Babies: 3 - 6 Months

SUV advice needed- Parents please help

My husband and I are expecting our first baby in May and are planning to lease an SUV for 3 years. We are also planning to have a second baby within 2 years.We prefer a 5-seater for the fuel economy, but worry the cargo space of the Cadillac SRX or Ford Edge will not be enough to fit a stroller, and all the other stuff we imagine we will need to have with us. Especially when the second baby comes.Plus we have a black lab that needs a spot to sit. Parents who have SUVs please help! Do you have 5 or 7 seaters? Which is better?Thanks! Natalia 

Re: SUV advice needed- Parents please help

  • I have a Subaru Tribeca (7 seater) and love it. I always have the third row folded down, so I have enough cargo space.

    My friend is pg for her second and she just got the new Ford Explorer. I had a look at it the other day and was really really impressed at the cargo space. It is a 7 seater, and she had her third row folded down, but she has TONS of room.

    I was actually a little jealous of the cargo space she has.

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  • we have the jeep commander and love it! it's a 7 seater but i usually just leave the thrid row down. we only have one baby for now but there would be plenty of room for a second!

    we have a jogger stroller that fits nicely in the back, my mom and i just recently went to a Sam's club and we both got a ton of stuff, it fit with no problem. the only thing is that when my DH drives, he's 6'4" and has to put the seat all the way back. the seat will rub up against the handle on the carseat, but it's not like it impacts the carseat's safety or anything.

    the commander has the theater seating or whatever it's called, where the third row seating is higher than the middle row and that's higher than the front seats. my mom who gets car sick easily said that helps a lot.

    i could go on and on, i really like our jeep!

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  • I have a Honda Pilot (the the 3rd row that folds down) and love it. The cargo space is awesome with the 3rd row down, and workable if you are using the 3rd row. (You can still fit a stroller with the 3rd row up.)  My Pilot started out as a lease in '06 and I purchased it when the lease was up because I love it so much.  I am planning to purchase another, newer ('11-'12) Pilot in a year or so.
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  • Follow up question for you parents with 7-seaters. When you have two car seats in the second row--how will other passengers get to the third row to sit when you have them up?

    I know the Enclave has captain seats that have a little aisle in between so the passengers can walk back. But how about the Pilot etc??

    Thanks! 

  • We have a Mitsubishi Endeavor and it's great.  It's a five seater and fits 3 car seats along the back seat which is great.  There is a lot of cargo space and our little puppy has her own special spot on the floor complete with a floor cushion.  She used to have room on the seat between the two kids then a third child came along and she got demoted.
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  • I have a 2004 Acura MDX.  It was an affordable option for us because it had everything that we would find in a highlander but it was so much cheaper.  I'm sure the new ones are awesome, too.

     

    It has the third row but mostly is down for storage.  If we have extra passengers it can very quickly be put up and used.   I don't know what we'll do with 2 car seats and the third row...

    Honestly if I had it to do over again I would get a Honda van.  The doors that open automatically would be awesome and a DVD player comes standard in most.  I NEVER thought I would consider a van but a baby changes your outlook ; ) 

     

     

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  • I have a 2004 Tahoe and I love it- it has captain's chairs in the middle so its easy for people to get to the back row of seats- which is a full bench and I can easily seat 3 adults comfortably back there.  I have a lot less cargo room if I'm carrying that many people and the baby but I've done it before and still have her stroller and roomf or a few other items.  Usually I just keep the bench folded up and have tons of room.
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  • We have a 2008 Yukon Hybrid. I love it. We do not keep the 3rd row seats in though which gives us TONS of space in the back for our dogs, stroller, etc. I had an 2004 Tahoe with captains chairs in the second row and also loved it. The Yukon gets better gas mileage so we traded that up. We looked at the Ford Edge, and although we really liked it, felt it was too small for us. I wouldn't trade in the space of the bigger SUV's for anything. It just works best for us.

    As far as traveling with others, we usually meet our friends, or we will remove the car seats which is a PIA in any vehicle. haha.

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  • imagenatalia1946:

    Follow up question for you parents with 7-seaters. When you have two car seats in the second row--how will other passengers get to the third row to sit when you have them up?

    I know the Enclave has captain seats that have a little aisle in between so the passengers can walk back. But how about the Pilot etc??

    Thanks! 

    I don't plan on using that 3rd row for seating. If I do have to use it, part of the second row folds down and the passengers have to squeeze through.

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  • We have a '07 Toyota Sequoia and to say we LOVE it is an understatement. We purchased it 2 years before we even got pregnant knowing that it would be our family vehicle for years to come and would need to support multiple children. Boy were we glad we had it already when we found out we were having twins.

    First the vehicle: Both DH and I tall (6' and 5'9" respectively), when we bought it we were comparing it to a Chevy Tahoe. The Sequoia beat out the Tahoe in everyway. Sequoia?s 3rd row is actually usable. Sequoia has more cargo room with and without the 3rd row in. I can actually sit in the 3rd row if need be and not be super uncomfortable. The Sequoia gave us the cargo room of a Chevy Suburban in the size of a Tahoe.

    Both car seats fit great in the second row behind the driver seat and in the middle. in our model the access to the 3rd row is on the passenger side and is fully functional even with the car seat bases in. With the 3rd row in, we have no problem getting either of our double strollers in plus any other paraphernalia we might need. However, we've pulled the 3rd seats and have them stored for the time being because a lot to the time we take both our tandem and side/side strollers and we still have room for 2 PnP's, plus diaper bags, a toy bag etc.

    I would recommend for you to try and do a side-by-side comparison of whichever vehicles you are considering. Hopefully one of your dealer lots has the vehicles, maybe on the used lot and will let you pull them next to each to try everything out and crawl around in them. GL on whatever you choose!

     

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  • imagenatalia1946:

    Follow up question for you parents with 7-seaters. When you have two car seats in the second row--how will other passengers get to the third row to sit when you have them up?

    I know the Enclave has captain seats that have a little aisle in between so the passengers can walk back. But how about the Pilot etc??

    Thanks! 

    We have the GMC Acadia and it has the captains seats as well. I LOVE my Acadia! Everything about it is amazing! My mom often goes places with us and she has no problem getting to the 3rd row. When the 3rd row is up you can easily fit out double stroller (city mini) in the trunk and still have room for packages. I did a lot of research and this car has it all! The captains seats are the main reason we got this car. Also, the trunk opens and closes on its own and that is so helpful with 2 kids. I have absolutely no complaints or regrets about getting this car! We lease it for 3 years but plan on buying out the lease at the end of it.
  • I have a 4 Runner and love it. Only thing difficult is lifting the infant car seat up into it. It will be different once we give up the carrier and just have a regular carseat I'm sure. I've always been an SUV person, however a friend of mine really loves her Honda Odyssey so out of curiosity I might be checking out a van soon. Doubt I can do that I work in the mountains and need the high clearance.
  • We have 2004 Ford Expedition and we love it! It's a 7seater, but we usually keep the third row down. It's got a big V8 engine for towing(when necessary) and gets good mileage for the size IMO. We're averaging  16 in city and 20 on the highway in this 7300lb beastie.
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  • We have a 2006 and a 2011 Honda Pilot, and we love them.  They are technically 8 seaters, but we usually have the 3rd row down. There is a TON of room. The car seat is in the middle in the 2011,and behind the passenger seat in the 2006. We have traveled with the baby, 2 cats, stroller,baby bath tub and luggage for a long trip for  2 adults + LO.
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