ford expedition.... too big???

pinkhappyheart

My DH and I are looking at buying a new vehicle to accomodate our growing family (we hope to have 4 children, currently have 2u2) and can't decide between the honda pilot and the ford expedition.  A concern is that the expedition is really big and may not be worth the hassle. Are there mamas out there that drive this big boy and find it convenient? Or is it just a pain to maneuver kids and strollers in and out.  Although the Pilot looks like a manageable size... i'm afraid we'll outgrow it quickly.  Any thoughts???

RA1109

We have a Toyota Sequoia and a Honda Pilot. The Pilot is good for younger children, it would be cramped for adults in the back or teens. The Sequoia is awesome, huge and comfy for everyone, but I don't drive it. Like the expedition, it's a truck chassis, and it drives like a big ole truck. The Pilot is a more enjoyable, zippy ride. My DH has always driven a truck so he loves the Sequoia, but I would never gave it as my sole car, I'd get a minivan, which has just as much room but is much more child friendly than a huge SUV. It's not easy for me to get the kids in the Sequoia since the seats are a lot higher. The Pilot is much better, though not as good as a van. I highly suggest test driving them. There's a huge difference in the space and the way they drive!

 

Im not a minivan person but that's what I'd get for 4 kids. The Sequoia is awesome but too big for me to drive comfortably. The Pilot would be too small for 4 kids.

morgs8384

We just upgraded to a bigger SUV. We were rocking an Accord and a CR-V which could have worked, but would have been pretty cramped I think. We traded in the Accord and purchased a Pilot. I LOVE it.  It is such a nice ride with plenty of room to grow into. We got our equipped with a back up cam which I think is so super helpful once the kids are outside playing and leaving toys in the drive way. I am a smaller person, and was scared of having something "too big" and didn't want the feeling of driving a boat, and this really doesn't give me that feeling at all. We will more than likely only have on more kid in a few years and I am pretty sure it should be roomy enough for us.  Good Luck!

NCMichelle

I have a 2011 Pilot with 2 kids.  We are planning on having another and we'll have to get a minivan.  You can't access the third row with two convertible carseats unless they are side by side.  I think if our kids were a little older they could climb back there.

 

MammaBear81

For 2 under 2 either car would be fine, but if you are investing for "the long haul" then I'd recommend purchasing a minivan.  2 kids are vine in an SUV, the trunk space is adequate when you travel, but when you add a third child you need more stuff, and you have less space in the car KWIM?  If you are leasing, or plan to trade it when you have a third, then go for it, but if you want a car for the next 5+ years, I'd suggest a Honda Odyssey or a Chrystler town and country.

lkm2006

We went ahead and bought the expedition when I got pregnag with A. We knew we wanted a larger family and I didn't want to have to get another car in a few years. Ours has the bucket seats so it will be much easier when our oldest is having to climb in the back. 

My sister has the pilot and just had her second, and has already said she will get a larger child for the third child because the third seat isn't practical.  

kagl08

I have an Acadia, not the cars in question but a large SUV nonetheless. I have fit 4 car seats in this car, 2 in the middle row (we have bucket seats) and 2 in the 3rd row. 3 were RFing car seats and 1 was FFing. I only have 2 kids and that's all we plan to have so this car works. If we had a 3rd we would absolutely be fine in this car. Even with the 3rd row up we can still fit our double stroller in the trunk as well a few bags and groceries. It's a larger SUV but I drive it everyday. We looked at the Pilot and didn't like it compared to the Acadia.

shortstuff15

RA1109:

We have a Toyota Sequoia and a Honda Pilot. The Pilot is good for younger children, it would be cramped for adults in the back or teens. The Sequoia is awesome, huge and comfy for everyone, but I don't drive it. Like the expedition, it's a truck chassis, and it drives like a big ole truck. The Pilot is a more enjoyable, zippy ride. My DH has always driven a truck so he loves the Sequoia, but I would never gave it as my sole car, I'd get a minivan, which has just as much room but is much more child friendly than a huge SUV. It's not easy for me to get the kids in the Sequoia since the seats are a lot higher. The Pilot is much better, though not as good as a van. I highly suggest test driving them. There's a huge difference in the space and the way they drive!

 

Im not a minivan person but that's what I'd get for 4 kids. The Sequoia is awesome but too big for me to drive comfortably. The Pilot would be too small for 4 kids.

We also drive a Sequoia but I don't think it drives like a truck.  I hate, with a passion, driving trucks but I love driving the Sequoia.  Yes it's a truck chassis, but it drives different for me.  I also don't find it a problem getting the kids in and out of the Sequoia and I'm short - like just over 5' short. 

I'm also a firm hater of minivans though, so that may be why I don't mind the hugeness of the Sequoia!  We also want 6 kids so a minivan was out for us anyway.

We did test-drive an expedition and I didn't like it very much, but I'm not a Ford girl anyway.  It drove rough and was much more truck-like to handle then anything else we drove.  My SIL & her husband have one and they like it, but they are both around 6 feet tall anyway, so they needed the bigger vehicle.  They also have 3 kids and are able to fit all 3 (4 year old in a booster, 2 year old in the middle with a carseat, and 2 month old in a bucket) across the middle so it definately holds kids!  Granted though, I haven't seen how that's working for them and I have no idea whether the seats are actually installed properly or not.

stdldb29

We like the Acadia and Exlporer with the captain seats on 2nd row, with a bench seat on the third. We have gone back and forth on getting a new car-we currently have a Camry and have a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old and it is perfect for us--we will probably keep it if we add a third for a while.

 Good luck! I will be watching this thread for information!