Having a family can means big changes for drivers. When before becoming a parent you might have seen a car as a way of expressing yourself, having small children around changes priorities across the board.
In fact for many parents the arrival of children means waving goodbye to a cherished two-seater or powerful coupe and welcoming an SUV or sturdy estate car more suited to small human cargo and their many practical needs. It can be seen as a modern rite of passage in some respects, one of those crossroads in life where priorities change and everything gets adapted to fit in with new and very different circumstances and responsibilities.
But does having kids really mean that you need to forget about owning something as nice as a Mercedes AMG and you have to accept slow performance and heavy handling, even around town? Many people are bucking the trends and finding that performance cars offer the same levels of safety and practicality as less appealing models, and that there is nothing wrong with keeping up your standards when it comes to what you drive just because you now have kids.
Safety first
Of course having kids means always putting their safety first, but although in the past a sportier looking car might have meant that both safety and comfort could be somewhere further down the list than performance and power, today’s models include all the advances in motor vehicle safety technology that you would expect in any high end car.
The appeal of SUVs and 4x4s for family use in cities often lie in the fact that the extra height gives a feeling of security, literally being above danger. Being concerned with safety doesn’t mean you have to have a vehicle that is essential built for out of town and off road use.
Increasingly parking in urban environments is becoming harder and trying to nudge an SUV into a supermarket car park space can be tedious and frustrating.
Multi-use
Being able to put the school run behind you and get out on the open road in a car you really enjoy driving can be a great way to relax as well as spending quality time with your family.
If you find yourself with a car that you actually don’t like driving there isn’t much joy in going out on a day trip or simply just getting everybody out of the house, no matter what the weather.