Hi guys, my wife and I are looking to get a 3rd-row vehicle. Anything from a minivan to an SUV, and any crossover in between is on the table. We're looking for something 2010ish or newer. Suggestions?
Hi guys, my wife and I are looking to get a 3rd-row vehicle. Anything from a minivan to an SUV, and any crossover in between is on the table. We're looking for something 2010ish or newer. Suggestions?
Caravan rt.
Add supercharger.
Do you need 4WD/AWD? How many children/what ages?
My initial reaction would be a minivan, we bought one when our second was born and haven't regretted it since. Sliding doors are a godsend with children in tight parking lots, and the third row is easily accessible and useable.
I've driven a newer Caravan and was impressed, and I'd also give the Honda Odyssey a look.
The current gen Caravans are pretty awesome, and early ones can be had for ~$10k.
Minivan. Pick whichever works best for you.
I've never been a Toyota fan, but the Sienna compares quite favorably with the current minivan offerings. And a minivan is where you want to be!
I absolutely despise the hearse-like styling of the current Odyssey, or that would be my top pick. The Chrysler product looks okay, but I'd be afraid of their third-world build quality. Kind of pushes the Sienna to the front of the line, IMO.
Step 1:
Ask an owner or salesperson to show you how stow n' go works
Step 2:
Enjoy your new Caravan
2012+ Grand Caravan or T&C in the trim and condition that best matches your price level. The main reason I say 2012+ is that it's the easiest way to make sure you get the HD brake package. Look for 2-pot calipers on the front. I would avoid the 2008-2010 generation, because those have the previous generations' drivetrain options, and typically have undersized front brakes.
I like the extra hauling/towing capacity of a Suburban or Sequoia. When you seat 7 in a minivan you're left with about a foot of cargo space. In the burban you have more like 4 feet and the heavier duty chassis deals with a load of human cargo better than the lighter minivan chassis.
Since more detail was asked for. Lots of pluses/nice-to-haves, but not lots of rigid requirements.
KyAllroad wrote: I like the extra hauling/towing capacity of a Suburban or Sequoia. When you seat 7 in a minivan you're left with about a foot of cargo space. In the burban you have more like 4 feet.
This is absolutely NOT true in my experience. With the Battle Bus (2000 Grand Caravan) I had easily twice as much usable room behind the third row than my sister did in her similar vintage Suburban. Same goes for the Concert Coach (2012 T&C) - behind the 3rd row I have probably 24-28", in a nice well that will easily hold a week's groceries for a family of 4, or probably 4 good size suitcases.
Also, the 3rd rows in my minivans have been comfortable and accessible for adults (at least for 2 adults). The rearmost seat in my sister's Suburban is really hard to get in and out of for anyone other than kids, and not exactly suited for anyone larger than that, either.
I don't think you can get a sheet of plywood in a Suburban, either. I can shut the hatch on a foot-high stack of full sheets.
The Concert Coach has not 1 but 2 DVD players, with headphones for each. You can have both the DVDs running, kids with headphones, and parents still listening to radio/iPod, etc. Or each kid can listen to their own radio station via 'phones, while parents can use the audio themselves. We didn't necessarily need that setup, but it came with the trim package we bought.
I won't argue that minivans drive like they're full when they have 6 or 7 people in them, though. That much is true. Minivan towing capacity is limited but it will haul a small utility trailer, no problem. For a lot of rough duty driving, the SUV would definitely make more sense, too - but I would base my purchase decision on the 85% of normal driving you're going to do every day.
Sounds like you just described a Z71 Suburban.
Ford Flex?
Kia Sedona
Very nice driving for a minivan. I was surprised to enjoy it. Business model is a bit different. The cars seem to come without much stuff but they sell a lot of accessories rather cheap so you can customize any trim level.
Dodge/Chrysler 2011 and newer minivan.
Best in the world go get one. My family got a Kia Sedona due to a special deal as we owned a kia Optima already.
Test drove a Flex. It drove very nicely (was an AWD Limited model. No Ecoboost). I didn't have time to check out the particulars about utility.
I loved the flex. If it was a bit less expensive it would be my next car.
You can (and I have) get plywood, and lots of it in a Suburban. I used to mow lawns, with a tractor, and ferried that lawn tractor (a Cub Cadet from the 1960's) around in said Suburban. Don't try that with a minivan.
That said, my basic flow chart would be thus:
Do you live in a remote area, requiring 6" of ground clearance? Do you tow anything with regularity? Do you enjoy the grumble of a real V8, and don't mind the requisite fuel economy?
If the answer to at least one of the above is 'yes', GOTO Suburban. If 'no' to all, GOTO minivan.
In reply to Duke: I owned a 2000 Grand Caravan. I currently own a 1999 Suburban. The minivan was more comfortable and handled better. The Chevy hauls more and is more capable/durable.
Expedition (Excursion
) or Suburban
Ours is a base-trim (SE) model from 2011, and we like it. It's only FWD, but with a set of Hakkapelliittas, it's better than AWD.
