Thanks to Gaywheels.com, “the Gay-Friendly Automotive Resource,” for today’s special guest post, first of a two-part series. Gaywheels’ Joe Tralongo has put together for Mombian a list of family-friendly—and gay-friendly—vehicles worth checking out if you’re in the market for a new ride for yourself and your clan.
If, however, you’re having a midlife crisis and want something more suitable to moms’ (or dads’) night out, you’ll have to pop over to Gaywheels.com itself and read their featured reviews. After most auto magazines, aimed at straight men, Gaywheels.com is a refreshing change. They describe a vivid trim package “as polarizing as Hillary Clinton in Missouri” and say of the stereo, “Madonna has never sounded so good.” They’ve also published perhaps the only review in the world that asserts “the Jaguar S-Type R made us feel PRETTY.”
Don’t let the fabulousness fool you, though. The writers are all serious automotive experts. Here’s some background on Joe:
Joe Tralongo is a freelance journalist working with Gaywheels.com. Joe began his career eight years ago writing online reviews for Kelley Blue Book and maintains a working relationship with the company. Joe has also worked on a number of manufacturer related projects developing in-house competitive comparison analysis booklets.
Below are the first four of Joe’s picks for family haulers. Come back tomorrow for the next four.
Eight Family-Friendly Haulers
By Joe Tralongo
Gaywheels.com
With more lesbian and gay couples raising families, the community’s car-buying habits have altered radically. The safety-conscious kid hauler is quickly replacing the flashy sports car. Below is a small sampling of some family-friendly vehicles assembled by the good folks at Gaywheels.com. Each carries at least six-passengers, is priced within reach of most middle-class households and is built by a gay-friendly company (gay-friendly status is determined by whether or not a company offers domestic partner benefits to both its corporate and factory employees here in the United States).
Subaru Tribeca
From both a social and utilitarian standpoint, Subaru has served the lesbian and gay community extremely well. Their newest offering, the Tribeca, is a crossover SUV built from a car-like platform and capable of seating up to seven passengers. Although this description fits any number of crossover vehicles, the Tribeca’s artful interior, numerous standard features and standard Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive make it somewhat unique. It should be noted that the Tribeca’s optional third-row seat is best utilized by pre-teen-sized occupants, and when in place eats up a substantial chunk of the cargo bay. And although priced at the higher end of the crossover spectrum, the Tribeca’s strong safety rating, good resale values and excellent repair history make it a smart investment.
Price Range (includes destination): $30,640-$37,000
Engine: 3.6-liter boxer engine, 256 horsepower, 247 lb.-ft. of torque
EPA Fuel Economy: 16 city/21 highway
Toyota Highlander
Toyota offers two family hauling vehicles, the Sienna minivan and the all-new Highlander crossover SUV. We like the Highlander for a number of reasons, the most obvious being the removal of the “minivan mom” stigma. Like the Tribeca, the Highlander provides three-row seating and all-wheel drive. Unlike the Tribeca, the Highlander’s standard front-wheel drive allows for a significantly lower starting price. Toyota also offers a hybrid gas-electric version. Cool features, such as a removable second-row center section that permits easy access to the third-row seat, help keep the Highlander near the top of our recommended list.
Price Range (includes destination): $27,985-$42,000
Engine: 3.5-liter V6, 270 horsepower, 248 lb.-ft. of torque
EPA Fuel Economy: 18 city/24 highway (2WD), 17 city/23 highway (4WD)
Ford Taurus X
Formerly known as the Freestyle, Ford’s Taurus X crossover SUV gains more than just a new name. It receives a number of upgrades aimed at quieting the interior and improving ride and handling as well as a more powerful V6 engine. Despite its rental-car name, the Taurus X’s offers conservative yet handsome styling, a commanding view from the driver’s seat and a reasonably good cargo area behind the third-row seat. One of our favorite features is the optional remote keypad locking/unlocking system, which is ideal for those times when it’s not convenient to carry a key fob. Another plus in the Taurus X’s favor, both the Department of Transportation (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) give the Taurus X high marks for its crash test worthiness and excellent safety ratings.
Price Range (includes destination): $27,365-$38,000
Engine: 3.5-liter V6, 263 horsepower, 247 lb.-ft of torque
EPA Fuel Economy: 16 city/24 highway (FWD), 15 city/22 highway (AWD)
GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook/Buick Enclave
The GMC Acadia (and its sister vehicles the Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave) represents a huge leap forward for GM. About the size of an Acura MDX, the Acadia demonstrates an attention to design not seen in an American vehicle in quite some time. Interior space is excellent, with an adult-accommodating third-row seat, big cargo hold and a full compliment of safety and security features. Fit and finish is first rate and the materials used to create the interior could easily have come from a high-end luxury model. As with the Tribeca, Highlander and Taurus X, the Acadia offers such must have features as all-wheel drive, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, GPS navigation and premium audio. Those uncomfortable with high-tech gadgetry will appreciate the optional Turn-by-turn navigation. After giving your intended destination to an OnStar operator, directions are uploaded to the vehicle’s voice navigation system which then talks you through the route. The Acadia’s V6 engine also offers the most horsepower, most torque and the best fuel economy of the bunch.
Price Range (includes destination): $29,845-$43,000
Engine: 3.6-liter V6, 275 horsepower, 251 lb.-ft. of torque
EPA Fuel Economy: 16 city/24 highway (FWD), 16 city/ 22 highway (AWD)
Read a full review:
Saturn Outlook
Buick Enclave
Joe,
Thanks for these- I agree that the Highlander redesign is sweet! I also agree about there being minivan mom stigma, but think it’s important to point out that after checking out every possible option to seat 7 or more, I’ve sadly decided that there just aint nothing like a minivan if family hauling is #1 on your list. Much to my chagrin and embarasment, we are the proud owners of a new Odyssey, which I have to admit I secretly love (despite having to wear dark glasses while driving it).
I think these reviews overlook some key features for parents of younger children, such as number of seating positions with carseat LATCH anchors (and/or number of seats where you can put a carseat, with or without LATCH), closer sliding seats for access to small children in the second row, and hands-free doors and ease of entrance for wee ones with short legs. For example, despite it’s awesome new profile, expanded third row, and greener hybrid option, Highlander has no LATCH in the 3rd row, and even with seatbelts it’s doubtful you could fit more than one car seat back there (probably a forward facing one). That row also doesnt split, like most good minivan 3rd rows do, so if you have a carseat back there, (which is necessary if you have 3 or more kids in carseats or boosters) you’ll have to take it out every time you need even a little extra cargo room. There’s also no way in hades that my toddler could climb up into that SUV by himself, which sounds minor but is key when I’ve got a newborn in my arms too. Maybe I’m just focused on this because my kiddos are younger and will be in carseats for the foreseeable future, but I’d add those kinds of considerations when determining how “family friendly” a vehicle is for my family!
Oh, very good points! I’ll make sure the Gaywheels folks know about your suggestions.
“Wouldn’t a Gremlin have been more sensible?”
It’s funny, I remember my friends and myself packing into Volkswagon Rabbits, Honda Civics, and Toyota Corollas. Two adults in front. Three kids in the back.
Those cars have all ballooned in size, but are now considered too small for a family.
There are lots of wonderful fuel-efficient safety-conscious hatchbacks with ample storage space, four doors, and multiple safety seat attachment points.
Pingback: Mombian » Blog Archive » Eight Family-Friendly Haulers, Part II