Rav4 vs CRV? VS Highlander vs Pilot?

ateach · September 2012

We are moving to Africa after baby and need a vehicle with a little higher clearance and 4x4. Hubby likes the Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV. (I think because they are less expensive). I really want a Toyota Highlander- or possibly Honda Pilot. The reason we are sticking to Toyota and Honda is because they are easiest to get fixed in the country we are moving to. We'll probably be getting a 2004-2006 model- no need for something new when it is going to probably get banged up!

I think we need a Highlander size because once you get the carseat in there and all your baby gear I think we will need the space for luggage and guests. Hubby thinks the small ones will be totally adequate. (The older Highlanders also have a 3rd row of seats that can fold up or down- which would be great for friends and/or when our family grows). We'll be living there for 4 years.

Any insights into any of these 4 models?

sschwege · September 2012

We have the Rav4 and like it a lot. We once drove with 6 adults and 1 child for about an hour each way and while it was cramped, it was totally doable. I like that the third row folds down, giving you extra cargo space.

yinyang124 · September 2012

I love the RAV4! I had a 2006, and it's incredibly spacious. I have nothing bad to say about it.

LyseeH · September 2012

I had an 06 crv and it didn't hold up as well as I would have liked, I don't mean to steer you away from anything Just our expierance. I love my truck now but I used to drive a Highlander, it was amazing!!!!!

Structenggal · September 2012

I have an 05 CRV and I love it. When we only had DS1 we were able to fit two people in the backseat with him (now with 2 kids back there and the carseats that we have no one else can fit). I find the trunk to be really spacious as well.

LittleFish1 · September 2012

Could definitly see how the 3rd row would be useful in the Highlander. If you are looking for off roading capabilites plus a ton onf space, did you look at Toyota's FJ Cruiser? My parents have one do the off roading, I think it will hold 6 plus it feels very wide spacious.

jquirke9881 · September 2012

I have a 2007 Rav4 and I really love it. It has been the perfect amount of space for the 3 of us plus our 90 pound dog and all of our stuff. It would have been the perfect car even for one more baby. Unfortunately it is not going to be the perfect car for 3 kiddos and since we are having twins we will need a bigger vehicle at some point... the Highlander and the Pilot are my top choices since they both have a 3rd row. Personally I love the older Highlanders more than the Pilots.

emd79 · September 2012

We had a Toyota Highlander and we absolutely loved it. Just be aware that the third row seating is very tight and would probably not be very comfortable for a long car ride. The Highlander was just enough space for our 2 boys but now that we have a third on the way we traded in for a Toyota Sienna (which we also absolutely love). You can't go wrong with a Toyota! :-)

KatieKim0815 · September 2012

If you plan to have two or more kids nd a dogi would go pilot.

JenniatONU · September 2012

My in-laws all drive pilots. Seriously, MIL, SIL and her husband.

When we bought our bigger vehicle, we looked into them, but we thought in the end the price wasn't worth it. We ended with the chevy equinox, and love it. It was more than 10k cheaper too, with almost all of the same features, including my beloved back-up camera.

The traverse is nice too, which is a bit bigger, but we didn't think we needed that much space. We have a large dog and a small dog, and we have no concerns for size.

robyn2201 · September 2012

Will you be having anymore children while there?

I think that definitely plays a roll. We would like to have 3 total so a Rav4 or CVS would be too small in the long run. We are thinking about buying a used Pilot. We have test driven it and we loved it! I like how you can put 3 car seats across the middle row..

Just curious where will you be headed to specifically?

pamiva1 · September 2012

I think part of it depends on how big of a family you are going to have. We had a smaller SUV with one child, but when we had our second we found we needed a bigger SUV, esp for travel. We looked at almost every one out there and ended up with a Pilot. It's big, but we really love the space and the car, plus I think Honda makes great cars that last forever. This is our 5th Honda!

WiscoMom67 · September 2012

We have a 2008 Highlander and I love it. The back seat is nice and spacious. We've only used the 3rd row seat once, but it was definitely nice to have when we needed it! I did test drive the Rav4 and liked it, but it felt too small for our growing family and dogs. While the seating room was adequate/comfortable, there really isn't much cargo space in the Rav4 (which also doubles as dog space in our household).

