Top 5 Family-Friendly Sedans

There are a lot of four-door sedans out there on dealer lots, but not all of them are especially suitable for family use. A family sedan needs to be able to accommodate both adult passengers and children of all ages comfortably, which rules out some of the smaller vehicles on the market. It also needs to have a sizable trunk as well as enough power to haul all of the hockey gear, soccer balls or camping supplies that may get thrown at it by the many varied activities of children. Finally, it needs to be able to stand up to the abuse that it will inevitably suffer at the hands of bored rug rats exiled to the rear seat, meaning that luxury sedans with supple leather and elegant wood trim need not apply.

This article takes a look at five of the best family sedans available. These cars are reliable, affordable and big enough to handle the average sized family’s lifestyle and needs, while still being interesting enough to drive that the parent’s won’t fall asleep behind the wheel.

2009 Chevrolet Malibu

After spending close to a decade as one of the most anonymous and common rental cars in America, Chevrolet did a complete re-design of the Malibu for 2008 that saw the sedan leap out of its formerly bland skin and adopt a brand new persona that was an instant hit with car buyers and the automotive press alike. The 2009 Chevrolet carries on with this new platform, which features attractive exterior styling designed to grab the attention of drivers who had previously passed over the automobile.

Inside, the Malibu is also quite impressive. The sedan is well suited to accommodating the space needs of families thanks to its stretched wheelbase and excellent interior room. The backs of the front seats have been hollowed out to prevent young feet from landing any kicks as well as providing the occasional adult rear passenger excellent comfort no matter how tall they might be. The trunk measures 15.1 cubic feet and features a rear pass-through for longer items like skis or lacrosse equipment. The materials used throughout the interior walk the line between quality and durability and should be able to resist even the most dedicated picking.

When it comes to driving experience, the Malibu offers two engines, a 2.4 liter, 169 horsepower 4-cylinder unit for those more oriented towards fuel economy and a 3.6 liter, 252 horsepower V6 that makes for excellent acceleration, especially during highway passing. A 6-speed automatic transmission is available for each engine, but a 4-speed auto is standard for the smaller motor. A mild hybrid version of the Malibu is also available for environmentally conscious families.

The 2009 Chevrolet Malibu is a solid middle of the road option for families who want a sedan that is a step above basic transportation but which won’t break the bank.

2010 Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry has long been a front runner when it comes to family sedans, and it is easy to see why. One of the most reliable vehicles ever built, the Camry has an excellent reputation as the ultimate family driving appliance. Just add oil and gas and the Camry will loyally serve any family for hundreds of thousands of miles. The 2010 Camry has been given a refresh in terms of both interior and exterior styling, which helps it to stay in touch with current Toyota design trends.

The Toyota Camry is unique amongst mid-size family sedans in that it balances a fairly small road footprint with excellent interior space. This makes it easy to park at the mall or in a crowded high school lot. The Camry’s trunk size matches that of the slightly longer Malibu, and the passenger compartment is actually larger in almost every dimension, which means fewer arguments about who has to sit in the back seat. The Camry can be loaded up with kid-friendly options such as an MP3-capable stereo and rear window shades to help protect babies and toddlers from the hot sun, and it has numerous airbags to keep precious cargo safe and secure.

In addition to more interesting styling, Toyota has also implanted the 2010 Camry with a peppier base engine, a 169 horsepower, 4-cylinder engine that displaces 2.5 liters. The Camry SE sees an extra 10 ponies squeezed out of the same motor, while top of the line versions of the sedan feature a 3.5 liter V6 that generates 268 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque. A 6-speed manual or automatic transmission is available with either 4-banger, but the V6 is restricted to the auto. Like the Malibu, a hybrid version of the vehicle can be purchased.

The 2010 Toyota Camry has stepped out of its shadow and become a more enticing family option thanks to new base power and a revised styling focus.

2009 Ford Taurus

Once the best-selling sedan in North America, the Ford Taurus went through several different iterations before once again finding the spark that made it so appealing to families across the country. After a brief interlude where Ford showrooms were bereft of the model, the Ford Five Hundred was renamed the Taurus and revamped with close to 500 changes in order to accentuate the brand’s new direction.

