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John LeBlanc's Top Ten Back-to-School Cars
TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
2010 Mazda5
For parents who have kids that either don’t walk, bus or bike to school, the week after Labour Day means that another year of chauffeuring the little ones back to classes has arrived once again.
The dreaded “school run” is wrought with peril. And that’s just inside the car. So to help you and your offspring get a head start on the school year, here are my 10 best new school run shuttle cars:
10. 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
Here’s a School Run ride that’s (almost) a guarantee that your child will never be late for the morning bell. 
The SLS AMG — ‘Benz’s latest flagship performance two-seater — packs a 563 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque, hand-built 6.3-litre V8.
The result?
Naught -to-100 km/h in less than four seconds. And although the SLS AMG’s $198,000 MSRP means Junior may have to do without essentials like pencils and books, the jaw-dropping act of opening the Merc’s gullwing doors in front of your child’s school buddies? Priceless!
9. 2011 Audi A8 L W12
Maybe you have older kids. Or own a potash mine. That’s where the limo-like A8 L (as in “lengthened”) 
makes a perfect choice for driving the little Ritchie Riches in your family to class.
The (est. $140,000) stretched A8 gets an exclusive 500 hp W12 engine and almost 130 mm of extra rear passenger room for growing legs to stretch out in.
And in the ongoing Teutonic battle of flagship sedans, compared to BMW’s 7 or Mercedes’ S, the Audi is the freshest and jammed with the latest gizmos, like a nav system that accepts handwritten directions.
8. 2011 Volvo XC90 3.2 AWD
While the ‘Benz and Audi may seem a bit impractical in either size or cost, the XC90 scores 
well if you need to school up to seven students. Although it’s getting on in age (especially noticeable in its interior) the Volvo is a great blend of minivan seating and SUV capabilities.
The biggest Volvo you can buy handles relatively well, is loaded with the latest safety features that the Swedish automaker has become famous for, and the $51,9995 to $69,995 XC90 sends less of an imposing image to other parents than the über-intense German brands.
7. 2010 Honda Odyssey
You can’t have a Top 10 School Run Car list without a minivan. And although a new 
version is on the way to showrooms in a few months, the current Honda Odyssey is still my pick of a segment that’s all-of-a-sudden hot again.
Practically, the $31,690 to $49,690 Odyssey offers logical ergonomics, good use of interior space, and — as expected — seating for up to eight plus sliding doors. For the driver, the Honda van offers a firm suspension, accurate steering and a solid chassis.
6. 2010 Cadillac CTS Sportwagon
Although they are all but extinct as an automotive breed, sport wagons have always been my pick for the School Run. 
Room for a few students, and decent cargo room for bulbous knapsacks in the back, sport wagons can also play the role of “sport sedan” after the morning drop-off.
And right now, Cadillac, with its five-passenger CTS, offers one of the best sport wagons you can buy.
Able to take on the likes of the BMW 3 Series Touring and Audi A4/A6 Avants (seriously!), the $44,130 to $59,680 CTS Sportwagon can be thrown into corners aggressively without upsetting its balanced chassis.
5. 2010 Ford Transit Connect XLT Wagon
You don’t have to be a Parisian plumber anymore to get into Ford’s ultra practical Transit Connect, 
a tall wagon/van based on a compact Euro-Focus platform.
Although two seat Transits start at just under $25,000, the $26,399 XLT Wagon offers a second-row three-passenger 60/40-split rear bench. And if your students also happen to play bass cello in the school band, the Transit’s blend of tall rear quarters and handy overall size make an urban School Run guerilla-on-wheels.
4. 2010 Honda Fit
Since its debut in 2006, and a subsequent refresh two years after that, the five-door, $14,480 to $18,780 five-passenger Fit
has been one of the most fun-to-drive small cars you can buy. It also happens to be one of the most flexible student movers.
While its sporty driving characteristics landed the Fit on my recent Top 10 New Hot Hatches, the Honda’s Swiss Army knife- rear quarters make it a fantastic School Run car as well. You can flop the seatbacks forward and flat with a single flip of a lever, turning it into the world’s smallest minivan.
3. 2010 Nissan Cube
The Cube uses the virtue of height to create maximum space in a minimal footprint. 
The shortest Nissan on sale, it is as tall as it is wide, making it a cinch to dodge the other stress-addled parents in the school parking lot.
The compact Nissan’s near-vertical roof pillars and tall ceiling makes for generous front headroom. The kids in back will enjoy an equally relaxing (i.e. roomy) experience with NBA All-Star levels of leg and headroom.
The rear bench seat also reclines and slides back and forth. Plus the standard kit is generous: six airbags, traction and stability control, ABS, a tire pressure monitoring system, air conditioning, power door locks and power mirrors are all in at just $17,398.
2. 2010 Volkswagen Golf Wagon 2.0 TDI
I already think the redesigned-for-2010 Golf TDI is one of the best cars you can buy, 
regardless of price. With a nicely screwed together interior, quality materials, German road manners, and an inherently parsimonious diesel engine, what’s not to like?
Well, a bit more room in the compact five-door’s rear hatch would be nice. And that’s where the $26,875 five-passenger Golf Wagon TDI comes in.
The Wagon’s extended back end yields more than double the cargo room of the hatch, without sacrificing any rear passenger space, and will have your kids saying fantastisch! faster than you can say godzundheit!
1. 2010 Mazda5
Without a doubt, the Mazda5 (pictured at top of story) is the perfect School Run Car. It’s smaller than a not-so-minivan for ease of driving. It can haul up to six, yet offers those oh-so-practical sliding doors.
Plus the 5’s diminutive size and Mazda’s inability to make a bad driving car (Tribute and B2300 notwithstanding) means Mom and Dad won’t mind driving the Mazda during their non-chauffeuring hours.
A firm ride with slightly more cabin noise are the only nits to pick. And the forthcoming 2011 models styling has gone rogue.
Other than that, though, and until the forthcoming Ford C-Max and Chevy Orlando show up some time next year, the Mazda5 is the right choice of vehicle for getting to school.
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