At NowCar, we know our demographic of consumers is one of variety. You’re not all old, you’re not all young. Some of you may even be starting a family soon. With the days getting warmer and the year growing older, so are the little ones. Summer should be spent cherishing the time together before they go off to college (we covered cars for those kids, too), and what better way than to go to the park, the beach, or on a road trip to see gramma and grampa? There’s a few cars that are the very best for families.

2017 Kia Sportage

A combination of comfort, quality, and affordability, the Kia Sportage is the way to go. Able to seat up to five people, it’s just enough space when you already have one child seat and a bun in the oven. As they get older, it will mean more equipment and cargo, and with that comes cargo volume - a whole 60.1 cubic feet with the rear seats down, or 30.7 + cubic-feet if passengers are making use of the 60/40 split-fold rear seat. The Sportage has a fuel economy of 23/30 mpg with front-wheel drive, and 21/25 mpg with all-wheel drive. That’s pretty good considering the new budget you’ll have. Alongside that, the 2017 Kia Sportage also has a safety rating of 5/5 from Kelley Blue Book due to its many available safety features - rear camera display (standard), parking assist for front and rear, blind spot detection with lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning system, and autonomous emergency braking.

2017 Kia Sedona

Another great choice from Kia, this one is a minivan for bigger families, or those planning on a big family (wink wink). It has a seating capacity of seven, so if you don’t plan on filling up the seats, at least you can make use of all that cargo room - 78.4 cubic feet behind the second row and 33.9 cubic-feet behind the third. The fuel economy is a little less than the Sportage, with 18 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway, but it’s a trade off worth investing in for those who have a family of more than four. Plus, all the luxurious convenient features make up for it. Heated front and second row seats are available, along with the option of leather on seating trim on select models. The Sedona also has the same safety features as above, plus a surround view monitor, smart cruise control, and forward collision warning.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica

Let’s change the pace a bit. Another minivan, this one is from Chrysler, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. Named the “Best of 2017” by Cars.com, and having received many awards since its debut, the Chrysler Pacifica is without a doubt a family vehicle. Everything about it is made for parents. Stow ‘n go seating, easy tilt second row seats, automatic sliding doors and liftgate, room for up to eight people, and a sunroof?

It’s too good to be true, and we didn’t even mention the Uconnect Theater, basically an entertainment system to keep the little ones occupied when they need to keep busy during long car rides. When it comes to safety, let’s just say it’s received the highest safety rating in its class, receiving a Top Safety Pick + for 2017 from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Its highway fuel economy on the highway is a little better than those above, as it gets 28 mpg, and there is also the Pacifica Hybrid, which is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). A minivan is a minivan, but the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is the minivan to get.

2017 Dodge Durango

Does adventure run in the family? Waiting for the kids to be old enough to go water skiing or take a ride in the four-wheeler? Then you may be looking at a SUV or a truck, and the Dodge Durango is a great place to start. The Durango is able to tow up to 7,400 pounds when powered by the available 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine, and that’s enough to haul a small boat.

The Durango also has enough cargo space to fit an entire family picnic or gear for a camping trip, so you never need to worry about running out of room with the space inside. It also has an available Stow ‘n Place roof rack system for hauling some extra cargo if need be. Depending on the trim and options available, one can seat up to five or seven passengers. Like many FCA vehicles, the Dodge Durango has several available advanced safety features, such as full speed forward collision warning plus, a system that will attempt to bring the car to a stop if an imminent collision is detected. A great feature to have, because let’s face it, when has any parent had a kid that didn’t steal their attention from the road?

2017 Chevrolet Tahoe

Definitely the largest vehicle on the list, the Chevrolet Tahoe is a massive beast but great for families. Chevrolet MyLink makes sure of that with a powerful infotainment system and an available 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. It also has a rear seat Blu-Ray/DVD player entertainment system available, and it can keep passengers of all ages occupied while on the road. Like the Durango, the Tahoe can fit seven or eight people comfortably. The Tahoe also has one of the largest cargo capacities on this list, with 94.7 cubic-feet behind the front seats (only 10 cubic feet less than the Pacifica). But that’s of course assuming one will use all the space directly behind the front row. Being realistic, behind the second row, there’s 51.7 cubic-feet, still plenty. The Tahoe also has a lot of safety features, including available front and rear park assist, rear cross traffic alert, side blind zone with lane change alert, and a rear vision camera .

These are just some of the best family cars out there, but everyone has a favorite brand. You can tell us yours on social media, or start looking for your own car online with NowCar.

*All available features on select trims

Photo Source/Copyright: Shutterstock.com; Maria Sbytova