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4 Family Friendly Cars Under $10,000

May 23, 2019 By Chaya Milchtein Leave a Comment

Automotive BloggerFinding a car big enough to fit your family – that’s also a high-quality reliable car – can be tough, no bones about it. Folks are asking me all the time about which cars are best for families so I am pumped to write about this. Helping people navigate car purchases is something I do on a regular basis and is a passion of mine.

My name is Chaya Milchtein and I’m the automotive educator behind Mechanic Shop Femme. My platform is all about empowerment for women and LGBT folks when it comes to car education (among other things). The car world is rough and pretty unaccepting to folks like me and you, so I’m here to break things down into easy-to-understand segments that are accessible to a broader audience. I’m going to cover my top four choices, most of them being minivans and SUVs, as well as slightly smaller, yet family-friendly, options. Though car quality can be subjective, I’m going to share my favorite vehicles in the family-friendly class.

When families are looking for a car and I’m talking with them, one of the most important things on their list, besides safety, is space. Children play baseball or dance or hockey, and the equipment needs to be transported easily. Even for small families, SUVs and minivans are at the top of my list of recommendations.

2011 Toyota Sienna

With the optional four-wheel-drive available in some models, this is the epitome of a car built for a family. The Sienna comes standard with seating for seven to eight people and loads of cargo space! I love that this vehicle is a Toyota, known for durability and longevity; you often see Toyotas running well past 200,000 miles. The back seats do fold down, too, allowing even more cargo space for trucking things around. This car is going to get your family and everything they travel with safely to their destination.

PDF – 2011 Toyota Sienna Detailed Product Specs

Best Family Friendly Cars Under 10K

2011 Toyota Sienna – Family Friendly Cars Under $10,000

2012 Subaru Forester

While some of the models on this list come with optional four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, meaning you have to look for the model with the option, Subarus all come standard with one of the best four-wheel-drive options in the industry. Always receiving high marks for safety, the Subaru Forester is roomy, built for family and travel. The all-wheel-drive option does cost you a little in fuel economy, but I think it’s a worthwhile tradeoff to easily drive in snowy conditions, especially if you live in an area with long winters. The Forester seats 5 comfortably and still has a lot of cargo space. This car is also a great fit for families with dogs – Subaru prides itself on pet-friendly cargo spaces.

PDF – 2012 Forester Detailed Product Specs

Top Family Friendly Cars Under $10,000

2012 Subaru Forester – 4 Family Friendly Cars Under $10,000

2010 Toyota Venza

This is the ideal ride for a small family that is paying attention to cargo space, reliability, and fuel economy. It’s a simple crossover that looks almost like a station wagon, and seats 5 people comfortably. Sitting a bit lower than the traditional SUV, it’s a great option for folks with some mobility concerns that have a harder time climbing into taller SUVs on the market. I love that it’s available in four-wheel-drive which is such a necessity for safe driving in Midwestern winters. Although many cars in 2010 didn’t come standard with fancy tech, this car has built in Bluetooth, which is a huge plus for anyone that spends a lot of time in their car. With 18-21 mpg in the city and 25-29 mpg highway, it’s pretty economical on the pocket when it comes to fuel cost. As with the Sienna, Toyotas are known for their reliability and longevity, so you can’t go wrong with this car.

PDF – 2010 Toyota Venza Detailed Product Specs

Toyota Family Friendly Cars Under 10K

2010 Toyota Venza – Family Friendly Cars Under $10,000

2012 Chevy Traverse

Chevy doesn’t often make a showing in my favorites, but the Traverse is one of the lowest cost vehicles in its class with unparalleled cargo space, so it earns a spot! With standard three-row seating, this is a family-friendly car that, depending on the model, you’ll find fits seven to eight people. This large SUV has a comfortable ride and is the perfect car for a parent that wants space without driving a minivan. Even if you don’t need all the seating, but do need loads of cargo space, the back seats fold down, creating even more room for lugging things around. It would be an awesome choice for parents that also have a side business that requires the cargo space.

Link – 2012 Chevy Traverse Detailed Product Product Specs

Chevy - Family Friendly Cars Under $10,000

Cars are complicated things to buy, especially used. The key to getting the best deal for the best car is a lot of patience. If possible, leave lots of time when making a car buying decision. When rushed and pressed to make a choice, things that we’d normally catch can fall through the cracks. This list is a baseline – a good place to start when looking for a family-friendly car. Test drive the options and see if you even like the car! Look at comparable models that may have not made your first list, as they may be a better choice for your family.

Thinking about buying a used car, but overwhelmed with the options out there? My automotive education classes have been featured in places like the Chicago Tribune and Ask Patty – Certified Female Friendly. I offer one on one coaching and consulting and small group, online automotive classes to help you make the best choices AND save you money.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Chevrolet, Subaru, Toyota

Is There a Driverless Car in Your Future?

