PLS Picks: 6 Best Family SUVs

SUVs are the classic family cars because of their spacious cabin and high-tech infotainment and safety systems. Among these crossovers, several models stand out for their remarkable family-friendly features on top of great engine performance and stylish design.

Here are top picks for Australia’s best family SUVs today.

Large Families? Check out the Skoda Kodiaq and Holden Acadia

2020 Skoda Kodiaq

Base Price: $47,990

What makes it great for families?

• The large and spacious cabin
• Safe and comfortable ride
• Stylish, sporty look

What are its turn-offs?

• Several advanced features come with an extra cost
• Tight, hard to access third-row seating
• The engine is a bit sluggish

Source: koda-auto.com

Kodiaq is the largest SUV in Skoda’s range. Named after the largest subspecies of brown bear, the vehicle lives up to its name with the large dimension (4697mm length, 1882 mm width and 1655mm height) and roomy interior.

Perfect for medium to large families, Kodiaq comfortably fits five to seven adults. Other Kodiaq trims have a smaller, 5+2-style seating but the 132 TSI Sportline is a full-size seven-seater. Adding to its comfortable seating arrangement are the 270 litres of luggage space, 630 litres with the third-row seats folded and 2,005 litres with the second and third row folded.

The car comes with two ISOFIX and three top-tether child-seat anchors, which allows three child seats to be carried at any given time. It also scored 77% for child occupant safety in the ANCAP testing.

The car’s all-wheel drive is powered by a 132kW turbocharged TSI Petrol engine with automatic transmission. Complete with huge 20-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tyres, it drives more like a wagon than an SUV on the road, composed around the bends and with well-controlled body roll. With a max torque of 320 Nm and a 0-100 km/h acceleration of 8.2 seconds, it can drive to a top speed of 205 km/h—Perfect for driving your kids to school early or arriving on-time to a family dinner at your in-laws!

High-tech infotainment features such as smartphone connectivity, wireless charging, touchscreen navigation system, and Canton sound system will keep you and your kids comfortable and busy while on the ride.

There are also various driving assistance and safety features to assure everyone of a safe ride. These include adaptive cruise and chassis controls, traffic jam assist, off-road mode, keyless entry and exit system, surround area view, front and rear parking sensors, automatic parking assist, anti-jamming power windows, and a virtual cockpit that is now standard across the KODIAQ range. The car’s rear doors and windows can also be isolated electronically from the driver’s seat.

On top of the suburban family haulier’s award-winning engineering is the stylish exterior design. The notable full-LED double-lens headlights are specially styled to look like the Czech crystal cut glass.

2020 Holden Acadia

Base Price: $43,490

What makes it great for families?

• Spacious and comfortable cabin
• Plenty of safety and child-friendly features
• Good handling and fuel economy
• Advanced infotainment system
• Servicing and spare parts for at least 10 years

What are its turn-offs?

• Poor access to the spare tyre, which is hidden under two layers under the third-row seats
• The spare tyre is narrower than its other tyres, which limits the recommended top speed to 80km/h
• Difficult rear-seat entry from the safer kerbside (since the middle-row seat slide/fold setup was designed for American left-hand-drive cars)
• Poor resale value due to Holden's upcoming closure

Source: holden.com.au

This well-built seven-seater has enough room in the third row to comfortably seat two adults. It also comes with an ISOFIX child-seat anchors in two positions and top-tether child-seat anchors in the rearmost five seats. Because of the large cabin, it’s possible to install five seats at once—perfect for young families with many toddlers!

The rear doors and windows of the car can also be isolated, keeping curious kiddos from inadvertently opening the doors from inside. Take note that the power windows do not come with an anti-jam function, which means that little fingers can get stuck between the glass and the door frame.

Nonetheless, the car scores an impressive 87% for child occupant safety in ANCAP testing. It equipped with airbags and seat belt reminders in all three rows of seats. A child presence alert also works as long as the seatbelts remain fastened.

Powered by a gutsy V6 petrol engine, Acadia offers good economy. It also comes with the latest infotainment and active safety technology, including autonomous emergency braking.

Mid-sized families of 4 to 6 people? Go for WV Tiguan or Mazda CX-5

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

Base Price: $43,490

What makes it great for families?

• Stylish and sporty design
• Advanced safety and infotainment features
• Massive interior space with plenty of storage
• Smooth drive for city traffic
• Impressively quiet cabin

What are its turn-offs?

• Extra seating is tiny
• 1.4L turbo engine can get sluggish and suspension tune can get extra-stiff around the rear
• Costly premium upgrade packages
• Higher-than-rivals entry price

Source: volkswagen.co.in

This seven-seater mid-size SUV extends its wheelbase to make room for the extra seats. The front seats offer excellent head clearance and plenty of room for the arms and the deep footwell.

There are plenty of storage spaces from massive bottle holders in the doors, trick cupholders in the centre console, bay under the climate controls, big roof-mounted boxes, centre console box, big glove box, and pockets on the back of the seats.

