Cars - hyundai santa fe or other suvs you love? (two kids)

EMLDF

Hello - I have a 20 month old and am expecting #2 in May. We just moved to the burbs and so I'm in the market for a car for the first time in over a decade. (My husband has always had a sedan). We want to buy a certified pre-owned SUV and are leaning towards the Hyundai Santa Fe. Anyone have other suggestions? I'm at a loss when it comes to cars! Safety is definitely a priority. Thanks!

hillgirl322

I have a Hyundai Tuscan (slightly smaller than the Santa Fe) and LOVE it. It's easy to get my kids in and out of, has enough storage in the back, and hasn't needed any work other than basic maintenance in the last 5 years.

It also has a good safety rating and warranty which I have been fortune to have not needed.

When I need a new car I'll definitely be getting another Tuscan or upgrading to the Santa Fe!

dogperson11

Something to keep in mind is where the top anchors are placed. With 2 kids you will eventually need 2 top tethers for their car seats (must use the top tethers while forward facing).

We have a Toyota 4Runner and love it. I would recommend staying away from the Rav4 as it only accommodates 2 back seat passengers in newer models due to seatbelt placement.

kmc84

It's not a full blow SUV, but I LOVE my Subaru Outback. We will have two kids in the spring and as long as you pick the right seats, you can use all three back seats. It has 3 top tethers, great gas mileage, great safety ratings...

FmrAFBrat

I loved my Santa Fe. I upgraded to a Sienna..but I had an 08 Santa Fe. It had 3 top tethers & 2 latch positions...it was pretty easy to get the kids in and out of. I also had a nice storage bin in the cargo space and good tie downs for the stroller.

One big thing in a SUV to look for is 4 hooks for a cargo net or tie downs in the cargo area, so you don't have projectile items in a accident. Just saying.

EMLDF

Thanks everyone for your replies - very helpful! I never would have thought about the tethers/ cargo net hooks. 

MommyAtty

We love our Volvo XC 60 enough that we bought a second one. It has built-in 2 level boosters so once we are past the 5 point harness stage we won't need a booster.

drpayne

Also love my Santa Fe. We will be doing 3 across for a while.

27JB

Another vote for the Santa Fe! We have it right now with a 3 year old (convertible car seat) and a 10 year old with a big dog in the back and in a few months we will be trying it out with the infant seat too Roomy, nice options, drives well.. very happy with it!

abbyful

We bought a Buick Enclave before baby #2 was born. Absolutely love it!

okayestmom12

We were between the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Kia Sorrento and went w/ the Sorrento.  Preferred how it drove and that it felt more spacious.  

spartybride3

I have a tuscon & my friend had a Santa Fe. She has two kids and it fits both car seats, although her car doesn't seem much larger than mine. I also don't love my tuscon and wish I would've bought an Escape, the Buick enclave, or something bigger. We live in Chicago and travel to Michigan a lot and between us, the baby, and our small dog, there is limited space in the car. I can't see how the car will work with two babies and we will probably buy a new one when the time comes.

JaneShops

We have a 4Runner, my friend has a Santa fe. Both work

ldmw

I love my Hyundai Santa Fe! Highly recommend it. Bought new 22 months ago and haven't had any problems.

Boudie49

Jumping in to agree about the Santa Fe... we have a 2013 and I absolutely LOVE it. Went from a mazda 3 to the santa fe and my insurance actually dropped because of the safety ratings the santa fe has.

Ladybentspoon

I love our KIA Soul! Very spacious and rated very high on safety. Also, I love that it drives and parks like a sedan.

AmCheri

My good friend has the Sante Fe with two little boys and her family loves it! We have an Acura MDX and it's been great for us, our dog and our daughter. Will be putting two kids in it soon. Amazing how fast it fills up!

effthisnoise

I have a 1999 Toyota 4Runner that I love so, so much, but we recently bought a 2015 Toyota Highlander instead of a newer 4Runner like I wanted. The Highlander has a fold-down third row and it sits a little lower to the ground than the 4Runner. A friend who has two kids has a 4Runner and she recommended the Highlander because it's easier to get heavy carseats (with babies in them) out than a vehicle that sits higher.

EMLDF

Update: we bought a certified pre-owned Toyota Highlander a couple weeks ago and love it. Already took at 1800 mile round trip in it. New Santa Fe's are rated well (by consumer reports) BUT not used ones... I don't totally get it but the used TH were rated VERY well by CR and we found a good one locally so we pulled the trigger. Thanks for the input, everyone!

abloom6510

My husband drives a Subaru crosstrek, it is considered a crossover, not a full SUV but it works very well . We only have one kid but have used it for outings with finds and can comfortably fit 3 boosters in it (it would easily fit 2 car seats). We LOVE it.

Elsa1984

We are most likely going to sell our mid-size sedan, and get a GMC Terrain. The back seat can slide forwards and backwards, depending on if you need more foot room, or cargo space. Which will makes it really nice for carseats! And it gets better gas mileage than our luxury sedan. We went back and forth between the Subaru Crosstrek and the GMC, but in the end, the GMC Terrain had more cargo space and the sliding seat...which is all sorts of amaze-balls. It also gave us the option of what type of drive it had, as we don't need another vehicle with AWD since we have our truck (although you do have the option of getting AWD if need be).

MrsValerieWood

Finally sold my Santa Fe had constant AC problems a deal breaker in Texas. Other than that the car was fine.