Recommend your SUV

amandapthompson

Thinking about getting something a little bit bigger than my Altima.

Aaaand go!

katykatykaty

Not an SUV, but somewhat similar... I love my Subaru Outback.  It sits up higher than a car, has space in the back like an SUV and gets better mileage than most SUVs. 

Mcsweets

I loovvveee our Murano.  I'm not sure if you're looking for 3rd row seating or not, but we've had great luck with it.  It's the only car I've kept long enough to pay off lol  Gas isn't bad either .. and the back hatch space is pretty large - especially for a "crossover" or "midsize" SUV - not sure where the Murano fits. 

angelsnight

We just got a Chevy Eqiunox and we love it.  The backseat is very roomy and I am looking forward to getting a carseat in and out, and strollers in and out of the back without having to bend down too much.  Plus I love that you can get of get in and out at standing level....you don't have to get up from a low position, but it's not so big that you have to actually step up to get into it (I'm short).

I also like that the back end provides a place to change diapers should you be somewhere that doesn't have the facilities.  It just seemed so wrong to me to put a baby in the trunk of my car to change them, lol.

crystaljoanna

I have an Altima too! I love my car. We test drove an Acura mdx which I really loved. Good gas mileage - I think it was 20mpg, three rows of seating, and can tow our ski boat. It has a really smooth ride too.

I'm not quite ready for an SUV. Not sure if we will trade my Altima. It has roomy seats, great gas mileage, and is a lot of fun to drive.

lazyreader

I love love love our BMW X5d fantastic gas milage for a big suv. seats 5 right now and has optional 3rd row seating (that would only really fit smaller people... under 5'). However it's luxury so it's a pretty penny.

JAck5209

Love my Honda Pilot! It's a great ride and very spacious. We pack it full for family trips. It also has a nice sized third row. I love everything about that car.

Gramsey831

We have a 2008 Explorer with a third row.  I am so glad we have it now because of LO coming.  Our second car is a Ford Fusion.  It's roomy, just not roomy enough for trips to my parents house.  It (the explorer) is decent on gas, getting about 18 MPG on the highway.  I think the newer ones are even better on gas though and they are pretty!

htn1763

crystaljoanna said:

I have an Altima too! I love my car. We test drove an Acura mdx which I really loved. Good gas mileage - I think it was 20mpg, three rows of seating, and can tow our ski boat. It has a really smooth ride too. I'm not quite ready for an SUV. Not sure if we will trade my Altima. It has roomy seats, great gas mileage, and is a lot of fun to drive.

I love my acura mdx! It's huge and drives really well. I have always been an suv person so I have also had an Explorer (not a fan) and a Pathfinder (loved).

novelblessings

We just bought a Ford Escape (it is used, not the new model) in December and I love it. I commute with it to and from work every day and we use it as a our main vehicle. I average about 30mpg between highway and city driving. The main reason we got it is because we wanted something bigger for when we go camping and for hauling our kayaks. I love that I will not have to reach down to put a car seat in now.

katieg314

We also have a honda pilot that we love love love. I love Hondas in general- they last forever- and the pilot is super roomy. I put teenagers in the 3rd row regularly and it works great. Not a lot of cargo space when the 3rd row is up, (true with most SUVs) but there is a ton of space when it's down. Highly reccomend!

lvlichelle

I have a Saturn Vue.. it's a manual 5-speed.. I love having a stick shift SUV.. Although, I am interested in seeing if I will still love having it after LO is born.

ETA: I really want a new Nissan Juke... but it isn't in our budget right now.

crystaljoanna

lvlichelle said:

I have a Saturn Vue.. it's a manual 5-speed.. I love having a stick shift SUV.. Although, I am interested in seeing if I will still love having it after LO is born.

ETA: I really want a new Nissan Juke... but it isn't in our budget right now.

My husband drove a vue for a company car a few years ago and I LOVED it! They discontinued it a year or two ago though

Random SUV - the Aztec aka the worst vehicle ever made according to top gear. Aka as Walter white's SUV on breaking bad. We have friends that bought one though and love it!

amandapthompson

What is the difference between the ford explorer/escape/edge? For those who know...
From what I've seen, escape is small SUV, explorer is just a bit bigger and the edge being the biggest?? Well besides the expedition of course.

