IDF officers unhappy with ‘minicars’ army leased for them

“Forget about traveling with a family because even just two children can barely squeeze into the backseat,” said one IDF officer.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

For a long time, the IDF leased personal vehicles to its officers, but despite this perk, many are becoming unhappy with the cars being provided to them.

Some officers are saying the cars are not family-friendly, while others are upset that the trunks are too small.

“Forget about traveling with a family because even just two children can barely squeeze into the backseat,” said one IDF officer.

“If you put a suitcase in the trunk you won’t be able to put in a baby stroller,” another officer said.

For quite a while, IDF officers were provided by the Army with spacious Mitsubishi Attrage vehicles but those were replaced in December by the SEAT Ibiza, a supermini car, and the Hyundai i20 minicar.

According to the IDF, the Ibiza and i20 have significant advantages over their predecessor.

“The tender for the new car models has brought to light the needs of the individual, the costs, and above all the safety of senior staff and their families,” an IDF spokesperson said at the time. “The cars are equipped with assistive driving devices and were awarded 4 and 5 stars during safety tests.”

One officer told the Israeli news outlet it is not just the small cars that are bothersome, but the poor way officers say they are being treated compared to regular citizens, such as not being able to go on vacation or fly abroad.

“We are at the end of the food chain in the state, but the citizens treat us like we eat for free,” the officer said.