October 7, 2015 By Greg Horn Leave a Comment

Driverless Car Technology

A computerized chauffeur to deal with the hassles of driving? You have to admit it sounds appealing. Once the stuff of science fiction and futuristic predictions, the concept of a driverless car is quite close to coming true. Google and a number of other tech companies as well as some car makers have been hard at work to bring the vision to a city street near you.

How close? In 2012, Google founder Sergey Brin said Google’s self-driving car would be available for the general public by 2017, although last year project director Chris Urmson indicated the release might be pushed back to 2020. Still, we’re on the road to reality, and the Google technology is nothing short of amazing.

At the moment, Google has two basic forms to driverless technology: equipping existing cars such as their fleet Lexus and Prius hybrids, and manufacturing the company’s own small, plastic two-seat vehicle. Each version has roughly $200,000 of advanced electronics, computers and radar/LIDAR systems onboard. LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances. These light pulses, combined with other data, generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape and contours of the area in which the vehicle is driving.

But, while incredible technical progress is being made, there are some very low- and no-tech obstacles in the way of a truly driverless car.

Legal

Technology frequently advances faster than social systems, and that’s certainly the case with the driverless car. Existing traffic laws just aren’t up to speed. Many of them have been on the books for decades and all were written with the assumption that a human being would be behind the wheel.

To date, only four of our 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that expressly allow driverless vehicle testing on public roads. However, they require special license plates, insurance packages and driver certification, stipulating that a certified driver must remain behind the wheel ready to assume control of the vehicle if the computer system fails.  [1] Other states are currently considering legislations.

Weather

As of August 2014, the latest prototype driverless vehicle had not been tested in heavy rain or snow because of safety concerns. [2]

Construction Zones, Debris and Human Interaction

Because driverless cars rely primarily on pre-programmed route data, they do not obey temporary traffic lights nor do they recognize construction zone routing. There are also concerns that the cars may revert to a slower, extra-cautious mode to complex unmapped intersections. Because they have difficulty identifying harmless road debris, the vehicles often swerve unnecessarily. And, the LIDAR technology cannot spot some types of potholes or discern when a human such as a police officer is signaling the car to stop.

Speed and Control

The current Google-produced driverless car has a top speed of 25 miles per hour, a threshold with some potential problems. Initially, it also lacked a steering wheel and brake pedal, resulting in an experience akin to an amusement park ride. Later models have since added brake pedals and steering to comply with the regulations of the four states that permit driverless cars.[3]

Motion Sickness

A recent study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute warned that as many as 12% of passengers may experience motion sickness while riding in driverless cars.[4] While there are no remedies, the study suggested that passengers who are susceptible to motion sickness might want to try closing their eyes or sleeping, a solution demanding a great deal of confidence in driverless technology!

Accidents

As of July 2015, 23 of Google’s driverless cars had been involved in 14 minor traffic accidents on public roads, although Google maintains the driverless vehicle was not to blame in any of the incidents. Eight were rear-ended, two were side-swiped, one involved another driver rolling through a stop sign, and one was being manually driven by a Google employee. In one of the rear-end accidents, three Google employees suffered minor injuries, a first in driverless car history.[5]

What Lies Ahead?

Although it gets most of the buzz, Google’s driverless car isn’t the only one on the horizon. Several manufacturers are exploring the possibilities. Volvo, for example, has indicated they will test driverless cars in their headquarter city of Gothenburg, Sweden by 2017. German auto makers Daimler Benz, BMW and Volkswagen chipped in to buy Nokia’s “HERE” GPS system as a counter to Google. Those are serious players and encouraging news for fans of a driverless future. But let’s put this in perspective. Even if the price of driverless technology drops radically (say by 50%) as technology frequently does, by 2020 you could possibly buy a driverless car for $100,000. That’s more than three times the cost of an average new car today, more than enough to pay for taxis for several years, and the technology probably still won’t be perfect. Couple the high price tag with the fact that the average American car on the road today is 11.5 years old, and it’s safe to guess that we have a long  wait before driverless vehicles go mainstream. More likely, given the limitations of the present technology, driverless cars may initially find a use as taxis in congested urban areas like New York City where slow moving traffic is the norm.

