My problem with so many of the SUVs and minivans that have 3rd row is that the 3rd row is right up against the back of the vehicle, should you get in a rearend collision. Not sure why so many people find minivans to be safer, in that respect and in others, honestly.
Severe rear impacts are not very common, accounting for less than 10% of all crashes with fatalities. Side impacts are a much greater danger, especially to kids. Having side curtain airbags and good side impact crash test ratings is much more important for the overall safety of the occupants than the amount of cargo space behind the third row seat. Due to the low frequency of severe rear-enders and related fatalities, there is not even a crash test to evaluate how rear crush space correlates to occupant safety. Also, longer engine compartments on cars/trucks do not always correlate to better frontal crash results. It's the design of the crush space and occupant restraints that are more important than sheer length. Even so, most full size minivans do have 1.5 to 2 feet of cargo space behind the third row.
I drive a GMC Yukon XL, same as the Chevy Suburban and I sit up higher than minivans, and my vehicle feels so much more solid than the minivans I have ridden in, for my safety should I be hit, I am in a truck with lots of seats.
Riding high may be a benefit if you are struck from the side. Everything is a tradeoff, though. A high center of gravity means inferior crash avoidance in terms of handling and a greater rollover risk (rollovers are far more deadly than rear-enders in terms of fatalities). "Solid", in terms of a rigid body-on-frame chassis, trades off handling and crash energy absorption for off-road, towing and payload capability. Weight is no advantage in side impacts or single vehicle crashes with fixed objects. The rigid box frame can be a disadvantage in a crash with a fixed object like a wall, pole or another large truck with a rigid frame. Less crushing means more energy is transferred to the occupants.
To UlrikeDG, the comment about being cool driving a Suburban. I bet there are people in this world that have them for the cool factor. But in our household it is functional and safety first. First is safety, as I stated above, the space behind the 3rd row of seats (which is necessary for our family as we have 2 kids, hoping for a 3rd soon and DH has a son from his first marriage)is greater in the Suburban, and it is a truck, not a longer version of a car, as minivans are.
The main risk for passengers in the back row in a rear-impact is to heavy adults that might load the seat-back to failure. This risk is greater if the seating position lacks proper head restraint and/or a shoulder belt. Kids tend to be at even less risk because they are lighter and often have their own head restraint from a harnessed child restraint or high back booster. Being based on a car, as minivans are, also has advantages in terms of the energy-absorbing chassis and handling capabilities. These are main advantages for the unibody chassis that is optimized for hauling occupants vs. a truck frame that is optimized for payload capability.
Occupant safety has improved significantly for truck-based designs over the last 5-10 years, though. Most new models even come with key features like side curtain airbags for all rows of passengers, stability control, head restraints and shoulder belts in all seating positions. Even just a few years ago, I would never have even considered a truck-based SUV for my family. Now, there are a number of full size models that I would consider if fuel economy was not a factor.
Function for us, we live on a ranch in rural Idaho part of the year, use to live there full time, the road to the place is about 1/2 the time 4 wheel drive access only, and the other part of the time, it is dirt, with large rocks that are sometimes in the road and cannot be moved. No way a minivan could access our property. So, as I said, while I bet there are some people who have a Burb to be cool, there are still those that have it for needs.
Heavy duty off-road capability, towing and the ability to seat 9 passengers are indeed major benefits of full sized SUVs. Minivans simply don't do these things well, if at all. What is defnitely NOT cool is to have a full sized SUV with a primary daily use of transporting one occupant through urban traffic jams on a daily commute.
I'm not saying that full size SUVs are unsafe. On the contrary, most modern vehicles are quite safe and protect their occupants very well, especially when equipped with the latest proven safety features like side curtain airbags and stability control. Regardless of what vehicle you own, driving unimpaired, undistracted and properly restraining all your passengers are by far the most important things you can do to reduce the risk of serious injury or death from a motor vehicle crash.
If safety is the top priority and a buyer is looking for a little more in terms of occupant protection,
Informed For Life is a good composite for various factors that affect occupant safety. Many large trucks and SUVs do not have a full set of crash testing, especially for side impacts. That does affect their rankings. It's unfortunate that these popular vehicles being marketed to families are not completely crash tested. Some models may well deserve to be ranked among the safest vehicles on the road, but we will never know for sure. Similarly, others may be among the least safe of new models, we just don't know. Fortunately, even most models at the bottom of the rankings are still reasonably safe overall and still safer than models from previous generations.
). they also handle like barges. crossovers seem to be much better in this regard, but they still aren't as flexible and space-efficient as a rectangular box, which most minivans are.
