Question Need a new SUV/Mini Van for 3 car seats and 3 adults

MomX3 · Jan 7, 2012

Hi all, I'm expecting baby #3...I need to upgrade vehicles so I can fit 3 car seats and sometimes 3 adults. I was thinking of possibly the Honda Pilot, GMC Acadia or Toyota Sienna? I'd like it to be 2010 and newer and keep the price under 35K and will need AWD. Any other suggestions?

My mom comes to visit often for 3+ weeks at a time. So I need for her to be able to fit in the 2nd row while still being able to reach the 3rd row. I'll soon have a 4 yr old, 2 yr old and newborn. My 4 yr old still needs help sometimes buckling her frontier. I will also need to sometimes haul a 100lb dog, 3 car seats, luggage and 2 adults. I considered the giant Yukon xl but it has terrible gas mileage and the hybrid has bad maintenance reviews. Any advice is appreciated!

NVMBR02 · Jan 8, 2012

We are in a similar boat but our kids are older, 8, 6 and 2 1/2 and our dogs are smaller (1 62 pound lab, one puppy who will be 35-40 pounds full grown) We have decided to get a Pilot as soon as our other car is paid off (we should have it paid off by May). However, my older two are in boosters and able to get into the third row and buckle themselves without any assistance. With the ages of your kids and the size of you dog I think a mini van would be the best fit for your family.

I would look at 8 passenger vans (2010 Sienna or 2011 or newer Honda pilot specifically) so that you can put the three kids in the second row and fold down the third row when needed.

MomX3 · Jan 8, 2012

Mommyto2 said:
We are in a similar boat but our kids are older, 8, 6 and 2 1/2 and our dogs are smaller (1 62 pound lab, one puppy who will be 35-40 pounds full grown) We have decided to get a Pilot as soon as our other car is paid off (we should have it paid off by May). However, my older two are in boosters and able to get into the third row and buckle themselves without any assistance. With the ages of your kids and the size of you dog I think a mini van would be the best fit for your family.

I would look at 8 passenger vans (2010 Sienna or 2011 or newer Honda pilot specifically) so that you can put the three kids in the second row and fold down the third row when needed.

Thanks for your reply...I agree, a full 2nd row would work best. I'm going to head out tomorrow hopefully and take a look at the inside of both of those and how I might be able to configure everyone. Check out Tether strap anchor locations. I'm wondering if there is enough cargo room in either to fit the dog/stroller if I have all 3 rows up.

I like the idea I could fit all 3 car seats across the pilot 2nd row for day to day. I don't like though that the 2nd row seats don't seam to roll forward all the way if I have to put one car seat in the back. Do you know if the second row seat moves all the way flat against the front passenger seats so it is out of the way to get in the 3rd row? The picture on the website just shows it laying flat down.

jjordan · Jan 8, 2012

Just FYI, if you want the AWD Toyota Sienna, it is not available in an 8 passenger version.

NVMBR02 · Jan 8, 2012

I never tried but I do not think you would have easy access to the third row if you had three carseats installed in the second row. You could fold down the 40 side of the third row and enter through the hatch, but I think that would be about it. My 6 year old was able to get in and out the the third row with a backless booster in the 40 portion of the second row but even just a high backed booster would likely need to be removed.

Quite honestly, I think you will have a tough time with access to the third row with three seats installed in the second row of a minivan as well.

To me, it seems like the 2011-2012 Honda Odyssey had the most cargo room with all three rows up but even then I am not sure a kennel would fit with all three rows all the way up. You may be able to secure the kennel and have half the third row folded down.

NVMBR02 · Jan 8, 2012

jjordan said:
Just FYI, if you want the AWD Toyota Sienna, it is not available in an 8 passenger version.

Thanks, I missed she needed AWD. The Honda minivan doesn't have AWD either.

OP, if you need AWD/4WD with the cargo room you are looking for you will probably need bigger than a midsized SUV. I am don't think the Pilot will be big enough, especially with the third row up. :twocents:

MomX3 · Jan 8, 2012

jjordan said:
Just FYI, if you want the AWD Toyota Sienna, it is not available in an 8 passenger version.

There goes that plan! Thanks for the heads up!

MomX3 · Jan 8, 2012

Mommyto2 said:
I never tried but I do not think you would have easy access to the third row if you had three carseats installed in the second row. You could fold down the 40 side of the third row and enter through the hatch, but I think that would be about it. My 6 year old was able to get in and out the the third row with a backless booster in the 40 portion of the second row but even just a high backed booster would likely need to be removed.

Quite honestly, I think you will have a tough time with access to the third row with three seats installed in the second row of a minivan as well.

To me, it seems like the 2011-2012 Honda Odyssey had the most cargo room with all three rows up but even then I am not sure a kennel would fit with all three rows all the way up. You may be able to secure the kennel and have half the third row folded down.

Yeah I agree, this is definitely part of my problem ...how to get to the 3rd row with 3 car seats ...but what I was thinking was when my mom comes I would move one to the 3rd row and use the 40 split to get access to the back. Then for every day normal use I'd have them 3 across and fold down the 3rd row.

