SUVs

TempNewSN

My DH and I are looking into buying an used SUV.  We don't want something huge (i.e. Suburban, Armada, etc.).

Both carseats will need to be RFing.  Right now, the person in front of LO1 is eating his knees.  Neither of us are taller than 5' 7". 

Basically, "sell" me your mid-sized SUV or tell me what you don't like. 

Jessica011010

I've only had it for a week, but I love my new Chevy Traverse!

mrsseguin

We have a Pontiac Torrent and my MIL has a Ford Escape.  Both are great SUV's and we do fit comfortably in both, as do both car seats for the kids...but a little more room would be nice!  My MIL does take our kids out a lot in her vehicle and we have borrowed it on occasion as well.  Our next vehicle we get would probably be an Acadia, Traverse and we are even considering a Ford Flex or Explorer. 

I like the fact that there would be extra seats.  Right now we can only fit our family of 4 in our vehicle and MIL's vehicle.  There's NO room in the back for anyone, not even a small child.  We have the car seats on the sides.  That's why we were looking into SUV's that fit more people.  I'd prefer to avoid a minivan, but we've also considered it just for convenience.   

maramarrie

I've had a Honda Pilot for 2.5 years and LOVE it. I bought new and haven't had a single complaint about it...ever. We have 2 RF carseats next to each other on the 60-part of the 60/40 split so that we can still access seating on the 3rd row if necessary. Cargo space is excellent and with the 3rd row in use I can still store our single stroller, reusable shopping bags, and our portable potty chair (toddler, of course).

ETA: DH is 6'3" and drives often with the car seat RF behind the driver (the other car seat is RF in the center). There is a lot of room in this vehicle and lots of space for people and "stuff" of all sizes.

kagl04

I have a Hyundai Santa Fe. While it's a great car for my DD, I want something bigger for when DS gets here... It's just not in our budget right now. I know that 2 car seats (both will be RF as well) will fit perfectly in this car. The trunk space is awesome and DH says he's always comfy in the passenger seat. DH is 5ft9in and I'm 5ft 3.

With that being said, with 2 RF seats in the back (on the outer seats, no on in the middle) there is no way to fit a 5th person in this car. We would be tied down to just 4 seats and I'm very close with my family and we go lots of places together. My next car will be the GMC Acadia or the Buick Enclave. I love that there are 2 captains chairs (since our convertible seat is so large you can use the middle seat anyway) and there is easy access to the 3rd row. My Santa Fe definitely doesn't work for me and I'm counting down the days until I can get something bigger but it is an excellent car and could work really well for you...

Kdonn15

We really wanted a GMC Acadia with 8 passenger seating but a 40k vehicle just wasn't in our budget haha!

We got a Mitsubishi Outlander and love it for our family right now (when we decide to have a third baby we'll need to look into a larger SUV or minivan).  We were looking at the Escape as well but the trunk space in the Outlander is HUGE and it does have third row seating (although does not leave much room afterwards for storage in the trunk.

twirler324

We have had 2 Toyota RAV4s and LOVE them!  That being said we ended up trading DHs car for a Toyota Highlander (keeping the RAV 4 as well).  The RAV was nice for the three of us, but when DD2 came along, and was really fussy in the car, neither DH nor I could get back there to be with her and fit in the middle.  With the Highlander, not only can one of us sit between the girls, but we also have the third row in case we go somewhere with MIL (she doesn't drive).  This is definitely best ofr us right now, and I know we will grow into it even more when the girls are a bit older.  Not sure we will still have it when they are out of carseats for playdates, but great for right now.  Also excited about the cargo space when the third row is folded down because we can fit everything for a weekend at the shore- 2 pack and plays, double stroller, several duffel bags, suitcase, and groceries!

Good luck in your search, we are definitely a Toyota family!

d&a914

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/58011205.aspx

I can't link on my mac, but this post is also about SUVs and such. My post really tries to sell my Chevy Traverse. I love it! 

ETA to link! 

Bran_ham

My SIL just got a Traverse and it's so much more spacious than it looks from the outside. SIL's kids aren't RF'ing anymore but I think it could accommodate that. We have an 06 Pilot and one infant seat. When DS was RF'ing we had to put him behind the passenger front seat b/c the driver seat needs to be way back since we're both tall, 5'10 and 6'5. Now we are using the infant seat again that is behind the passenger seat and DS's FF seat is behind the drivers seat. I'm in love with my Pilot and would get another one in a heartbeat but would seriously consider a Traverse too.

TempNewSN

Thanks for all the input and the link above.  We'll take these into consideration during our search.

lkf041

We went the mini van route and I have to say I LOVE it!  The power sliding doors have made my life so much easier and with 3 in carseats this really is the only way to go IMO:)