Top 5 Fun Family Cars

Sometimes fast is fun and the vehicles listed here are built to take your family where they need to go and do it pretty darned quick. What are some of today's most fun family cars? Let's find out!

 When it comes to family vehicles, we all want reliable sedans, wagons, or SUVs that feature the latest safety and driver assist features. But what's wrong with having a family car that's fun to drive? We found five fantastic family four-wheelers that pack a ton of fun into the equation. You and the family can get from point "A" to point "B" in a vehicle that offers excellent handling, suspension, and pure performance.

 

Our latest list of family vehicles that are a blast to drive include the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, the Audi RS 6 Avant station wagon, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, the Mercedes-Benz AMG E63 S Wagon, and the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo. All are detailed here in alphabetical order by automaker.

 

We begin our list of family fun cars with the highly engaging Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. It's a high styled Crossover SUV that offers plenty of family practicality with a good dose of handling and performance fun. Its 505-horsepower twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 is packed with pep and power, much like Alfa's mighty Giulia Quadrofoglio sedan but this sexy SUV features all-wheel drive.

 

While the popular BMW X3 may offer a bit more passenger and cargo room, it comes off as practically pedestrian when compared to the exotic Alpha. Especially when you consider that the Alfa is all about fun. For instance, it will blast you from zero to 60 mph in a breath-taking 3.3 seconds, making it one very fast SUV! And the ride is incredible. Adaptive dampers let you select ride firmness, and the chassis performs like a sports car. We were highly impressed with how this car feels.

 

The leather-covered cabin offers supportive 14-way power-adjustable seats for a perfect driving position and 19 cubic feet of cargo space behind the back seats. You'll find an 8.8-inch infotainment touchscreen and a suite of driver assist goodies including automated emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane keep assist.

Starting MSRP $85,675.

 

There are only a few high-performance station wagons still available in America. They are the Mercedes AMG E63 S, the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo, and the Audi RS 6 Avant Wagon seen here. All three made our Top 5 Fun Family Cars list and for good reason. In a world that has gone SUV crazy, this stylish station wagon with its aggressive looks and sporty performance turns a lot of heads and produces a lot of smiles.

 

Like all Audi cars, the RS 6 is precisely tuned for road carving fun. Torque vectoring and excellent suspension tuning make diving into corners effortless. But straight-line speed is where this wagon comes alive, with a 591-horsepower twin-turbo V8, it will whisk you from zero to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds and is capable of a top speed of 190 mph.

 

Inside, the Audi offers plenty of comfort and beauty for five passengers, offering the latest infotainment and driver assist wonders on two touchscreens. Behind the second row of seats you'll find 30 cubic feet of cargo space. We love the way this car looks and drives. Who knows, maybe station wagons are making a comeback.

Starting MSRP $122,995.

 

Imagine putting the 668-horsepower supercharged V8 from a Corvette Z06 into a family sedan. You're picturing the sleek Cadillac CT5-V Blackhawk because that's exactly what Caddy has done here. It comes with your choice of a 6-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission and America's best sport sedan will get you to 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds (even faster with the automatic) and do it in luxury and panache. An expertly tuned suspension puts the Blackwing in league with such Euro competition as the Mercedes-AMG E63 and the BMW M5.

 

While a lush 120th Anniversary Edition is available, we'd stick with the basic trim package with the manual tranny for sheer driving thrills. Something called magnetorheological dampers actually sense the road surface as well as your driving intentions and adjusts the ride to fit your needs. You'll find 18-way adjustable sport seats with real leather and matching door panels in the cabin. The 12-inch gauge display includes a lap timer for you race enthusiasts, and a data recorder is an additional option. The 10-inch touchscreen uses Cadillac's CUE infotainment software and there' s wireless smartphone charging and a Wi-Fi Hotspot.

 

While this is a performance sedan, the trunk will fit five carry-on cases with its 12 cubic feet of space and that's enough for a weekend away. An excellent 15-speaker AKG stereo system is standard. This high-performance family hauler is packed with safety and driver assist features including adaptive cruise control, automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection and a whole lot more.

Starting MSRP $93,495.

        

You're looking at the most powerful all-wheel drive station wagon you can buy. With a 603-horsepower twin turbo V8 on tap capable of 627-pound feet of torque, and something called "Drift Mode", this thing can launch you from zero to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and slide into corners with the greatest of ease. The 4Matic + system cuts power up front and turns off stability control to produce a white-knuckle rousing ride. But if you want the ultimate family joy ride, act now because this is the last year for this alluring engineering marvel.

 

Combining high luxury with dazzling looks, this is a family wagon you take to a drag race. A sport tuned suspension and massive brakes means that the E63 S can do a quarter mile in 11 seconds and stop you from 70 mph to zero in just 173 feet. A special Final Edition package comes in Matte Graphite Grey with tinted glass, carbon fiber interior trim and titanium grey pearl leather seats. A Comfort Package adds rapid heating front seats (massage is an option), heated steering wheel and armrests.

 

Though capable of burning rubber without a twitch, the interior is as luxurious as any Mercedes. Two high resolution display screens bring you all the gauge info, entertainment, safety and driver assist goodies. Ambient interior lighting never lets you forget that this hot rod still places you in the lap of luxury. Seating in the back is spacious and refined and there's 35 cubic feet of cargo space behind them and an astounding 65 cubic feet of storage with those seats stowed. This is a wagon that is capable, captivating, and darned quick!

Starting MSRP $122,250.

 

We thought we would wind up our Top 5 Fun Family Cars with a family moving station wagon that is also a canyon carving supercar, the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo. As with all Porsche models, there are many trim levels and a nearly endless variety of packages to choose from. Variants include the 4, 4S, GTS, Turbo S, and all but the GTS are available in Hybrid versions. Prices start at just over $100K and rise all the way to double that price. The 4S with the Premium Package is our favorite for combining the best of all worlds including a 443-horsepower twin turbo V6 and such amenities as rear wheel steering for tight cornering, a more throaty exhaust, blind-spot monitoring, and an upgraded Bose stereo system.

 

Powertrain choices run the gamut from the base level 4's 2.9-liter V6, the beefed up 443-horse version V6 in the 4S, a 478-horsepower twin turbo V8 in the GTS, and a mighty 620-horse V8 in the Turbo S. E-Hybrid variants add an electric motor and 17.9 kWh battery pack and the top-of-the-line Turbo S E-Hybrid rushes an astounding 690-horsepower to the pavement. Porsche boasts that it will get you from zero to 60 mph in a face-peeling 2 seconds with a top speed of 196 mph.

 

All versions of the Panamera Sport Turismo come with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed dual clutch transmission. Inside the cockpit, you'll find top shelf materials and impeccable fit and finish. The back seat offers ample headroom though legroom can be a challenge. It is a smaller vehicle than the other wagons mentioned here with 18.3 cubic feet of room behind the rear seats and 49 cubic feet of cargo room with those seats folded. Still, it's a Porsche for the whole family and a very impressive way to get to soccer practice.

Starting MSRP $103,200.

 

No matter what your personal transportation needs may be or how they might change with additions to your family, Lithia Motors is here to help get you in the right vehicle for you and yours. There's a Lithia Motors dealership near you. Let us assist you in finding the sedan, crossover, SUV, or truck of your dreams because we want to keep you as a customer for life!