Good luck!

tinktink20 · September 2012

I really don't think you can go wrong with any decision you make between the 4 vehicles.

letsgox · September 2012

We have a 2008 Pilot and LOVE it. Previous to that we had a sedan and a Mini Cooper. We are going to sell the mini and buy another Pilot.

It is spacious and also has a 3rd row of seating. We went on a roadtrip the 2nd week we had it with 5 people and a ton of luggage/tailgating gear (we were going to a bowl game for college football) and everyone was comfortable.

We liked the Highlanders we drove but none had rear AC/heat controls or vents in the back so we thought the Pilot made it a bit more kid friendly. (not sure if other models/years of Highlanders have AC vents and controls in the back or just the ones we drove didnt.)

sweetsunnyc · September 2012

We have a 2006 Rav 4 and love it- My only complaint is that the back seats sit up really straight and there is no way to recline them. Other than this, it is spacious for kids, dogs and extra stuff. I also love how the back door swings open which makes groceries super easy to load.

If we had the finances right now to purchase a new car, the Pilot would be ideal, but our Rav 4 is awesome and has been a great car for years.

rockinmommy · September 2012

Personally, I would go for the Highlander or Pilot. Engines are stronger, and much roomier. I went from a Pathfinder to a Rogue (which is about the same as the Rav4 and CRV), and it's quite a bit of space difference.

laura1 · September 2012

We have a CRV and love it. When we just had one child it was fabulous. Now with 2, I have them in Radian carseats, so another adult can fit between their seats. Unfortunately I am not sure if we can fit 3 kids in there (not that we can't fit car seats - I think 3 radians would fit - but just all the stuff that 3 children accumulate probably wouldn't fit for vacations, etc.

If you are not planning on having 3 kids down there, I would say the CRV or Rav would be fine. My sister has a Pilot, which is obviously a little bigger, but I haven't felt like we have that much less room than they do. It does have the 3rd row, but that basically uses up all the trunk space when you have people sitting back there. And if those people are kids, it is really hard to get them in and out - I put my DD in her car seat back there and had to put her in through the trunk.

Good luck deciding!

Ab42187 · September 2012

I can only really help with the Rav-4. We have a 2007 and absolutely love it. The CRV was one of the other cars we test drove but every time we always came back to the Rav-4. I like how it drives and I loved the trunk over the other SUVs. I definitely think even with a car seat and baby gear you would be fine. We drive up to the Adirondacks every year for vacation and never have a problem with lack of space that is even with a pretty big dog carrier in it. I thought we might have trouble next year since we'll have a car seat but our friends let us borrow there's right before we left for vacation with everything packed and we still had plenty of room.

Ab42187 · September 2012

mrsdelcastillo:
We have a 2006 Rav 4 and love it- My only complaint is that the back seats sit up really straight and there is no way to recline them. Other than this, it is spacious for kids, dogs and extra stuff. I also love how the back door swings open which makes groceries super easy to load.

If we had the finances right now to purchase a new car, the Pilot would be ideal, but our Rav 4 is awesome and has been a great car for years.

Do you have the handles on the backseats to fold them down? If you do you should be able to recline your seat back some. This was one of the things we didn't like at first but the dealership showed us how to lean them back more. I know DH had trouble when he wasn't seating in the sit doing it at first but now we are fine. We have a 2007 and didn't look at any of the 2006 to know if it is any different.

ateach · September 2012

Thanks everyone! This has been very helpful. We are moving to Ghana for those who asked that. We live in Thailand right now, but haven't needed a car here with no kiddos. Taxis are great and cheap and there is a great skytrain and subway systerm. Unfortunately taxis in developing countries rarely have seatbelts which is already a worry for us as adults but definitely not cool for my babies! Ghana also doesn't have the public transport we have here... so a car it is!

We are planning to have more kids and I would wish for it to happen soon! However, it took a lot of work and time to get this one, so I would highly doubt that in the 4 years there we would have more than one more. If we did have a third, it would be near the end of our tour, I think, and hopefully we could all just jam in for the last few months.

I guess I'll try to test drive all 4 when I get back to the US and see what I think from there. It seems like Rav4 may meet our needs, though!

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