All in the Family

The soccer mom: it’s indelibly etched in the national conscience as the ultimate road warrior taking kids to and from school, sporting events, camp — whatever.

In reality, the soccer mom might be a football dad, a lacrosse grandma, or a band significant other.

But the title stuck. And the vehicles they drove — the minivan and then the sport utility vehicle — go along with the image.

But there have been subtle changes in those cars and trucks as well the people who pilot them.

Whereas the SUV may have been about as long, and wide, as a soccer field in the past, those vehicles today might just be a hybrid, a five- or six-passenger crossover, even a sedan.

Still, according to Joe Dettrey, general manager of Stokes Honda and Kia, families' shopping habits haven’t really changed all that much over the years.

“It's all about safety, functionality of the vehicle, fuel efficiency and affordability,” he said.

Consider the 2009 Best New Family Vehicles from auto researcher Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, which came out earlier this year. Sure, there’s the Honda Odyssey. But that’s it for the minivan — the consummate people hauler of the late 1970s and 1980s.

The list includes two crossovers, the Chevrolet Traverse and the Toyota RAV4; four hybrids – Toyota’s Highlander and Camry, Ford Escape and Chevy Tahoe; a diesel, the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI and two sedans, the Honda Civic and Chevy Malibu.

All of the brands are sold at new car dealerships in metro Charleston.

What the vehicles on the list share goes beyond roominess, fold-down seats or cupholders. They congeal around economy and energy, vehicles that can go long distances on a tank of gas, or electrical current; durability so they aren’t in the shop a lot; and value so that the family isn’t “upside down” owing more on the car than it’s worth.

For instance, here’s how kbb.com cited one of those four-doors: “For families who pride themselves on thinking small, the Honda Civic s a perennial all-star.” The company pointed to the sedan’s “impressive fuel economy, unrivaled reliability and class-leading resale values.”

While kbb.com came out with its list before the 2010 models hit the dealerships, the venture updates the “New Car Blue Book” values weekly.

Here are the manufacturers' suggested retail prices along with fuel economy estimates based on miles per gallon:

Civic - $16,215; 26 mpg city, 34 mpg highway.

RAV4 - $22,300; 22 mpg city, 28 mpg highway.

Malibu - $22,325; 22 mpg city, 33 mpg highway.

Jetta - $24,570; 30 mpg city, 41 mpg highway.

Camry - $26,900; 33 mpg city, 34 mpg highway.

Odyssey - $27,065; 17 mpg city, 25 mpg highway.

Traverse - $29,990; 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway.

Escape - $32,700; 34 mpg city, 31 mpg highway.

Highlander - $35,500; 27 mpg city, 25 mpg highway.

Tahoe - $51,405; 21 mpg city, 22 mpg highway.

“If safe, roomy and affordable are the characteristics that qualify a vehicle as a family car, then the American family has never had so many choices,” kbb.com said.

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com