Yes, I Now Drive a Bus

I’m not going to lie – I fell into somewhat of a depression the day my other half came home with one of the biggest vehicles on the market… the VW Caravelle. I had embraced the Honda Odyssey over the last couple of years but this car only had 3 anchor points. The depression slowly lifted at about 4 days when I realised that this was actually going to be amazing.

Yes, it’s what airport shuttle services use – it has 9 seats, but we remove the back 3 to have an incredible, large boot that fits pretty much anything any child would ever need at any given time.

I am now so glad we finally embraced the car that actually fits our family and allows us to travel interstate to visit family very comfortably.

One of the biggest (and hardest parts) about getting a large vehicle is grieving previous, fun, carefree, park in the inner-city you. This person will return, but for the next decade (or so), you are going to be the ringmaster of a travelling circus. The quicker you embrace and own it, the happier you will be.

Once you’ve moved through that, it’s time to think about what you actually need.

Initially we thought we would go for a Kia Carnival, only to realise that our children were too young for the layout of the car and getting them in and out safely and comfortably.

Our situation –

Kids ages – 4, 2, 10 months, baby soon to arrive

We needed –

• 4 anchor points

• Accessibility to 2 rear facing and 2 forward facing seats

• Boot space for a double pram, plus shopping/bikes/general ‘stuff’

• Sliding doors – mostly for safety as using only kerb side was no longer an option

Vehicles on our list to look at –

• Kia carnival

• VW Multivan

• VW Caravelle

Kia Carnival- Although it had 4 anchor points, the layout of the Kia didn’t suit our young family. We also felt the boot space was too vertical for what we actually needed ❌

VW Multivan – I really thought this was the one we’d get after looking at the Kia. I loved the rotating seats and the space it provided. However, when we went to look at it we were informed it’s illegal to have the kids car seats facing the other direction (when captain chairs are spun around) so that feature was debunked for a good few years.

There is very little boot space.

Older models didn’t have electric doors. At first I thought this a luxury, until my sister in law bought one without them and found it very difficult with her young children as they couldn’t manage the doors, particularly if the car was on some sort of incline ❌

VW Caravelle – this is 50 cm longer than the Multivan, yet with the back seats removed, it gives you a huge amount of boot space, for when you need it.

Features that sold us –

✅ 4 Anchor points (with isofix)

✅ Huge boot space

✅ Electric doors

✅ Various seat configuration options

✅ Apple play (this was just a bonus)

✅ Pull down sun shades on windows

✅ Dual air controls

✅ Automatic

✅ Diesel – super economic

✅ Reversing camera

The car mats are a rip off so don’t bother with that added extra. We got creative at Bunnings and bought charcoal-coloured aqua boat flooring to line the floor – it looks great and protects the carpet so well!

Myths that I can debunk –

❌Can’t go into shopping centres – we are 1.9m and most shopping centres are 2m+

❌Can’t reverse park/park it – sometimes parking is tight, but we’re generally ok!

People will judge you – well, this might happen, but no one can squeeze a circus into a mini van!

I’ve included some pics for you to see the layout. These were taken more recently – so no longer 2 rear facing but these were side by side. And yes, I no longer disassemble my pram. I used to and then realised I didn’t need to and it makes for a much quicker exit!

The truth is, the kids at the back are well out of arm’s reach. We get around this by having car seats with drink holders and I used some suction bathroom holders for storing knick knacks or snacks.

Ashamedly, there’s also the ‘claw’. In late pregnancy with number 3, I went online at mobilitydirect.com.au and bought myself one of those claws as I couldn’t fathom bending anymore once trimester 3 hit. Hilariously (and to the shock, hilarity and disgust of friends) I use this on long car trips to pass snacks etc to the kids in the back (note: I’m the passenger for this)… and we all laugh. We’ve embraced the circus life.

Obviously our needs are quite unique, but we are so happy with this car, and I look forward to when we no longer have the pram in the boot and can squeeze 3 friends in the back on the way to sport, camp or play dates!