Anyone with twins/young kids who can offer some car advice?
- Thread starter Spleen Sauce
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Soldato
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Oh yeah as others have said don't get anything nice, kids trash everything. I'm really glad i had my Avensis, it was 8 years old when the daughter was born so it wasn't a big deal if she was sick in it or smeared jam into the window switches or covers everything in sand from the beach etc, no idea what people with young kids and posh new lease cars do, the stress would be exhausting.
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Just dont let them chew on the alloys 
Leather should be more child friendly but more prone to damage from car seats and the likes.
I wasn't too fussed but have ended up with half alacantra, cleans quite easily
Sand is still a devil but there's some very good cheats using a mouse sander or similar lol
Leather should be more child friendly but more prone to damage from car seats and the likes.
I wasn't too fussed but have ended up with half alacantra, cleans quite easily
Sand is still a devil but there's some very good cheats using a mouse sander or similar lol
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From everything I've seen so far, Skoda Superb is top of the list. I want a decent spec one but mainly for the sound system, memory drivers seat and the reverse camera. Annoyingly I can't find any that are used approved that are realistically priced and not diesel so may need to chance it.
Will test drive first, load it with stuff and see how it fares. Will see if I can get a Kodiaq on a test drive the same day also. I suspect the wife would rather the SUV.
Will test drive first, load it with stuff and see how it fares. Will see if I can get a Kodiaq on a test drive the same day also. I suspect the wife would rather the SUV.
So here's my 2p:
- Your wife may think she wants seats that transfer directly between pram and car, we thought the same when we were expecting a child. However the reality was we didn't really make much use of that feature, since she wasn't driving much to begin with and they grow out of the tiny car seat pretty quickly. Travel systems can also be pretty bulky, our old one was great to use as an auxillary shopping trolley but it swallowed a whole chunk of boot. We actually ended up getting a cheap secondary lightweight stroller which was a lot easier to take around. All I'm saying is, think it through, the idea of seamlessly moving your sleeping child between car and pram may sound great but it (quite literally) comes with a lot of baggage and sometimes its actually less faff to simply move the child and have a cuddle (important for bonding anyway) rather than keep clipping and unclipping stuff. I'd say the number of times we actually got any significant benefit from a travel system over a separate seat/pram combo was single digits. The vast majority of the time the seat just stayed in the car.
- You will definitely need a huge boot for two babies/toddlers. It was the one of the main criteria behind our choice of car (308SW - won't fit your needs mind).
- I dismissed the XC60 as it has a pretty mediocre boot, under 500L. No way I'd want that with two babies.
- As mentioned Skoda is a good option, Kodiaq / Superb Estate / Octavia Estate all have decent boots. With your power requirements you definitely need VRS edition mind.
- Rear facing seats do take up a lot of space. It gets easier when the kids are older and can move into the high back boosters as there is no seat (or feet in the case of forward facing seats) jammed up against the front seats. You might have to consider cars with a longer wheelbase like the Superb., The XC60 isn't really that big even if it looks it.
- The Uppababy Vista V2 seems to cost about a grand - just keep in mind my first paragraph, I understand your wife needs to be happy with it but definitely talk through all the pros and cons and think about what comes next i.e. what will you do when they outgrow the pram as that will happen long before you change the car again.
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oh aye had they done a superb 7 seat estate Id have had that mind haha
As you've specced tho one of the higher power Petrol versions
I'd have liked it in one of the louder colours too
As you've specced tho one of the higher power Petrol versions
I'd have liked it in one of the louder colours too
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I think the difficulty we have is that you’re quite limited when it comes to twins - you’re either getting a wide monstrosity that’s basically two buggies glued side-by-side or you’re getting a tandem stroller that’s pretty long. Either way it’s going to be bulky. From those we tried, the Uppababy was easily the least cumbersome and seemed well built (also reviews well, I guess that’s one of the reasons it’s so damn expensive!)
Yeah that’s also the conclusion we came to after trying the XC60.
Sell it - these seem to retain their value rather well based on what I’ve seen. But you do make very good points.
I'd also echo hangtimes comment on the travel systems, they can be cumbersome and we quickly ditched them in favour of standard decent seats and a better stroller. With regards to double stroller/buggy take a look at the out n about nipper double v4, amazing bit of kit for the twins.
First, a few comments to compare my notes to others.
After using the Vista for 7 years (4y with one child and another 3 with 2nd) I would only consider a travel system personally. The mileage we got from ours was incredible. Yes, it did cost us all about £700 back in a day, but thats £100 per year.. not that much. Besides, with all the accessories, I probably had £1k system, which than sold for £300 total after we got the use we needed. We flew with the damn thing before covid at least 5-8 times and I can't recall a time when we weren't happy having it.
