European People Mover

May 2, 2006 5:40 PM

Autofilter: What are some good family (2 adults, 2 toddlers) cars on the market in Europe?

With a move to the UK imminent, I'm starting to think about people movers for my family. The only problem is I don't know what is out there in order to start looking online.

We're looking for something to move the family around, do groceries etc.. We don't want a minivan (and are selling our current minivan before we leave), but would be interested in a sedan or station wagon.

We'll also probably use it for trips to Ireland and/or the Continent.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

posted by smcniven to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

We heart our Peugeot 307 four-door hatch. Don'tbe fooled by outside appearances. This is not a small car, and has more room than our old GM V6 sedan. Lots of safety features, great fuel economy (especially if you get the HDi model), zippy performance, and amazing amounts of interior space. The hatch area is plenty big enough for our weekly shop, luggage for trips etc. If you want more space, get the roof pod or upgrade to the station wagon. We love our sunroof, too :>.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:08 PM on May 2, 2006

The european Ford Focus kicks all kinds of butt over the U.S. version (it's a totally different car).
posted by JekPorkins at 6:12 PM on May 2, 2006

The key bit of this is price range: how much are you looking to spend? The Ford Focus is a great cheap family car, especially used, but if you want to pay more there are better mid-range alternatives.

Also, if you're coming from the US cars are going to seem *a lot* smaller, think of going at least a segment up to get a similar size.
posted by bonaldi at 6:35 PM on May 2, 2006

Toyota Verso (same as the Matrix), or Honda Accord. If you want smaller and cheaper, get a Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic. If you want really small, but still with room for your family, a Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris will fit the bill. Basically, the cars that have a great reputation in the US are your best bets in the UK. All of these cars are best in their class for fuel economy, which will now become a major consideration for you (if it wasn't before.)
posted by Crotalus at 7:19 PM on May 2, 2006

Don't forget Skoda!
posted by I Love Tacos at 7:40 PM on May 2, 2006

You may also like to take a look at diesels. These have a whole different life on the other side of the pond.

Check out some UK car web sites for reviews and informed opinion: Top Gear, Whatcar, Parker's, Autocar... um... that's about all I know actually.

Don't forget UK petrol prices are double USA prices so you really want to be bearing that in mind (diesel is ever so slightly cheaper than petrol). In the US I love my Prius and I think you can get them in the UK now. Certainly I've seen a few over there. You'd be surprised how roomy they are.

I don't know the statistics but I would say that petty car breakins are probably far more rife in the UK than you're used to. I hide everything before leaving the car for 2 minutes - it's a reflex. My (American) wife seems happy to leave a jacket over the back seat all night. Plus cars are often parked outside houses rather than garaged. Thus if you plump for anything other than a sedan I would recommend you make sure your car has a decent pullover type cover for the trunk.

Finally, some UK speak:

Station Wagon = Estate
Sedan = Saloon
Trunk = Boot
Hood = Bonnet
posted by NailsTheCat at 9:12 PM on May 2, 2006

The US concept of a minivan does not translate well to the UK. The European class, MPV (I believe that's multi-passenger vehicle) is a more efficient animal. My MPV is smaller than any US minivan - I looked around when I was in the US last summer. You may still not want one, but if the arguments above make a case, we have a Renault Scenic diesel. It's a perfect family vehicle - the MPV format plus booster seats mean the kids are high up and can see out, and the high headroom means it holds a lot in the 'way-back'. And the flexibility of the format means you can completely remove the back seats and make a pretty good sized vehicle for hauling things around.

UK petrol price this AM was $6.68 per US gallon. Diesel is more expensive than petrol (2-3 pence per litre), not cheaper, but the fuel economy is approximately 20% better for the same litre. European demand for diesel is soaring. You can expect diesel prices to continue to rise above petrol, probably until they hit the fuel economy parity point.

I have never had any car break-in trouble, but I suppose that's a function of where you live.
posted by sagwalla at 2:15 AM on May 3, 2006

Diesel is more expensive than petrol [...] not cheaper.

Apologies for the misinformation and thanks for the correction. Historically it always was cheaper and I checked online before posting but lazily just found prices from late 2005. How things change...

Another comment on US/UK differences, smcniven. While gas prices are per litre in the UK, fuel economy is generally quoted in MPG. That of course is per UK (imperial) gallon which is 20% greater than a US gallon. (The good news is that you get a 20% bigger pint of beer at the pump too.) By way of example, the Prius is quoted at 65.7mpg which converts to 54.75 mpUSg. FWIW I get ~49mpUSg out of my Prius.
posted by NailsTheCat at 6:42 AM on May 3, 2006