Despite the ever-growing popularity of SUVs, MPVs and crossovers, conventional family cars remain the de facto choice for many buyers. In fact, four of the cars on our list were among the UK’s 10 best-selling cars in 2015.
Why is that? Well, 90% of the time, a conventional family car caters for 90% of drivers’ needs. All of the models on our list will accommodate five people and their luggage in comfort, scored the full five stars in their Euro NCAP assessments, incur reasonable running costs and offer easy manoeuvrability around town.
It’s true that MPVs tend to have more versatile seating arrangements, while SUVs and crossovers offer an increased ride height, but many people don’t really want these features; conventional family hatchbacks are also generally better to drive than MPVs, SUVs and the like.
In fact, being good to drive is partly what these cars are all about. Family life is so busy many journeys must simply be despatched with and forgotten, but owning a car that disappoints on the open road or offers lacklustre motorway performance is a pitfall worth avoiding – and one our top 10 rundown ensures you won’t experience.
1. Vauxhall Astra hatchback
The latest Vauxhall Astra has been on sale since late 2015, and it’s fair to say it’s the best family hatchback the company has ever made. The Astra is better built, more aesthetically pleasing and more economical than any of its predecessors. We rate it as the best family car you can buy today, thanks to its blend of modern technology, excellent value for money and superb overall ownership experience. The Astra is enjoyable to drive when you want it to be, yet quiet, comfortable and undemanding when you need a family workhorse. Spend an extra £500 or so to secure the peppy and turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol over the entry-level engine, or go for the 1.6-litre diesel ecoFLEX model for its staggering 85mpg economy, free road tax and low company-car rate. Vauxhall also builds an estate version, called the Astra Sports Tourer if you need extra room.
2. Renault Megane hatchback
As much as we strive for objectivity, the new Renault Megane is simply too handsome not to draw comment. It’s a similar story inside, where the iPad-style portrait touchscreen (standard on mid-range models), plentiful soft-touch plastics and comfortable seats mark the Megane out as having a more appealing interior ambiance than the competition including (whisper it) the Audi A3 and the Volkswagen Golf – traditional frontrunners in this area. The Megane is more about comfort than overt driver thrills, but it’s still enjoyable to hustle down a country backroad, and motorway journeys are quiet and relaxed. Only an awkwardly shaped boot aperture and the odd scratchy piece of plastic lower down inside let the Megane down slightly.
3. Skoda Octavia
Always a sensible choice, the Skoda Octavia is more enjoyable to drive than you might think. It’s also incredibly spacious – most noticeably in the back – while the huge boot dwarfs those found in cars from one or even two classes above. There’s not a bad engine in the range, either, with the entry-level 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol providing reasonable performance and returning over 60mpg; if you need greater efficiency, the diesel GreenLine returns 80mpg. Interior quality is strong, and knowing you’re essentially driving the same car as the Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf – yet saving thousands of pounds – should provide a welcome sense of satisfaction. Choose the Octavia Estate if you need an even more cavernous boot, the four-wheel-drive Octavia Scout for conquering light wilderness or the sporty Octavia vRS if performance is your thing.
4. SEAT Leon hatchback
Another car sharing Volkswagen Group mechanicals, the SEAT Leon pips the Golf and Audi A3 on this list thanks to its lower price, distinctive looks and sharp driving experience. SEAT offers a performance version of the Leon (called the Leon Cupra) and the Ecomotive model prioritises economy. As with the Octavia, there’s a Leon for everyone: buyers seeking practicality should investigate the Leon ST estate, the style-conscious may be drawn to the three-door Leon SC, while outdoorsy types will find the rugged four-wheel-drive Leon X-perience caters to their needs. The standard five-door Leon gets our nod as a family buy thanks to its excellent all-round capabilities, decent practicality and strong driving experience.
5. Volkswagen Golf hatchback
The Octavia is about £1,000 cheaper than the Leon, but the £500 or so gap between the SEAT and the five-door Volkswagen Golf is narrower. Spend the extra cash on the Golf over the Leon and you’ll get a plusher interior, a more comfortable (though slightly less involving) driving experience, as well as the all-important VW badge and image. As with the cars above, VW offers an economical BlueMotion model (capable of over 80mpg) a three-door Golf, a Golf Estate, a rugged four-wheel-drive model (called the Golf Alltrack) as well the choice of two sporty models, the Golf GTI and Golf R. Unlike Leon and Octavia customers, though, Golf buyers can also opt for the hybrid GTE, the all-electric e-Golf or the convertible Golf Cabriolet. Why is the Golf beaten by the Leon and the Octavia, aside from price? Well, the gap between these three cars is narrow, but the Leon is sharper to drive and the Octavia significantly more spacious; in fact, the standard Octavia hatchback’s boot is only 2.5% smaller than the Golf Estate’s.
