Which vehicle for 6 kids?

bnsnyde

New member
Which vehicle would you choose if you had 6 kids in seats? And soon probably just 5 in seats and one seatbelt...and so on.

We have a 2011 Odyssey, and it's nice. We probably will get another of those 2015 or 2016 model year. We have some booster riders now so tethers are not needed in every spot. I think the back seat is too narrow, but maybe all back seats are narrow. I do like latch in every spot possible, though with 3 in a row that isn't always useful anyway.

We need to replace a 2005 Civic and want something that will seat everybody (8 people).
I think we're getting it in either December or April.

I forgot to mention that I see no advantage of an SUV over a minivan. ? And I read there is a new Mercedes van out that seats 8, but since the Odyssey works well for us, I don't know what this would offer over that. I just don't have enough info.
 
ADS

bnsnyde

New member
That is my dream car. But I'm afraid it'd be bigger than we need and hard to drive. I can barely drive a mini-van.
I just looked at the pic again, and it's big. I don't think I could manage that thing!
 

sirrahn

Active member
I don't know much about it, but I've started seeing quite a few Ford Transit Connects around. I believe they make them in 8+ passenger models. It sits lower and seems relatively compact.

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kathysr98

Active member
There are multiple lengths of the Ford Transit Connect available. I *think* they start at 8 passengers and have various amounts of cargo space while going up to 14 or 15 passengers. They have a single seat to the opposite side of the aisle in some versions which could be very helpful when a child is bothering siblings, especially a baby.

ETA: the bigger van is the Ford Transit. The Transit Connect is the minivan with a maximum of seven passengers.
 

aporthole

Active member
The 2015/2016 Odyssey really is no different than the 2011 you already have. The seats themselves as far as passengers and car seating are identical.
 

aporthole

Active member
The Transit Connect (mini minivan) and the full size Transit (comes in multiple lengths/roof heights/passenger capacities) are completely different.
 

jennzee

Active member
It's taller but not much longer or wider than a minivan.


It's not much wider, but it's definitely longer and taller.

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bubbaray

New member
You will note that I said not "much" longer. The NV and the Transit are about the same size. If you can drive a mini van, you can drive either of them. Its not like I was comparing either to a Smart car. ETA: And they both fit in a regular-sized parking spot (I've seen both parked in regular parking spots in our Metro area, which has smaller parking spots than most I've encountered in the USA).
 

jennzee

Active member
Given than she's currently driving an Odyssey, I thought it helpful to post the size difference between the two. The NV is very well-designed to not feel like a behemoth, but I've parked next to one more than once in my Ody and it *does* feel much larger side-by-side. Since she already feels like a minivan is a large vehicle for her to manage, even something that isn't "much" bigger will likely make a big difference for her.

(and based on the measurements I looked up, the Connect does appear to be quite a bit shorter than the NV)
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
You will note that I said not "much" longer.

The difference in length between the NV (241") and the Odyssey (203") is greater than the difference between the Ody and a tiny little Corolla (182")! The NV is over three feet longer than the Ody, while the Ody is less than two feet longer than the Corolla. I would call that "much" longer, especially for someone who already finds the Odyssey "hard to drive."
 

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