Parents Magazine, Edmunds.com Announce Best Family Cars

Parents Magazine, Edmunds.com Announce Best Family Cars

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Parents magazine and Edmunds.com announced their annual list of Best Family Cars that include 15 models -- three each in the budget, crossover, minivan, sedan and SUV categories.

Honda led the list with the most vehicles in on the list. They included the Fit, Accord, CR-V and Odyssey.

All of the cars on the list are budget-friendly -- five start at under $20,000 and one checks in at under $15,000. The Best Family Cars of 2009 appears in the June 2009 issue of Parents magazine on newsstands nationwide Tuesday.

Having tested essentially every vehicle in the marketplace, the experts judged each model on safety, performance, interior, exterior and family-friendly features.

In addition to analyzing, test-driving and comparing specifications, parents and Edmunds.com took into account feedback from parents who own and drive these vehicles every day.

According to the Parents/Edmunds.com survey, the 15 Best Family Cars are:

BUDGET
Honda Fit
Mazda 5
Volkswagen Rabbit

CROSSOVER
Honda CR-V
Toyota RAV4
Subaru Forester

MINIVAN
Toyota Sienna
Honda Odyssey
Hyundai Entourage

SEDAN
Honda Accord
Chevrolet Malibu
Mazda 6

SUV
Ford Flex
Mazda CX-9
Chevrolet Traverse

When it comes to combining family-friendliness with value and performance, Honda was the leader: the Fit, Accord, CR-V and Odyssey all made the Parents/Edmunds.com list. Reviewers raved about these models' spaciousness and thoughtful features such as convenient cupholders and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls. Mazda followed with three models, the Mazda 5, 6 and CX-9 making the list, while Toyota and Chevrolet each had two models on the list. Nine of the 15 models are newcomers to the annually updated list.

"With the 2009 list, Parents and Edmunds.com made an extra effort to highlight the smartest, safest and most budget-conscious cars," said Dana Points, editor-in-chief of Parents. "If your family is in the market for a new car, now is actually a good time because steep dealer discounts make this a buyer's market.  This list plus our money-saving car shopping tips will empower you with all the information you'll need."

According to the Parents/Edmunds.com Best Family Cars research, superior handling, efficient gas mileage and easy car seat installation are all "must-haves" for parent drivers. The extras that won rave reviews from parents were storage-related features, including bins under seats, easy-to-reach compartments in the dash and cupholders in the backseats. Remote start capability and multiple electronic plugs for portable electronics also impressed the reviewers and owners of the models on the Best Family Cars list.

"There are 340 new car models on sale this year, and busy families could undoubtedly use some help sorting through the choices to decide what is right for them," stated Edmunds.com editor-in-chief Karl Brauer. "As a parent myself, I feel sure that just about any family can find a car on this list that will serve their purposes well."

In addition to the 15 Best Family Cars featured in the magazine, six budget car recommendations are featured online at www.parents.com/bestfamilycars.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.