So you’ve signed yourself up for parental duty. Now you need a reliable new ride with room for a kid or two plus their stuff. You’re not made of money, but you want all the safety features you can get for your buck. Within a base-MSRP cap of $30,000, here’s our diverse dozen picks that variously combine space and safety, value and versatility. From subcompacts to midsizers, they include hatchbacks and sedans, crossovers and a wagon, a van and a pickup. And just to be provocative, one coupe for the smaller family with a yen for style.
Note: we based our selections on Canadian MSRPs as posted on the automakers’ web sites at the time of writing. With dickering and incentives, actual net street prices may be lower. On the other hand, we haven’t included freight, PDI, taxes and other fees, so remember to leave room in your budget for those.
Affordable over-achiever, from $14,575 – Now in its third generation, the Fit upholds its tradition of quart-in-a-pint-pot ingenuity. Whether you’re on a modest budget or just want to minimize your footprint, the brilliant packaging of the Fit lets you downsize without sacrificing space and versatility.
Passenger space is comparable with some of the roomiest cars from the next size class up, ditto cargo space with the rear seats folded. And the Fit provides more ways of combining cargo and passengers than any rival. There are four grades of Fit, starting at $14,575. Figure on $18,675 with A/C and automatic. The range tops out at $22,675 for the EX-L Navi with navigation, leather, automatic climate control and push-button start.
Something sporty, from $17,999 – Not an obvious choice, perhaps, but bear with us. If you’ve only got one kid, this little Hyundai might just meet your parental needs without forcing you to grow up and drive something “sensible”. It’s certainly not a minivan. The Veloster’s secret is its unique door configuration: the driver’s side looks like a coupe with its single long door.
The passenger side, however, has two doors. The second door gives access to a pair of rear seats with enough legroom to even accommodate adults, never mind little people. At its recently-reduced MSRP of $17,999 the base Veloster is a steal, considering it comes standard with A/C, 7-inch touch-screen, Bluetooth, USB/Aux/iPod connectivity and alloy wheels. There’s also a Turbo version starting at $26,399.
Midsize-sedan value leader, from $19,495 – If the size of a car’s outside is more important than the size of its inside (rear-seat legroom isn’t a strong suit), it’s hard to ignore the value of the Chrysler 200. It starts at an astonishing $19,495 (after $3,000 instant savings). And that includes automatic transmission – a nine-speed, no less.
Of course prices escalate once you work up through the trims and options, but the 200 offers safety options that most alternatives don’t. For under $30K, you could build a well-equipped V-6 model with all-wheel drive, or a loaded FWD four-cylinder with the SafetyTec package that includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic braking and lane-departure warning, plus blind-spot and cross-traffic alert.
The obvious choice, for a reason, from $19,895 – Why on earth have we let automakers convince us that SUVs are cool, while minivans are an automotive fashion crime? The fact is that both are utility vehicles, except no SUV at any price – let alone under $30,000 – comes close to equalling the space, comfort and versatility of a minivan.
The Dodge Grand Caravan has almost twice as much cargo room behind the third-row seats as, say, a Dodge Durango. Not to mention a liftover height about 250 mm lower. At $19,895 the base Canada Value Package model has to be the best vehicular value on the market. Or, after incentives, around $27K will get you an SXT with full Stow ‘n Go seating and a DVD entertainment system (the benefits of which should not need explanation).
Safety above all, from $19,995 – The Subaru Impreza isn’t the most affordable of compact cars, but it is one of the roomiest. It is also the only one with standard all-wheel-drive, starting at $19,995 for the sedan with manual transmission. As if AWD didn’t already give this classy-driving compact a safety edge, the Impreza is also available with a suite of active-safety aids unequalled at the price.
Subaru's EyeSight system can be added to the mid-price Sport model for a total of $26,395 (or $27,295 for the hatchback) – and that includes automatic transmission. EyeSight includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, pre-collision braking and driver fatigue alert. The Impreza’s combination of available EyeSight and excellent crash-test scores earns it the highest rating in its class from the IIHS. And if the Impreza is too small, the midsize Legacy is also available with EyeSight from $28,995.
