Best vehicles that fit 4+ kids?

libertymomrn

Our family is making that jump from 3 kids to 4 kids this time, which means none of our vehicles will fit the whole family at once, once this baby is born. 

I’m sure many others are in the same boat, looking for a bigger vehicle for a growing family. For those of you who who have jumped this hurdle, or have vehicles that fit at least 2 adults and 4 children, what are your thoughts? 

What vehicles did you consider? What factored into your decision? What did you ultimately decide on and why? 

molosmiles

I have an explorer and I love it, but it won't work well for 2 in carseats, as you have to fully lower the middle row of seats to get to the third row. We rarely use the third row as it's just not that easy to get to. So I'm definitely following along for suggestions. SO is not on board for a minivan, I wouldn't even bring it up, ha ha.

AliKay20

Guyssss, check out the Ascent from Subaru. It looked like the best option for us even tho it was considered for our fam who is going from 1 to 2 kids. If I could explain it, I’d say this is the car everyone settles for when they DO NOT want a minivan.

Touring model comes w captain seats for second row. Limited option comes w bench seating or captain seats. Ceiling vents. Each row has SEVERAL cup holders (total: 19) with their own USB ports and second row has a power outlet. Whoever designed it or the “team” had to have had at least one soccer mom bc it was just so practical for a growing family. Third row had good height space and leg space. Given the second row being captain seats, two or even three kids can fit in the back, one kid can even stretch his legs out in the middle of the second row. Honestly, go test drive one! It drives so easily compared to VW Atlas or other big SUVs. 

Now I sound like a car salesman. I promise I’m not sponsored by Subaru. We’re not even a Subaru fam. This would have been our first Subaru!! Working through some pros and cons and crunching numbers right now.

ETA: clarifying that this fam is going from 1 to 2 KIDS. Lol.

DLpanda08

We have a GMC Acadia and we love it! We like road trips and it has been excellent for hauling two adults, two kids, two 100lb+ dogs, and all our gear. It gets decent gas mileage for an suv as well. The seats don’t fold flat to the floor, but they do fold down easily to create more storage. I’m also a huge fan of the remote lift gate. 

That said, we flew to Disney World last year and rented a car. It was a Dodge Grand Caravan and I swore I was going to buy one as soon as DHs car is paid for. It was amazing! And I say that as someone who has always been 100% anti-mini van. The seats fold flat to the floor, it’s incredibly comfortable, and very small blind spots. As a short person, I loved that I could completely adjust the drivers seat and steering column so I was still at a safe distance from the wheel, yet also able to research comfortably. Despite it being a decent sized car it was not difficult to maneuver or park. I seriously loved that car! 

UnbreakableKimmySchmidt

@AliKay20 We have the Outback and love it! DH’s cousin works for Subaru and was telling us about the Ascent, sounds like a really great option!

kmvisioli

Following as we are in the same boat! We'll have four in car seats, and none old enough to buckle themselves unassisted, so I think it's going to come down to how easily an adult can access the third row. Also definitely need the cargo space for a full double stroller, which seems to have knocked most "full size SUVs" out of the running. I'm waiting to check out the GMC Acadia and the Chevy Traverse, then probably looking at minivans (boo) if neither of those work.

helleebellee

A Chevy suburban. I miss ours so much.  We got one with our 4th, but have since outgrown it.  

bradleysmommy28

We have a Nissan Pathfinder which I love.  We usually only have 1 car seat in 3rd row and 1 in middle row at a time but were just on vacation and very comfortably fit 4 adults and 2 kids in car seats.   Its tricky if you have 4 carseats because the middle row folds up to get to the 3rd but my brother just got the VW full sized SUV (can't remember what its called though!) specifically because you can get to the 3rd row without having to take a carseat out!

achays11

We have a Honda Pilot and I love it! I do wish the trunk space was bigger since I usually have to have the third row down to fit the stroller. The Pilot is the only SUV (I think) that has 4 latch systems; three in the middle row and one in the third row. The seat behind our passenger seat folds down to access the third row. 

Although I love my Pilot, I would have looked at the Ascent if it was available when we were purchasing. 

emmaaa

We have a Honda Odyssey and I swear by it. Love it sooo much.

linaboop

We are in the same boat! We currently have a Chevy Traverse. It’s been okay for three kids, but it does not have enough latches and anchors for four car seats. We will be getting a Honda Odyssey this fall. I am so looking forward to sliding doors and room to move around inside of the vehicle. If I had a chance to do it over, I would have swallowed my pride four years ago and gone with the Odyssey from the start.

missamiissssaa

I have a mini van and love it. The sliding doors are a godsend instead of worrying about being able to get the carseats out with out hitting someone else's car with my doorman auto sliding doors and tail gate. I sit up high like an suv.. I love love love my van. We got the dodge grand caravan for the stow and go seats. So much storage. Mini vans are making a come back and are so functional

LauraK33

We have a Chrysler Town and country and love it (this will be our fifth child). We travel a ton so the stow and go storage is a lifesaver and all of the kids have plenty of room. We use the Eco option to keep gas mileage super reasonable.