Have you ever wondered why there so many SUVs driving around our roads these days? I mean growing up your parents would have more than likely had a Holden Commodore or a Ford Falcon – family sedans. For many years they were 20 the biggest selling cars that Australian families knew and trusted.
These days, things are slightly different – many parents have chosen bigger more practical SUVs compared to what they were brought up in. So we thought we’d understand why new parents go for a SUV over the traditional Sedans. 5 top reasons came to my mind and today I’ll share them with you.
- New car
- Ride height
- Safety
- Car seats and prams
- Kids’ preference
New car
As a parent when you’re expecting your first baby, one of the things that’s added to the checklist is a newer, safer and bigger family car. When it’s a new car there’s less chance of it breaking down and fewer unexpected surprises.
Many manufacturers also give complimentary roadside assistance for the duration of the warranty that comes with this new car. Saving money is obviously important to many parents given all the new bills that they will be getting with the little one in the house.
Ride height
This has become one of the main reasons behind why SUVs are so popular with parents. Whether higher ride height compared to what many of our parents drove, it’s easier to get the kids in and out of the back of the car.
The height also helps with with the prams and the baby seats that come with the kids. At the same time it’s less stressful on the back for parents.
Safety
Many of the SUVs that parents look into these days come with some of the highest safety ratings – that’s 5 stars.
That’s because every parent wants to make sure that everyone in the car is a safe as they can be in case of an accident.
Some parents also prefer to pull their child in the middle rear seat. This creates extra space between the doors and the child – making it might safer for them in case of a crash. Remember accidents do happen on a road regardless of whose fault it is.
Car seats and prams
With the new car seat rules, a child must be in a car seat for up to the age of 8. That’s a lot of years and it certainly wasn’t the case when I was growing up.
Car seats being one of the major concerns of any parents have, especially when it comes to getting a rear facing car seat in the back without pushing the front passenger seat too forward.
In a small hatch or older sedans this is practically impossible. Many of the SUVs that parents look into have got space in the back for rear facing car seats without giving up too much of the space in the front seat.
Prams come with the kids, every parent knows that. Many of the SUVs have reasonable space in the back for prams and shopping. It’s always good for parents to check for the space when looking at a car, just to make sure they fit in.
Kids preferences
I remember when I was a kid, I was wanted to sit in the fire truck. That’s still the same with kids these days. They generally like higher sitting positions when travelling, they can see a lot more out of the window.
That’s obviously only true if they’re not being distracted by an iPad – which for the record I never had.
In the past sedans were the norm for families but nowadays SUVs are shown to be the leading choice by parents and based on these 5 reasons as to why they are perfect for a growing family.
