Driving Fun or Comfort?

In the past, our family always sought “driving excitement” even in our family cars, but recently, things have started to change a bit.

This shift came after we began owning a Boxster (981 GTS) and a 911 (964 C2), when my husband said one day:

“Having these two cars to enjoy driving is more than enough… Trying to find a family car that focuses on sporty driving just can’t match the feel of the 981 or 964. So maybe it’s better to choose a family car that prioritizes comfort instead.”

Of course, we still want the basic car qualities of “going, stopping, and cornering,” but beyond that, we don’t really need things like “perfect harmony between car and driver,” “handling that laughs off winding roads,” or “powerful acceleration merging onto highways.”

Also, friends and readers have often advised us, “It’s totally fine to pick a family car from another brand that offers more comfort.” Taking all that into account, after some consideration, we recently welcomed a GLB as our family car.

Experiencing the Comfort of the GLB

Since the GLB was delivered, I’ve been driving it occasionally, and it’s truly comfortable and easy.

Especially, it just feels relaxing (laughs).

With a Porsche, the moment you start the engine and grip the steering wheel, you often get that “Let’s drive hard!” aggressive mindset. Especially with the GT3 (MT) we had before, my husband said,

“The GT3 leaves no escape for the driver. You feel like you’re running as a team with the car, so you can’t let your guard down.”

While that’s part of the fun, it also makes it harder to just hop in and drive casually.

On the other hand, the GLB (especially ours, the 200d) lets you drive slowly and comfortably with a relaxed mindset.

Recently, I even drove it on the highway, and the Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC (adaptive cruise control) was incredibly comfortable and effortless. Since I could trust the car to handle things, when I arrived at my destination, I felt like, “Wait, we’re already here?”

Also, with Mercedes-Benz, the interior is elegant and luxurious, the instrument cluster looks cool, and driving it just feels great. The illuminated cabin at night and ambient lighting are very stylish and calming.

This comfort is a big hit with the kids too, so the GLB has quickly become everyone’s favorite—a car the whole family can ride in comfortably and happily.

Our Current Car Life

A fun-to-drive car and a comfortable, easy-to-ride car.

Of course, it would be ideal to have one car that satisfies both, but that usually means stepping up to a larger class with wider body dimensions, which often doesn’t fit our current family’s needs.

In that sense, our family has settled on separating “cars for driving enjoyment” and “cars for comfortable family travel.”

It’s like sushi is delicious, steak is delicious, but mixing the two? Well… maybe not so much (I’m not great at analogies…).

Right now, with our three kids still young, this is the kind of car life that suits us, but I’m sure our criteria for choosing cars will keep evolving as our situation changes.

In the future, my desire to “ride a Panamera again” won’t change, but I hope to keep enjoying a car life that fits our family’s growth and circumstances at each stage.