Best (small) Family Vehicle with Most Cargo Space

More shopping...I told you I've been shopping! Only this time it's not for clothes, it's for cars. Our ten year old (yes, that's right ten years old) Camry is just now starting to show signs of aging...big-dollar aging. We drag our feet to buy a new one because we live in the city with no off-street parking. Which means we suffer all the blows parking on the street offers. We just let the sideswiping of our old car roll off our backs. We also don't want to have to worry about our new car being dinged, stolen, broken into, etc. Our old Camry doesn't really invite thieves. It doesn't hurt that the car is totally paid for either. We have no intention of taking on a car note either, so whatever we buy...we plan to buy outright...so we aren't looking at cars in the $50k and up price range. However, the next big-ticket repair that pops up for this old car we want to be ready and have researched out what car we want to buy because at that point, we'll be buying a new car. I don't think it will be very long before we have to buy a new car either. Too bad this old Camry can't go another five years for us!

In addition to not wanting to worry about a new car getting damaged, etc...we really do think that at some point in the next five years we'll be moving to the 'burbs (insert crying here) so the kids can go to a decent school without breaking our bank. We're still in debates over private vs. public and all that nonsense. But in all reality, raising kids in the city is tough. So, we would have liked to wait until we moved to buy a new car since, parking on the street requires a smaller vehicle. At least we see it that way.

What are we looking for? We are looking for the best family vehicle with the most cargo space with a small footprint. So, being the list-maker that I am...I compiled a list of cars and I'm not excited by ANY of them! Not one. Boy this parenting thing is far-reaching! I would so love, for example, to buy a Smart car or a Minicooper or a nice compact hybrid. However, since we travel at least twice a year to Montreal to see Mark's family and since flying with two kids gets pretty expensive we need a car with some cargo space for traveling. OK, we always did like to drive up but now we need a car that can accommodate all our ssshi... um I mean stuff.

Here is our shopping criteria: Number one on the list is reliability & safety (enter Edmunds.com for all that info), Number two is cargo space, third - gas mileage and maintenance cost...

I ended up with a comparison list of eight cars. Surprisingly one of the most expensive cars (the BMW 328i xdrive) is the worst for safety (according to stats from Edmunds.com) and the only car in the whole list that had 100% reliability across all categories was the least expensive (the Kia Rondo Lx), again according to Edmunds.com.

After compiling this list (below) I think I'm leaning towards the Toyota RAV 4; it gives us our storage, great gas mileage, great price and very good reliability and safety. We'll see how it drives and how comfortable it is...15 hour drives kind-of requires a bit of comfort!

THE LIST:

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Kia Rondo LX (v6)

Cargo: 35 cu ft max or 31.7 cu ft luggage only

Gas Mileage: 18 mpg / 26 mpg / 21 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Cost: $19,495

Edmunds reliability: 100% Green/Good all the way http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/kia/rondo/101129996/reliability.html

Maintenance: $3421 (estimated total cost for five years)

Safety: Passenger: 5 stars | Driver: 5 stars | Side Impact Front: 5 stars | Side Impact Rear: 4 stars | Rollover Rating: 4 stars

Honda CRV

Cargo: 59 cu ft max storage or 29 cu ft luggage only

Gas Mileage: 17 mpg / 23 mpg / 20 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Cost: $21,245

Edmunds reliability: Almost good all the way http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/mazda/cx7/101020295/reliability.html

Maintenance: $2721 (estimated total cost for five years)

Safety: Passenger: 5 stars | Driver: 5 stars | Side Impact Front: 5 stars | Side Impact Rear: 5 stars | Rollover Rating: 4 stars

Acura RDX (AWD Technology Pkg)

Cargo: 61 cu ft Max or 27.8 cu ft luggage only

Gas Mileage: 17 mpg / 22 mpg / 19 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Cost: $37,620

Edmunds reliability: Almost good all the way http://www.edmunds.com/new/2010/acura/rdx/101192369/reliability.html

Maintenance: $3,637

Safety: Passentger: 5 stars | Driver: 5 stars | Side Impact Front: 5 stars | Side Impact Rear: 5 stars | Rollover Rating: 4 stars

Toyota Venza

Cargo: 70 cu ft Max or 30.7 cu ft luggage only

Gas Mileage: 18 mpg / 25 mpg / 21 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Cost: $29,250

Edmunds reliability: Almost good all the way http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/toyota/venza/101109191/reliability.html

Maintenance: $4,006

Safety: Passenger: 5 stars | Driver: 5 stars | Side Impact Front: 5 stars | Side Impact Rear: 5 stars | Rollover Rating: 4 stars

Toyota RAV4

Cargo: 73 cu ft Max or 36.4 cu ft luggage only

Gas Mileage: 22 mpg / 28 mpg / 24 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Cost: $21,500

Edmunds reliability: Almost good all the way http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/toyota/rav4/101042865/reliability.html

Maintenance: $3,880

Safety: Passenger: 4 stars | Driver: 5 stars | Side Impact Front: 5 stars | Side Impact Rear: 5 stars | Rollover Rating: 4 stars

Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring AWD

Cargo: 59 cu ft max storage or 29 cu ft luggage only

Edmunds Reliability: Mostly Good: http://www.edmunds.com/new/2010/mazda/cx7/101194222/reliability.html

Gas Mileage: 17 mpg / 23 mpg / 19 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Cost: $32,885

Maintenance: Not yet available

Safety: Passenger: 5 stars | Driver: 5 stars | Side Impact Front: 5 stars | Side Impact Rear: 5 stars | Rollover Rating: 4 stars

Volkswagen Touareg 2

Cargo: 71 cu ft Max or 31 Cu ft luggage only

Gas Mileage: 14 mpg / 20 mpg / 16 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Cost: $39,300

Edmunds reliability: Mostly Good http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/volkswagen/touareg2/101010895/reliability.html

Maintenance: $3,594

Safety: Passenger: 5 stars | Driver: 5 stars | Side Impact Front: 5 stars | Side Impact Rear: 5 stars | Rollover Rating: 4 stars

BMW 328i xdrive (AWD v6)

Cargo: 61 cu ft max or luggage only not provided

Gas Mileage: 17 mpg / 25 mpg / 20 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Cost: $37,400

Edmunds reliability: mostly good http://www.edmunds.com/new/2010/bmw/3series/101200940/reliability.html

Maintenance: too new for estimate

Safety: Passenger: 4 stars | Driver: 4 stars | Side Impact Front: 5 stars | Side Impact Rear: 5 stars | Rollover Rating: 4 stars