How Can a Small Car Also Be a Family Car?

Although across North America, the land of gas-guzzlers, supersized meals, and hulking, oversized SUVs, the term “small family car” is an unfamiliar one, in the rest of world, small families are content with using small family cars for their daily travel needs. Small cars that can also be used as family vehicles tend to be slightly larger than superminis, the tiny, increasingly popular personal transport-sized cars that dot the streets and alleys of many countries around the world. A small family car generally falls in a size category that lies somewhere between the tiny supermini and the large family car required by many bigger families. In North America, a car of this size might be known as a compact car, but it will rarely by used by a typical family.

A small hatchback car that will be used mostly as a family car should be a minimum of 4200 millimetres long, but it is also usually no longer than 4350 millimetres long. A small estate, saloon, or cabriolet that will be used as a family vehicle generally measures no longer than 4550 millimetres and no shorter than about 4400 millimetres. There is also a narrow selection of small SUVs and multi-purpose vehicles that can be considered small family cars. These rose in popularity during the 1990s and still have a small international group of devoted followers.

The engines found in these small family vehicles are usually quite small themselves. They must be strong enough to get a small family from point A to point B effortlessly, but not so strong that they defeat the purpose of having a family car. Although small family car engines can be gasoline-powered or run on straight diesel fuel, they are usually either 1.6 litre engines or at most no larger than 2.0 litre engines. 1.4 litre engines are also not uncommon in small family cars.

The bhp of a small family car usually falls somewhere between 100 and 150. If more bhp is needed or desired, there are a few small family vehicles with turbocharged 2.0 litre engines and even a very few with V6 engines. These generally provide around 170 to as much as 260 bhp. Because this much power is not usually necessary, these engines are a rare find in a small family car.

The best way to know if a small car will be suitable for your family and all the necessary accessories that have to travel with you is to simply take your stuff with you when you pay the dealership a visit. The size of the trunk is a good place to start so drag along the tricycle, the stroller, and a couple of larger toys and make sure everything fits comfortably in the trunk of the car without having to adjust the rear seats to an uncomfortable position. Although there are a few small car brands that may struggle, there are many that will be able to accommodate all your gear effortlessly.

The next area to test is the rear seating area. Depending on the ages of your kids and how many there are, you may need to fit any number of child car seats into this area. Bring along with you the right amount of child car seats, and see if you can get them all strapped in safely. Many small cars have ample rear seating areas for as many as two car seats and three or four smaller passengers.

If you need extra space for luggage, you can consider fitting your small car with a roof rack. A roof rack is an accessory that is almost essential for a small family car, especially for when taking the whole gang on vacation.

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