Family

You have to be pragmatic about buying a car for the family. We’re talking here about the familiar Focus or Astra-sized Family Hatchback, one step up from a Supermini, yet not as large as a Mondeo-sized model from the larger Medium Range class.

Much as you’d like something with tarmac-burning performance and enough gadgets to furnish a small electrical store, you know deep down that you’re really going to end up with something a lot more practical and a lot less fun. After all, just look at today’s motoring conditions and the expense and aggravation when things go wrong. It’s best, surely, to err on the side of caution.

Well, yes and no. For a start, Family Hatchbacks have improved a great deal since the last time you bought one. A number of the more modern offerings are actually a whole lot of fun to drive and all need a good deal less attention in the service bays.

This is the largest market arena in the UK, with virtually every mainstream maker represented in one form or another. There are plenty of spin-off sectors too. Small saloon and estate variations of Family Hatchbacks have been around for a while but in the late Nineties, they were also joined by mini-MPVs like Renault’s Scenic. If versatility is important and you’ve a growing family to consider, these are well worth considering. Otherwise, a traditional Family Hatchback will do the job just as well.