Way 2 Goodlife

The family that plays together - stay together

You are here: Home / Featured / Best Family Cars, Packing Tips

Best Family Cars, Packing Tips

Sharing is caring!

I am excited to work with Kelley Blue Book to bring you these great tips.
Kelley Blue Book is sponsoring the giveaway kit as a part of the promotion,
and I also received a kit as part of the promotion.

A funny thing about a growing family is that things change fast – we need new cars, houses, and just about everything else. I went from insisting on a sedan (because I like maneuverable cars) to a minivan (because a big car can fit five changes of clothes for each of my kids, playground supply, and blankets for everyone). In a meanwhile, two of my best friends went for a full-size SUV and a compact SUV. Who do you think made the right decision?Best-Packing-tips-and-family-friendly-cars

For many of us, Kelley Blue Book was the first point of research and a great way to sort through a load of information car research comes with. My recent read was Kelley Blue Book’s Best Family Cars for 2016 article that looks over the best family friendly cars on the market where they compare 250 models to show us the best ones.

Kelley Blue Book (KBB), the leading authority in helping consumers choose the best cars for their lifestyle, wants to make it easier for families to hit the road.

How do they know?

According to Kelley Blue Book, they started with 250 models and spend 2 weeks with each, putting it through anything a family vehicle would usually go through – loading with cargo, unloading, plugging, installing, and just battling day-to-day family routines. The result was 16 cars – three minivans, six sedans, three 2-row crossover/SUVs and four 3-row SUVs on our list.Car-Traffic

While no sedan can fit my big family comfortably, there are some great options in this categories by Chevy, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia for those of you who are looking for a new sedan.

I personally love the way the compact SUV looks and acts on the road. Perfect for a family, it’s no surprise to see Honda and Subaru as absolute leaders in this category for its functionality and a sharp look.figleaves-business car #LiveLoveLingerie

Can it fit a family of five? See for yourself!

Yes, we made it, but it was a tight fit!

Let’s now talk about the bigger cars that a capable to fit more than four people and still provide comfort and plenty of storage. Like many of my friends at some point in time, I had to pick between a minivan and SUV. In the line up of the best SUVs published KBB, you will find (no surprise) Honda Pilot that is the best choice for anyone who wants the most of what the minivan has to offer in the SUV style. Chevy Tahoe is also listed in this article and I have to say that you would probably won’t find some of the Chevy options anywhere else – my personal favorite is its dedicated OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi and five USB ports. Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota Highlander are other two great options for its practicality and a sleek look.Kia-vs-a-big-family

And if you are on the market for a minivan, look at one of these leaders: Kia Sedona, Toyota Sienna, and Honda Odyssey. I have to personally attest for each of these. Sienna is an all-wheel drive that is super responsive on the road while providing comfort for it passengers. We recently drove one of these to Hershey, PA from Chicago and even my sister, who loves her Subaru Crosstrek, was seriously impressed by the way Toyota Sienna handles the road. Honda Odyssey is my old friend and I am happy to see it as one of the best family-friendly vehicles. Kia Sedona is another great car I had a chance to test drive long distance and it is an excellent choice for anyone who is looking for road comfort – an around-view camera, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and a host of other high-tech gadgets – those are only a few features I fell in love with. Each of these cars did awesome on our personal travel test as it has loads of cargo room Kia-Sedona-in-dark

Want to be a master at packing for your family trip?

Check out these PACKING TIPS ANY FAMILY CAN USE

Be Safe

Put heavier items on the bottom of the cargo area and toward the front, and avoid loading SUVs beyond the height of the rear seat backs. Keeping heavier items up closer to the center of the vehicle can help preserve handling integrity in emergency avoidance situations while imposing a height limit on your stack of stuff will help maintain rearward vision and prevent objects from becoming projectiles in a collision. If you wouldn’t want somebody throwing it at your head, don’t keep it unsecured and at head level in your car.

Bag It

Consider large trash bags for smaller loose items and soft items like blankets and pillows. It’ll be easier to transport these items to and from the car, and their flexibility makes them more space efficient than a large box, for instance.

Think Short-Term

Plan ahead to save your sanity. Keep food and drink within reach, napkins, a trash bag, and wet wipes. You will also benefit from a full complement of electronics and related accessories, like power cords and headphones. If you plan to arrive at noon and check-in isn’t until 4pm, keep the swimsuits and sunscreen easily accessible so you don’t have to unpack and re-pack the whole car in the middle of the hotel parking lot.

Baby-vs-Kia

Comments

  5. Linda Szymoniak says

    I’ve had Chrysler mini-vans for over a decade, but recently we downsized to a Mazda 5. It’a a wonderful vehicle, but just doesn’t have the room I really need. I am a volunteer rescue transport driver for dogs and other animals going from kill shelters to rescues, fosters, and adopters, so I could really use the space of a mini-van. I would love the Toyota Sienna

  7. Leigh Anne Borders says

    2016 Hyundai Sonata is something we have been looking at lately. We really like it and will probably get it soon.

  12. Laurajj says

    Oh for us it would be the 2016 Kia Sedona! We have a Kia Sedona now that is a 2005 and has been the best vehicle we have had. It has been so good…hardly any problems and still drives so nice! We would love to get a newer one soon!

  13. Janet W. says

    The 2016 Toyota Highlander would fit my family’s lifestyle the best, and you can’t ever go wrong with a Toyota!

  14. susan smoaks says

    our family loves the 2016 chevy impala. we have an older version 2007 so we really love the new one.

  29. Allisha says

    The 2016 Honda Civic is perfect for our family. We love the fuel efficiency the car gets. We actually already own a Civic too 😉