Two-seaters. Consider these only for adults-only excursions or for transporting one child big enought to ride safely in front (at least 12). Otherwise, just enjoy fantasizing about having the freedom to own a two-seater someday.

Sedans. These come in all sizes and are too numerous and varied to discuss in detail. Two pieces of advice we'd like to offer are: (1) As a class, nearly all cars are more fuel-efficient than nearly all light trucks. When shopping for a vehicle, we encourage you to consider a car in the size category that suits you for this reason alone. (2) Auto industry disinformation attempts to foster a "small is dangerous," "big is safe" mindset, just as it did when fighting fuel efficiency standards in the 1970s. In fact, some of the safest cars on the road are compact, Japanese-made cars with advanced safety features, while some of the least safe are American-made compact and even mid-size cars.

Station wagons. These were the family haulers of the baby-boom decades. The last of the huge American station wagons, the Buick Roadmaster/Chevrolet Caprice, was discontinued a few years ago as American manufacturers focussed first on minivans, then on SUVs as family transporters. There are still a number of large, safe wagons made by European automakers, some of which contain an optional third set of rear-facing seats in the cargo area. Newer models of crossover utility vehicles have lower centers of gravity than earlier models, making them look more like station wagons and less like the truck-based SUVs that inspired them. Soon, all meaningful distinctions between these two categories may disappear.

Here are some currently-available wagons.
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Minivans

Available in 7-passenger and 8-passenger configurations, minivans have evolved considerably since their introduction in the early 1980s. Even though they are classified as "light trucks" for CAFE purposes, as a class they earn much better fuel efficiency than the large truck-based SUVs they compete with. Built on lower, lighter frames with shock-absorbing crumple zones, minivans are much less prone to rollover crashes and are less lethal to their occupants in a crash—as well as to those in others vehicles.

Because they are marketed to families, they also tend to come with the most advanced safety features available in vehicles. The interiors are configured to offer convenient and comfortable access to all the seats (while many large SUVs offer such difficult access to the third row of seats that children simply scramble over the second row to get there). Many include built-in child seats, flexible interior configurations, and such family-oriented features as power outlets and numerous cupholders.

The main disadvantage of minivans in contrast to the largest SUVs has been the fairly small cargo area remaining when all the seats are in use; but some recent minivan models seem to be aimed at decreasing this disadvantage. A June 2003 report by Public Citizen based on the work of auto safety experts Marc Ross and Tom Wenzel found that minivans are the safest category of vehicle for children. In general, where a vehicle with more than five seats (or seating for more than three under-12 children) is required, we recommend the minivan category over all other categories.

For more information, here are some thoughts on minivan evolution.
Take a look at some current models of minivans.
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Truck-based Passenger Vans

These are essentially cargo vans built on a truck chassis with truck engines. For reasons of fuel efficiency, safety and comfort, these have been almost totally eclipsed by minivans as family haulers. Many small business owners are also choosing minivans over traditional vans for the same reasons. The large 14-passenger versions of these vans continue to be used as people-haulers by camps, schools and churches, but a controversy is currently raging about their safety due to the large number of rollover crashes involving fully-loaded 14-passenger vans. Learn more about these vehicles. We do not recommend truck-based passenger vans.
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Truck-based SUVs

These traditional SUVs are built on pick-up truck platforms and use truck engines. Under the hood, they are indistinguishable from their related pick-up trucks. Just think of them as trucks with an enclosed passenger and cargo compartment, because that's what they are.

These are built using "body-on-frame" construction, in which the vehicle body is bolted on to a stiff, ladder-like metal frame. Body-on-frame construction was phased out from car production in the 1970's and replaced with "unit body" (aka "unibody") construction. Body-on-frame construction is cheaper for auto manufacturers, which is why they earn huge profits on SUVs.

It yields only one advantage over unit-body construction: superior towing strength because of the stiff, unyielding frame. Otherwise, the results are negative: poor fuel economy, poor emergency braking and handling, and—due to the lack of shock-absorbing crumple zones that are now standard in cars and most minivans—poor outcomes for all concerned when crashes occur. Also, their raised suspension and tall profile make these vehicles susceptible to rolling during collisions and emergency maneuvers. Unfortunately, many are not made with roofs strong enough to resist crushing during rollovers, with disastrous results for the occupants.

Automakers love to produce these because they can easily crank out a multitude of seemingly different models based on an unchanging frame and engine.

For example, the following GM products are all built on the same frame with the same class of engines, which have barely changed in decades:

• Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Pickup
• Chevrolet Astro Van
• GMC Safari Van
• Chevrolet Avalanche Crew-Cab Pickup
• Cadillac Escalade
• Cadillac Escalade EXT Pickup
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• GMC Yukon
• GMC Yukon XL
• Chevrolet Suburban

A June 2003 report by Public Citizen based on the work of auto safety experts Marc Ross and Tom Wenzel found that children are twice as likely to be killed in SUVs as in minivans. Given all the negative data emerging about these vehicles, we cannot recommend truck-based SUVs for families at this time.

See some popular truck-based SUVs.
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Crossover Utility Vehicles or "Car-Based SUVs"

As SUVs went mainstream during the last decade, used more and more for ordinary family driving, automakers began building unit-body (car-based or minivan-based) vehicles that had SUV styling—such as higher ground clearance and a higher roof line. For example, the Acura MDX has an aggressive SUV look but is based on the Honda Odyssey Minivan platform and earns top marks in crash tests and stability tests, and earns a better-than-average EPA fuel efficiency rating for a 4-wheel-drive SUV.

Almost without exception, crossovers get much better fuel economy and are safer in crashes than truck-based SUVs, but as a class they are not as fuel efficient as cars. Because of the high, narrow styling of many crossovers, some remain susceptible to dangerous rollovers; meanwhile, some makers have made serious attempts at addressing the rollover problem by making their newer SUV models (like the Chrysler Pacifica and the Audi Allroad) low to the road—like wagons. As crossovers evolve, the distinctions between station wagons, minivans and car-based SUVs will blur further.

Fuel efficiency comparison: the two-wheel-drive Ford Explorer, a truck-based SUV, earns EPA ratings of 15 city/19 highway. The two-wheel drive Ford Escape, a comparable-sized car-based SUV, earns ratings of 23 city/28 highway. (A hybrid version of the the Escape, Ford's first hybrid-electric vehicle, is promised in 2004 and is said to get 40 mpg; stay tuned.)

Here are some popular car-based SUVs.
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Pickup Trucks

In many areas, pickup trucks are the vehicle of choice for almost everyone. Pickups are now offered with two full rows of seats, and are increasingly used as family haulers. Some even come with kid-oriented amenities such as built-in TVs in the rear seat. There are some big problems with this trend: (1) the full-size pickups that currently dominate the truck market get the worst fuel economy of any class of vehicles; (2) the rollover/roof crush problem is even greater with full-size pickup trucks than with SUVs; (3) according to new research, pickups as a class are responsible for far more traffic injuries and deaths than any other class of vehicle; and (4) pickups have a 50-foot rear "blind spot" (much greater than SUVs and cars), making them especially dangerous to small children when backing up.

Unless and until the auto industry begins to tackle these problems seriously, consumers are well advised to use the utmost care in choosing a vehicle in this category. In particular, pickups are no substitute for a well-designed car or minivan for transporting children.
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