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Family car

A Ford Mondeo, classed as a large family car.

A family car is a car classification used in Europe to describe larger cars. The name refers to the fact that these cars are suitable for a family to go shopping or on vacations. Most family cars are hatchbacks or saloons, although there are MPVs, station wagon and cabriolets with the same structure as with the other body style. The term covers three types of family cars.

Small family cars

Current small family cars are between 4.20m and 4.35m long. Examples: Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Renault Mégane, Volkswagen Golf.

The first successful small family hatchback in Europe was the Volkswagen Golf, which first went on sale in 1974. By the end of the decade, several other manufacturers had followed Volkswagen's suit by launching the likes of the following - Fiat Ritmo (Strada), Renault 14 and Opel Kadett (Vauxhall Astra). But the Volkswagen Golf remained the most popular small family hatchback in Europe and its successors have followed suit over the last 30 years.

The 1980's began with the launch of two revolutionary front-wheel drive hatchbacks: the Ford Escort and Lancia Delta. More similar cars followed over the decade, including the updated Opel Kadett (Vauxhall Astra), Renault 19, Fiat Tipo and second generation Rover 200. Alfa Romeo's venture into this market, the Nissan-based Arna, was one of the few unsuccessful European small family hatchbacks of the 1980's.

The 1990's saw small family hatchbacks firmly pitch themselves as the most popular sector of car in Europe. The third generation Volkswagen Golf was launched in 1991 and elected European Car of the Year, shortly after Citroen finally broke into the market with its ZX. The ZX's chassis spawned the Peugeot 306 in 1993. Fiat replaced the successful Tipo with the distinctive Bravo (three-door) and Brava (five-door) in 1995. Ford replaced the long-running Escort with the dramatically-styled and all-new Focus in 1998.

Some family hatchbacks have spawned compact MPVs, the first of which was the 1996 Renault Mégane Scenic. The Volkswagen Touran (based on the Golf), Fiat Multipla (Brava/Bravo platform) and Citroën Picasso (with Xsara components) are all a similar concept.

Large family cars

Around 4.50m in the early 90s, now shifting to 4.70m or more. Examples: Ford Mondeo, Opel Vectra, Renault Laguna, Volkswagen Passat.

Full-size family cars

Not as popular as the other two, usually used in official fleet. Examples: Citroën C6, Peugeot 607, Skoda Superb.

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This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.