Family Trucks: 10 Crossovers, Pickups and SUVs with a Family Flair

It’s the best-selling vehicle in the United States, but the 2011 Ford F-150 has historically relied more on its rough and rugged working truck image rather than what it has to offer families seeking a comfortable cruiser. This is despite the fact that the Ford F-150 can found in a four-door edition that provides spacious accommodations for as many as six passengers. On top of that, the F-150 can also be ordered with comfort features such as dual automatic climate control and heated and ventilated seats, as well as entertainment options like an iPod interface and a DVD player to keep the kids happy in the back seat. Throw in a navigation system and a rearview camera to help when reversing the full-size truck, and the F-150 starts to look a lot more like a viable family car choice.

The 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is often overlooked by family shoppers due to its strong association with off-road culture. It’s true that the Jeep Wrangler is a rock-crawling king, but the four-door Unlimited model is so much more thanks to its much roomier interior and sizable 86 cubic feet of total cargo space. A long list of power options and luxury features can take some of the edge off of the base Wrangler’s utilitarian interior design, and the option of a removable hard top is impossible to match in the family segment, making the Wrangler Unlimited both a fun and practical vehicle.

The 2011 Infiniti EX35 might be marketed as a luxury crossover, but a closer look reveals that this premium SUV is actually a more modern interpretation of the family station wagon. Sure, the Infiniti EX35 might boast a bit more ground clearance than a traditional wagon, but underneath its sloped roofline lies five passenger seating and just under 50 cubic feet of total space for stowing gear and luggage. The lightweight EX35 provides solid fuel economy for its class, and its small size makes it easy to navigate through an urban environment, which are important characteristics for a vehicle tapped to perform domestic duty on a regular basis.

The 2011 Ford Flex takes the station wagon idea and runs with it in another direction, offering a stretched out wheelbase with a flat roof and retro-inspired styling. Crack open the Ford Flex’s slab-sided shell, however, and you will find acres of room for seven passengers, combined with unique touches like an available refrigerated compartment between the second row bucket seats as well as the Ford SYNC entertainment interface that makes it a snap to integrate everyone’s favorite media players and smart phones. Throw in the security of available all-wheel drive, and the Ford Flex rises to the top of the family crossover list.

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class has been seemingly lost in the shuffle at the German luxury automaker. Is it a luxury crossover? Yes. Is it a premium minivan? Yes once again. The Mercedes-Benz R-Class offers up to seven passenger seating and a cavernous 85 cubic feet of cargo space, and with the ability to deck the vehicle out with an entertainment system for rear occupants, a navigation system that offers traffic updates and satellite radio, it’s not a stretch to imagine the R-Class as a mobile command center moving through rush hour traffic or eating up the highway miles on the way to the beach. Throw in standard Mercedes-Benz opulence, and it all adds up to an intriguing family cruiser.

The 2010 Jeep Commander is the SUV-maker’s answer to the demand from its loyal buyers for a vehicle with more cargo and passenger space. Three rows of seating (for up to seven passengers) and 69 cubic feet of interior storage can be found within the Jeep Commander’s environs, and the classic upright styling accurately portrays the SUV’s very capable off-road attributes. Of course, the Commander can also be perfectly equipped for transporting kids and relatives from point A to point B, thanks to the availability of Sirius Backseat TV, heated leather seats and a sound system that includes a 30 gigabyte hard drive. Consider the Commander as an urban warrior wrapped in a rugged Jeep package.

The 2011 Toyota Tundra is the second pickup truck on our list of unusual family-friendly vehicles, thanks in part to its CrewMax body style which offers four full-size doors and an interior that rivals several full-size sedans in terms of space and comfort. Like the F-150, the Toyota Tundra CrewMax can be had with a drop-down DVD player that can calm the little tykes as the miles start to pile up, and heated and ventilated leather seats and a navigation system help to take the edge off for adults riding up front as well. Throw in the optional sunroof and power-folding outside mirrors to help better fit into parking garage spaces and the Tundra demonstrates why it has become a viable daily driver choice for families both inside and outside of the city.

The 2011 Nissan Pathfinder is another SUV that has seen its family appeal diluted by its presence on off-road trails around the country. Capable of towing as much as 7,000 lbs of camping trailer, the Nissan Pathfinder also offers seven passenger seating and a vast array of comfort options such as a Bose stereo system, a navigation system, a sunroof and a DVD player for passengers riding in the second and third row. With 79 cubic feet of total cargo space riding behind the front two positions and four-wheel independent suspension that helps the hefty SUV handle like a vehicle half its size, the Pathfinder is worthy of a test drive when shopping for a family car.

The 2011 Dodge Durango is a solid response to moms and dads who might have dismissed earlier iterations of the full-size SUV as being too ponderous or thirsty at the pump for serious consideration. Completely redesigned, the Dodge Durango now sports a more compliant ride thanks to its car-like platform, three rows of seating that can handle up to seven passengers as well as a number of entertainment technologies that include a DVD player, mobile satellite television and a satellite-linked navigation system that can help drivers avoid traffic snarls. The Durango has been custom-built to fit into the lives of busy families, and is now deserving of a second chance thanks to the extensive efforts of Dodge’s design team.

The 2011 Subaru Forester used to be one of the middle players, a crossover that did a lot of things well but fell short in a few critical areas that growing families considered important. Sine that time, the Subaru Forester has moved into a new phase of its design life, bringing with it more expansive accommodations for up to five passengers as well as 68.3 cubic feet of total cargo space with the rear row folded forward. Subaru’s standard all-wheel drive provides surefooted handling in all weather conditions, and the Forester is also one of the safest SUVs on the market according to the IIHS. Affordable, practical and highly evolved compared to its origins, the Subaru Forester is a family vehicle that is growing in popularity with each passing year.