance they’re broadly correct.

With that in mind we’ve got some suggestions for different family units, based on what tends to appeal to that demographic. One cheap; one not so cheap.

We think it’s a fair representation of what different ages and genders will look for when buying a new car – and we talked to our resident expert, a man with over 30 years in the industry, to give us the inside line.

Top cars for the family

The son

• Suzuki Swift

The Swift is a brilliant little supermini from Suzuki and one that should fit most young male driver image concerns.

It’s compact but it looks sporty and the latest generation has more gadgets and technology than its predecessor. That means there’s Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port and a CD player as well as a car that looks credible from the outside and shouldn’t draw too much derision from peers.

It’s also cheap to run with a wide range of frugal engines including a 1.3-litre diesel which returns more than 67mpg. It’s dynamic enough too, with the latest generation improving performance over its predecessor thanks to Suzuki’s ‘more Swift’ updates.

Parents should be satisfied too – the Swift achieved a maximum five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP thanks to an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) as standard, whiplash mitigating front seats and additional safety kit.

Read the 2011 Suzuki Swift review.

• Citroen DS3

At the higher end of the market, there’s the Citroen DS3 – one of the most lauded cars to enter the market in recent years, having scooped lots of prestigious awards since it first went on sale in 2010.

It’s one of the most stylish superminis on the market and is the first model from the French manufacturers ‘premium’ DS-line.

As well as cheap running costs thanks to a range of excellent diesel engines from Citroen (or the excellent THP petrol engine for more performance), the DS3 is highly customisable and comes with as much technology, gadgets and features as you could wish for. There’s an MP3-compatible CD player, LED running lights and even cruise control.

The major talking points focus on its styling though. Like the Mini range there’s a wide range of options and choices for the exterior available on the DS3 with buyers able to choose contrasting roof colours and even different coloured wing mirrors, alloy wheels and wheel caps.

Read the new Citroen DS3 review.

The daughter

• Ford Ka

The new Ford Ka’s an obvious choice because of its size, inherent links with female drivers and design but having stood the test of time in the hectic small car market, it’s a worthy inclusion.

Where the last model had wide rear haunches and a curvy profile, the new model is more dynamic but still cute with it.

The steep truncated rear has been retained but the rest of the body brought in line with Ford’s most recent cars. That means more straight lines and angles and a fresh design for the model. That’s the same on the inside where a number of styling packs are available, making it customisable too.

Like any Ford there’s a wide range of frugal and efficient engines available on the Ka, so it’s not expensive to run and it’s cheap to buy.

Read the new Ford Ka review.

• Fiat 500

Again, the Fiat 500 is another obvious choice but it’s widely regarded as one of the most stylish cars on the market for its retro appearance.

It’s distinctive and unique thanks to its small dimensions, bubble-design and a wide range of customisable options. Users can pick from a range of exterior colours, chrome inserts and touches across the body including coloured stripes down its flanks.

There are special edition Fiat 500 trim levels from Gucci and Diesel for fashion conscious buyers, too. Don’t forget drop-top versions and more powerful Abarth versions either.

As well as looking good, the Fiat 500 is also well known for its brilliant engine line-up including the flagship TwinAir two-cylinder which lower CO2 emissions below the 100g/km emission threshold for free VED and London congestion charge.

Read the Fiat 500 TwinAir review.

The mother

We think there are two types of cars that mothers go for – either the practical MPV or SUV, or something a little more stylish.

• Citroen C4 Picasso

The C4 Picasso is a large five-seat MPV that sits towards the cheaper end of the market with prices starting from as little as £14,000.

That’s got to be a draw for the majority of mothers and the impressive diesel line-up should also appeal because CO2 emissions and fuel economy are excellent for a car of that size.

Above all though, the C4 Picasso is extremely practical and provides plenty of space for five passengers. It’s a tall vehicle that offers plenty of head and legroom as well as stacks of load space in the rear. The interior is flexible too with all three rear seats able to be folded flat individually, increasing load space.

The interior is solid and well put together and whilst it’s not particularly luxurious, it’s tough and robust enough to deal with sticky fingered children.

Read the Citroen C4 Picasso review.

• Peugeot 308CC

No-one dreams of owning a massive MPV. It’s a car choice borne from necessity and whilst there are undoubted improvements in design, drive and styling in new MPVs, they’re still less appealing than smaller, sleeker models.

The Peugeot 308CC is exactly that. It’s stylish, low slung and a drop-top so while it may lack practicality, it’s a car likely to appeal to the majority of mothers who want something a bit more desirable.

There’s still room for four in the 308CC – despite passengers in the rear likely to feel cramped – but above all it’s a good looking car.

There’s a raked windscreen, sleek profile and with a drop-top roof, it allows for the thrill of ‘wind-in-the-hair’ driving. It’s no more expensive than a high-end MPV either.

Read the Peugeot 308CC review.

The father

Like mothers, there tends to be two car bodystyles available to fathers and that choice is normally dependent on the car their wife drives – basically one parent tends to have a practical car.

That’s why we’ve gone for one practical model and one that’s a little more desirable.

• Audi A5 Sportback

Audi is an executive manufacturer and a desirable brand in the UK with the A5 saloon sitting near the top of its range.

The Sportback is a sleek, dynamic car with a raked profile and its performance befits that design. There’s a wide choice of powerful engines but more impressively, some frugal diesel units too.

Above all though, the Audi A5 Sportback is grown up and desirable. It’s an executive car so it comes with a wide range of high-end gadgets and pieces of technology too including cruise control, climate control and a sophisticated sound system.

That makes it perfect for long journeys and motorway cruising.

Read the Audi A5 Sportback review.

• Skoda Superb estate

The Skoda Superb estate is MotorTorque’s practical car for dads and there’s no bigger endorsement for the car than the fact it’s the choice of lots of taxi drivers up and down the country.

It’s a massive estate and one which provides bags and bags of space for five passengers and a lot of luggage in its huge 633-litre boot – a boot that can grow to 1,865-litres with the rear seats folded flat.

Its load capacity makes it one of the biggest estates on the market and one that’s bigger than the likes of the Volvo V70 and the Ford Mondeo estate – two of the leading names in the segment.

To lug such a massive cabin around you might expect the Superb to come with a range of high-polluting, inefficient engines but that’s not the case. Thanks to its links with Volkswagen – its parent company – the Superb comes with a wide range of efficient diesel and petrol engines which help reduce motoring costs on the huge load lugger.

The latest Superb also marks a step up in interior quality and equipment making long journeys that bit more comfortable.

Read the Skoda Superb estate review.

The grandparents

We’re going to limit the grandparents car of choice to one because there’s little doubting that the Honda Accord is the king of the geriatrics.

• Honda Accord

The reason the Honda Accord – and Japanese cars in general – are so popular with grandparents is because they shop without the trappings of vanity or image and instead buy something that serves their purpose.

That means short journeys with few passengers for which a Japanese car, and particularly the Honda Accord, are perfect because they’re cheap to run and extremely reliable.

The Accord is a car that’s stood the test of time so it seems apt that it’s the choice for the family veterans, although the saloon’s appearance has probably changed less than your elderly relatives having been almost identical since its launch in the 1980s.

Honda is renowned for its reliability and it consistently tops reliability and customer satisfaction surveys for its cars. That means there are seldom any headaches involved with breakdowns or unscheduled maintenance costs.

The Accord isn’t cheap but its latest range of diesel engines are more efficient and economical than previously, allowing for a reduction in CO2 emissions and more miles to the gallon.

It’s not a particularly exciting car but it does everything grandparents will need with little fuss or ceremony.

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