Sure - after we got a much smaller Yoyo when 1st child was older this was huge improvement on weight and size and it travelled with us everywhere.
Vista is a pram for out and about, everywhere and I do mean that. Yoyo - that's a small, very foldable option for town use. From what I gathered you're more in the country?
In fact, I reckon your choice of the buggy is as important as the car actually. If you want something to last 4 years, which is the time they go to nursery, think through your choices.
When it comes to the car seat that plugs into the travel system, we used it a lot with the Maxi Cosi seat. Think we used it more often than the carrycot which was bulky and when you just need to pop out with the kids and are in and out of the car it was great. Bear in mind, babies are not suppose to stay in them for more than 1-2 hours from memory - that is what the carry cot is for.
A comment about car getting messy - well, can't help it, but that's why I go leather - so much easier to keep it clean. To protect it from car seats, you can get a special protector - pretty neat, we got ours free with the seats.
Comfortable ride with kids? what does it mean lol?
Consider a rear/forward facing seat options that can span across a baby to a toddler. This way, you could install and forget for 2-3 years and only move them to a kids seat when they are tall enough.
However, most seats like this are bulky and with a permanently installed base so even dropping seats at the back is a faff.
Looking at your spec, Id probably be picking between V90, XC60 (same wheelbase as V90 but smaller boot), Karoq or an Audi equivalent.
Most of VW group cars will have basic spec, so your extras you want will normally be factory options, so if you need 2nd hand, this may be hard to get. V90 even in basic spec was coming very well equipped - I loved mine, but the damn thing was drinking fuel like crazy. If you are ok to put up 20-25mpg you have some nice strong engines with tons of room.
If you want a factory order or be on a lookout for the spec you want - our neighbors have a Karoq and 2 daughters about 1y apart (3-4yo) and when I see how much they can pack in there I'm always impressed. They still got a roofbox though, but I reckon they just take too much
My pet hate about VW group cars is always the fact that by the time you spec up what you want, all the options push the price past a XC60/V90/X5 base spec which already includes them!
Ps. if you want more input ref Vista, ping me a message separately, don't want to flood OCUK with baby related stuff lol
After using the Vista for 7 years (4y with one child and another 3 with 2nd) I would only consider a travel system personally. The mileage we got from ours was incredible. Yes, it did cost us all about £700 back in a day, but thats £100 per year.. not that much. Besides, with all the accessories, I probably had £1k system, which than sold for £300 total after we got the use we needed. We flew with the damn thing before covid at least 5-8 times and I can't recall a time when we weren't happy having it.
Sure - after we got a much smaller Yoyo when 1st child was older this was huge improvement on weight and size and it travelled with us everywhere.
Vista is a pram for out and about, everywhere and I do mean that. Yoyo - that's a small, very foldable option for town use. From what I gathered you're more in the country?
In fact, I reckon your choice of the buggy is as important as the car actually. If you want something to last 4 years, which is the time they go to nursery, think through your choices.
When it comes to the car seat that plugs into the travel system, we used it a lot with the Maxi Cosi seat. Think we used it more often than the carrycot which was bulky and when you just need to pop out with the kids and are in and out of the car it was great. Bear in mind, babies are not suppose to stay in them for more than 1-2 hours from memory - that is what the carry cot is for.
A comment about car getting messy - well, can't help it, but that's why I go leather - so much easier to keep it clean. To protect it from car seats, you can get a special protector - pretty neat, we got ours free with the seats.
Comfortable ride with kids? what does it mean lol?
Consider a rear/forward facing seat options that can span across a baby to a toddler. This way, you could install and forget for 2-3 years and only move them to a kids seat when they are tall enough.
However, most seats like this are bulky and with a permanently installed base so even dropping seats at the back is a faff.
Looking at your spec, Id probably be picking between V90, XC60 (same wheelbase as V90 but smaller boot), Karoq or an Audi equivalent.
Most of VW group cars will have basic spec, so your extras you want will normally be factory options, so if you need 2nd hand, this may be hard to get. V90 even in basic spec was coming very well equipped - I loved mine, but the damn thing was drinking fuel like crazy. If you are ok to put up 20-25mpg you have some nice strong engines with tons of room.
If you want a factory order or be on a lookout for the spec you want - our neighbors have a Karoq and 2 daughters about 1y apart (3-4yo) and when I see how much they can pack in there I'm always impressed. They still got a roofbox though, but I reckon they just take too much
My pet hate about VW group cars is always the fact that by the time you spec up what you want, all the options push the price past a XC60/V90/X5 base spec which already includes them!
