Buying a new (to me) 8 passenger Traverse/Acadia/Enclave for 3 across--good idea?

Rosamond

New member
We have 3 kids (age 6, almost 4, and 6 months--all very tall for their ages) and are planning to buy a 2013 or 2014 8 passenger Enclave, Acadia, or Traverse to replace our 2008 Outback that can't fit all three kids. Our other car is a 2009 Acadia which we really like, but it is 7 passengers (has middle row captains chairs instead of a bench). That is fine most of the time, but it doesn't have enough cargo room for big trips, or allow us to bring our two lab-sized dogs with us anywhere.

Right now in the 7 passenger Enclave, our 6 year old sits in the center of the third row (Frontier 85), our 4 year old is FF in a captain's chair (Boulevard), and the baby is RF in the other captain's chair (SnugRide 35). Our 6 year old could move to a booster if needed, but I prefer a 5 point harness as long as possible.

The plan for the new car would be to have all three in the middle row, probably with the 6 year old in the middle since she can buckle herself, and the other two outboard where they are easier to access. Am I missing anything? Is this a good idea/bad idea? Our main goals are 1) a car that fits 2 tall adults, 3 kids, 2 dogs; 2) is super safe; 3) has awd; 4) has reasonably good gas mileage considering requirements 1-3.
 
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KatieMB

New member
I'm not too familiar with the vehicles, but how will anyone access the third row with all the car seats in the second row?
 

Rosamond

New member
Well, the plan would be to generally keep the third row folded and use that space mainly as a cargo area for the dogs/shopping/travel/etc., and use the rear hatch for third row entry if needed rarely.

If things changed in the future and we wanted to use the third row more regularly (like for playdates, visiting family, etc.), I was thinking we could put our oldest outboard in a booster on the 40 side of the middle row, so that it could be easily removable for access to the back.
 

DawgDad

New member
It's going to be cramped if your driving needs daily require your children to be in the second row all the time. If it's just on some occasional weekends, and you can afford to keep the 3rd row up (or some of it), then your oldest can be in the back and the other two in the middle seat have breathing room.

I personally think you would have a better life in a minivan with your needs as there is more room in the second row for all of your kids to sit safely and WAY more room in the back with the 3rd down (not to mention a lower bumper for your dogs to safely get in and out as they age). Would you consider looking at one? They are surprisingly the same price as what you are looking at right now, more room, more convenience, better safety, and are big enough for tall people (especially if they are used to being in an Outback). If you have to have AWD, Toyota makes one in the Sienna. Otherwise, a better option is a great set of tires on a FWD vehicle like the Odyssey.
 

Rosamond

New member
Thanks for your thoughts!

So, I use informedforlife.org for my safety ratings, and they give the Enclave/Acadia/Traverse pretty much top ratings for the years I mentioned (that's why I picked those years, also--otherwise I'd like to save a bit of money and be looking at those cars in the 2011/2012 range). The Pilot and Sienna are not recommended due to the frontal crash test results. The Odyssey fares quite well on the informedforlife rating system, so that's a decent possibility. It does bother me that it doesn't have AWD, though, since we live in hilly places with decent amounts of snow, and when we travel to see family or for work that often takes us through even hillier and snowier areas. Since this is going to be our "big family trip" car especially, I'd prefer AWD. And then there's the fact neither my DH nor I really wants to drive a minivan if we can keep from it. The Enclave feels a bit luxurious, the Acadia feels a bit sporty, and the minivans just don't really appeal (from the exterior, although the interior features are awesome).

DawgDad, I'm really interested to hear more about what you mean in saying that 3 across in a Enclave/Acadia would start to feel cramped. We rented a 2014 Dodge Durango for a week on vacation lately, and the kids seemed quite comfortable 3 across the middle bench in that (56"/58.3" rear hip/shoulder room, compared to 57"/61.3" rear hip/shoulder room in the Enclave). We thought that was a pretty good trial run for what we are thinking about doing, but maybe there's more we should consider? It seems that the space needs would actually decrease for awhile as the kids get older (moving to HBBs or boosters or no carseats over the next 5-7 years or so), but maybe that's not true? The Odyssey certainly has more rear hip room (66"!!), and I love the ease of all the different seating configurations, but the rear shoulder room isn't terribly much more than the Enclave (63.5"), so I wonder how much roomier that would actually feel if we were doing 3 across. Even in a minivan I still think I'd want 3 across, because I like having the dogs separated from the kids rather than trying to lay on my daughter's lap and breathing in her face if she were sitting in part of the third row with the rest of it folded down for dogs/luggage.

But I don't want to go into this if I'm missing something big and buy an expensive car that doesn't serve our needs.
 

tl01

New member
We just rented an enclave this summer. It was less than a year old I wasn't impressed with the quality. It made so many moans and groans and squeaks when driven. It was making me crazy. The user interface on the screen was so terrible. I just gave up on using it. Oh and the third row was not good for adults.

We have a 2014 odyssey. I couldn't wait to get back to my van. I love sliding doors. They make it so much easier to load and unload the van. There's no chance I wouldn't consider an enclave or any of its clones over an odyssey.
 

DawgDad

New member
Thanks for your thoughts!

So, I use informedforlife.org for my safety ratings, and they give the Enclave/Acadia/Traverse pretty much top ratings for the years I mentioned (that's why I picked those years, also--otherwise I'd like to save a bit of money and be looking at those cars in the 2011/2012 range). The Pilot and Sienna are not recommended due to the frontal crash test results. The Odyssey fares quite well on the informedforlife rating system, so that's a decent possibility. It does bother me that it doesn't have AWD, though, since we live in hilly places with decent amounts of snow, and when we travel to see family or for work that often takes us through even hillier and snowier areas. Since this is going to be our "big family trip" car especially, I'd prefer AWD. And then there's the fact neither my DH nor I really wants to drive a minivan if we can keep from it. The Enclave feels a bit luxurious, the Acadia feels a bit sporty, and the minivans just don't really appeal (from the exterior, although the interior features are awesome).

