Wagons and Hatchbacks

2010 Audi A4 Avant Premium

What it Is: A compact, all-wheel drive luxury wagon.
What's Hot: Maybe looks better than the sedan.
What's Not: High entry price, expensive options.
Family Friendly Options: Navigation, active cruise control, blind-spot warning.
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Audi A4 Avant is a great looking wagon, and a family friendly one, too, thanks to excellent crash test scores, plenty of safety equipment and lots of cargo space.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.6

2010 BMW 328i Sport Wagon

What it Is: A compact five passenger luxury wagon.
What's Hot: Adds much-needed utility to 3 Series sedan.
What's Not: Not as Family Friendly as competition.
Family Friendly Options: Navigation, Bluetooth, active cruise control.
How It Got Its Score: The 2011 BMW 328i Sport Wagon's biggest advantage is its enhanced cargo area, which dwarfs the trunk space of the 3 Series sedan. Still, the price remains high, and fuel economy could be better.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.1

2010 BMW 328i xDrive Sport Wagon

What it Is: A compact five passenger all-wheel drive luxury wagon.
What's Hot: Adds much-needed utility to 3 Series xDrive sedan.
What's Not: Not as Family Friendly as competition.
Family Friendly Options: Navigation, Bluetooth, active cruise control.
How It Got Its Score: The 2011 BMW 328i xDrive Sport Wagon's biggest advantage over the sedan version is its enhanced cargo area, which dwarfs the 3 Series sedan's trunk space. All-wheel drive also adds expense and reduces fuel economy.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.0

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon 3.0 V-6 All-Wheel Drive

What it Is: A four-door, five-passenger all-wheel drive luxury wagon.
What's Hot: Beautiful to look at, extra cargo hauling, bigger than similarly priced competitors.
What's Not: Fuel economy could be better.
Family Friendly Options: Bluetooth, navigation, backup camera, USB port.
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon is the luxury brand's first station wagon. Competing with luxury wagons from European manufacturers, it offers plenty of cargo and passenger room.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.5

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon 3.0 V-6 Rear-Wheel Drive

What it Is: A four-door, five-passenger luxury wagon.
What's Hot: Beautiful to look at, extra cargo hauling, bigger than similarly priced competitors.
What's Not: Fuel economy could be better.
Family Friendly Options: Bluetooth, navigation, backup camera, USB port
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon is the first station wagon from the storied luxury brand. It's a good one, too, with lots of cargo space and decent, if not great, fuel economy.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.6

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon 3.6 V-6 All-Wheel Drive

What it Is: A premium four-door, five-passenger all-wheel drive luxury wagon.
What's Hot: Beautiful to look at, extra cargo hauling, bigger than similarly priced competitors.
What's Not: Expensive, options add up quickly.
Family Friendly Options: Bluetooth, navigation, backup camera, USB port
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon with the 3.6-liter V-6 and all-wheel drive is a credible alternative to luxury crossovers, offering decent fuel economy and a big cargo area.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.5

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon 3.6 V-6 Rear-Wheel Drive

What it Is: A premium four-door, five-passenger luxury wagon.
What's Hot: Beautiful to look at, extra cargo hauling, bigger than similarly priced competitors.
What's Not: Expensive, options add up quickly.
Family Friendly Options: Bluetooth, navigation, backup camera, USB port
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon with the 3.6-liter V-6 offers good fuel economy considering the competition, plus a big cargo area, giving it a good Family Friendliness score.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.5

2010 Chevrolet HHR 1LT 2.4-Liter

What it Is: A small, five-passenger four-door wagon.
Who it's For: Families who need no more than two LATCH points and plenty of cargo room.
What's Hot: Inexpensive and fuel efficient family hauler.
What's Not: Retro styling may be a turn off
Family Friendly Options: Dual-screen rear seat DVD entertainment system, USB, Bluetooth.
How It Got Its Score: Under the 2010 Chevrolet HHR's retro styling is a useful small wagon, with good cargo space and decent fuel economy at a good price. The bigger engine adds power, but fuel economy drops.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.7

2010 Chevrolet HHR LS

What it Is: A small, five-passenger four-door wagon.
Who it's For: Families who need no more than two LATCH points and plenty of cargo room.
What's Hot: Inexpensive and fuel efficient family hauler.
What's Not: Retro styling may be a turn off.
Family Friendly Options: Dual-screen rear seat DVD entertainment system, USB, Bluetooth.
How It Got Its Score: Under the 2010 Chevrolet HHR's retro styling is a useful small wagon, with good cargo space and decent fuel economy at a good price.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.7

