Expecting twins: Need vehicle for at least 6, 4 car seats (desire AWD)

cjmosher

New member
We have found out that we are expecting twins in the fall. We already have a 4.5 year old (in a Graco Nautilus) and 2.5 year old (in FF Britax Roundabout 50). I currently have a 2007 Subaru Tribeca which I LOVE! But I know that it won't fit us any longer once the twins arrive. At the same time, my husband's 2007 Ford Fusion was just hit on the back end and we are waiting to find out if it is considered totaled or will be repaired (will be purchasing new car seats, too).

However that ends up, we were planning to use the value from the Fusion to buy a new or used vehicle that will fit all of us. I would really like to stick with AWD. Currently, I've been most interested in SUVs with a 3rd row, but I am trying to keep an open mind and am willing to look at mini-vans if that is the best option for our family. I am worried about finding something that will fit 2 rear-facing infant Chicco Keyfit 30 car seats and in the future rear-facing convertible car seats - with room for a double stroller or two! :confused:

Being pregnant with twins, I really don't have the energy to do a lot of car shopping, so I was hoping to get some advice and narrow down our options. Thanks in advance!
 
ADS

jjordan

Moderator
Congrats on the pregnancy! :)

If you want room for a double stroller and 4 car seats, the only SUV's that I'd really consider would be the huge ones (eg Suburban, not sure what else but I expect someone will come along who knows... Yukon maybe?). By the time you're getting something that big, you're generally going to be paying more money than for a similarly-aged/equipped minivan, and you're going to get worse gas mileage. But, there are definitely those who love their enormous SUV's, so maybe you'll be one of them. :)

If you want AWD, on the other hand, your minivan options will be limited to a Toyota Sienna as far as I know (unless you want something quite old; there are a few 10-ish year old models that came in AWD).

I'm not sure where you live and why exactly you want AWD, but honestly I would give serious thought to a non-AWD minivan (Honda Odyssey is really great for recent model years, and there is another recent thread right here where someone was saying how nice the 2015 Kia Sedona is). I would go for an 8 passenger since there's a little bit more flexibility for seating kids and transporting extra people. (Last I knew, the AWD Sienna did not come in an 8 passenger, just 7, but that might have changed.) If you want AWD for driving in snow, snow tires might really do the trick for you. We live in a snowy area on top of a hill that is plowed no more than twice a day no matter how hard it is snowing. Last winter (2013-2014) there were multiple times when we just could not get up the hill in our minivan. (Soooo much fun to try to drive home at 8 pm on a dark and snowy night with a minivan full of kids ages 7, 5, 2 and 6 months, groceries, household supplies, etc and then have to park at the bottom of the hill and haul the kids up to the house, then drive the Subaru down the hill to get all the groceries etc....) This winter (2014-2015) we got snow tires and we didn't have one single tiny bit of trouble. I went from being 100% convinced that we needed to have at least one AWD vehicle at all times to thinking that we don't even really need to consider that when shopping for cars.

HTH!
 

gigi

New member
I personally would get a 2015 highlander or an AWD sienna. Put the twins in captains chairs and the bigger kids in back.

I know one can live without AWD, but in my area it is a major PITA to do so (ineffective plowing means giant snow and ice piles blocking everything).
 

jwilliams

New member
I would not get a Highlander, or any other mid size SUV/crossover. With that size SUV, you either have seating for four kids OR enough cargo space for them. I would get an Odyssey since you're going to have two, possibly three FF harnessed seats and will want the Odyssey's greater flexibility when it comes to top tethers (and the greater flexibility of the Odyssey's headrests when you have two or three in boosters). A 2WD with snow tires will perform better than an AWD with all weathers in most situations.
 

kathysr98

Active member
I have a Ford Flex that I love, and would think would work well in your situation if you buy the six passenger version. Three of the four rear seats would have a full LATCH set, and it has tons of rear legroom. I don't have experience with double strollers, but I have lots with huge singles. I've put a Mountain Buggy and a Baby Jogger Elite in the back together without a problem. It's a great riding vehicle, comes in AWD, and offers lots of nice features. I had no trouble finding several used ones with low miles for less than $30k in the Limited trim, but AWD will likely be a little more expensive.
 

Wilt

New member
Congratulations on the twins!
We have twins also (4.5, 2 and the twins are 1)

We have a 2005 Ford Expedition (176k on the clock) as the family vehicle and I had a little corrolla to get to work and back. Wife went back to work in January and we needed 2 vehicles that could haul 4 kids in 4 car seats so had to trade in the corrolla for something with a 3rd row.

We thought about getting an expedition el or yukon xl, but decided to be more conservative and go with the minivan 2009 VW Routan (which is the same as the dodge caravan/town and country)

#fail

Put it simply, we hate it. It has 3.5 V6 chrysler engine, and it drinks gas like no other, 14mpg at best in town, my expedition does better than that. The main cabin feels small and squashed, trunk space is eaten up by a double stroller for the most part. 2 in the 2nd row and 2 in the 3rd row is just not working for us as our 2 year old still needs help. In the expedition 3 car seats fit easily in the 2nd row and eldest kid can buckle herself in the 3rd row.

Maybe I'm being a snob because I'm used to the expedition, and the space that it gave us but we are going to offload it this month when the right suburban/yukon xl/expedition el comes along. We have a long trip ahead of us next month and would rather not take the current expedition with 176k on the clock and the thought of taking the routan sends shudders down my spine.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
Congratulations on the twins!

We have twins also (4.5, 2 and the twins are 1)



We have a 2005 Ford Expedition (176k on the clock) as the family vehicle and I had a little corrolla to get to work and back. Wife went back to work in January and we needed 2 vehicles that could haul 4 kids in 4 car seats so had to trade in the corrolla for something with a 3rd row.



We thought about getting an expedition el or yukon xl, but decided to be more conservative and go with the minivan 2009 VW Routan (which is the same as the dodge caravan/town and country)



#fail



Put it simply, we hate it. It has 3.5 V6 chrysler engine, and it drinks gas like no other, 14mpg at best in town, my expedition does better than that. The main cabin feels small and squashed, trunk space is eaten up by a double stroller for the most part. 2 in the 2nd row and 2 in the 3rd row is just not working for us as our 2 year old still needs help. In the expedition 3 car seats fit easily in the 2nd row and eldest kid can buckle herself in the 3rd row.



Maybe I'm being a snob because I'm used to the expedition, and the space that it gave us but we are going to offload it this month when the right suburban/yukon xl/expedition el comes along. We have a long trip ahead of us next month and would rather not take the current expedition with 176k on the clock and the thought of taking the routan sends shudders down my spine.


Unfortunately, I think you just picked the wrong minivan. The dodge/Chrysler/ Routon clones are just not very family friendly. Seating is hard to make work and the only tether in the third row is in the center. Te seatbelts outboard in the third row are relatively useless for booster riders, as they are pretty far forward.

Stay far away from these minivans if you go the minivan route!

If you can afford the 2015 model of an AWD Sienna, it will come with 4 tether anchors- only missing one in the third row on the drivers side. Seatbelts are easy to use in all seating positions and getting kids in and out is easy. Trunk space is more than adequate for our family of 5, soon to be 6 in our 08 model year and I assume trunk space is still good on the 15.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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