Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE ARRIVAL OF a first child can change quite a lot in a household. Aside from your sleep pattern, one other part of your life that will likely need to adapt is the car.
The requirement for more luggage space and the all-important aspect of safety when transporting your little bundle of joy will probably take priority.
Here’s a run-down of five family-friendly cars for under €15,000.
When it comes to transporting families the Renault Scenic has a good track record – after all, this car effectively created the MPV segment when it made its debut back in 1996.
The Scenic has seating for five and a generous 522-litre boot. A taller roof and wide rear door apertures do make getting the little ones into their seats that bit easier too. Most popular models sold were the 1.5-litre DCi diesel, however, if you can find a petrol version don’t be put off by it. Renault has had a less than desirable reputation when it comes to reliability, but the Scenic has scored well with owners for low running costs and practicality.
The Opel Meriva probably isn’t the first motor that springs to mind when you think of a family car, but it has some merit. Among its best features are the rear-hinged back doors, which open carriage-style to give you better access when buckling up the kids in the back. There’s also a kink in the door line to give the little ones a better view of the world passing by, which in turn reduces the risk of travel sickness.
Everywhere you look there are storage bins including a useful sliding centre console between the seats. But even with interior space maximised the Opel still drives like a regular mid-size car.
The range of engines available aren’t particularly performance-based – but this is a car that majors more on practicality than outright speed.
We can’t talk about potential family cars without including the ubiquitous Nissan Qashqai. It kick-started the crossover revolution and has become a household name (even if some still struggle to spell it correctly).
What makes the Qashqai stand out is its higher driving position, although interior space isn’t class-leading. It also scored well for adult and child occupant protection in the EuroNCAP crash tests.
There is lots of choice on the used market, so it’s worth looking around to find the right one. Most common are the dCi diesel engines, and when properly maintained can provide good fuel economy and low running costs. There is also a Qashqai +2 model, which offers an additional two rear seats, but this does impact on luggage capacity.
The Skoda Octavia is a car that offers plenty of boot and passenger space, yet is small enough to fit into a parking space easily. It shares much of its mechanical underpinnings with the Volkswagen Golf, so it drives nicely as well as having a more affordable price.
One of the things that makes the Octavia so attractive though is that interior space, especially when it comes to swapping child seats in and out of the rear. A low load height helps the wide boot opening, and it’s deep, so getting bulkier items in is easier.
With its high driving position and trendy looks, the Kia Sportage has consistently been a popular choice for families in Ireland. Its compact dimensions combine with a frugal 1.7-litre diesel engine to add to the Sportage’s appeal. On the practical front, the taller cabin is a boon to parents who don’t have to bend down as much to get the kids belted in.
Most models sold here are front-wheel drive, so don’t expect too much off-road capability. One thing to be mindful of is that although Kia’s famous seven-year warranty does exist it is also limited to 150,000km – so buying a higher-mileage 2014 car, for example, might not mean you’re getting the full remaining four years of warranty.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Should be able to click in tá and nil to see easier who has voted in favour/against what and who didnt vote at all
There’s an excel sheet online somewhere that tells you where everyone sits so you can work it out. I’m not on the computer at the moment, so I can’t give you the link, but I think it’s on the Dail website. Your way would be a million times handier though.
Exactly Sam, we are paying for this afterall. It should be accessible as standard.
Mrs that my point though. Why should we need to get an excel sheet out to navigate through democracy? In this day and age we have the technology to make this much more user friendly. Point and click a seat see bio, voting record, attendance, salary, expenses, committee membership, contact details and SIPO returns etc.
I completely agree, the amount of time I waste going through that sheet finding out who voted for what, and after all that, it’s a bit out of date too. I would love to see a page that has all that information in just one click, and to be honest, I reckon I could even make it myself if I had a bit of time, because it’s not even that complicated in terms of technology. But you’re suggesting the Dáil does something that makes complete sense and would make things easier and clearer for voters and people interested in Irish politics. It’s not going to happen. =P
High Treason from Fg and Labour actively blocking any possibility of a deal on bankster debts
What the hell? Fg and labour taking steps against the madness of bailing out bankster debts and undermining any chance of ireland getting a deal. Traitors the lot of them. Afraid greece succeeds where ireland failed in case it makes fg and labour look bad. Party politics over the interest of irish people!
