For Mother’s Day we listed vehicles that were most popular with the matriarch of the family unit – now it’s dad’s turn.
TrueCar.com gathered data from 2011 regarding fathers with children and the cars they drive to assemble this list that is led by the Chevy Silverado 1500 Extended Cab pickup. Surprisingly, the Ford F-150, which outsells the Silverado, ranked fifth behind some top-selling sedans and – even more surprising – a minivan.
“Unlike the list of vehicles men prefer, which includes the Porsche 911 in the top spot, the data shows that fathers have traded in speed for practical vehicles with a back seat,” said Kristen Andersson, Senior Analyst at TrueCar.com. “We’re finding that fathers need a fuel-efficient car for commuting to work and weekend activities.”
Data showed that when trimming the numbers down a bit further, fathers with one child pushed the Silverado to fourth place behind the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata sedans AND the Ford pickup but with two kids in the clan the Chevy shot back to the top spot with the Ford not making the top five.
Some of the key findings of the data include:
• Honda has four vehicles in the top 10 most popular cars for dads, including the Accord, Odyssey, Civic and Pilot.
• Three large trucks made the top 10 including the top vehicle, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, along with the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 Pickup, with two large trucks making the top five.
• Odyssey ranked the highest among dads (and actually moms) with two or more kids, thanks to its ability to hold up to eight people as well as storage space with 38.4 cubic-feet of cargo.
• The two most expensive cars on the Top 10 list were minivans: the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey with an MSRP of $34,015 and $32,455 respectively.
• The two least expensive vehicles on the list were the Honda Civic Sedan and Ram 1500 Pickup, with MSRPs of $21,445 and $23,415.
• Whether you have one child or three or more, the most popular segment for dads was the midsize segment with all three lists having two midsize cars on each list of top five vehicles.
• Seven of the top ten cars were imports and the only three domestics cars topping the list were large trucks.
The 10 most popular vehicles for dads are:
1. 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2WD Ext Cab pickup
2. 2012 Honda Accord sedan
3. 2012 Hyundai Sonata sedan
4. 2012 Honda Odyssey minivan
5. 2012 Ford F-150 2WD SuperCab
6. 2012 Honda Civic sedan
7. 2012 Toyota Camry sedan
8. 2012 Honda Pilot 2WD SUV
9. 2012 Ram 1500 2WD pickup
10. 2012 Toyota Sienna minivan
So what if dad wishes to channel his “inner child,” which vehicles might be right for that?
How about anything with a German or Italian accent (with the exception of the Fiat 500) and absolutely on that list is any American musclecar from ANY era be it a “rat rod” built by the Gas Monkey guys (or dad doin’ it himself) right up to a Shelby Mustang, Dodge Viper or Chevy Camaro ZL1.
If dad is feeling a little “dirty” on his day I suggest something from the Rover collection or perhaps an iconic Jeep varietal.
If a vehicle is out of the question and you are looking for something more in a destination, might I suggest the new Cars Land exhibit opening at the Disney California Adventure Park this weekend. Take dad to “Radiator Springs” for some good family fun.
Happy Father’s Day!
