Yep, totally love performance with practicality.
Owned this for 9 years now. It’ll take 3 bikes on the back, 2 kayaks on the roof, I can get an 8 foot Christmas tree in it with the hatch closed (just!). Great fuel consumption if you take it easy, and AWD and some extra vitamins for the grin factor
Very nice! I’m pretty sure my next car will be a R. Like you’ve said, it’s got all the right things packed in a nice size.
I was lucky enough to get a 2023 R as a courtesy car when my RAV4 went in for work in September last year. Mind blowing performance. Porsche botherer!
Following on from this comment above, thought I’d share my list…
2005 SEAT Leon SX
2008 Ford Focus 1.9 TDi
2011 Ford Focus 1.9 TDi
2015 Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi
2020 RAV4 2.5 Hybrid
And last November I was forced to go electric!
Have to add, I was a little trepid of going full electric due to all the talk of range, charging network etc but I really quite love it. Have had zero issues so far

Edit: No, that is not my house. I should be so lucky
My Alpine A110S - coming up for 1 year old and loving it as much as I did on day #01.
Sea Sucker bike rack is a game changer!
A manufacturer rep I dealt with had a Cooper S, and said it was so much fun to drive, like a go-cart! He even drove it through the winters. Then I heard his wife was pregnant and he ‘had’ to sell it. (I drove a Mazda CX-7 around the big island and caught air on Saddle Road bisecting the island a few times. Then found out tourists die on that road quite often, but I never felt our of control. shrug It’s on the rental ‘thou shall not traverse’ list (no one told me)) But anyway, seemed like a good car for ‘active people’…
I product rep I met had a Cooper, the Clubman. Said it was a gas, loved ripping around in that thing, and likened it to an overpowered go-kart. Then I heard from him, and he said his wife was pregnant, and even though she loved the Cooper, is ‘making’ him sell it. He was looking for a ‘small and fast’ mini-van. Good luck…
On the topic of family cars: what you guys in the US call a ‚wagon‘ I lovingly call my pampers bomber:
Enough space for a stroller or thule 2 seater bike trailer and a couple of bags, toys, balance bikes and what not. It’s definitely not as lightweight and nimble as a cooper but more fun to drive than a Van or SUV. It‘s got a B58 so plenty of hp for a ‚family car‘…
That sounds like a great setup for family outings! Having enough space for a stroller and a bike trailer makes life so much easier. We used to have a hatchback, and it was a struggle fitting all the kids’ stuff. When we finally upgraded to a larger vehicle, it felt like a breath of fresh air!
The extra horsepower really makes a difference for those weekend drives too. I remember loading up for a trip, and we ended up needing to look into the cost to ship car because we were considering taking our car on a longer vacation. It was helpful to know the expenses ahead of time. You’re right; having the right car can really add to the fun of family adventures.