5 Best Family Cars You Can Buy for Chinese New Year

The Volkswagen Touran is a family favourite. When we tested the TDI diesel variant last year, we loved it for its spacious interior that was versatile and well-put together. At the same time, our pockets adored it for its efficient diesel engine that delivered brilliant fuel economy.

At just $141,000, the Touran scores top marks for practicality. It seats seven people comfortably, pampers its occupants with acres of space within, and even with the third row of seats in place, there’s still enough boot space for a stroller and some weekend shopping. With all the second- and third-row seats folded away – something which takes less than a couple of minutes to do – the Touran can accommodate a cavernous 1,913 litres of cargo.

The build quality inside is sturdy, anchoring the child seats to the ISOFIX points is a doddle, and the car comes equipped with enough features to entertain everyone on board.

While the Touran TDI won’t outrun a Golf GTI at the lights, the point of a family car is efficiency and getting the job done, isn’t it? Efficiency is definitely one of the Touran’s trump cards. With the diesel engine under the hood, the car can easily achieve 20 km/L or more and will cover over 1,000 km on a full tank.

Belying its practical MPV shape, the Touran handles corners with confidence and little fuss, while the steering is precise. The DSG gearbox shifts rapidly and smoothly, and the ride is pliant too.

The Touran TDI is one of our favourite family MPVs out there. It’s honest and does exactly what it is designed to – being a 7-seater that combines space, versatility and a good drive in one package.

The latest Sylphy was one of Singapore’s top ten best-selling cars of 2014, and it’s not hard to see why. When we test drove the car, we found it to be well-equipped, spacious, and keenly priced - strengths necessary for a successful family car.

One of the Sylphy’s strongest suits is its good interior build quality and laundry list of standard equipment, even the base version features rear air-conditioning vents, push start ignition, and dual-zone air-conditioning, brilliant bang-for-your-buck.

In the practicality aspect, the Sylphy’s commodious cabin can accommodate five occupants comfortably while the boot has more than enough space for their weekend bags. We especially love the back seats that offer acres of legroom and plenty of support, making long journeys comfortable.

If you are a keen driver with family duties and sensible considerations at hand, we would recommend the SSS DIG-T variant that sports a potent 1.6-litre turbocharged power plant with 190bhp.

Of course, no family car is a good family car without good fuel consumption. The 1.6 and 1.8-litre engines manage a good 15 to 16km/L, while the 1.6 turbocharged SSS variant does 13km/L.

Feature-laden and coupled with a quality cabin, the Sylphy is among our top picks for a family sedan. With its sharp styling and headlights with LED accents, the Sylphy will definitely look good as you drive one for this coming New Year.

Launched at the recently concluded Singapore Motorshow 2015, the Peugeot 308SW is one of the newest cars the brand has on offer, and its feline styling makes it an attractive car. The car is rather well-designed with sharp lines and interesting styling cues inside out.

The 1.2-litre turbocharged engine produces 129bhp, and is much lighter than the 4-cylinder engine that it replaces. It's eager to rev up to its redline of 6,000rpm, and produces brilliant economy figures of about 19km/L.

Compared to the 308 hatchback, the wheelbase sees an increase of 110mm thanks to longer rear doors, giving more back-seat legroom as well as a larger boot, which can expand up to 1,775 litres when the seats are fully folded down.

The massive 660 litre boot makes it a good hauler, the seats are comfortable, and the dash looks fantastic. Those concerned about safety will be pleased to know that the 308SW features a five-stars Euro NCAP crash test results.

If you want a car with a capacious boot in a small package, and yet will fulfill its family duties well, then the 308SW is a a good choice.

The Volvo S60 was given a mid-life refresh just last year, and joining the line-up was the ultra-efficient, ultra-clean D2 engine.

With just 113bhp, the $165,800 S60 D2 may not pack bags of horsepower and oomph as it takes 12 seconds to complete the century sprint. However, the S60 makes up for it with excellent fuel efficiency in spades and a plush ride. Delivering a brilliant consumption of about 20km/L, the S60 D2 can travel more than 1,200 km on a single tank.

In addition, child seats are easy to anchor, and scores a very high 82% for child protection in the Euro NCAP crash tests. With Volvo being unanimous with safety, the S60's safety does not disappoint.

Slipping comfortably into Category A COE and undercutting its rivals in price by a large margin, the S60 D2 is an executive sedan without the usual big price tag and running costs - great for impressing people around you this New Year.

Priced just slightly above $120,000, the new Honda Mobilio is perhaps one of the most affordable 7-seater MPVs in the market. The car has won Indonesia’s 2014 Car of the Year award and makes up for more than half of Honda’s Indonesian sales, and it appears that the Mobilio will be a winner in our local market too.

The Mobilio packs the same 118bhp 1.5-litre i-VTEC unit found in the City and Honda’s latest Earth Dreams CVT gearbox, and together they promise good fuel efficiency.

While the car may be targeting the lower end of the market, it does not skimp on niceties and toys. A touchscreen head unit, projector headlights, reverse camera, and rear air-conditioning vents are all standard kit.

The Mobilio is a very well-priced compact MPV for the family that does its job well, will definitely be a joy for the family to use this coming Lunar New Year.

If the above doesn't tickle your fancy, perhaps you might find something that does in our New Car Guide. Packed with an advanced loan calculator, latest showroom pricelists, user car reviews and a COE price history, it's the one stop solution for any car buyer.

Our Editorial section features a comprehensive array of the latest car reviews for those looking to read up more on their potential new ride. Our true to the point expert opinions will give you all you need before signing for that new ride.

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