SUVs, minivans and sedans are the most popular choices for family cars, with good reason. Extra room, cupholders and entertainment systems to keep the young ones, tweens and teens happily occupied when you’re on a road trip or a long drive are must haves when choosing a family car. More important still are high scores when it comes to crash test and safety ratings.

If you are thinking about a new family car be sure to check out State Insurance for a range of car insurance options.

Kia Sedona Minivan

Minivans are the vehicle of choice for parents due to their spaciousness and sliding doors, as well as excellent entertainment systems. The Kia Sedona, offering 18 to 24 mpg and priced lower than others in its category, is the best option when it comes to value for money. It offers a smooth ride, handling like a smaller car. Depending on the model you choose, you can pack in up to five car seats: great if you have a large family or are part of the carpool for the kids’ preschool.

Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Minivan

For those parents who want to reduce their carbon footprint by driving a hybrid vehicle, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is the right choice – in fact, it’s the only hybrid minivan currently on the market. 520 miles on a full tank and just one charge makes for very impressive fuel economy – expect to get as much as 82 mpg. The minivan has good pickup, comparable to its gas-powered sibling. You can fit up to four car seats in this model.

Toyota Sienna Minivan

The sole minivan on the market with all-wheel drive, the Toyota Sienna is a good pick for wintry and rainy conditions. It offers between 19 and 27 mpg and has a powerful engine, giving you a smooth-as-butter drive on the highways. With space for two booster or car seats in the middle row and two more in the back row, you have the ability to carry four kids at a time in this car.

Honda Odyssey Minivan

This is as good as it gets when it comes to fitting in numerous car or booster seats – up to six. It gives from 19 to 28 mpg and offers a smooth ride, with ten-speed auto transmission. It has the most impressive pickup of any minivan on our list.

Subaru Legacy Sedan

This is the best all-weather sedan with four-wheel drive that enables you to manoeuvre safely in sleet, snow and rain. It also has space for kids and three car seats and gets up to 35 mpg.

Honda Accord Hybrid Sedan

Eco-friendly and boasting up to 48 mpg, the Honda Accord Hybrid Sedan offers space for three smaller car seats or booster seats in the back and offers a smooth ride, with no discernible transition when moving between electric and gas.

Volkswagen Atlas SUV

Among the three-row SUVs, this one is the best value. You will get 20 to 26 mpg, it has safety features such as automatic headlights installed as standard, and it can accommodate up to five car seats between the second and third rows.

Subaru Ascent SUV

The Subaru Ascent is the best choice for a big family among three row SUVs. Offering 21 to 27 mpg, it comes with all-wheel drive as standard and has an incredible 19 cupholders. The ability to fit three narrow or two full-size car seats in the second row and two more in the back row means you can ferry up to five little ones at a time.

Nissan Pathfinder SUV

Offering 19 to 26 mpg for the four-wheel transmission model, this one makes the list for its impressive safety features that come as standard. Good steering and a powerful engine make for a good ride, and it has capacity for three car seats in the second row and a couple of boosters in the third.

Mazda CX 9 SUV

The Mazda CX 9 looks sleek and, with mileage of 22 to 28 per gallon, is more fuel efficient than its counterparts. You can easily fit four car seats across the back rows.

Ford Edge SUV

This is a great two-row SUV and makes our list for being able to fit up to three car seats in the back row, unusual for a two-row model. Decent mileage of between 21 and 29 per gallon and a smooth ride are what you will get with the Ford Edge.

Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid SUV

This is the best hybrid SUV when it comes to mileage, enabling you to travel around 480 miles on a single tank of gas. The Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid offers a smooth and quiet ride, as well as space for up to three car seats.

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It is called 2019 Ram 1500 Kentucky Derby Edition and limited to just 2.000 units. It comes with a price tag of $53,190 adding the $1,645 destination and handling fee. The model is also a tribute to the 144th edition of the horse race.

As we can depict from the media gallery below, the all-new 2019 Ram 1500 Kentucky Derby Edition is available in one configuration, Crew Cab with 4×2 and 4×4, coming as well with two- and four-wheel drive system. There is also the 5-ft and 7-in (1,702mm) bed length inside.

There are plenty of exterior colours to choose from – Ivory White Tri Coat paint with the ‘Run for Roses’ (as the famous horse race is also known) fender graphics, adding other five paintjobs – Granite Crystal, Diamond Black Crystal, Max Steel, Patriot Blue and Delmonico Red.

The 2019 Ram 1500 Kentucky Derby Edition is equipped with cool off-road equipment which comprises power-retracting running boards, auto-leveling air suspension or trailer hitch with sway control. It also adds blind spot monitoring with automatic trailer detection. The trailer tow is also set at a maximum of 5,783 kg, while the payload is up to 1,043 kg.

The interior gets the best technology gear, with the main focus on the 12.0-inch Uconnect infotainment system with Sirius XM 360L and satellite navigation. Still inside, the cabin features premium leather upholstery, wood and metal accents, or front and rear seats with heating and cooling functions.

The new limited edition will be exposed at the Kentucky Derby which starts on the 5th of May. Also, RAM has also begun taking orders for the 2019 1500 Kentucky Derby Edition.

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2017 Chrysler Pacifica – Full Prices

2017 Chrysler Pacifica LX – $28,595
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring – $30,495
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L – $34,495
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L Plus – $37,895
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited – $42,495

The entry-level LX features the 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, power windows, Active Voice Cancellation system, rearview camera, while under hood, the version packs a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with 287 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque.

Next, the 2017 Pacifica Touring packs the same engine but adds automatic headlights, passive entry system or power sliding doors. The mid-level Pacifica Touring-L is coming with even more highlights, such as leather upholstery, tri-zone climate control, heated front seats, a wide array of safety systems and so on.