For the dog we have a special doggie gate that attaches across the back of the seats and goes up to the ceiling. So it makes a kind of cage out of the back. I have a 2007 ford freestyle now. When the 3rd row is down I can bungee a stroller to side cargo area or some small suit cases and then cover it with the doggie car cover thing. Then there is still lots of room for our pup who usually goes with us on trips to grandma's.

The other Problem is when my mom comes to visit or goes on vacation with us cuz the current car has 2nd row bucket seats, there is only one tether anchor in the 3rd row, and I don't think there would be enough room for a RF car seat back there too. Plus very little room for everyone's stuff.

MomX3 · Jan 8, 2012

Mommyto2 said:
OP, if you need AWD/4WD with the cargo room you are looking for you will probably need bigger than a midsized SUV. I am don't think the Pilot will be big enough, especially with the third row up. :twocents:

*Sigh*, I'm thinking U are right. DH wants one of the biggest SUV's they make...I'm still hoping there is something a bit smaller that might work. So I'm up for ideas! We travel quite a bit cuz all of our family lives out of town.

TXDani · Jan 8, 2012

I have a Yukon XL and having all that space is SO NICE. I don't have an adversion to a big car and I never wanted to get away with as small as I could. Just throwing this out there...if you haven't driven a big SUV you might as well give it a whirl before making your final decision. I don't find them any harder to drive/park than other cars I have had or driven.
We just did a 5000 miles roundtrip roadtrip with 4 kids with gear for two weeks...one of those kids is a baby so we also had a PnP and a full sized stroller.

MomX3 · Jan 9, 2012

DaniCPST said:
I have a Yukon XL and having all that space is SO NICE. I don't have an adversion to a big car and I never wanted to get away with as small as I could. Just throwing this out there...if you haven't driven a big SUV you might as well give it a whirl before making your final decision. I don't find them any harder to drive/park than other cars I have had or driven.
We just did a 5000 miles roundtrip roadtrip with 4 kids with gear for two weeks...one of those kids is a baby so we also had a PnP and a full sized stroller.

Well, I just got back from the GM dealer...Looked at the acadia...and it's definitely too small. Not much bigger than what I have now. I don't think I could get 3 car seats across the 2nd row bench seat. The second row 40 split does not roll forward so if you wanted to get in the back you would have to crawl over the top of the folded down seat.

Then I went and looked at the regular Yukon and Yukon XL. Now, I'm almost convinced. The Yukon XL has a huge back! Now I can see how you could fit 2 weeks worth of kid gear with no prob. I could fit the dog and suit cases back there without strategic packing. The seats are all huge and comfy even the 3rd row. The second row 40 split rolls forward out of the way so even adults can use the 3rd row.
The regular yukon...well, just not worth it after seeing the space in the back of the XL. The rear cargo area is almost non-existent with the 3rd row up. There is only 1 tether anchor in the 3rd row of both yukons though, which was a bummer, but I think it won't be a problem cuz the 2nd row is so wide.

Really my only concerns are, it's gas mileage for running around town, and it is higher off the ground so I'm not sure how easy it will be for my mom to get in. Also, right now my 4 yr old can open my car door and get in by herself and start buckling which is really useful. What do you think about the height of the yukon? Can your younger kids get in it ok?

TXDani · Jan 9, 2012

MomX3 said:
Well, I just got back from the GM dealer...Looked at the acadia...and it's definitely too small. Not much bigger than what I have now. I don't think I could get 3 car seats across the 2nd row bench seat. The second row 40 split does not roll forward so if you wanted to get in the back you would have to crawl over the top of the folded down seat.

Then I went and looked at the regular Yukon and Yukon XL. Now, I'm almost convinced. The Yukon XL has a huge back! Now I can see how you could fit 2 weeks worth of kid gear with no prob. I could fit the dog and suit cases back there without strategic packing. The seats are all huge and comfy even the 3rd row. The second row 40 split rolls forward out of the way so even adults can use the 3rd row.
The regular yukon...well, just not worth it after seeing the space in the back of the XL. The rear cargo area is almost non-existent with the 3rd row up. There is only 1 tether anchor in the 3rd row of both yukons though, which was a bummer, but I think it won't be a problem cuz the 2nd row is so wide.

Really my only concerns are, it's gas mileage for running around town, and it is higher off the ground so I'm not sure how easy it will be for my mom to get in. Also, right now my 4 yr old can open my car door and get in by herself and start buckling which is really useful. What do you think about the height of the yukon? Can your younger kids get in it ok?

Yes, the cargo room is great in the Yukon XL! I do not get good gas mileage but it is partly due to the fact that I have the Denali with the biggest engine offered...she's a thirsty beast...I also do almost all stop and go driving which brings my average to around 15 (I think...I would double check tonight). On our road trip which was all highway we were averaging 16.5mpg which is the first we have ever seen it that high. The height is fine for us but I am tall so I dunno...I only use the running board when I am installing seats or buckling a kid into the third row over the second row seats. My 5 year old can climb in and out just fine just he cant open the doors on his own. We have middle row captains chairs and he can get himself into a booster or his ProSport just fine...same with getting out. Let me know if you have any other questions or if I missed something.

Question Need a new SUV/Mini Van for 3 car seats and 3 adults

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