DawgDad, I'm really interested to hear more about what you mean in saying that 3 across in a Enclave/Acadia would start to feel cramped. We rented a 2014 Dodge Durango for a week on vacation lately, and the kids seemed quite comfortable 3 across the middle bench in that (56"/58.3" rear hip/shoulder room, compared to 57"/61.3" rear hip/shoulder room in the Enclave). We thought that was a pretty good trial run for what we are thinking about doing, but maybe there's more we should consider? It seems that the space needs would actually decrease for awhile as the kids get older (moving to HBBs or boosters or no carseats over the next 5-7 years or so), but maybe that's not true? The Odyssey certainly has more rear hip room (66"!!), and I love the ease of all the different seating configurations, but the rear shoulder room isn't terribly much more than the Enclave (63.5"), so I wonder how much roomier that would actually feel if we were doing 3 across. Even in a minivan I still think I'd want 3 across, because I like having the dogs separated from the kids rather than trying to lay on my daughter's lap and breathing in her face if she were sitting in part of the third row with the rest of it folded down for dogs/luggage.

But I don't want to go into this if I'm missing something big and buy an expensive car that doesn't serve our needs.

Well, while it wasn't the snow, we just got back from the mountains in torrential downpour on gravel roads in North Carolina this past weekend in our '14 Honda Odyssey...and I had just all-weather tires on it. Performed great! Minimal to no roll on the turns which is HUGE in my book.

I was more referring to the space in the middle row (second row). The '11+ or current generation of Honda Odyssey's have what is called "wide mode" where the seats actually separate from the middle seat for an extra 1.5" on either side. That's a significant boost to space for car seat configuration as well as overall comfort for adults in both shoulder and hip room. There are 6 Top Tether locations in the car as well as LATCH. It's a parent's dream to own and operate with 3+ children in tow. The ease of getting in and out given it's low load floor and higher ceiling allows adults to get into the 3rd row comfortably, so future use with children as they get older...especially tall ones...is better. Gas mileage is great and it gets top marks on safety...especially the newer ones with the small overlap.

In the end, I don't want to sway you from your goal if this isn't a good fit. I just saw 3 kids, all wanting to be on one row and a need for storage with the 3rd row down and that just screams a minivan. It's worth trying with your car seats just to rule it out and then you will always know you evaluated it before you bought. It's probably the most recommended car on this website and parenting forums for a valid reasons (Odyssey).
 

aeormsby

New member
The hardest part about getting 3 across those vehicles is getting 2 seats to fit side by side on the '60' section (center & driver's side). But I've had a few different options installed in my Outlook (twin to the earlier versions, but I don't think they've changed much for the seating).

The only time I've had a booster in the mix it was a NBB - Harmony Literider on the driver's side with a RF Uptown (no longer made, kind of a larger version of the Scenera). Fitting a booster in the center may be tricky because of the hinges sticking out and the narrow seatbelt. But there isn't a headrest there so a HBB may work better if you don't want to mess with removing headrests. I found that RF seats generally worked best there, especially if they were on a base that could fit between the belts & hinges. It will most likely take some playing to find seats that fit, but I'd probably rather deal with the 3 across than having to used the 3rd row all the time (it has SO much cargo room if you're only using the 2nd row).

We also moved from an Outback to the Outlook, although that was 7 years ago when we wanted something extended family would fit in after we had 2 kids.
 
Last edited:

pooh136

New member
The hardest part about getting 3 across those vehicles is getting 2 seats to fit side by side on the '60' section (center & driver's side). But I've had a few different options installed in my Outlook (twin to the earlier versions, but I don't think they've changed much for the seating). The only time I've had a booster in the mix it was a NBB - Harmony Literider on the driver's side with a RF Uptown (no longer made, kind of a larger version of the Scenera). Fitting a booster in the center may be tricky because of the hinges sticking out and the narrow seatbelt. But there isn't a headrest there so a NBB may work better if you don't want to mess with removing headrests. I found that RF seats generally worked best there, especially if they were on a base that could fit between the belts & hinges. It will most likely take some playing to find seats that fit, but I'd probably rather deal with the 3 across than having to used the 3rd row all the time (it has SO much cargo room if you're only using the 2nd row). We also moved from an Outback to the Outlook, although that was 7 years ago when we wanted something extended family would fit in after we had 2 kids.

I wouldn't suggest a NBB for the center seat, because the child will need head support. I mainly had a Chicco Keyfit in the center with a Radian next to it on the 60 part of the bench, which allowed plenty of room for my daughter to buckle her Turbobooster on the passenger side. I also had a Radian and Marathon side by side on the 60 part as well. Either a very narrow car seat should fit in the center, or else one that has a narrow base and sits up a little higher allowing room to actually buckle the seat in.
 

aeormsby

New member
I wouldn't suggest a NBB for the center seat, because the child will need head support. I mainly had a Chicco Keyfit in the center with a Radian next to it on the 60 part of the bench, which allowed plenty of room for my daughter to buckle her Turbobooster on the passenger side. I also had a Radian and Marathon side by side on the 60 part as well. Either a very narrow car seat should fit in the center, or else one that has a narrow base and sits up a little higher allowing room to actually buckle the seat in.

Sorry, that was a typo - I meant a HBB in the center.
 

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