I'm not set on Ford so everyone please feel free to keep commenting. I just wanted to clarify that question. Thanks!

ufsandra85

I love my Mazds CX-7 althought i heard they dont make it anymore. it is an awesome and affordable SUV

amandoza23

We have a Mazda CX-9 and I absolutely love it! Plenty of space for our new baby and our dogs.

WoodShopGirl

I am completely in love with my Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is the new body style and it is amazing.  I looked at the MDX and the Q7, but for $10K less I felt like I was getting all the luxuries that these would have.  (Although I love the Audi and it was a tough decision)  Plus the maintenance reviews have gotten alot better than in the past.  Plus Jeep now offers LIFETIME bumper to bumper.  Not sure if this is regional specific, but it is a great feature for me since I usually drive cars for 8-10 years.

lvlichelle

crystaljoanna said:

I have a Saturn Vue.. it's a manual 5-speed.. I love having a stick shift SUV.. Although, I am interested in seeing if I will still love having it after LO is born.

ETA: I really want a new Nissan Juke... but it isn't in our budget right now.

My husband drove a vue for a company car a few years ago and I LOVED it! They discontinued it a year or two ago though Random SUV - the Aztec aka the worst vehicle ever made according to top gear. Aka as Walter white's SUV on breaking bad. We have friends that bought one though and love it!

Oh really? Mine is a 2003, I think.

Gramsey831

amandapthompson said:

What is the difference between the ford explorer/escape/edge? For those who know... From what I've seen, escape is small SUV, explorer is just a bit bigger and the edge being the biggest?? Well besides the expedition of course. I'm not set on Ford so everyone please feel free to keep commenting. I just wanted to clarify that question. Thanks!

The Escape and Edge are similar, neither offer 3rd row.  I believe the Explorer is the biggest of the three.

natsmama

Gramsey831 said:

amandapthompson said:

What is the difference between the ford explorer/escape/edge? For those who know... From what I've seen, escape is small SUV, explorer is just a bit bigger and the edge being the biggest?? Well besides the expedition of course. I'm not set on Ford so everyone please feel free to keep commenting. I just wanted to clarify that question. Thanks!

The Escape and Edge are similar, neither offer 3rd row.  I believe the Explorer is the biggest of the three.
--

Yes to this order, and there's one that's bigger - the Expedition. We just bought a 2013 Explorer and I absolutely love it. The third row is great, tons of space, and the gas mileage is pretty good for a vehicle this size, we average 19.5 mpg. I do mostly city driving. I've heard the 2013 and 2014 Escape gets great gas mileage.

amberlynnr7

I used to have a Rav4 and that was awesome....

My hubby has a Ford Edge and loves it. There are so many options, I hope you find something that works for you!

novelblessings

Gramsey831 said:

amandapthompson said:

What is the difference between the ford explorer/escape/edge? For those who know... From what I've seen, escape is small SUV, explorer is just a bit bigger and the edge being the biggest?? Well besides the expedition of course. I'm not set on Ford so everyone please feel free to keep commenting. I just wanted to clarify that question. Thanks!

The Escape and Edge are similar, neither offer 3rd row.  I believe the Explorer is the biggest of the three.

Explorer is the biggest. Escape is more of a compact SUV. The Edge is your luxury. We loved the Edge and my ILs have one but the mpg was better on the Escape, which I need because of my commute.

novelblessings

crystaljoanna said:

I have a Saturn Vue.. it's a manual 5-speed.. I love having a stick shift SUV.. Although, I am interested in seeing if I will still love having it after LO is born.

ETA: I really want a new Nissan Juke... but it isn't in our budget right now.

My husband drove a vue for a company car a few years ago and I LOVED it! They discontinued it a year or two ago though Random SUV - the Aztec aka the worst vehicle ever made according to top gear. Aka as Walter white's SUV on breaking bad. We have friends that bought one though and love it!

I really wanted a Vue when we started looking but the last model year they made was the 2010. They no longer make Saturns at all and some parts are harder to find than others, if you need repairs. DH has a Saturn LS and I had one before this car. We had to make modifications to a part to make it fit my old car once.

StephBrim24

katykatykaty said:

Not an SUV, but somewhat similar... I love my Subaru Outback.  It sits up higher than a car, has space in the back like an SUV and gets better mileage than most SUVs. 

