These Are The Best Family Cars Of All Time, According To Our Readers

It's hard not to love a family car. From an engineering standpoint alone, there's just so much thought that goes into them since the market is so competitive, and they need to be able to do so many different things. Despite that, nobody — especially not enthusiast  really ever thinks about them. I want to change that, and that thought is what brought me to the question I asked you all last week.

I wanted to know what you all think the best family car of all time is. What family car sets itself apart from the rest of the field, either by being early to the market, an innovator or having a lot of thoughtful features? You folks really delivered. Of course, there was a smattering of minivans and wagons, which is to be expected from a crew of Jalopnik commenters, but there were also plenty of other unique answers — and quite a few that were so far out of left field it made me wonder if your brains were screwed on straight. To be fair, those were my favorite. 

In any case, why don't you drop down below and check out what family cars your fellow Jalops consider to be the best of all time? Did your car (or maybe your parents') make the list? Let me know in the comments.

Personally haven't driven one. But the Ford Flex had a cult following and people swore by it being the perfect vehicle and it kind of tracks. 400HP available, massive amounts of cargo space, AWD, seats 7, lower load heights.

Submitted by: TB01

1970s/'80s Volvo Wagons. They were safe and you could fit kids and gear in them for days. I was a band nerd in middle school. My mom could get me and three friends, our school bags, and four instruments in the Volvo, and shuttle us all to school three mornings a week. That same Volvo took our family of four on numerous camping trips while full of stuff, and towing a tent trailer. The rear entry was low enough that the aging dog could get in and out. And, it was bulletproof enough that both my brother and I learned to drive on it with its four-speed manual.

Submitted by: JohnnyWasASchoolBy

I agree with the author: the third-gen Chrysler minivan was probably the greatest family vehicle of all time.
But in pre-minivan America, the best came seven (model) years before: the then newly-downsized GM B-body (Chevrolet Caprice/Impala, Pontiac Bonneville/Catalina, Oldsmobile Delta 88 and Buick LeSabre) sedans and wagons. As one reporter stated, it allowed the entire family to go to church in one car.

Submitted by: Joe Stricker

Have to go Panther platform. Look, there's a reason Crown Victorias were taxis for decades. And Town Cars were business cars for the same stretch. Put the people inside, put the luggage in the cavernous trunk. 3 kids in the back, groceries/sports equipment/band equipment/ect in the trunk. In a pinch most have a center seat in the front as well. Not to mention they tow well, parts are still cheap, and they're easy to work on.

Submitted by: Drg84

Peak family car and the styling is timeless. Once you did the free transmission recall, it was trouble free as well.
For the modern equivalent, I nominate the Lucid Gravity, once Lucid becomes a viable company.

Submitted by: fabey

The minivan most people needed, but not what they bought.

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I vote Mazda5. It's the right size for a nuclear family with two extra seats,for car pools or grandparents and not much bigger than a compact car. Bonus was similar ride and handling to a Mazda3 and Jalops couldget it with a manual transmission. We loved ours until it was totaled and I'm surprised it sell better

Submitted by: Carey Mahoney & Slow Joe Crow

It is as close to a mini-van as you can get with a car.

Submitted by: Cluck

Manual transmission, could drive through/over/ANYTHING.. room for 7 6 foot people and still a giant trunk and floor space in front of sliding door for dog. Amazing in snow/sand/etc.. and for road trips, everyone can see out perfectly, and just perfect as a family hauler. (Ok, so it's a bit slow, but also easy to retrofit the Subaru engine in place to mitigate that making it MORE perfect!)

Submitted by: Robert Luhrs

The Ford Aerostar and it's not particularly close.
In the Extended body, eAWD, with the big motor, the suspension could haul incredible amounts inside, like whole apartments of stuff when the seats were removed. When it was time to move people, adults could sit comfortably in all positions, especially with the captain's chairs, again, low floor, high roof (nearly 170 cu ft of cargo/passenger space).
Ours made it 228k miles before the body damage to a door was too much trouble to fix, and it was sold to a guy exporting it to Guatemala.
From 3 teens and dogs on road trips to getting all of the kids through college move-ins and move-outs, plus moving them to apartments, the family Aerostar was a beast in all weather. A Class III hitch made pulling the ski boat no trouble and the AWD helped at the ramp.

Submitted by: potbellyjoe

Miata, young ones don't want kids, don't want to get married, why buy more than is needed.

Submitted by: Ken

Since "car" is derived from "carriage", we can go back in time a bit. The covered wagon is certainly part of "ever made". It could carry an entire extended family, all of their possessions, travel thousands of miles over the worst of terrains, even defend from hostile natives when arranged in a circle, all with 4 HP for the common folk, and 6 HP for the wealthier pioneer family. Covered wagons came standard with brakes on the rear wheels and a convertible top. Flat tires were unknown, but seat belts, air conditioning and flat screens were not available options.

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