The family car thread of Ultimate Fail.

paradigm said:
Because saloons, by design, have a very small boot opening compared to a similar hatch or estate.

If you are going to get a Mondeo Saloon, you'd be better off with the hatch or estate versions, just for the wider boot opening.
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This is true , i am a bit mived at my ZT's boot after many hatchbacks, the boots not small but a trip to pick up a lawn mower left me scraching my head as to how i was going to get it home, friend in a Mazda 3 had to get it for me.
 
Honda FRV, for some weird reason I quite like them :)

Although I tend to agree buy a proper hatch/estate and you'll have no problems lugging enough stuff around for a (very) small army let alone for a single child :)
 
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mrthingyx said:
Why is it that stuff deliberately targetted at families is (a) about as nice to look at as the results of a hard night out on the town, (b) endowed with the most improbably small and unsuitable engines for lugging them about at 30mph, let alone 70, (c) not actually much bigger than the cars on which they are based?
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Because contrary to popular beleif, you don't actually need a van as soon as you've got a child. Kids fit perfectly in the back of a normal car and a big hatchback even has room for the buggy. Therefore, the special family cars are targetted at those who honestly think kids = van time, and as a result, its tailored to their needs and not yours.

As you have half a brain, you can simply get a decent regular car.
 
you do not need an estate for 1 child for everyday use.
A normal sized hatch will do you more than fine.

Do not see the need for even thinking about a cmax / estate or anything like that!
 
Morba said:
you do not need an estate for 1 child for everyday use.
A normal sized hatch will do you more than fine.

Do not see the need for even thinking about a cmax / estate or anything like that!
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Indeed, we survived with a corsa when crashed our escort. Mind you it was a little tight with a double buggy however a single buggy/single baby would have meant we have been fine.
 
the a class isnt big enough? wtf? the a class is, despite it not being a fantastic car, damn practical. Stick a baby seat on one seat, fold the other two up or even take them out and bang more load space than any one baby could need :p The boot is tall too, so i really cant see how you'd be struggling with an A class
 
a class ok? :(
2 adults, baby seat, travel system, weekly shopping? Wouldn't like that myself
 
The A class comes in 2 flavours, the LWB base one is passable as a family vehicle, but it does need a decent engine, which makes them a stupidly expensive buy.

I will say one thing about MPV'esqe motors, I hate them with a passion, but the height makes loading babies and shopping a tad easier.

Women nowadays seem to want to carry more crap than is actually necessary, which is why we seem to require bigger cars.

My Mom and Dad had a Datsun 100A, when I were a wee nipper:p
 
my parents seemed to manage with a Honda Jazz and a saab 900 turbo 2dr..

no wait, my mum managed with a 2dr 900 :p
 
mrthingyx said:
A bit of background...

I own a diesel Polo (probably the only person in the UK that actually does a huge amount of miles in one) and the missus a Mercedes A-Class with a sewing machine under the bonnet. With the arrival of our daughter six months ago, the short-comings of both cars became quite apparent when trying to fit all the required baby clobber into the boot and back seats of said cars.

So we're decided to trade them in to get something a bit bigger. Here is one shortlist:

- Ford Focus C-MAX
- Renault Megane Scenic
- Ford Focus Estate

Why is it that stuff deliberately targetted at families is (a) about as nice to look at as the results of a hard night out on the town, (b) endowed with the most improbably small and unsuitable engines for lugging them about at 30mph, let alone 70, (c) not actually much bigger than the cars on which they are based?

What other cars out there should be banned from public consumption, based on the aforementioned reasons?
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Why not just get a standard focus? If you want a bit of poke the 2.0TDCI should be more than adequete. Why does 1 child automatically mean you have to get a MPV or estate?!

Also if you get a Mondeo don't bother with the saloon. It is possbly the most pointless car in existance. It is basically the same car as the Hatch (albeit longer) yet forgoes praticality (the hatches boot is well large) for the sake of erm (actually what is the point of the saloon mondeo again?!) actually I can't think of one redeeming feature which would make you pick the saloon over the hatch.
 
they love saloons on the continent, grandads especially..
remember the 306 4dr :eek:

when i was looking for cars, i could only find mondeo 4drs and estates.. hatchbacks were annoyingly rare
 
Cr0fty said:
Surely any car that can fit a person (adult) in the back, and has a boot, will fit a child in + some shopping? :p
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Yes, to an extent it would, but this is about safety and comfortabililty as well as having a car that will carry a person in the back and have a boot..
 
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