Move over Mom’s taxi — here are the most searched for Dad’s buses

29 June 2021 - 17:25 By Motoring Staff
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The Hyundai H1 is a desirable secondhand buy.
The Hyundai H1 is a desirable secondhand buy.
Image: Supplied

Dads are playing a far more significant role in the parenting process — a trend that has been worsened by the pandemic. In the UK, for instance, the first lockdown saw a 58% increase in childcare undertaken by men. One of the key tasks of any parent is that of taxi driver. Increasingly more men have been seen to be piloting transporters than ever before. So, move over “mom’s taxi”; which is the most searched for “dad bus”?

An examination of search data pertaining to minibuses on AutoTrader from January 1 2021-May 31 2021 provides some interesting insight. It excludes models that are typically used for public or professional transport purposes — the Toyota Quantum and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, for instance.

“During Father’s Day month, it’s interesting to see which vehicles dads want. We already know that dads who drive these buses daily attest to their power and versatility, and they can be found boasting to fellow drivers about seat configuration options, 4x4 capabilities and the plethora of aftermarket kits available to transport sports equipment,” says George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO. But which specific vehicles do they want?

The top five most searched for minibuses according to AutoTrader, 1 January 2021 to 31 May 2021.
The top five most searched for minibuses according to AutoTrader, 1 January 2021 to 31 May 2021.
Image: Supplied

The Volkswagen Kombi is the most searched-for bus and it has an average list price of R426,598 (for an average registration year of 2015). The pick of the Kombi litter from 2015 is undoubtedly the Volkswagen Kombi 2.0TDI with a 103kW 2.0-litre turbodiesel motor that can propel the vehicle from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 14.7 seconds — which isn’t bad for a bus. It has a top speed of 172km/h.

The Hyundai H-1 — with an average list price of R381,237 (average model year of 2016) — is also highly desired by dads. Here, the pick of the bunch is the 2.5VGTi, which has a 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine. It churns out slightly more power than the Kombi’s diesel motor — 125kW to be exact. And this is good enough to get the bus to scamper from standstill to 100km/h in a claimed 14.4 seconds and then on to a top speed of 180km/h.

Yes, that’s not quite in the league of a supercar, which can boast sub-three second 0 — 100km/h acceleration stats. But it’s certainly more than enough for when Dad is doing the school run.


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