The 2009 Ford Taurus is not a small car, and it crests the larger end of the mid-size spectrum. Excellent use of interior room means that the Taurus actually offers more passenger space than the now-departed Crown Victoria full-size. 108 cubic feet of volume translates into excellent separation between the left and right areas of the rear seat, which in turn promises to keep squabbling to a minimum between cranky underage occupants. The trunk is also sizable, coming in at 21 cubic feet and giving the Taurus class-leading specs and great utility. The vehicle also allows for an MP3 player to be plugged into the center console, which combined with the Microsoft SYNC entertainment system and rear DVD player should help to make the car a hit with teenage passengers and younger tykes alike.

The Taurus stands out from other family sedans in the same price range in a few other ways, one of which is the option of all-wheel drive. This helps to keep families safe even during snowy weather when traction is greatly reduced. There is only one engine available in the Ford Taurus, a 3.5 liter V6 that offers a healthy 263 horsepower and 249 lb-ft of torque, along with fuel mileage numbers of 18 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles per gallon on the highway.

The 2009 Ford Taurus is a worthy addition to the driveways of families looking for something spacious but not wanting to move up to a less efficient and bulkier SUV.

2009 Nissan Altima

Nissan has always positioned their sedans as ‘four door sports cars’, but while this might be an excellent form of marketing it sometimes conceals from buyers the fact that these automobiles also offer good value for families. The 2009 Nissan Altima is legitimately fun to drive, and it balances this sporting spirit with a practical nature that should endear it to anyone who has to regularly haul around their brood.

The 2009 Nissan Altima provides a spacious rear seat and a well laid out interior that feels a bit more upscale than some of the other family options. Nissan has paid a lot of attention as to how the inside of their car looks as well as how it functions. Parents will be happy with the ergonomics of the vehicle, and the kids will like the MP3 stereo and satellite radio options. A 15 cubic foot trunk keeps the Altima competitive with other mid-size sedans. One of the most confusing but ultimately rewarding aspects of the Nissan Altima is its configurability – there are a huge number of different options packages available, which makes it easier for parents to choose exactly the features they are looking for in a car.

The 2009 Nissan Altima is a vehicle which is definitely going to make the driver smile once the key has been turned and the engine is purring underfoot, no matter how many screaming kids might be occupying the back seat. The least powerful engine available in the Altima is a 2.5 liter, 175 horsepower 4-cylinder, while the next step up adds 2 cylinders and an extra liter of displacement to provide 270 horsepower in total. Nissan’s flagship VQ 6-cylinder engine is an absolute pleasure to drive, and when paired with a 6-speed manual transmission it verges on poetry. For those who need to keep an arm free to act as referee, a continuously-variable automatic transmission can be installed as an option. A hybrid Altima that uses Toyota technology provides a further drivetrain choice.

For those parents who aren’t quite ready to settle when it comes to driving thrills, but who also don’t want to expose a higher end car to the cumulative effect of transporting small children, the 2009 Nissan Altima serves as an excellent middle ground.

2009 Volkswagen Passat

To some car-buying families, German engineering carries a lot of weight when it comes to choosing a practical automobile. Volkswagen has largely cornered the market when it comes to affordable and well-built compact and mid-sized sedans, with most other German manufacturers choosing to target the higher end of the market. Leading the way for VW in the family sedan department is the Passat, a mid-size vehicle with trendy styling and a lot going for it in terms of family-friendly features.

To begin with, the 2009 Volkswagen Passat has been designed so that a crew of six-footers could all comfortably co-exist within its confines no matter how long the road trip. Any parent familiar with the stresses induced by siblings on a lengthy drive will appreciate the demilitarized zone afforded between younger occupants thanks to this interior volume. To achieve so much space, the Passat gives up a little in the trunk area, with only 14.2 cubic feet available. However, there are storage bins throughout the cabin where smaller items such as games, toys and books can be kept close at hand. The rear seats can also be folded down in order to handle larger cargo from Home Depot or even a few boogie boards being transported to the beach.

The base engine in the 2009 Volkswagen Passat puts many other family sedans to shame. 200 horsepower are pushed out of a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder thanks to the use of a turbocharger. However, the 2.0 is also the only engine offered in the sedan, with the V6 from previous model years being removed from the options list. However, outfitted with a 6-speed automatic transmission, the Passat is still a capable performer and is more than up to the demands of daily driving.

The 2009 Volkswagen Passat might cost a bit more than other comparatively equipped family sedans, but it provides excellent design and a compelling experience behind the wheel that is difficult to find in this segment.