Ps. if you want more input ref Vista, ping me a message separately, don't want to flood OCUK with baby related stuff lol
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I've no doubt having twins will be different to having one. But do be careful of the modern thing of having to have everything for the baby.
The first car seats last a blink of the eye. We never really used a full pram system after a year when she could walk and just had a cheap fold up push chair and fixed car seat. One little nappy bag and that was it. Also caveated by she exclusively breast fed until solids so bottles weren't a concern for us.
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Soldato
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I have a Civic Tourer, doesn't seem to have been mentioned skim reading the thread
It's used to transport a 6 and 3 year old and a large dog, the boot is massive at 624l
Unfortunately there's only two engine choices, 1.6 diesel and 1.8 petrol, mines the former and it doesn't suit the car, I love the car for it's spec, reliability and ability to cart the family around with ease but the performance let's it down. I've put up with it's performance for over three years though so it's doing something right
It's used to transport a 6 and 3 year old and a large dog, the boot is massive at 624l
Unfortunately there's only two engine choices, 1.6 diesel and 1.8 petrol, mines the former and it doesn't suit the car, I love the car for it's spec, reliability and ability to cart the family around with ease but the performance let's it down. I've put up with it's performance for over three years though so it's doing something right
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Soldato
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Yeah i'd forgotten about this myself, we bought a Recaro car seat system thing with the infant seat you could take out and use on our pram system and we used it like that i think 2 times in total, complete waste of money. The reality was the car seat never left the car with us and they grow out of those infant carrier seats soooo quickly and at such a young age they're only meant to be in those seats for a really short amount of time (30 or 60 mins?) so you'll end up taking them out anyway.
After using my 5 series estate as a family car and then changing to the chrysler grand voyager I can safely say I wouldn't try anything else as a family car.
The practicality, comfort and space is perfect for families.
The 2 captains chairs in the centre row mean ypu don't need to remove any child seats to allow others into the back seats.
The ability to fold all 5 rear seats flat into the floor means I never need to borrow a van again when required.
The built in roof bars meant it was easy to keep my XXL roof box.
The speakers are great.
The 3 TVs are great for the kids.
Sliding doors are perfect for loading kids in.
The middle row of seats slide back and forth so can ensure plenty of room.
The face-lift engine (2013+) is so much better than the previous.
It's taken 7 of us around a tour of UK beaches over the last year and hasn't missed a beat, loads of room for all the luggage and passengers were comfy throughout.
Great family car
Edit: and maintenance costs are pretty cheap as it's basically a Mercedes van lol
The practicality, comfort and space is perfect for families.
The 2 captains chairs in the centre row mean ypu don't need to remove any child seats to allow others into the back seats.
The ability to fold all 5 rear seats flat into the floor means I never need to borrow a van again when required.
The built in roof bars meant it was easy to keep my XXL roof box.
The speakers are great.
The 3 TVs are great for the kids.
Sliding doors are perfect for loading kids in.
The middle row of seats slide back and forth so can ensure plenty of room.
The face-lift engine (2013+) is so much better than the previous.
It's taken 7 of us around a tour of UK beaches over the last year and hasn't missed a beat, loads of room for all the luggage and passengers were comfy throughout.
Great family car
Edit: and maintenance costs are pretty cheap as it's basically a Mercedes van lol
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^ This.
But - We did go the integrated buggy seat into the car (Maxi Cosi) and it worked fine in a 1 Series (F20) BMW.
Upsizing everything - car seats etc... which means upsizing cars just sounds over the top. They grow out of the travel systems within 6-8 months anyway.
You are having 2 children, not 10
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It may sound over the top, but if I’m not able to drive our current cars with both kids in the back, what do you suggest?^ This.
But - We did go the integrated buggy seat into the car (Maxi Cosi) and it worked fine in a 1 Series (F20) BMW.
Upsizing everything - car seats etc... which means upsizing cars just sounds over the top. They grow out of the travel systems within 6-8 months anyway.
You are having 2 children, not 10
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I can already tell you that you can't get a rear-facing car seat in the Golf with me driving it - its absolutely impossible and I've now tried the slimmest rear-facing, non-rotating car seat I can find to try (basically I pestered Halfords and go them to let me try all of their display models). As you say, the buggy also doesn't really fit in the boot either.
There's not a great deal more room behind my seating position in the 3 series either, but I will try that when the wife is back tomorrow.