Because they care more about keeping in with their mates in Brussels than they do about their own people or the Greeks.
Turn coats
What have the Greeks ever done for us Luke?
Georgios Samaras and Ouzo
What have the Greeks ever done for us? Gave us the notion of democracy, also a large part of what we call civilisation. among other things.
Speaking statistically, couldn’t 51% of the country inflict tyranny democratically on the other 49% of the country. With not everyone registered to vote, and with people who are registered and don’t vote, couldn’t a much smaller number like 30% of the people inflict tyranny democratically on the other 70%.
Half of Georgia Salpa?
They really don’t care!!
They do care Trevor…..about that cushy Brussels number their all foaming at the mouth for.
Because our ‘democracy’ is a thin veneer and the Oireachtais largely serves the interests of big capital and not the vast majority of Irish citizens.
Corruption
Corruption and TREASON
Sure why would you be inviting people into the town who might blurt what actually happened?
Anyone who voted no against a debt conference should be ousted from dail eireann for not acting in ireland’s interest. Basically all of the government td’s.
Because we are sado-masochists.
We enjoy the pain…At least the government has told us we do. In which case,we are also gimp slaves too!!
Wake the gimp Mark
Anyone who supports this government or any of its austerity measures is a GIMP, it’s the only way to explain why!
Thhe gang of 4 tell the cabinet what to do, the cabinet tells the whips and they tell the TDs which way to vote. Its called democracy Irish style
Bang on… the ‘Economic Management Council’ fascism FG styleeee.
4 guys, whipping everybody else in line.
Why did the Dáil vote against a European debt conference?
I’m going with ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.
You only had to listen to that eejit Noonan with his ‘we’re alright, we’re not dependent on feta cheese exports’ comment to see that there is no solidarity with anybody that threatens a good pension. If the shoe was on the other foot and some Greek minister dismissivly suggested that ‘the paddys could go back to bartering with potatoes’ we’d have completely lost our collective s***
They like dishing out austerity and being the poster boy of austerity especially since they are immune from austerity.
Sure why would they vote for a debt conference . They wouldnt want to help the country . They get what they want big wages and pensions paid by the taxpayers no matter what.
Greece must be on a tracker
Did you enjoy your holidays? One of the perks at FG? Back in overdrive now though I see.
well look what the cat dragged out of the FG sewers
What is our national debt? €214bn quotes in the article or €154bn quoted in yesterday’s article.
Why did the Dáil vote against a European debt conference?
Because they are spineless fools that would rather bend over for the elite bankers and their political masters in Europe, than do something that might actually benefit the peoples of this country and Europe.
We are not supporting this hypocrisy,you said it yourself it was their banks and govt who were at fault,why should the average greek person suffer.This new greek govt are supporting their people and are looking for a debt write down because the debt is totally unsustainable.If they kept on going the way they were there would have been violent rebellion.
Because they are the same ones who flushed our sovereignty down the pan???
As in Ireland the media and academia in Greece did not expose the fraudsters in government and banks who were safely ensconced in positions of power for years and who eventually bankrupted the country.
Now they want the citizens of other EU countries to pay.
No way Jose
The Greeks are making hypocritical demands on other countries in the euro zone, some of which are poorer than Greece, to pay for the recklessness and irresponsibility of their own governments and banks over decades.
We should not support this hypocrisy.
They were in massive debt but the IMF made it worse for them due to the euro, they had to borrow money to look after the euros wellbeing and that added to their mess.
Interesting note . The gap in vote was 30 seats. At least 17 opposition seats were marked white for abstentions or no vote. Stop pairing arrangements!
well done to the government yet again
Explain to me why we have Peter Sutherland advising the Irish Government when he was the very person whispering in the Irish governments ear during this last minute crisis bailout…. He is Chairman of Goldman Sachs those invested interests are still vested interests…They have taken no hit and suffered no backlash.. The banking inquiry serves NO purpose unless we are changing the system… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Z_WcRJzcA
have your say