Family Vehicle Recos Needed

MrsMoher · March 2011

We really need a new one. Just having the extra car seat in our jetta is insane, let alone when we have all the baby stuff (and baby) with it. H is anti mini-van, but I might consider one. I really want some leg room in the front seat when we have Addy in the car rear facing and need some trunk space to fit in the stroller plus groceries. We are just starting the process, so I don't know that I have a budget in mind yet. I more or less want to see what is out there first and then decide what we can want to spend from there.

I think my big thing is gas mileage and H just wants a manly vehickle (like he would buy a huge truck with a back seat if I would let him). We have discussed something like a Sante Fe or similar type. The only thing that is completely out is any VWs! Any suggestions on what vehicles to check out that might be a middle ground?

Jessica&Brett · March 2011

The new Outback looks like it has LOTS of room, and might be more on the manly side. We are opting for the smaller Outback Sport since we already have a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but the Outback is something we may consider when it comes time to replace the Jeep.

Our friends have a Mazda 5 (which has the mini van doors) and love it with two kids in car seats!

sprads · March 2011

I liked my Sequoia but love my Sienna. Check out the features in the newest model and see if you can entice him - middle row turns into recliners. That might be handy for road trips once the kids are older. The DVD system is also capable of having a video game system hooked up to it.

Brougham7-15-06 · March 2011

We have a honda pilot, and I really like it. It can be a challenge to get into the 3rd row with 2 car seats in the second row, but aside from that it is great. We also have a honda odyssey, and me and DH were totally anti mini van, but it did make the most sense since we wanted to have more children in the future, and it is great now.

stillwaiting12 · March 2011

I really like the Highlander. Actually, I am on my 3rd one (as soon as it actually shows up, the order has been delayed). I don't even have kids yet or all the 'stuff' that goes along with them and I miss having the 3rd row!

I also like all of the features in the Highlander and it's very comfortable to drive. I did not get 4x4 on any of mine because they are front wheel drive. I just saved the money and I haven't regreted it a bit. I got about 21mpg and that's mostly city driving, so thats not too bad considering the size of the vehicle.

I really like the GMC Acadia's too, but I don't have one to give any kind of review on.

jules_9 · March 2011

We have a Jetta as well so we had to upgrade the Jeep Wrangler to something bigger. WE went to a GMC Acadia and loved it... but didn't love the payments.

Thankfully we got a great deal and we were able sell with a profit and we bought a used mini van. I hate minivans. Really hate them, BUT it is hands down the most convenient car with all of the kids. We don't even have the auto-open doors or anything fancy. The room is incredible and I can move from front to back if needed. (we have one with a 2 person bench seat in second row and fold down 3rd row). And it hauls more than our Acadia did with all of the seats out.

So with all of that said while we have really little ones, and until we save to buy a Jeep again, I'll be driving my "swagger wagon" for a few more years.

I literally cried (not happy) when we traded in the Acadia for the minivan but in the end it was worth it.

Miller238 · March 2011

We have a Chevy Equinox and I love it! We just got it in December. The gas mileage is great and the rear seat slides back for more leg room. The trunk space is pretty nice too!

jaxrp2003 · March 2011

I will 2nd the Mazda 5 we love it. It has sliding doors and captains chairs in the middle row so it makes it easy with 2 car seats. It also has an optional 3 row of seating but we never really use it .We keep the 3 row down and there is tons of room for strollers and groceries together.

HrH33RN · March 2011

I love, love, love my highlander! The gas isn't bad on it at all, even though its a smaller SUV. The highlander is built on the same frame as the camry, so it does really great on gas. I also stuck with just the AWD and I do just fine in the nasty weather.

teacherjess · March 2011

jaxrp2003:
I will 2nd the Mazda 5 we love it. It has sliding doors and captains chairs in the middle row so it makes it easy with 2 car seats. It also has an optional 3 row of seating but we never really use it .We keep the 3 row down and there is tons of room for strollers and groceries together.

We love our Mazda 5. It is wonderful and gets great gas mileage. It's kind of a crossover-minivan hybrid. It is very affordable-- we paid less than 18k for ours brand new. We always say that if we won the lottery, we'd trade our second car for another Mazda 5.

Ttimes3 · March 2011

We like our Mazda CX-9.

CincyBride08 · March 2011

We have the Chevy Traverse and I LOVE it! The 3rd row is large enough that you can actually put an adult back there. Even with the 3rd row up there is plenty of room for groceries. I won't be able to fit the stroller and groceries in the back without lowering the 3rd row, but right now that's not a problem. We looked at a few other larger SUV's (we too are anti-mini van) and for all the features you get with the Traverse we just couldn't pass it up. THe only down fall is that the rear window is crap. Thank goodness for the back up camera, that's the only way I can back up.

KristenBtobe · March 2011

Mazda 5.

schwenjl · March 2011

We are really happy with our Honda pilot also!

MrsMandaK · March 2011

We absolutely love our Honda Odyssey. I was anti minivan too until we added Charlotte to the mix and quickly realized we were just too cramped in our Outlander. I like being able to easily get a few more passengers in with us without much difficulty and the amount of space and storage in it is insane. I also love having a button for every door...makes me feel a little magical. Lol!
If a van is completely out of the question, I'd go with something like a GMC Acadia or Chevy Traverse. I have friends who own those vehicles and they are very nice.

sistrkate · March 2011

We were just the opposite of you. I was so anti-minivan while DH thought we needed one. He had a Pathfinder that needed replacing so we looked at quite a few different vehicles. We narrowed it down to the Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Highlander, and Toyota Sienna. For the money, you cannot beat the extra space in a minivan vs. the SUVs. Seriously, a Highlander was almost exactly the same price as the Sienna, and the perks of the Sienna with kids were just too big to ignore.

There are LOTS of nice looking minivans out there and they get pretty decent gas mileage. If we were doing it again, I'd look at the Odyssey, the Sienna, Kia, Nissan and Mazda. I don't like the look of the new Dodge/Chrysler minivans, but they do have some really cool features.

I would totally buy another minivan over an SUV while our kids are young like this. We actually have room to put extra people in the vehicle with us, which we couldn't do in another car. It's great for traveling, much more comfortable in my opinion.

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