My Top Five Family Cars

Last July I gave you a quick top five family vehicles I would want to own. This was the list:

1. Diesel Kia Sportage A/T
2. Diesel Toyota Innova A/T
3. Toyota Rav4 A/T
4. Land Rover Defender 90
5. Toyota Avanza A/T

Well guess what. That list is outdated already. Due to my ever changing tastes in cars, there is a new top five and I would like to share it with you.

1. Toyota Innova Diesel A/T - Moving to the top of the list is the Innova. This still has everything I'm looking for in a family ride - space, ride height, practicality, and fuel economy. The third row seating is also a big plus. It may not look great, but who cares? As long as it can transport my family and I in comfort and safety.
2. Kia Sportage Diesel A/T - The Sportage moves down a notch because it doesn't have third row seating. But aside from that it has everything I'd want - ride height, practicality, an automatic transmission, and great looks.
3. Subaru XV A/T - A newcomer! I didn't like the XV when it first came out, and the television commercial shown here in the Philippines didn't endear it to me either. (Let's just say the image I got watching that TVC is that XV owners are hipster douchebags who drive illegally off-road to beat traffic because they were so inconsiderate that they forgot their own wedding anniversary.) But since then I've been seeing quite a few XVs in the Metro and I'm starting to like it. Like the Sportage, it lacks the third-row seating, but more than makes up for that in the looks department. The reason why it isn't ranked higher is because of the lower ride height to the Sportage.
4. Land Rover Defender 90 Station Wagon - The only aberration on my list. This is the only manual on my top five. And if you re-read the first link on this post, you'll see why I am seriously considering this as a family vehicle. Yes, I only chose the three-door 90, because the five-door 110 is too long for my taste. This is also the most expensive ride here, which is probably why the Land Rover Defender might never crack my top three.
5. Toyota Avanza A/T - Another Toyota makes it to the top five. This cracks this list because it is a "smaller" and cheaper alternative to the Innova. This also has third row seating, something that the two rides above it don't have.
6. Kia Carens Diesel A/T - This deserves an honorable mention. The new Carens looks nice and has third row seating available. The only reason this falls below the Avanza is it's relatively lower ride height. Aside from that it looks better than the Avanza.

And there you have it. Six different rides, in order of preference, I'd choose from had I the means to purchase and maintain a vehicle. I'd still pick the practical one, but as you can see from my choices, I still have a soft spot for looks also.

Out.