Just like Skoda’s Kodiaq, the Allspace has two ISOFIX and three top-tether-style child-seat anchor points and can fit the three seats in at once. The rear door locking and window switches can be isolated from the driver’s door. It also has anti-jamming power windows.

Scoring a five-star in the ANCAP safety result and 80% in child occupant testing, the vehicle features seven-airbags, including curtain airbags in all three rows, and seatbelt reminders in all seating positions.

2020 Mazda CX-5

Base Price: $41,105

What makes it great for families?

• Smooth driving dynamics
• Responsive and predictable handling and suspension
• Plenty of safety features
• Stylish, upscale look on high-end trims

What are its turn-offs?

• Not as much cargo as its class rivals
• Small rear seat area
• A console-mounted infotainment control knob
• No manual transmission option

Source: mazda.ph

One of the most popular medium-sized SUVs in Australia, the latest CX-5 model comes in seven trims, choices of front-wheel or all-wheel drive, and three engine options: 2.0L or 2.5L Skyactiv G-Petrol Engine, 2.2L Skyactiv-D Diesel Engine, and 2.5L Turbocharged G-Petrol Engine. The new turbocharged engine is set to offer a 310 lb-ft of torque.

Aside from its excellent driving dynamics and reliability that Mazda cars have come to be known for, the CX-5 can comfortably seat five people. Its sportier look outside is matched with a versatile boot space and a premium-feel interior that appeal mostly to urban families with an active lifestyle.

It is also equipped with many family-friendly and technologically advanced convenience and safety features, such as keyless entry, push-button start, a four-speaker stereo, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, 17-inch alloy wheels, and LED headlights.

Standard features include the Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC), Rear Parking Sensors, and Smart City Brake Support (SCBS). The top-spec trims come with many additional advanced technologies, like Front Parking Sensors, Active Driving Display, Traffic Sign Recognition, Premium BOSE® Audio, Sunroof, Power Tailgate, 360° View Monitor, and 7-Inch TFT LCD Multi-Information Meter Display.

Small household? Check the budget-friendly Honda CR-V or the luxury Range Rover Evoque

2020 Honda CR-V

Base Price: $28,290

What makes it great for families?

• The steering feels precise and natural
• Superb handling – handles bumps with ease
• Tall, wide door openings for easy access
• High-quality internal materials

What are its turn-offs?

• Touch-screen interface is a bit clunky and finicky
• The navigation system isn’t super-reliable

Source: automobiles.honda.com

Perfect for medium to small families with a modest income, Honda CR-V has an established reputation for ride comfort and roominess at a price that many families can afford. It also has a strong 1.5-litre engine turbocharged engine that offers quick acceleration and good fuel economy.

The CR-V’s spacious cabin comes from its large cargo capacity and plentiful storage areas. There are also heaps of advanced infotainment and safety features that are beneficial for the whole family, such as Bluetooth audio streaming, adaptive cruise control, and the latest crash prevention technology.

The newly released Honda CR-V Hybrid variant offers a high fuel economy and runs on more powerful 2.0-litre, 16-valve DOHC Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder engine with an impressive estimated fuel economy of 39 mpg combined. It also has a standard all-wheel-drive

2020 Range Rover Evoque

Base Price: $62,670

What makes it great for families?

• A timeless presence, subtly redesigned for a sleeker and more chic look
• Elite interior design with quality materials throughout
• More spacious than the previous model
• Impressive on-roading and off-roading capabilities

What are its turn-offs?

• Too many options can be confusing
• Not much comfortable space in the rear
• Pricier base price than most competitors
• Expensive optional high-tech features

Source: landrover.ca

The 5-seater luxury SUV is ideal for well-to-do small urban families who don’t mind paying extra for superior performance, luxurious amenities and impressive (although rarely used) off-road capabilities.

Range Rover Evoque is an impressive player in the country’s premium medium-SUV segment since its first-gen launch in 2011. The model has undergone continuous improvement and upgrades through the years but continues to “wow” people with its fully redesigned yet equally impressive style and high-quality interior fixtures.

The latest Evoque model will be available in seven trim levels with a total of six engines and 26 variants. It features an increased boot space and a string of tech-savvy and environmentally friendly upgrades.

• Compared to the previous models, it has an additional 20 mm of length to the wheelbase, increased headroom, 20mm of rear knee room, and 20cm of extra boot space in width. Even with these additional space, the rear seats are still fairly cramped.
• Apart from the bigger, more spacious cabin, Evoque 2020 is also redesigned with a new infotainment system that appeals to everyone, parents and children alike. Smartphone connectivity is a standard across all trims in the range. The system also records the driver’s habits and downloads updates over the air.
• The car also has a revolutionary under-bonnet camera that adds extra vision and recreates the front-axle of your car, making it “smarter” enough to show you what you’re about to drive over and where you’re placing the wheels. Additionally, a water-repelling camera is mounted on the rear of the roof and displayed on the rear-view mirror.

Found your ideal family SUV already? Buy it now before your spouse changes his or her mind! At Positive Lending Solutions, we can help you find the best car loan deal from our wide network of banks and online lenders across the country. Talk to our car loan specialist today on 1300 722 210.

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