Cars.com Dad Makes Father's Day Car Suggestions for Practical and Performance-Inclined Dads
June 18 2009 - 11:14AM
PR Newswire (US)
CHICAGO, June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- With Father's Day coming this
Sunday, Cars.com senior editor and father of two David Thomas took
a look at the cars he's test-driven over the past year to offer
some recommendations that will appease both practical fathers and
dads who need some performance out of their kid-carrier. "As an
automotive journalist, the criteria for what makes a car good
dramatically changes once children are thrown into the equation,"
Thomas said. "I went through this metamorphosis last year, and I've
been casually detailing how my children fit into what I drive every
week." Below are some recommendations in a variety of body styles
and price ranges: Best Budget Car: Hyundai Elantra Touring Runner
Up: Honda Fit The biggest surprise in terms of cars this year had
to be the Hyundai Elantra Touring. It's really a great package of
standard features and lots of room for a good price. The backseat
seemed as big as the one in my 2008 Subaru Outback - which,
granted, isn't saying much, but the Elantra costs much less. The
cargo area is also decent. The Honda Fit's rear headroom is
fantastic. It remains one of the easiest cars I've tested to get in
and out of without bonking my - or my child's - head. Best
Crossover: Toyota Venza Runner Up: Tie -- Buick Enclave and Subaru
Forester Let me just say that I'm not a fan of the driving
experience in the Venza, but everything else about it screams
"terrific daily driver for dads." The backseat is positively huge,
and the cargo area swallows golf bag after golf bag, for those
times when dad foursomes get a day off to hit the links -- like on
Father's Day. Some dads might even like the standard 19- or 20-inch
wheels. The Buick Enclave and its GMC Acadia and Chevy Traverse
siblings are also impressive. They're very easy to get in and out
of when holding a baby, despite their height. I'd say the Ford Flex
is a little easier, but not much, and you don't have to give up the
high riding position and SUV looks. The smaller Subaru Forester has
a very usable cargo space, and it costs less and comes with
standard all-wheel drive. Best Wagon: BMW 535xi Runner Up: Hyundai
Elantra Touring As far as wagons go, nothing beat the BMW 535xi.
Not only was there plenty of room for parents and child seats in
back, but the cargo area was nice and big, with a nifty lift-up
cover. It might have cost near $70,000 as-tested, but it was
well-enough equipped around $66,000 for this to be the uber
daddy-mobile. Best Performance Car: BMW M3 Runner Up: Dodge
Challenger SRT8 The BMW M3 is a dad's dream car, and the fact that
the sedan gives up so little in the usability department makes it
the winner here. That said, I couldn't believe how well a baby seat
fit in the center position of the Dodge Challenger. Best Sports
Car/Coupe: Infiniti G37 Runner Up: Mercedes-Benz CL550 The G37 was
terrific in the day-to-day-use department. It has electronic
controls to slide the front passenger seat forward on both the door
side of the seat and the side near the driver. That meant that when
it was raining I could shut the door with the seat all the way
forward after plopping my child into his seat, then when I was
safely sheltered from the rain in the driver's seat I could hit
that side's button to slide the seat back. It's really
well-thought-out. I wouldn't typically pick a $100,000-plus coupe
for family errand-running, but the CL550 sure did come in handy one
weekend when we had to hit the big-box baby store. My son was so
comfy in it he took a nap, which he rarely does in the car anymore.
I was so comfy in it I wanted to move in full-time -- and with how
much it costs, that might be the price I'd have to pay to get one.
Best Sedan: 2010 Ford Fusion I was impressed with the Fusion more
for its great mileage - I had the four-cylinder version - and quiet
ride than its child-carrying capacity. It did have easy-to-reach
Latch connectors, though, and a big trunk. For more information
about cars recommended for dads, visit
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/ About Cars.com Cars.com is the
leading destination for online car shoppers, offering credible,
easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help
buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much
to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information,
side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased
editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car
inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their
shopping process with the information they need to make confident
buying decisions. Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of
Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media
companies, including Belo (NYSE:BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI),
The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), Tribune Company and The
Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO). DATASOURCE: Cars.com CONTACT:
Jackie Brennan, Associate Public Relations Manager,
+1-312-601-6229, mobile, +1-219-577-6106, , or Steve Nolan, Public
Relations Manager, +1-312-601-5163, mobile, +1-630-310-2468, , both
of Cars.com Web Site: http://www.cars.com/
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