Family car
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A family car is a car classification used in Europe to describe larger cars. The name refers to the fact that these cars are suitable for a family to go shopping or on vacations. Most family cars are hatchbacks or saloons, although there are MPVs, estates and cabriolets with the same structure as with the other body style. The term covers three types of family cars.
Small family cars
Current small family cars are between 4.20 m and 4.35 m long if they are hatchbacks, or between 4.40 m and 4.55 m if they are saloon or estate models. Usual engines are 1.6 L or 2.0 L straight-4s, either petrol or diesel, but some models also have economical 1.4 L units. Hot hatches may have 2.0 L turbocharged engines, or even 3.2 L V6 units. Popular small family cars are the Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Peugeot 307, Renault Mégane and Volkswagen Golf.In North America, which uses a different classification system, cars of this size are generally referred to as compacts, and the term "family car" is almost never used to describe a vehicle in this class. In addition to the Ford Focus, other popular family cars include the Chevrolet Cobalt and Dodge Caliber.
History
After the Second World War, European manufacturers usually featured two vehicle types: small cars (or superminis) and large saloons. In the 1960s, some brands found that many middle class buyers wanted something larger than superminis, and built small family cars. These were usually saloons, but the first successful hatchback in Europe was the Volkswagen Golf, which first went on sale in 1974. By the end of the decade, several other manufacturers had followed Volkswagen's suit by launching the likes of the Fiat Ritmo, Renault 14 and Opel Kadett, to name a few. However, the Volkswagen Golf remained the most popular small family hatchback in Europe and its successors have followed suit over the last 30 years.The 1980s began with the launch of two revolutionary front-wheel drive hatchbacks: the Ford Escort Mk III and the Lancia Delta. More similar cars followed over the decade, including the updated Opel Kadett, Renault 19, Fiat Tipo and second generation Rover 200. Alfa Romeo's venture into this market, the Nissan-based Arna, was one of the few unsuccessful European small family hatchbacks of the 1980s.
The 1990s saw small family cars firmly pitch themselves as the most popular class of car in Europe. The Volkswagen Golf Mk III was launched in 1991 and elected European Car of the Year, shortly after Citroën finally broke into the market with its ZX. The ZX's chassis spawned the Peugeot 306 in 1993. Fiat replaced the successful Tipo in 1995 with the distinctive Bravo and Brava (three-door and five-door hatchbacks, respectively). Later, Ford dropped the Escort name and released in 1998 the dramatically-styled and all-new Ford Focus.
Some small family cars have also spawned compact MPVs, the first of which was the 1996 Renault Scénic. The Opel Zafira, Citroën Picasso, Ford Focus C-MAX, Volkswagen Touran and Fiat Multipla followed and are becoming increasingly popular. In few years they outsold estates and saloons in many countries.
Large family cars
Large family cars were usually around 4.50 m in length by the early 1990s, but are now shifting to 4.70 m or more in length. Examples of large family cars include the Ford Mondeo, Opel Vectra, Renault Laguna, and the Volkswagen Passat.Equivalently sized cars in North America are usually called mid-size cars; the term "family car" is fairly often used to refer to a vehicle in this class. Examples include the Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu and the Buick LaCrosse.
1980s large family cars