Articles by Nedahl Stelio

The more I drive wagons, the more I like them. Besides being more spacious (usually) than SUVs, they’re also sleeker and better looking! Would you give up your SUV for a wagon, though? It’s a big call, but the Volkswagen Passat wagon may just convince you.I was in the Passat 206TSI R-Line which is the top-of-the-range and while it’s definitely at the pricier end of the category ($62,290 before on-road costs), it’s lovely. It competes with higher grade versions of cars like the Skoda Superb and the Mazda6 wagon. Here’s how it did with my family over seven days of driving.

What are advanced safety features and how can they help protect your family?

I first appreciated AWD, or noticed the lack of it, when driving in my old car on a very steep hill with my children in the backseat. And my car started to slide backwards.

What do you look for in a car when buying one for the family? It's not like before children (shall we call that BC?) when all you wanted was two seats and a roof that goes down.No, these days, your desires are much more practical. Well, your priorities are anyway. Here's the checklist while you're car shopping to make sure all your prerequisites are ticked off before you buy. For you in the front just as much as the kids need it in the back. Look out for leg space both in the driver and the passenger seat, and check the leg space on the passenger side while there is a baby capsule in the back seat (if that is the family stage you're up to). Rear facing capsules are big, and you'd be surprised how much the front passenger will have to compromise on leg space, so if there's not enough room and you're tall, you're in trouble.Space in the rear is important if you've got growing teenagers with long legs that need to sit behind you, too. "I think the boot is too big," said no parent ever. You won't know the joy of a big boot until you regularly drive a car with one, and then have it taken away from you. Fitting things easily into the boot and not feeling like it's a giant jigsaw puzzle every time is joyful. So you can fit prams, groceries, school bags, bikes, sporting equipment, picnic baskets, blankets, towels, beach bags, boogie boards... need I go on?Because it's 2019 and we all deserve to live like it is. Good technology today means Apple CarPlay or Android Auto which essentially sync your phone with the multimedia screen instantly connect your phone's main apps to the touchscreen just by plugging it into the USB point. It's not hard, you don't have to learn it, and you can easily navigate via the maps app or stream music via Spotify. You can also make calls and send texts by using voice control in some cars like the Subaru Outback pictured here. To me, good storage maketh a good car drive, especially when you treat your car like your living room, which is often the case. So you want a spot for your coffee/tea - cupholders are essential, you want a bottle holder in the door for hydration, and you want a spot to throw keys and a phone because they get lost easily otherwise. The centre storage bin can be useful to pop toys for the kids or iPads when they're not in use. The children also appreciate cupholders in the back.So this isn't an essential, sure, but it improves your drive dramatically. A leather-trimmed steering wheel especially feels really lovely under the hands and even if the rest of the car's interior is not up to scratch, if you're touching a leather steering wheel it won't matter.Dual-zone air conditioning is good, but even better is a functional design and easy access to the climate control that doesn't involve jumping through 10 different screens on the multimedia. There is something to be said for knobs and buttons that are within arms reach and just work when you move them, like on the Subaru Outback pictured here.Because kids get hot and if there's one thing I've learned since driving different cars on a weekly basis, it's that my children will notice when there are no air vents in the back, especially in summer.These are a must to fit children's car seats in safely, and most new cars will have both so you have the choice between an ISOFIX seat or just the top tether seats. Some cars top tether points can be on the roof, so just note where they are and if in a weird spot, see how that affects head space. I've been in cars where the kids' car seats involuntarily rolled inward, because they were at too much of an angle, so it's always good to check these things and also check the comfort level of the front seats because once you have kids, you tend to go on long, arduous road trips and you start to notice when the seats are not up to standard. You can really tell the difference when you get into a car like the Subaru Outback and everything is super comfy.  

Now, this is a fun looking car. The Subaru XV is known as a SUV version of the ever-popular Impreza, so it’s higher off the road and travels like an SUV but isn’t large, like its big sisters the Forester and Outback.It’s in the small SUV category and competes with cars like the Honda HR-V and Nissan Qashqai.I was in the second-from-top-of-the-range XV 2.0i Premium, which costs $32,670 before on-road costs, and drove it all through the city this week for a bunch of Sydney Fashion Week commitments.Here’s how it did with me and my family of four over seven days of testing.

This week I had the arduous task of driving two hours out of Sydney, just to pick something up, which as you can imagine I wasn’t looking forward to. It was lucky then, I was test driving the BMW X1, a small SUV which seats five people and is in competition with cars like the Audi Q3, the Mercedes GLA and the Mini Countryman. That put me in a better mood. I was driving the top of the range X1, the xDrive25i which costs $60,900 before on road costs and extras. Here’s how it did on that particularly annoying journey and also the rest of the week with my family of four in tow.

The Holden Astra hatch is a five seater that's in competition with the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus. Both the Ford and the Mazda have had major makeovers this year, so how does the Holden compare?

The Mini Countryman is an interesting beast, isn’t it? It’s a Mini, but not mini at all. In fact, it’s a five-seater SUV, for those who love the unique styling of a MIni but want more space to fit the family.It still looks like a Mini, just an oversized one, and is in competition with cars like the Mercedes GLA, Audi Q3 and BMW X1.I was driving the Mini Countryman Cooper S, which is in the middle of the range and retails for $48,900 before on road costs.How does it work with a real family? I drove it with my gang of four over seven days to find out.

Somehow the Mazda 3 is a car that caters to families. New ones anyway.

Whether you need a van for work or because you have a large family, it’s about how driving a van makes you feel, ammiright?I was stopped on the street by a complete stranger, a mum with three small boys in tow who said, “do you like your van? My husband wants to buy one but I really don’t know.” Because, I mean, it’s a van. Until you have five kids, you don’t absolutely need one, right?Volkswagen is trying to dispel that theory with its Multivan. It’s cooler, has nicer interiors and draws on VW's old Kombi heritage in the hope you’ll even buy one when it’s not particularly necessary.I drove the Volkswagen Multivan Black Edition this week. At $63,490, before on-road costs it’s almost $15,000 more than a Hyundai iMax. So how different is it? I drove it for seven days with my family to find out.