Finding a great car for the family

One of the elusive things that many people look for is the perfect family car. Not every car will suit every family of course, but there are some that come close.



If you’re looking something that offers plenty of comfortable features and a little bit of refinement as well, then the new Honda Accord Tourer could be the one for you. It’s an estate car – or wagon as they’re called in the States – and so comes with plenty of seating space and bags of room for luggage in the back. Along with that, it has good handling and performance. This is not just a box on four wheels.

The Honda Accord Tourer comes in seven different versions – petrol or diesel engines. As yet, it’s not available as a hybrid car, but that may be on the not too distant horizon as Honda already has a hybrid hatchback, supermini, and sports car in the UK market, with more varieties in the States and Japan.

The car comes with pretty decent standard fittings including safety seats that can recognise whether they’re holding an adult or child and hug the passenger’s shape. In case of a collision, the headrests move forward to protect the passenger or driver from whiplash effects.

The car is very quiet and smooth to drive. There are all kinds of extras you can add on, like automatic wipers and lights, front fog lights and techhie details like Bluetooth for hands free chatting. These extras come automatically with the EX versions and DVD satellite navigation too. Heated seats and are included on the type-S models.

The Honda Accord is one of the safest cars in its class and it comes with gadgets like lane assist and cruise control in its Advanced Driver Assistance System.

For people who have a lot of distance to cover on a regular basis, and need to take four passengers or plenty of stuff when they go, the Honda Accord can offer comfort and a great drive too.

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A hybrid could save your life

Every new car offers greater safety features than its predecessors. Technological developments such as blind spot warning system and lane departure warning systems make driving safer than ever before. And within the vehicle, it’s becoming standard for cars to come with six airbags.

Hybrids have always been advocated for their great fuel economy and the fact that they are better for the environment than conventional cars as their emissions are low. Now, they’ve got another string to their bow – they can be safer cars to drive than conventional cars. This is due to their heavier weight, an average of 10%, because of their extra components - the electric motor and the battery that charges it.

An insurance report carried out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the States has found that the extra weight affords greater safety for their drivers and their passengers in a collision. The report says that occupants of hybrid vehicles are 25 per cent less likely to be hurt in a collision.

However, although it may be safer for the people inside a hybrid car, hybrids may represent a greater danger to people in another car hit by one – for the very same reason. The extra weight that protects its occupants is actually what will make a hybrid have a greater impact on another car during a collision.

It has also been suggested that hybrids can be dangerous for pedestrians. The danger comes from the fact that the hybrid has a very quiet engine noise – and so pedestrians can be unaware of an approaching hybrid vehicle behind them. Hybrids may be involved in 20 per cent more crashes with pedestrians than conventional cars, according to Highway Loss Data Institute analysis.

So, hybrids score highly in some regards for safety, while they represent a greater danger for unaware pedestrians and those in other vehicles. As with most things in life, there are pros and cons to driving a hybrid.

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Why not hire a hybrid first?

If you’re thinking about joining in the green motoring trend but aren’t really sure whether it’s the right thing for you – why not try hiring one first?

An increasing number of car rental firms now offer hybrids and green cars, from manufacturers including Honda and Toyota, to rent to motorists who have a bit of a green conscience. And a test drive just isn’t the same thing. You only truly get to know the feel and overall operation of a car when you drive it over long distances and in different situations over at least a few days. Its strong and weak points become all too apparent.



The same goes for electric vehicles. These are also available to hire with some of the bigger, better-known car rental companies, though these are mainly in and around major cities as of course, the rental agency needs to organising recharging for you.

There are no such problems with hybrid cars though. So it’s a good idea to do all the research you can on what the best hybrid option is for you before deciding which one to rent. The Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight are perhaps the best well known of the hybrids, but there are an ever increasing number from which to choose.

So if you’re at all nervous about buying into the hybrid boom, renting one is a great way to truly gauge what each new car offers.

And just in case you aren’t familiar with hybrid car technology - they have a petrol (or diesel) engine to power them, combined with an electric motor. The latter helps the engine when the car is accelerating, so less fuel is used and the harmful emissions to the atmosphere are minimised.

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