6. Hyundai i30 hatchback
Offering even greater value than the Octavia is the Hyundai i30. Just because it’s the cheapest car on this list, don’t think choosing the i30 is a compromise though. It looks impressively modern and distinctive, returns as much as 79mpg comes very well equipped. Although it’s not quite as enjoyable on winding B-roads as some of the cars on this list, the i30 is by no means uninvolving and offers a comfortable experience on long journeys. Despite being quite affordably priced, all i30s come with voice recognition, Bluetooth connectivity, LED running lights and air-conditioning. And although the i30 depreciates more than some cars on this list, Hyundai’s excellent five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty is a notable selling point that’s fully transferable to secondhand buyers.
7. Mazda3 hatchback
The Mazda3 is great to drive, cheap to run and seriously stylish. If its looks alone aren’t enough to sway you, a test drive may seal the deal, as the 3 gets the balance just right between comfort and driver enjoyment. The top-spec 2.2-litre diesel engine adds about £2,500 to the Mazda3’s price, but it’s a gem of an engine that returns almost 70mpg, costs just £20 a year to tax and gets the 3 from 0-62mph in just 8.1 seconds. SE Nav trim adds sat nav to the standard car’s impressive roll-call of equipment, which includes alloy wheels, cruise control, all-round electric windows and smartphone app integration. The Mazda3 also holds its value well on the secondhand market, while reliability is another strong suit.
8. Audi A3 Sportback hatchback
Even though the Audi A3 Sportback (the name Audi gives to the five-door A3) features lower on this list than other Volkswagen Group cars, its looks, style and interior quality are enough to tempt many into Audi dealerships, with the A3 being the eighth best-selling car in the UK last year. Step inside and it’s easy to understand why: the A3’s dashboard design and sense of solidity are unimpeachable. The driving experience is sharp, comfortable and impressively quiet, and the A3 also comes with Audi’s excellent 148bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine. This partially shuts down during cruising, enabling the car to return 61mpg, incur just £20 a year in road tax and go from 0-62mph in a fraction over eight seconds – impressive figures for a petrol model. Choose the digital dashboard dials (called ‘Virtual Cockpit’ by Audi) to feel like you’re driving a car from the future, and stick to smaller alloy wheels unless you like to know about every pothole you drive over. The A3 saloon adds a dash of executive flavour, the Cabriolet lets you enjoy the sun, while the fast S3 and RS3 run the Porsche 718 Boxster close in terms of straight-line speed. A high initial purchase price and vast options list mean the A3 is an expensive proposition, though.
9. Ford Focus hatchback
The Ford Focus continues to be an incredibly popular car, with millions sold since the first model was launched in 1999. What makes it such a great family buy? Well, despite offering plentiful interior space and low running costs, the Focus has a well-deserved reputation for being great to drive; sharp, accurate steering combined with perfectly judged suspension make it the most enjoyable car in this class. The ECOnetic diesel model can return up to 83mpg yet still offers a reasonable turn of speed, while the 345bhp Focus RS offers more power and performance for your money than almost any other car today. The Focus sits low on this list as it’s getting on a bit now (the dashboard design speaks to this), while its small boot limits practicality somewhat. Avoid the entry-level 1.6-litre petrol engine, as this is slow and not hugely economical.
10. Peugeot 308 hatchback
An honourable 10th place goes to the Peugeot 308. Like the Megane above, it’s French, good-looking, comfortable and pretty decent to drive. It also has low running costs, a wide range of engines and a large boot; this comes at the expense of rear passenger space, though. Other niggles include a steering wheel that may obscure the dashboard dials for some and a fiddly infotainment touchscreen, which you’re forced to use to change the air-conditioning (although entry-level cars do without this). Still, the 308 looks great in the metal and while there are foibles, these arguably contribute to its character – a facet some people feel modern cars can lack. Source by carbuyer.co.uk
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