family-friendly cars

Before SUVs became the default family vehicle, the minivan transformed how Americans traveled. Starting in the mid-1980s, these roomy, easy-to-drive vans replaced station wagons in countless driveways by combining car-like handling with space for kids, cargo, and road trips. For millions of families, they became part of everyday life.

Before crossovers took over American roads, inexpensive hatchbacks, sedans, and oddly shaped subcompacts carried commuters, students, and entire families through everyday life. Some were clever, some were crude, and a few became famous for all the wrong reasons.

Our cars are more than just a set of wheels to get around. For many of us, they are also one of the places where we spend the most time with family.

There was a time when bigger automatically meant better in the car world. Families wanted giant trunks, pillow-soft seats, and enough sheet metal to make modern parking spots feel tiny. Automakers happily delivered enormous sedans and wagons that floated down the road like cruise ships.

SUVs dominate American roads for a reason. They offer space, versatility, and increasingly impressive safety technology. From advanced collision-avoidance systems to reinforced passenger cabins, today’s SUVs are built to keep families safe in real-world driving conditions, but only the models below have earned America’s highest safest ratings.

The Cadillac CTS-V Wagon occupies a very specific place in Cadillac history. It combined the high-performance V-series formula with the long-roof body style of the second-generation CTS. According to Cadillac’s own documentation and later summaries, it was offered as part of the CTS-V lineup rather than as a separate experiment.