Need advice for new car (spinoff of Chevy Blazer thread)

[Mama2J]

Could you all give me suggestions for something a bit safer than the Trailblazer I was considering?

- Price: mid-thirties or less
- Enough room for a Regent in the center
- Room in the back for stuff

Thanks for any help!

[papooses]

Do you need to fit other passengers in the backseat?

I loved my Escape -- 4WD, rear side curtain airbags, moon roof & Husky fit center (or outboard with room for 1 more, but I also fit 2 Britax converibles + Parkway) ... can't remember if the barrier was discontinued only for the hybrid version or all :confused:

I would have loved the Freestyle, though, too (probably lower roll over risk).

I'm sure you'll get more ideas ;)

[Melanie]

Just a thought...have you considered the Honda Ridgeline? My parents just bought one (they were looking at the Pilot but it has almost no cargo room). I am so impressed with it. It's a 5 seater truck with a real back seat. My 6'3" hubby fits in the back. Latch anchors are in all three back seats. A headrest pops up for the middle back passenger. Side airbags are standard. It's suposed to have great safety ratings (per Honda, I havn't actually checked) Even though it's a truck, it has a compartment that opens in the bed. It's kind of like a trunk and holds quite a bit of stuff. Oh, and the tail gate can swing to the side to get to the trunk thing. Even the basic model has all kinds of cool stuff. I'd definatly consider it for my next vehicle if I didn't need 7 passenger capability.

[Mama2J]

I don't normally need to have adult passengers in the back. I'm thinking I'd like to be able to fit another carseat or two in the back, just in case we have friends or family in the car.

What make is the Escape and Freestyle? Is it Ford? I had thought about the Pilot, but if it doesn't have much cargo room, then that will not work. I will look at the manufacturer's web sites for all suggestions, so hopefully I'll know what I'm doing when the time comes!

[Jeanum]

Both the Escape and Freestyle are Ford models. The Freestyle has been renamed the Taurus X for the 2008 model year. www.informedforlife.org and www.suvsafety.com are helpful references for vehicle/SUV shoppers to compare different models in terms of safety ratings and features. :)

[Melanie]

Just thought about something on the Pilot. If you are only using the middle seat (if you only have 5 passengers), you could put the 3rd row down and have cargo space. The third row folds flat into the floor.

I don't want you to overlook it just because I posted it has no cargo room. It has very very little cargo room with the 3rd seat up, but with it down there should be a decent amount of space.

And no, I don't work for Honda...I was just very impressed by these vehicles.

[Mama2J]

Just thought about something on the Pilot. If you are only using the middle seat (if you only have 5 passengers), you could put the 3rd row down and have cargo space. The third row folds flat into the floor.

I don't want you to overlook it just because I posted it has no cargo room. It has very very little cargo room with the 3rd seat up, but with it down there should be a decent amount of space.


Thank you! For some reason I didn't think the Pilot had a third row. I hadn't gotten to Honda's web site yet, but I did see on another site they had good safety ratings. That may be a good option then, so I could leave the seats folded for daily use, but still have extra seats if I should need them.