On hte other hand, the 2016 Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L Plus has been now fitted with an 8.4-inch display for the Uconnect infotainment system, along with updated digital instrument cluster, heated steering wheel or heated second row seats.

Finally, the topper Pacifica Limited has received the HID headlamps and LED fog lamps, panoramic roof, Nappa leather, updated navigation system, Stow ‘n Vac vacuum and ventilated front seats.

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We are dealing here with an updated version of the present model, the van coming with some interesting goodies in terms of body style. The details list is rather scarce, but Tim Kuniskis, the FCA`s Head of Passenger Car Brands, revealed that the “minivan is going to be really good.”

However, rumors have it that the new van would come with some design cues from the Chrysler 200, while inside, the cabin would tweak updated Stow`n Go seats, 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment system, USB ports and so on.

In the engine department, the 2017 Chrysler Town & Country might pack an improved displacement of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine. The engine would be hooked to a nine-speed automatic transmission, sending the power to all wheels. Later on, a plug-in hybrid version will be also added to the entire lineup.

For the moment, the performance figures are unknown, but we should expect fresh news next January, when the model will be officially launched.

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A total of 10,700 SUVs built between January 16 and April 17 are concerned, the cruise control problem consisting of unintended acceleration.

The affected cars are the Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee SRT and Dodge Durango. Most of the models were sold in the United States, over 6,000 to be more specific.

“A routine internal quality audit discovered that, when cruise-control is engaged, an acceleration initiated by the driver may be extended by about one second after the accelerator pedal is released. Vehicle speed then returns to the desired setting,” says the company.

Fortunately, there were no complaints or incidents due to this issue, therefore, they have time to fix the problem with no major consequences.

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The 2015 Chrysler 200 will come on the market at the end of summer, with the car being the first sedan to sport a standard 9-speed automatic transmission.

The 2015 Chrysler 200 also sports an all-wheel drive system with an automatic rear axle that can be fully disconnected, which reduces the parasitic loss whenever the driver uses a front-wheel or a rear-wheel drive.

The cheapest 2015 Chrysler 200 model comes under the hood with a 2.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder gasoline burner, developing a great 184 horsepower.

The engine burns around 6.7-liter for each 100 km partaken on the highway.

As for the other engine set for the 2015 Chrysler 200, we might be talking about a more powerful 3.6 liter Pentastar V6, outputting a greater 295 horses.

There will be four models available for orders over-seas, like the LX, the Limited, the 2-S and the 200C.

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Spy shooters were agile enough to surprise the new 2015 Chrysler 200 performing on the track. What came out was a fully redesigned coupe, with four-door-coupe roofline, acting at its max speed to impress its tough competitor, the Audi A7 and the mature Volkswagen CC.

Narrow headlights and a front end-styling, chrome-trimmed grille describes the new reshaped 2015 Chrysler 200. The bullet-like nose of the car resembles somehow to the reminiscent Tesla Model S.

Spy photographers also got some shots with the interior of the new 2015 Chrysler 200. It quite looks like the Dodge Dart concerning its design to the instrument panels.

The console and the center stack come with minimal buttons and knobs. Also, the rotary gear selector is a confirmation that the 2015 Chrysler 200 will be using a nine-speed automatic transmission, helping the car hit 38 miles per gallon on the highway.

No other words concerning the 2015 Chrysler 200`s powertrain, but we will find out more in about a month at the Detroit Auto Show.

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Yet not everyone thinks it is quite time to jump on board with the alternative fuel current.

Bob Lee, Fiat and Chrysler exec says that for now, the companies won’t be building any electric or hybrid cars. While Fiat already has the 500e EV, it is available only in California, a state that has a special status when it comes to electric cars.

It seems that behind the decision stands the buyer’s attitude towards EVs. While everybody loves going green, the technology is still quite expensive and the infrastructure flimsy at best.

The course set for Fiat and Chrysler will bring more efficient diesels and lower capacity gasoline engines. Just like most of the industry they will downsize and turbocharge.

But when the times come for them to finally take the seemingly inevitable step towards electricity, will it be too late for the companies? Most other players will have already established a legacy in the sector, possibly making it harder for anyone new to get a piece of the electric cake. Time will tell.

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Shortly put, Chrysler Group got its hands on 507 million dollars, money that mostly came from North American market, after selling particularly pick-ups and SUVs. The overall number of sold units for the past quarter is evaluated around 643.000.

The positive outcomes that Chrysler Group now enjoys in America are favored, in part, by a particularly increasing demand in shipping Jeep Grand Cherokee and some other models.

Furthermore, the company is looking to introduce several new units. If everything goes according to the plans, by the end of 2013 the Chrysler Group should obtain a net income of 2.2 billion dollars.

Bear in mind that Chrysler Group is no longer just Chrysler, given the fact that the American car maker sold 58.5% of its shares to Fiat. As information appears for now, Fiat is looking to acquire the rest of the shares this year. A full merge should again modify the sales numbers as the selling strategy is expected to be adjusted.

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The fact that the Italians have been long trying to get full control over Chrysler is not a secret. Even so, things are getting more complicated for the American company as Fiat Group intends to buy another 3.3% stock, owning 68.49% of the total share.

Of course, the process has not been finalized yet and while Fiat provided no less than 254.7 million dollars for those 3.3% of stock, a judge from the Delaware Chancery Court will settle the final price.

Fiat’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, is making, with this occasion, another step towards adding Chrysler to his empire. Even so, there is more than meets the eye in all this struggle that Italians are giving.

The final purpose however is not just to own this brand, but rather to join forces with their current production and become a reputable opponent for Volkswagen, Toyota or GM, some of its direct competitors!

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