Everything you like in a minivan, only smaller, from $21,995 – If you need three-row seating in the smallest, most-affordable package, meet the Mazda5 mini-me minivan. Both the GS and GT trims are six-seaters, with sliding rear side doors, a pair of fore-aft sliding captain’s chairs in the second row and a 50/50-split two-person bench in the rear.
With the third row folded flat, cargo room behind the second row approaches that of some compact hatchbacks with their second-rows folded. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine can be paired with a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission. MSRPs start at $21,995 for the GS manual and peak at $27,995 for the GT automatic, but as this was written Mazda was offering $3,500 cash incentives for both trims.
Seven seats, four-cylinder economy, from $21,295 – Is it a wagon? Is it a mini-minivan? Is it a crossover? The Kia Rondo is a hard one to categorise, but we can say it’s one of the few ways to get three-row seating in a compact fuel-efficient package under $30K. Externally the Rondo is almost identical in size to the Mazda5, but with a bench second row instead of captain’s chairs it can seat one extra person.
Rondo is base-priced from $21,295 with five seats, while seven-seaters start at $24,595. Or how about $26,595 for the Winter Edition that includes rear seat heaters, remote start, a full set of winter tires, winter floor mats – even a Kia-logo’d snow brush! All Rondos are powered by a 2.0-litre 164-hp four-cylinder engine paired with a six-speed automatic on all except the base 6-speed-manual LX.
German dynamics and an available diesel, from $22,495 – Unless AWD is non-negotiable, a compact wagon like the new Golf delivers the same or better utility for less money than typical base-model FWD CUVs. Not to mention the engaging driving dynamics of a European car. The V-Wagon’s 2015 redesign brought reduced pricing, starting at $22,495 for the Trendline with a smooth and strong 1.8 turbo four-cylinder gasoline engine.
Most buyers, however, will spring upwards of $24,995 for the fuel-sipping TDI diesel. Two additional trim levels offer the same engine choices, with manual or automatic transmission, plus extra standard kit. Oh, and if you’d still rather have AWD, the Golf wagon will soon have that covered, too: late next year VW will add both a regular AWD version and a quasi-SUV Alltrack with jacked-up suspension.
A touch of luxury, from $23,790 – You probably can’t put a brand-new premium nameplate in your driveway for under $30K, but some Buick entry-luxury products might fit your budget. There’s the Encore micro-SUV, which starts at a pricey $29,995 once you add AWD (and why buy an SUV without it?). If it was our money we’d go for the Verano sedan.
The compact Buick is a sweet-driving car that really does deliver on Buick’s signature attribute – it’s really, really quiet. Prices start at $23,790, and around $27,400 will get you a mid-trim model with safety bonuses that include lane departure, blind-spot, forward-collision and rear cross-traffic alerts. Apart from the over-$30K Turbo flagship, all Veranos are powered by a 2.4-litre, 180-hp four-cylinder engine paired with a 6-speed automatic.
Canadian-built value in a compact CUV, from $24,365 – Compact CUVs have largely taken over from midsize sedans as the definitive affordable family vehicle. There are many fine choices out there but we’re going with the Toyota. It doesn’t have the lowest base price among its peers, but once you add AWD and automatic it does ask less money than most comparably equipped alternatives.
The RAV4 gets you one of the fresher designs out there, with good IIHS crash-test ratings, best-in-class cargo space, and competitive fuel economy. It’s also built in Canada, and promises the reliability and durability we expect from a Toyota. All RAV4s are propelled by a 2.5-litre “four” with six-speed automatic. The lineup starts at $24,365 for the FWD LE (AWD: $26,630) and the sub-$30K options also includes the FWD-but-better-equipped XLE trim.
The Colorado's handier size is more practical for family use, and when gas prices next take off you’ll appreciate the fuel economy. On Chevrolet's Canadian website we were able to build Crew Cabs in various combos of trim level, 2.5-L four-cylinder or 3.6-L V-6 engines, and 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrains, with net prices below $30K. Common to all is a fresh design in a midsize pickup segment where the only alternatives are well past their best-before dates.
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