[1] https://businessjournalism.org/2015/04/technology-and-money-3-things-to-know-about-driverless-cars/

[2] http://www.technologyreview.com/news/530276/hidden-obstacles-for-googles-self-driving-cars/

[3] http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/google/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-googles-driverless-car/

[4] http://observer.com/2015/06/self-driving-cars-will-cause-motion-sickness-often-to-always-study-finds/

[5] http://www.govtech.com/transportation/Google-Autonomous-Car-Experiences-Another-Crash.html

Filed Under: News Tagged With: BMW, Google Self Driving Cars, Lexus, Mercedes, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

Toyota Prius VS Cadillac Escalade the Hybrid VS the Gas Guzzler

January 12, 2015 By 1 Comment

This is what happens when you find a smoking deal of $20 on a Fisher-Price Cadillac Escalade Power Wheels and only have a Toyota Prius to transport it.

I  have to admit there is some poetic justice to the photos seeing the poster-child of hybrid green cars transporting the poster-child of gas guzzlers.

I can just image what people were saying driving behind me as I drove home in the pouring rain. Trust me I was giggling thinking of the irony. They probably would laugh even harder if they knew our family owns a Volt & Prius being so hybrid/electric minded our next car purchase will be a Tesla Model S  but yet our toddler son will be driving and Escalade around the neighborhood. Hey who could resist buying it for $20 and seeing my sons face when he realized it was all his to drive.

NOTE – If you need schematics or part numbers for the N8417 Cadillac Escalade Power Wheels click HERE

prius-vs-cadillacToyota Prisus VS Cadillac EscaladeHybrid Car News


Filed Under: Humor Tagged With: Cadillac, Toyota

Toyota RAV4 EV The Dependable Electric Car For Your Family

March 30, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Toyota RAV4 EV - Electric Vehicles ReviewsToyota is one of the manufacturers of the all-electric cars. The electric car series of which the present day Toyota RAV4 EV evolved from came in the year 1997. This car is considered to be one of the legends among the electrically powered cars. The present day RAV4 EV is the result of constant improvements and advancements. Powered by Tesla’s Power train it offers more carrying capacity and longest range among similar electric vehicles that are available in the market today.

Toyota RAV4 EV is one of the tough electric cars that were built on a solid foundation. It offered good range for that type of power train and it made its riders happy and proud of having the opportunity to ride most green and clean vehicle. The design of the car is so unique that the battery compartment did not intrude with the passengers space hence offered the maximum space for the passengers. The use of the car in its sports mode offers many entertaining features and with the ability to check on the battery charging status with the full integration of the Smartphone with the core software that is running the car. This car is a successful combination of the Japanese automaker with the Silicon Valley based Tesla, and it is powered by the AC induction motor that you find in the Tesla Model S with modified set of internal gears.

The Toyota RAV4 EV has been styled to look sportier, capable family vehicle and a fun to drive crossover that has caught the fancy of many of the car lovers. It is a pleasant looking and well proportioned car. This is an all electric crossover available only in a selected few cities of Californian state. On the performance front, this electric car is powered by the Tesla drive train. The electric RAV goes from 0 to 60 in just seven seconds and is capable of running at 100 mph. The Sports mode gives a 154 horsepower with 273 pound feet of torque while it gives a torque of 218 pound feet in its normal mode. The braking system comes from the Toyota’s Prius hybrid.

The efficiency and range of Toyota RAV4 EV is very good compared to other vehicles as it is powered by Tesla’s battery pack with a capacity of 41.8 kilowatt hours. This means an assured range of more than 100 to 130 miles between charges even when you are driving your Toyota RAV4 EV in a rough and rash manner. When you are charging your RAV4, through the on board 10 kW Tesla charger it is able to charge faster. When you charge the batteries through your 30 amps 240 volt home power it may not show much improvement, but when you do the charging with a 40 amps power outlet you will be able to add 30 to 35 miles of range for every hour of charging.

The Toyota RAV4 EV is a comfortable electric car with sufficient space for all the passengers with more head and leg room. This car can seat 5 persons with adjustable front passenger and driver seats with a tilting and telescopic steering column. The cargo area is large enough and measures 38.4 cubic feet and no space has been wasted for accommodating the battery power pack.

The Toyota RAV4 EV comes with many of the standard features like a backup camera, six-speaker stereo with a touch-screen display, Bluetooth and a USB port. You can also get the following upgrades like climate control, push-button start, dual-zone automatic navigation, a premium audio system, lane departure alert, blind spot monitoring, a power lift gate etc.

The Toyota RAV4 EV has the following

Pros

  • Good build quality
  • Larger space
  • Ability to check of charge status through your smart phone
  • Offers full integration of the smart phone

Cons

  • Very costly
  • Available only in California
  • Limited range of 80 t0 100 miles
  • Messy controls for the music system

Thus, the Toyota RAV4 EV is one of the popular choices for your clean and green electric vehicle and no doubt that the giant Toyota motors will add more to their future Electric cars that are to be launched soon.

Electirc vehicles Reviews - Toyota RAV4 EV

Toyota RAV4 EV Pros and Cons



Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Toyota

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