The day Storm officially came into our lives our entire family were overjoyed. My husband, two daughters and I were all there to greet her and to share with her how long we’d been looking forward to welcoming her to the family.
We gazed at Storm adoringly as she was presented to us, then we smiled for a photograph, took off the red ornamental bow, shook the salesperson’s hand, opened her shiny, stormy grey doors, sat inside and we drove her home.
Yes, Storm is our SUV, our family car. As our first brand new car (ever) our Toyota Kluger was significant from the moment we selected her. Then she became more than that, she became a true member of our family and three years later, she still is.
This is why.
Holidays
Storm has come with us on many a holiday. From road trips to NSW and around Victoria, she has made the process as straightforward as it could possibly be. Her cruise control allowed for safe and easy driving and her audio system for some great family sing-along tunes.
And of course, she was there with us to see the sites along the way. From the Giant Merino and the Dog on the Tuckerbox, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House to the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge along the Great Ocean Road.
Taxi-ing
But it’s not always fun and games and holidays. It’s also taking kids to and from school, to after school activities, parties, to do the groceries or to run around town and for that Storm is ever reliable (more than I can say for some family.)
Significant events
She is also there for many significant life moments. From my daughters’ first days of school Storm transported them to the front gate and then watched on, front row of the parking area as they made their way in.
Storm has also welcomed other new members of the family, including Betty and Bob the fish who she smoothly drove from the pet shop to home, as well as a 200 kilometre plus trip to bring our rescue goat, Gretchen home to regional Victoria from an RSPCA in Melbourne.
The multipurpose centre
Storm is also a very versatile and flexible family member, becoming a range of spaces and providing numerous functions that only a real family member would be willing to do. In summer she’s often a changeroom on beach days where the kids (and sometimes the parents) will change from clothes to swimmers in the back seat and sit in the boot to apply sunscreen.
Other times she is a café/restaurant where takeaway is picked up and consumed while on the road, or while sitting at a scenic point and watching the world go by around us. Storm is a critical element of the drive-in experience, the audio and seats to watch the big screen, the air-con to cool down in the summer heat and the bed for sleepy heads to fall asleep on.
And most recently of course she has been the medical testing facility where numerous Covid-19 tests have been performed.
Memories
And then there are the memories. Whether it has been significant events like the first day of school, or small things like taking kids to and from swimming lessons, playing games of Eye Spy, or the space for having deep and meaningful discussions about farts, Storm has been an instrumental part of our memories.
The connection
But most importantly, there is the connection. We love Storm.
In fact, my daughters love her so much that when there was talk by my husband of upgrading to the newest Kluger model, they cried.
“You can’t replace Storm,” they pleaded to him.
And they succeeded because Storm is a member of our family, we can’t just replace her (well not until my husband gets his way).
Keyword: Six reasons why our car is a member of the family