Is Your Car The Ideal Mum’s Taxi?
Secondary and primary schools are going back after summer, and it’s that time of year when parents get back into the grind of doing the school run (unless the kids walk, bike or take the bus, of course). Cars that have taken the family to the beach or on holiday go back to being Mum’s Taxi (or Dad’s Taxi), if they’re appropriate.
But is your car the best possible Mum’s Taxi out there? Take the quiz to find out:
1: How many seats does your car have?
(a ) Five
(b) Four – two bucket sports seats in the front and two very small ones in the back
(c) Seven
(d) Three, one right by the driver’s elbow where the occupant will get bumped during a gear change.
2: How many doors does your car have?
(a ) two or three (rear hatches count as doors)
(b) two
(c) Four, or else two plus a sliding panel van-style and a rear hatch.
(d) two, but if you open the passenger’s side, several tools, an old newspaper and a hat will fall out on top of the opener.
3: What comfort features does your car have?
(a) Air-con and electric windows, and the front seats can slide forward and back
(b) Dual-zone climate control, leather seats, rake-and-tilt adjustable sports steering wheel, automatically retracting hood
(c) Dual-zone (or even three-zone) climate control, filters, electronically adjustable seats, tinted glass, heated seats front and rear, anti-pinch electric windows, etc.
(d) The seats are padded and you can open the window most of the time– does that count?
4: What passive safety features does your car have?
(a) A few airbags, inertia reel or pretensioned seatbelts, child restraint preparation in the rear
(b) A roll cage and front air bags
(c) Anti-submarining seats, pretensioned seatbelts, airbags for Africa, crumple zones,
(d) Seatbelts, but you’ll have to fish around to find the bit you plug them into and use that bra-strap adjustment to get it them the right size.
5: What other bells and whistles does your car have?
(a) a CD player/radio, keyless entry, trip computer
(b) Check out my stereo and the extra-big after-market speakers in the back! If it’s to do with the sound system, I’ve got it.
(c) GPS, hands-free phone, keyless entry, follow-me-home lights, rear seat DVD, trip computer with the works…
(d) A radio that picks up AM frequencies only when you’re travelling in an east–west direction and a horn that works.
6: How big is your boot?
(a) Average
(b) How big a boot do you expect in a coupé?
(c) Massive (in a sedan), or else it varies depending on whether the rear seats fold down.
(d) The ute deck’s enormous, but I hope it doesn’t rain or your stuff’ll get wet.
7: Your car can be described as a…
(a) hatchback (e.g. Suzuki Swift), sedan (e.g. Toyota Corolla or BMW 3-series) or smaller SUV (e.g. Isuzu MU)
(b) roadster or sports coupé (e.g. BMW Z4 or Mazda MX-5))
(c) MPV (e.g. Honda Odyssey), large 4×4 (e.g. Hyundai Santa Fe) or van (e.g. Ford Transit)
(d) workhorse (e.g. Toyota Hilux)
Mostly As: Your car is a reasonable Mum’s Taxi. It has a few drawbacks that hold it back from being the perfect car for the school run, but you’ll get there in one piece and with everyone’s sanity and temper reasonably intact.
Mostly Bs: Your car is the one the adolescent boys love to have used as Mum’s Taxi. One word of warning, though: better hide the keys once they learn to drive, or they’ll nick it to impress their mates.
Mostly Cs: Your car is the epitome of Mum’s Taxi – a perfect vehicle for taking large numbers of children and adolescents from A to B in comfort and style. Expect to be in demand for school trips, sports club outings, Boy Scout/Girl Guide camps, etc.
Mostly Ds: You have the perfect excuse for not ferrying the kids to and from school because your car probably isn’t the best for the job – except in emergencies.
Level 2, 9 Help Street