What should you drive if you have two kids, two dogs, and a cow?
My brother and his wife have a bun in the oven and a serious need for a new family vehicle. They’ve been busy getting ready for their new baby girl and asked me to help them start the initial research for their next car.
The Honk search tool was built to handle situations exactly like this so I fired up my browser to sort through family-oriented crossover vehicles with high safety ratings, ample seating, and great fuel economy:
2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Matt and Natalie have their own organic farm, complete with fresh vegetables, chickens, and a cow (yes, really – they own a cow). It goes without saying that ‘green’ is at the top of their list.
The Toyota Highlander is one of the few family-friendly hybrids out there and I think that my brother and his family will appreciate both the great mileage and the roomy cabin.
2011 Kia Sorento
Matt and Natalie have already told me that third-row seats are a must-have.
The great-looking Kia Sorento just arrived and it’s got an optional third row of seats that will be great for the occasional carpool or visit from Uncle Josh. It’s also easy on the wallet and it gets great fuel economy (up to 29 mpg on the highway).
2010 Toyota RAV4
In addition to two adults and two kids, this family also has two canines – Rio and Bella – to cart around. The Toyota RAV4 scored well with people who own pets and I discovered that there’s a wide range of aftermarket pet accessories (cages, harnesses, etc) built especially for the RAV4.
2010 Mitsubishi Outlander
Matt and Natalie live in snowy Pennsylvania and they’re going to need all-wheel drive and plenty of ground clearance to handle the next Snowpocalypse. The Mitsubishi Outlander has the most ground clearance of all the vehicles on this list and it can be had with the all-important third row. Winter, you’ve met your match.
How now brown cow?
So what car should you drive if you’ve got two kids, two dogs, and a cow? My vote goes to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid but we’ll have to see what Matt and Natalie pick for their family… Rumor has it that my 3-year old niece is in love with the sock monkey from the Kia Sorento TV commercial.