2010 Chevrolet HHR SS

What it Is: A small, five-passenger, performance-oriented four-door wagon.
Who it's For: Families needing no more than two LATCH points, plenty of cargo room, and want a high-performance car.
What's Hot: Turbocharged engine really makes it scoot.
What's Not: Fuel economy takes a hit, pricey.
Family Friendly Options: Dual-screen rear seat DVD entertainment system, USB, Bluetooth.
How It Got Its Score: Under the hood of the 2010 Chevrolet HHR SS is a turbocharged four-cylinder that puts out lots of power, but drinks more fuel too. The price is also higher than the standard HHR.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.3

2010 Dodge Caliber Heat

What it Is: Five-door, front-wheel drive hatchback.
Who it's For: Families who want five-door hatchback convenience and need only two LATCH positions.
What's Hot: Low base price, satellite radio standard (requires subscription), Chill Zone beverage storage.
What's Not: Stability control, navigation not available.
Family Friendly Options: Navigation, Bluetooth
How It Got Its Score: The Caliber gets good gas mileage and mostly good safety ratings except for the IIHS side-impact test.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.7

2010 Dodge Caliber Rush

What it Is: Five-door, front-wheel drive hatchback.
Who it's For: Families who want five-door hatchback convenience and need only two LATCH positions.
What's Hot: Hatchback body offers good cargo space.
What's Not: Stability control and side airbags not standard.
Family Friendly Options: UConnect navigation, phone and web options, Chill Zone beverage storage.
How It Got Its Score: The manual transmission Caliber gets decent gas mileage and mostly good safety ratings except for the IIHS side-impact test. The Rush slips a little against the Heat based on fuel economy.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.6

2010 Honda Fit

What it Is: A five-passenger, five-door small hatchback.
What's Hot: Exceptionally clever second row, surprising cargo room for such a small car.
What's Not: A little pricey for a subcompact, fuel economy not much better than a Honda Civic.
Family Friendly Options: USB port.
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Honda Fit has good cargo room and fuel economy, but unfortunately stability and traction control aren't available on the base model, hurting its score.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.3

2010 Honda Fit Sport

What it Is: A five-passenger, five-door subcompact hatchback.
What's Hot: Exceptionally clever second row, surprising cargo room for such a small car.
What's Not: A little pricey for a subcompact, fuel economy not much better than a Honda Civic.
Family Friendly Options: USB port, navigation.
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Honda Fit Sport has good cargo room and fuel economy. It also boasts standard stability and traction control, giving it a strong Family Friendliness score, considering its size.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.0

2010 Honda Insight LX

What it Is: A five-door, five-passenger compact hybrid.
What's Hot: Excellent fuel economy, low price for a hybrid.
What's Not: Fuel economy pales next to Toyota Prius.
Family Friendly Options: Navigation, USB port.
How It Got Its Score: The Insight is a small hatchback with moderately good cargo space. Fuel economy is good, but not good enough to fully offset a few four-star crash test ratings.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.4

2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring GLS

What it Is: A compact five-passenger wagon.
Who it's For: Families on a budget who need maximum cargo capacity and no more than two LATCH points.
What's Hot: One of the only compact wagons on the market, at a bargain price.
What's Not: Somewhat frumpy styling.
How It Got Its Score: The Elantra Touring's excellent cargo space helps considerably, but its fuel economy is only so-so among compacts, and it gets three four-star ratings in NHTSA crash tests.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.8

2010 Kia Rio5 LX

What it Is: A subcompact five-passenger five-door hatchback.
What's Hot: One of the cheapest cars on the market.
What's Not: Poor crash test scores.
Family Friendly Options: Upgraded audio.
How It Got Its Score: Sheer size makes squeezing a family into a subcompact difficult, but even in the subcompact arena there are better choices than the Rio. Its low price and good fuel economy aren't enough to offset two "Poor" IIHS crash test scores.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 4.7

2010 Kia Soul Base

What it Is: A compact five-passenger hatchback.
What's Hot: Funky styling, roomy cargo area, good fuel economy.
What's Not: Base model is very short on amenities, no automatic transmission.
Family Friendly Options: USB audio input.
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Kia Soul offers up a good combination of price, fuel economy and cargo space, giving it a strong Family Friendliness score despite its small size.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 8.0

2010 Kia Soul+

What it Is: A compact five-passenger hatchback.
What's Hot: Funky styling, roomy cargo area, good fuel economy.
What's Not: Many premium features not available.
Family Friendly Options: Upgraded audio, USB, Bluetooth.
How It Got Its Score: The 2010 Kia Soul+ gives up little to the less expensive base model, but gains nicer amenities and an automatic transmission.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.9

2010 Nissan Cube 1.8 S

What it Is: A compact five-passenger wagon.
What's Hot: Cool styling, great fuel economy.
What's Not: Cargo space quite small for a hatchback.
Family Friendly Options: Backup camera, USB, Bluetooth.
How It Got Its Score: The Cube is a compact wagon, giving it an advantage over smaller subcompact sedans. However, it's not exactly a cargo hauler, and thus its score suffers somewhat.

Quick Specs

Family Friendliness: 7.6