This exactly. I love my Outback and Subarus in general. They are all-wheel drive, so I feel soooo safe in rain, snow, and ice. It's not bulky like an SUV but plenty roomy and gets great gas mileage.

hclzmm14

I have a Cadillac SRX. It's a crossover. I am obsessed with it! It's the most comfortable car we've had. Super roomy and ranks pretty high in safety (which is important now that we are having babies!). I'd highly recommend it, even though gas mileage isn't so stellar, but you've probably accepted that fact if you want an SUV. I've also had a Yukon, which was pretty nice too, but I like the cadi better. That had even worse gas mileage. We have had a Prius in the past, and that is a surprisingly roomy vehicle, great gas mileage, just not sure about the safety of that vehicle. I loved my Prius but hubby wanted to trade up for something nicer.

Soxchick1

We just bought a Toyota Highlander and it is my absolute favorite car i've ever had! It isn't great on gas, although, before this I had a Corolla so I think anything compared to the Corolla wouldn't be good on gas.

My friend just bought a kia sorrento and loves that as well!

ladyglittersparkles

DH has a Chevy Tahoe that he loves! I like driving it occasionally but it's a bit too much for me! I'll stick with my Acura TL

Kristen61607

I've had an explorer for year. No complaints, really. Glad it has a 3rd row of seats now that I'm going to have 3 in carseats!

matitice

We have a Nissan Xterra & love it. My husband drives it mostly now since it was his car from before we got married but I'll be driving it more once the baby comes. I feel really safe when I'm in it or driving & it's roomy with a nice storage area in the hatch. We're a family of 4 & will stay that way so it's the perfect size for us. I have a 2-door car & we plan to keep that as a commuter car even after the baby arrives. Both our cars are paid off & the thought of adding a car payment along with a baby is not our idea of a good time.

parenthood4

amandapthompson said:

What is the difference between the ford explorer/escape/edge? For those who know... From what I've seen, escape is small SUV, explorer is just a bit bigger and the edge being the biggest?? Well besides the expedition of course. I'm not set on Ford so everyone please feel free to keep commenting. I just wanted to clarify that question. Thanks!

I have a 2012 Ford Escape, and I love it! It's smaller than the explorer. The explorer (always or usually?) has a third row of seats. The Escape only seats 5. I'm not sure about the edge.

But I love the size of the Escape, and since we didn't need a 3rd row, it was cheaper than the Explorer. The 2013 has a different, rounder look than the 2012. I actually prefer the 2012, so we got it for a good price when we bought it last year.

avigailandcharlie

Question for you suv mamas - this is our first child and we want to get one. Right now we're looking at either the bmw x5 or lexus rx450h. Both are 2 row, 5 seaters. Should we just splurge on something bigger with a third row already, or cross that bridge when we get there? 

nlane0723

We just bought a new Chevy Tahoe and we love it! We had the older model before and test drove others, but nothing felt or drove like the Tahoe. We drive to Huntington Beach from Vegas frequently as well and we can get there on 3/4 tank of gas.

VineyardMel

We got an Escape with DD and I really don't like it. The cargo space is so tiny if you pull over the cargo cover--this is really recommended when you have a RF baby because anything in the back becomes a potential projectile in an accident. I couldn't fit anything other than a stroller in the back with the cover pulled. We got DH a new (2012) Passat in April and I ended up taking it over. The cabin space is the same but the trunk is HUGE and I have much more room than in the Escape. I do miss sitting higher up, but the space and creature comforts make it work for me. After this baby gets here I expect we'll end up ditching the Escape for something bigger that will work better now that we have a real idea of what it's like to have to cart so much stuff with kids.

htn1763

avigailandcharlie said:

Question for you suv mamas - this is our first child and we want to get one. Right now we're looking at either the bmw x5 or lexus rx450h. Both are 2 row, 5 seaters. Should we just splurge on something bigger with a third row already, or cross that bridge when we get there? 

My parents have the lexus rx450h and the trunk is tiny. Really tiny. My brother and SIL had it too but it was just too small for them with kids so they traded it in for a Pilot. They love the Pilot.

I really wanted an X5 but decided if we were going to have kids soon to just go with the MDX. It's still a really nice suv but just so much more practical with the 3rd row.

crystaljoanna

avigailandcharlie said:

Question for you suv mamas - this is our first child and we want to get one. Right now we're looking at either the bmw x5 or lexus rx450h. Both are 2 row, 5 seaters. Should we just splurge on something bigger with a third row already, or cross that bridge when we get there? 

