SUV, no 3rd row, but seats 5 adults?

thomas&lynn

I had the chance to peek inside a 4Runner yesterday and while a carseat might not fit in that middle-back seat, an avg sized adult could. Was wondering what else is out there that seats 5 adults and has a cavernous cargo area but is not a minivan. I want to start a list

I love the Sienna and Odyssey and all but we just really would never ever use all the extra seating and since I make due with a Saturn Ion now, I'd feel glorious in just an SUV at this point. I need room for 5 and a roomy place to put our double stroller (Baby Jogger Elite...it folds flat but dang is it heavy to have to wrestle it in and out of a trunk).

aldyn

Well with baby #2 on the way, we actually upgraded in size to something with a third row  With me, DH, two kids in carseats, I couldn't imagine anyone else sitting in the backseat comfortably with the carseats.  What would we do when people visit?  My MIL lives out of the country, when she visits, she doesn't have a car.  Plus, I don't always want to have to take separate cars when we do have visitors.  My sister is coming to stay for a week with one of her daughters, we literally wouldn't all fit if not for a third row.

So, we ended up getting a GMC Acadia.  The second row is captain chairs, which I love because that means no carseats need to be uninstalled in order to reach the third row.  Most of the time we keep the third row folded down (it folds flat) and we have a cargo mat there in the back.  It's fantastic for storage, and we when go on outings with our dog, he's got a spacious spot to recline.

When I was weighing my options, I called my friend who has a minivan and two girls that are a little bit older.  I was between the Acadia and the newly redesigned subaru outback.  I asked her how much she really used that third row and she said that she uses that extra space all the time.  When it's just the family, she says the back of the van morphs into a changing room between activities, a picnic spot when out on the go... all sorts of uses.  So, that helped push us over the edge to getting something with more space. 

Telyco

We have a Mazda Tribute - and it works great for us right now. There is a carseat behind the driver and in the middle and I sit behind the passenger. Our next car will definitely have two rows...this way we can haul both kids and their friends if needed and we can fold the back seats down for trips (all of our family is OOT)...I'm leaning towards a crossover but a minivan isn't out of the running by any means.

thomas&lynn

We also saw the Highlander, which was quite lovely with its 3rd row. However, when the 3rd row was erected, the cargo space was almost zilch. We wouldn't be able to carry a 5th+ psgr and still have our stroller for our kids

lwrigley2000

Subaru Forrester or Outback?

Temp984666312503071

I have a Honda Pilot and I LOVE it.

It does have a third row, but it folds down completely so that when you aren't using it you have a huge cargo area for baby gear, dogs, etc.  It seats 5 adults comfortably and 8 with the third row. 

We have had ours since 2006 (we bought it new) and I can't say enough fabulous things about the car.  If you like the Odyssey but don't want an minivan then I highly recommend the Pilot.  They are built on the same frame so they are very similar.

ashley0616

Our GMC Envoy has been wonderful to us. It has a large cargo area that fits my double stroller, groceries, and serves as a changing area for the girls. Fitting another person inbetween the carseats is doable if we take the infant carseat base out and just have the seat buckled in. We don't have to do this often but when we do it works out well. I LOVE my car, we bought it just before Ellie was born and I am so incredibly happy with the purchase. It's incredibly safe, it gets good gas mileage for an SUV, I can still park it in relatively tight spaces, and it is very comfortable.

When we have a third, the Envoy will become DH's car, we will sell his truck and get a van. I really like the Odyssey, but it'll be a few years before we look so I'm sure something cooler will be on the market by then.

thomas&lynn

sweetheart18:

I have a Honda Pilot and I LOVE it.

It does have a third row, but it folds down completely so that when you aren't using it you have a huge cargo area for baby gear, dogs, etc.  It seats 5 adults comfortably and 8 with the third row. 

We have had ours since 2006 (we bought it new) and I can't say enough fabulous things about the car.  If you like the Odyssey but don't want an minivan then I highly recommend the Pilot.  They are built on the same frame so they are very similar.

See that's my thing. I'd love all that room that a folded down 3rd row offers! However, if when it's in use I can't bring our stroller, I can see us still using 2 cars to get everyone everywhere so that we *can* have our stroller. Thus, we'd be better off looking for a nicely sized cargo area and only 2 rows instead of paying for the benefit of being able to haul 3 extra people. Kwim? 

monkeyqueen

thomas&lynn:

sweetheart18:

I have a Honda Pilot and I LOVE it.

It does have a third row, but it folds down completely so that when you aren't using it you have a huge cargo area for baby gear, dogs, etc.  It seats 5 adults comfortably and 8 with the third row. 

We have had ours since 2006 (we bought it new) and I can't say enough fabulous things about the car.  If you like the Odyssey but don't want an minivan then I highly recommend the Pilot.  They are built on the same frame so they are very similar.

See that's my thing. I'd love all that room that a folded down 3rd row offers! However, if when it's in use I can't bring our stroller, I can see us still using 2 cars to get everyone everywhere so that we *can* have our stroller. Thus, we'd be better off looking for a nicely sized cargo area and only 2 rows instead of paying for the benefit of being able to haul 3 extra people. Kwim? 

We have a Dodge Grand Caravan and store our double stroller in it all the time with the third row up and we still have plenty of trunk/cargo space for other stuff.     We also have three carseats in there 24/7.    Ours is designed so that 1/3 of the third row can be down - the stroller fits where that seat is when it's folded down -  the rest of the trunk is free and clear.  Plus we still have all the other stow and go space for when we need it and are travelling for weekends.