- What car would you like for Christmas?
- We pick our favourite cars for the festive season
- Let's hope Santa has enough room on his sleigh...
What’s the best Christmas song? Band Aid’s Do They Know it’s Christmas? Fairytale of New York? Jona Lewie’s Stop the Cavalry? That terrible Coldplay one?
It’s an argument that will run and run. But surely we can all agree that Chris Rea’s delightfully understated Driving Home for Christmas is an uncontroversial entry in everyone’s top ten.
But the question Chris never answers in his 1988 hit is what exactly he is driving home in. We know it’s top-to-toe in tailbacks out there, Chris, but what are you sitting at the wheel of with those red lights all around?
And what car will YOU be driving home for Christmas in this year? What would be the perfect set of wheels for your festive needs? We’ve picked out a selection of different cars to fit a variety of different yuletide requirements. Some are sensible, others are… aspirational. Which one would be best for you?
The single traveller
You’re the lone wolf in your family. Maybe you left home for university, moved to another city and then never came back.
Maybe you moved down to ‘That London’ for a job or your partner. Maybe your parents moved away for their retirement. Either way, you’ve got a long trip ahead of you this Christmas Eve. But the good news is, you’re travelling solo, and you’ve bought everyone book vouchers for Christmas, so you don’t need much space for luggage.
Given all that, you can afford speed and the cool-factor to be key indices in your choice of motor. Which means a Mercedes AMG GT would be perfect for you. Just two seats, sleek and super quick – you’ll be eating up the miles like nobody’s business, and back in your mum’s kitchen in plenty of time to put out the sherry and mince pies for Santa.
The economy runner
You love Christmas. Your tree is up on the first of December without fail, you’re the first to don the Christmas jumper at the office, and the Now That’s What’s I Call Christmas compilation is top of your Spotify most played list every year.
Unfortunately, you’ve spent so much cash on putting together the perfect Christmas, your bank balance is redder than Rudolf’s nose. What you need to get home this Christmas is a small and economical car that will get you there without slurping too much petrol. What you need is the VW Up! It’s also surprisingly roomy for a small car, and if you go for the five-door version you can carry three mates without them whinging.
Happy families
You’re not quite sure how you ended up with four kids, but here you are nonetheless. And then Granny moved in for good measure. But that’s all right – the more the merrier, right?
Only trouble is, when Auntie Doreen invites you all round for Christmas lunch you need a car the size of a minibus. To get yourselves, the brood and Granny all in the one vehicle will take some doing – but that’s what the seven seater Audi Q7 is for. You can all fit in that – and it saves you taking two cars which means one of you can have an extra sherry with lunch. And if you think big cars are dull, go for the incredibly fast SQ7, which blends sports car speed with diesel-powered economy.
Off-road Christmas
You have great childhood memories of going up to your Grandparents’ farm up in the Scottish Highlands. Open fields, dramatic scenery, and that lovely open fire in the old farmhouse kitchen.
The only trouble is, they still insist on hosting Christmas every year, and with even the merest hint of snow, the track up to the farm becomes pretty-much impassable for any normal car. You need four wheel drive for this – and some serious off-roading capability.
Enter the Jeep Wrangler. This 4x4 will ensure you make it in time to hang up the stockings on the mantelpiece. It also has an undeniable air of cool when you park it up in town for the Boxing Day sales.
A dog is for life, not just for Christmas
You won’t be getting a puppy this Christmas, but that’s only because you’ve already got two beautiful labradors. And where you go, they go. So for your trip up to your parents’ place this Christmas you need something big enough to comfortably accommodate the pooches on the long drive.
But you are not a fan of the SUV trend – you prefer something with a lower profile that is less thirsty at the pumps.
That means you’re going to need an estate – and what better than the Mercedes C43 AMG estate? Not only does its boot give you a decent amount of room for the pups, but it also blends sporty performance and all-weather useability, thanks to its howling V6 petrol engine and four-wheel-drive system. How’s that for a complete package?
If you’re hoping for a new car this Christmas but you’re not sure Santa is going to oblige, then check out heycar’s extensive range of quality used cars, which all come with a warranty, right here.
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