How to know if the car we choose is the ideal one for us?
The tendency of families to opt for wide cars and versatile. What elements do we have to analyze before to choose Which is best for us? In Spain, the best-selling cars are those of body 'three volumes', those that have a space for the hood with the engine, another for the passenger compartment and a third for the cargo compartment.
This is something that does not happen in most European countries, which prefer family-type cars, which is interpreted as a greater maturity of the market.
Does this mean that Spanish consumers still we buy moved more by the aesthetic than by the functionality of the vehicle or, what would be the same, that the subjective reasons are above the objective ones.
The main difference of a family car is the availability of the interior space, but in this aspect we must overcome the concept of the simple trunk, which in a saloon would be - in most cases - the only way to carry a baggage or other packages that by their size can not be stored in the passenger compartment.
The Available space in a family car allows a greater use because it makes it possible to use the entire passenger compartment jointly between passengers and packages. And this circumstance is what must be taken into account when deciding on a particular model, depending on our most usual needs when traveling.
Checklist of the ideal car
- The most important thing is the modularity of space, that is, the possibility of combining the volume. For example, seats can move asymmetrically and independently, in two equal sections by halves, one third and two thirds or three thirds.
- Check how the floor is with the seats folded down. It is best to be completely flat, to facilitate loading and unloading, as well as the best balance of large packages.
- Check if there are washers inside the passenger compartment or fixings to be able to tie the bundles. One point that should be taken into account if traveling with pets is to check the possibility of setting up a barrier to separate people from animals, as required by the Road Safety Act.
- Need to transport sporting goods like surfboards or bicycles. In this case, look for a car that has rails on the ground on which to anchor these items, not all have and are very practical.
- Opening and access for passengers. Some offer the possibility of having a third row of seats, usually two, that are retracted. The advertising always says that they are usable for large sizes, but it is not always true, nor that their opening and passenger access are really simple. It is necessary to check it, even if we only use them occasionally.
- Of series or in 'package'. It is also important to know if these seats are part of the standard equipment or are part of a package that may include other accessories that we do not need. This same precaution must be extended to other options that sell us in the form of a pack, which is disguised as an offer and which obliges us to acquire things that are not interesting.
- The type of tires. Wider tires do not always have better grip than narrower ones, which can also result in lower fuel consumption. However, they will sell them to us as an advantage. Also, if you usually travel on wet routes, with cold and snow, there are mixed-use tires, with optimal performance in those circumstances.
- Guarantee. Those offered by the brand within the ordinary payment and the optional ones. It is essential to know in depth its operation, what services are contemplated, the limitations in time or mileage. If it is possible to go to independent workshops, where to pass the reviews, relations between the workshops and your insurance company.
Francisco del BRÍO. Newsmotor
