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, classed as a large family car.]] 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 Vacation s. Most family cars are Hatchback s or Saloon s, although there are MPV s, Station Wagon and Cabriolet s with the same structure as with theother Body Style . The term covers three types of family cars. SMALL FAMILY CARS Current small family cars are between 4.20m and 4.35m long if they are hatchbacks, or between 4.40m and 4.55m if they are saloon or estate models. Usual engines are 1.6L or 2.0L, either petrol or diesel, but some models also have economical 1.4L units. Hot Hatch es may have 2.0 Turbocharged engines, or even 3.2 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. History After the ) and large Saloon s. In the 1960s , some brands found that many Middle Class buyers wanted something larger than superminis, and built small family cars. 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 following - Ritmo/Strada , Renault 14 and Opel Kadett . But the Volkswagen Golf remained the most popular small family hatchback in Europe and its successors have followed suit over the last 30 years. The and 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 1990's saw small family cars firmly pitch themselves as the most popular sector of car in Europe. The third generation Volkswagen Golf was launched in 1991 and elected European Car of the Year, shortly after Citroen finally broke into the market with its ZX . The ZX's chassis spawned the Peugeot 306 in 1993. Fiat replaced in 1995 the successful Fiat Tipo with the distinctive Bravo / Brava (three-door and five-door). Later, Ford dropped the Escort name and released in 1998 the dramatically-styled and all-new Ford Focus . Some small family cars have spawned Compact MPV s, 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 outsaled Estate s and Saloon s in many countries. LARGE FAMILY CARS Around 4.50m in the early 90s, now shifting to 4.70m or more. Examples: Ford Mondeo , Opel Vectra , Renault Laguna , Volkswagen Passat . Equivalently sized cars in North America are usually called Mid-size Car s; the term "family car" is fairly often used to refer to a vehicle in this class. FULL-SIZE FAMILY CARS Not as popular as the other two, usually used in official fleet (see , Peugeot 607 , Skoda Superb . Equivalently sized cars in North America are called Full-size Car s. "Family car" may be used to refer to these cars also, but not as often as for mid-sizes. |
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