Five cars for adventurous families

There has never been a better time to explore your backyard. And with over 7.692 million km² of Australia to see you’ll definitely need a trusty steed to keep you and the family safe and comfortable.

Whether your adventurous family is the off-roading and camping type, the surf to city type or the winding bushland and flat plains type, there is a car ready to take you and the crew to your next weekend escape. Here are five cars to consider which are perfect for adventurous families.

And to show just how adventurous these cars truly are, some of the photos are of the vehicle driving through a water crossing. Now that is adventurous.

Since 1996 the Toyota LandCruiser Prado has been an Aussie family favourite for those keen to get off the beaten track and potentially tow a few thousand kilos of goodies too. As part of the iconic family of Toyota 4x4 vehicles, the Prado, although smaller than the main LandCruiser can still get off-road into places only adventurous families dare to go. With seven seats and still enough room for camping gear, the Prado is certainly one for nature lovers.

The Subaru Forester can effortlessly take the family from the everyday suburban hustle and bustle of a shopping centre carpark to the winding and rough roads of regional Australia. Thanks to its All-Wheel-Drive system which Suburu in Australia is known for, this family favourite SUV while not being able to scale the same heights and depths of the Toyota Prado, can still definitely take an adventurous family far enough off the main road and still stay safe and secure while doing so.

Only just 12 months ago, if someone had suggested that a Kia Sorento was the perfect car for an adventurous family you may have laughed. But today, the latest version has certainly lifted its game in the large family SUV ring. If you’re an adventurous family who loves driving the length and breadth of the country, the new Sorento has all the mod-cons to make the drive much more comfortable and safer for all on board. From its mammoth 10.25-inch touch-screen, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, sat-nav, dual-zone climate control with additional controls for third-row seats, 10-way electrically-adjustable driver’s seat. Plus AEB, multi-collision braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane following assist, rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue monitoring and safe exit assist the tech list is endless.

If you’re an adventurous family who prefers to surf the coast or camp in the rainforest then the Volkswagen Multivan could be right up your alley. A relative to the iconic VW Kombi van, the Multivan is the 21st-century answer to the question, what if my family wants to live the #VanLife in style? With its flexible seating configuration and ample luggage space, the VW easily can take you and the family from a long day of cruising the highways to setting up camp utilising the van as loungeroom or even sleeping space easily.

While SUVs and 4x4s tend to be the main go-to vehicles of choice for adventurous families, the humble station wagon still has some skin in the game in terms of space and comfort. The Skoda Superb Scout is one large wagon that has been given the mild SUV treatment with a slightly higher ride and some plastic wheel arch moulding to let you and others on (and off) the main roads know that it’s not afraid to get a bit muddy. The all-wheel-drive wagon's boot will take 600 litres of luggage, expanding to 1950 litres with the rear seats folded and has a towing capacity of 2.2 tonnes so if you are planning on taking along a camper or boat on your travels you can.

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