You can get the x5 with third row seating. We haven't test driven it yet - we drive the x3 - but a family member has it and I thought it was pretty roomy.

lazyreader

crystaljoanna said:

Question for you suv mamas - this is our first child and we want to get one. Right now we're looking at either the bmw x5 or lexus rx450h. Both are 2 row, 5 seaters. Should we just splurge on something bigger with a third row already, or cross that bridge when we get there? 

You can get the x5 with third row seating. We haven't test driven it yet - we drive the x3 - but a family member has it and I thought it was pretty roomy.

We have an x5 (it's His car so he did all the research) and I know he was seriously looking at the lexus... I'll ask him why we ended up going with the BMW and edit this...

OK This won't be as helpful as I thought. He chose BMW for a few main reasons: 

• Brand loyalty (we're MINI owners..my car)
  
• They have an unsurpassed  Certified pre-owned program. We did buy used. I'll also add their maintenance plan is the shit.
  
• He wanted a diesel (better fuel efficiency. 26-28 mpgs according to our driving habits... it's what the on board computer calculated)
  

He chose it for performance factors (advanced aggressive driving is a large part of his work so he's picky about that).

avigailandcharlie

Kacie said:

crystaljoanna said:

Question for you suv mamas - this is our first child and we want to get one. Right now we're looking at either the bmw x5 or lexus rx450h. Both are 2 row, 5 seaters. Should we just splurge on something bigger with a third row already, or cross that bridge when we get there? 

You can get the x5 with third row seating. We haven't test driven it yet - we drive the x3 - but a family member has it and I thought it was pretty roomy.

We have an x5 (it's His car so he did all the research) and I know he was seriously looking at the lexus... I'll ask him why we ended up going with the BMW and edit this...

Yes please! crystaljoanna - i did not know it came with third row seating. I will have to go check these all out. DH is deployed so we won't be doing this until he's back.

matthewmegan

I wanted a Sorrento when we upgraded to an SUV earlier this year, but we pay cash for cars and didn't have enough to get one with the low miles, plenty of warranty left, and the 3rd row seating like I wanted.  I ended up with a Hyundai Santa Fe and LOVE it.  Many of the same features including the awesome warranty, but cheaper.  It's the perfect size for our current family of 3, and soon-to-be-4.  If we go to 5, we will likely need to get Radian carseats as I don't think we could fit a Marathon, Keyfit30, and another one comfortably and safely back there.

nblondheim

We got a Chevy equinox last year and I love it!!!

JVFU

We just recently bought a new SUV for the same reason. By march I will have 2 under 2 and having two car seats in the back without eating our dashboard in the front was a constant issue in both of our sedans. I like room, I also like the fact of being in a larger car for the children's sake but also for traveling long distances (were a military family). I also wanted an SUV with all the gadgets and whistles as for when hubby leaves to deploy, juggling two kids and unloading/loading the car etc needed to be fairly easy. Hands down if you are not worried about the cash department, the SUVs we loved were the Audi Q7 and the Range Rover HSE. Range rover has horrid gas mileage though. Another fact I considered is my ds is a pig pen. Where ever he goes, sippy cup liquid and crumbs follow. I wasn't willing to shell out 60k on a new SUV that will inevitably be worn in by children/crackers and apple juice. So we started looking at more "kid" friendly SUVs aka ones I wouldn't mind getting a little scuffed or dirty on the inside. I like the Tahoe and Yukon by how they look- they are big, every third car on the freeway is one and unfortunately with horrible gas mileage even with flexfuel they are way over priced considering there are so many- their resale value is close to nothing. I wound up falling in love with the Jeep and eventually decided on the new remade Dodge Durango. With its new jeep unibody and new remake of management I was happy to see all the perks of many of the other SUVs rolled into one. We've had it for a little over a week and can't say a bad thing about it so far. We can haul, tow, camp, move etc because it has that extra room. Plus it's not hard on the eyes. Would an Audi probably of had better perks? Yes- but at the price tag I wasn't willing to throw kids or crumbs into it.

Cassie3333

I love my Honda CRV, it's great on mileage (about 30 usually), but really roomy! I love its acceleration and tight turning radius. It doesn't have a third row, but it's big enough for two or three kids.