Parents Magazine And Edmunds Name The 10 Best Family Cars Of 2017

"It's so important that families feel safe and comfortable while on the road as well as confident in the price they paid for the car's features," says Parents magazine Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello. "Between school drop-offs, playdate pickups, sports-practice shuttling and carpools, we spend so much time in our family vehicles. This year's top picks highlight features that support the needs of Mom and Dad, and also kid passengers of all sizes — from our newborns to our preteens."

The list includes a vehicle for every type of family, from those looking for fuel efficiency to those needing room for many passengers. "The 10 Best Family Cars of 2017" appears in the July issue of Parents magazine and online at parents.com/best-family-cars.

"Edmunds has the most in-depth vehicle evaluation program of any third-party automotive-shopping site, and a critical part of our process is determining how a car will fit into someone's lifestyle," says Ed Hellwig, Edmunds senior editor. "Many of us on the Edmunds editorial team are parents ourselves, so we know how hard it can be to find vehicles that are safe, affordable, fun to drive, and have all the features a busy family needs. This year's list offers parents a wide range of choices designed to suit a variety of budgets and tastes."

According to Parents magazine and Edmunds, the 10 "Best Family Cars of 2017" (with starting prices) are:

BEST ECO-FRIENDLY CAR

• Chevrolet Bolt EV ($29,995, after $7,500 federal tax credit)
  Connect up to seven devices at once and benefit from a Wi-Fi hotspot in this electric car that can travel up to 238 miles on one charge.

BEST BUDGET VEHICLE

• Kia Soul ($16,100)
  Enjoy cavernous cargo capacity, a six-speaker audio system, as well as XM satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity in this budget vehicle fit for five.

BEST HATCHBACK

• Subaru Crosstrek ($21,695)
  Change the tunes without taking your eyes off the road in this all-wheel-drive hatchback, equipped with infotainment you can control with voice commands. Extra packages include adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking and more.

BEST SMALL SEDAN

• Honda Civic ($18,740)
  With enough trunk space for two strollers, this vehicle offers the room that many families need and comes with a multi-angle rearview camera, keeping safety a top priority.

BEST SEDAN

• Hyundai Sonata ($21,950)
  This sedan offers a roomy backseat that can hold a trio of teens comfortably, as well as luxury features such as Apple CarPlay and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel.

BEST MIDSIZE CROSSOVERS

• Mazda CX-5 ($24,045)
  Stay connected with Bluetooth and enjoy the 7-inch infotainment touchscreen in this redesigned crossover, which also offers a top-notch and affordable safety-upgrade package.
• Honda CR-V ($24,045)
  New in this year's hot-selling model are a large storage bin, roomy door pockets and two device-charging ports.

BEST WAGON

• Subaru Outback ($25,645)
  Designed for off-roading family adventures, this wagon has moved up in luxury features by adding user-friendly touchscreens and plush seating. Upgrade packages offer EyeSight safety features including automated reverse braking.

BEST MINIVAN

• Chrysler Pacifica ($28,595)
  This minivan brings enhanced style to the category and fits up to eight passengers. Additional features include active noise cancellation for a quiet cabin and the Uconnect infotainment system.

BEST SUV

• Toyota Highlander ($30,630)
  With a V6 engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission, this powerful SUV also includes five charging ports and a safety bundle that includes a collision-avoidance system and pedestrian detection.

This year, Parents and Edmunds experts were impressed by these winners for their generous amounts of cargo space, infotainment options and voice-command systems, smartphone connectivity, surround-view cameras,  automated emergency braking, and lane- and road-departure warning systems.

The partners also awarded five honorable mention designations to:

• Nissan Rogue ($23,820)
• Mazda 3 ($17,845)
• Mercedes-Benz GLC300 SUV ($39,150)
• Hyundai Santa Fe ($30,800)
• Honda Odyssey ($29,990)

ABOUT MEREDITH PARENTS NETWORK
The Meredith Parents Network is a collection of parenting brands targeting millennial women — Parents, FamilyFun, Ser Padres, Parents Latina, and Fit Pregnancy and Baby as well as Parents.com, FitPregnancy.com, and Parenting.com — reflecting the multifaceted experience of what it means to be a mom today. The brands reach moms through dynamic media platforms that engage them in ways they can personally relate to in the moments, places, and languages that are meaningful to them. The Meredith Parents Network reaches a combined audience of more than 30 million readers, while the digital properties reach more than 11 million unduplicated unique monthly visitors and have a social reach of more than 5 million followers.

About Edmunds, Inc.
Edmunds is the leading car information and shopping platform, helping millions of visitors each month find their perfect car. With products such as Edmunds Your Price, Your Lease, and Used+, shoppers can buy smarter with instant, up-front prices for cars and trucks currently for sale at more than 13,000 dealer franchises across the U.S. Edmunds' in-house team of unbiased car-shopping experts provides industry-leading vehicle reviews and shopping tips, as well as welcomes all car-shopping questions to the free Shopper Advice line at 1-855-782-4711, via email at [email protected], via text at ED411, and on Twitter and Facebook. The company is regarded as one of America's best workplaces by Fortune and Great Places to Work. Edmunds is based in Santa Monica, California, and has a satellite office in downtown Detroit, Michigan.

For more information about Parents magazine, contact
Carolyn Evert: [email protected] or 617-585-5790.

For more information about Edmunds, contact Talia James: [email protected] or 310-309-6336.

SOURCE Edmunds