Ours has cloth seats, but I figure a little hydrogen peroxide cleaning once in a while will keep it looking new.
A big plus is 3rd-row safety. There's a couple feet between the third seats and the back of the vehicle, so it doesn't make your kids the rear crumple zone.
The only thing I dislike about it (aside from not being RWD and manual) is seat comfort. I find the driver's seat uncomfy, but our old car was a Volvo V70XC and I DD a Mercedes-Benz W126, so it's probably not a fair comparison.
I love how cool the Flex is, and I applaud FoMoCo for having the guts to produce something cool for families. It's like the modern-day 1967 Country Squire!
Not what you asked for, but I would hold off on purchasing something with three rows at least until child 2 is born. Why buy something now and start the wear and tear process for hauling around one kid, and sometimes one dog?
If you need something now, get something smaller and more efficient that holds resale well so you can upgrade easily when the time comes. A used Prius V fits my brothers situation well, which includes one kid and two large dogs.
Flex owners: Can it fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood inside?
Bastomatic: We're already finding that a Forester is a tight fit whenever we do a weekend trip, and it's claustrophobic for longer trips. Plus, I can already use some of the extra utility for woodworking and home improvement projects. I have a personal aversion to rooftop carriers as well.
I think that a litmus test might be that it EITHER has to be able to tow 5000+ OR fit 4x8 sheets of plywood inside.
So far, I've test driven the following:
Ford Flex (Limited AWD - nice to drive, adequate people space, nice interior, if it can't fit plywood, it might not be utilitarian enough.)
Chevy Traverse (odd seat bottom shape, didn't like throttle/trans tuning)
Dodge Durango (trucky ride, tows, feels solid, would have to try higher trim levels - V8/Leather)
Chrysler T&C (lots of space, nice interior, fits plywood, too floaty)
Dodge Caravan (like suspension tuning, but didn't like seats, fits plywood)
Dodge Journey (too small, didn't even drive it)
I still plan on trying out:
Buick Enclave
Chevy Tahoe
Chevy Suburban
Toyota Sienna
Honda Odyssey
Maybe a Nissan Quest
Maybe a Nissan Armada
2011-up Ford Explorer.
Same chassis family as Flex.
Will tow 5K lbs with Factory towing package. Will NOT fit a 4X8 sheet of plywood or drywall.
Ours - wife is primary driver.
We're going through this exact situation right now, except we already have 3 kids and a dog (though he rarely goes in the car). We currently have a Kia Sedona and have had it since new...early 2007. We've beat the monkey piss out of it for the past 112k miles. Towed, hauled, kids throw crap in it, through the snow, etc... It's never left us wanting more, except for towing. It's now at the point where it needs upkeep, currently it needs tires, brakes, alternator is whining, shocks are original, as are plugs. They're all normal things, so it doesn't concern me in the least. But while I can do the plugs and brakes myself, I don't have time/skills to do the alternator or shocks. So adding it all up, it'd be a nice chunk of change. The body has seen better days, and we've had it 8 years, so the wife is ready to let it go. For weeks...months...we've gone back and forth with the same debate.
First, it comes down to money. You can get a 2012 Sedona EX with low mileage for $16-18K. It'll be loaded, heated leather, sunroof, DVD, power sliding doors/hatch, etc... From a family practicality standpoint, they're unbeatable. Much better than the SUV. Easy to get in/out with the kids, can carry plenty of luggage, better fuel mileage, easier to drive. But they can't tow much. A comparable age and mileage Suburban/Expedition/Armada is twice that price.
But the Suburban class is a different animal than the minivan. Bigger, tougher, can tow. Plus for us, it's the style my wife really wants. And who would I be to argue about added towing capacity? It's just a matter of if it's worth double the cost of the minivan, which is more day to day practical.
The Flex is just too small for our needs, we looked at it. As is the Traverse. So we're down to the Sedona or a Suburban/Armada. Leaning minivan, because it's hard to justify the extra $8-10k+ we'd spend on a higher mileage SUV, but then again what the wife wants...
When we were cross-shopping the various minivan offerings earlier this year, I didn't have a problem with the Sedona, but it seemed to be notably smaller inside than the GC/T&C twins.
We kind of wanted AWD, so we also looked at the Flex but they were a LOT of money, especially used, even for the FWD version. They also seemed smaller inside than the Mopar twins, and I prefer sliding doors at the rear. I liked the Flex (a lot, actually) but they just weren't worth the premium to us.
Liked the Odyssey pretty well, but Honda tax and transmission worries (even on newer ones) kept us from really pursuing it.
Looked at a couple Siennas, too, but they were asking insane money for those on the used market, even for FWD cars - and AWD models are extremely rare.
I love the stow-n-go seats in the Concert Coach - the third row is even power-fold - for convenience. My only second thoughts about them are A) they take up under-floor space that prevents an AWD option, and B) since they don't come out of the car, you're carrying that couple hundred pounds around even when you're in cargo mode. There's no denying that all the power stuff and options make this a heavy vehicle. It does have load-leveling rear shocks, though.
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