SUV/Minivan Discussion/Recommendation Thread

[vvvvvfee]

On the subject of upgrading to a larger car...

Who has an SUV or minivan? What do you like about it? Best features? What do you dislike or find irritating?

SUV owners with a kid in a carseat-- is it difficult to get into position to buckle your LO in/take them out? What I like about a minivan is the possibility of being able to get fully into the vehicle in order to buckle/unbuckle, instead of awkwardly leaning in to the car with my ass out in the weather. I'm also short and worried about trying to hop in/out with a kid in my arms.

We are going to start bu looking at Honda and Toyota minivans/SUVs. Crash test safety is a big priority for us. We were leaning towards a minivan at first, but now I am starting to prioritize AWD a little bit more. I know the Toyota Sienna is the only minivan that offers AWD as an option, but it may be more economical to just get an SUV.

Bonus question: Is anyone planning to do 3 across in car seats? If so, what vehicle and car seats do/will you have?

ETA additional info: When this baby comes, DS1 should still be in his convertible car seat (forward-facing), and so will DS2 (rear-facing). We have an infant bucket seat so LO3 will be in that.

[mrsweasley]

We have a 2012 Sienna, no AWD because it wasn't rated well for that year. I absolutely love the sliding doors, no chance of your kids slamming the doors into another car.

The 3rd row was also roomier than the SUVs we looked at. My only complaint is that there is only a top anchor in the middle of the 3rd row, but our outside kids are 13 and 5, so we're not trying to squeeze a bunch of car seats back there anyway. I think we will move DD back there, put LO behind me where DD is now, and possibly take out the other middle row captain chair for ease of getting in to buckle DD. The middle row seats are pretty easy to remove, but I'll have to try taking it out vs just pushing it out to see what works best. We also have the removable 8th seat. It's tiny and has only been used a couple times, but handy in a pinch.

The current Sienna still looks the same and I like the "look" better than older versions and other brands. It has a more masculine look IMO instead of mom car.

[notmoose]

I have always been anti mini van. Always said I'd never own one.

I drive a 2015 Ford Explorer. I love it. It's roomy without feeling huge while driving. I'm only 5'3, so that was a big thing I worried about with a bigger vehicle. But it doesn't feel huge when I'm driving.

I have the bucket seats, so mine seats 6 instead of 7. But I prefer bucket seats, I think they look nicer and are easier with car seats.

My DS is still RFing. He sits behind the driver seat and I have no issues getting him in/out or with buckle-ing. I don't have to climb up in the car, I just put him in and buckle while standing outside the truck.
I plan on putting the new baby on the other side.

If DS had to sit in the third row it would be a bit harder to buckle him in because I would need to flip the seat in front of him up and climb in. BUT in my truck the seat completely folds down and then flips up, so there's no climbing over seats.

I have AWD.
I get about 20 mpg.

Extras that I love:
Heated seats
Back up camera
Lights on my mirrors when another car is coming up next to me (on either side)

ETA: The third row can fold down for extra storage. MH was able to fit 2 full sized bikes and 1 mid size bike in at the same time.

The trunk is pretty roomy for a third row vehicle. Big grocery trips are no problem. Lol

My only complaint really is the touch screen radio/temp control/navigation irritates me sometimes because I hit things I don't mean to.

[mrsweasley]

I'm pretty sure backup cameras are standard now, but my van also has that

notmoose pointing out extras reminded me of somethings that aren't extra in the Sienna but are nice perks, like the temperature control for driver, passenger, and back are all separate. That has been huge for me because I'm always warmer than the kids. The side mirrors are also heated. We have the LE, I don't think it had any "extras". There are 12 or 14 cup holders (including 4 water bottle holders, 1 in each drawer)

The Sienna 3rd row also folds down flat, which is really nice. There are 2 sections also (one is 2/3 of the row, one is 1/3) in case you only want to fold down part of it. We've also removed the middle row captain's chairs and fit a king size mattress in there for a friend

I was a little anti-van at one point, but it made the most sense for our family and I love it now

[kaeguri]

We bought a Nissan Pathfinder last year and I love it so far The middle row of seats slide back and forth and completely hinge up, so getting in the third row is easy. Right now, the third row is flat to give us more trunk space and the car seat is RF in the center. With the carseat in the center, it makes popping the side seat up to get in the back almost impossible, so when we use the third row, I move the carseat to the window. When the new baby comes, the infant seat will be in the center and the toddler will be by the window.

It's possible I may start watching a friend's baby in the fall/winter, so if that happens, the toddler's carseat will go in the third row and I'll have two infant seats in the middle row. The infant seat isn't as wide as the convertible, so the chair still hinges back with that.

I'm 5'4" and get in the car completely when taking DD in and out too, and never had issues. The backup camera is nice, and makes me feel super fancy.

[sweetmelissa]

We currently have a 2013 Grand Caravan, and you need to stay far, far away from those, Chrysler Town and Countries and VW Routans because their 3rd rows suck really badly. That said, with this pregnancy, we're starting to look into 8 seater minivans, because unless we want to strap a kid to the roof, we need another seat in the car. My parents had a Honda Pilot for a long time, and it wasn't so bad dealing with one or two car seats in there, but once we had to use the 3rd row, I found it a pain to get into the back to strap kids in. Honda Odyssey is pretty much considered the gold standard for parents with kids in car seats/boosters, but it is also on the pricey side. We're probably going to end up with a Chrysler Pacifica, Kia Sedona, or Toyota Sienna, and we will be doing three across in both rows. My two oldest are currently in boosters (and kid 3 might be close by the time kid 6 arrives), which can actually make things a little more difficult three across since they need to be able to fit their hands in buckle each time. The facebook group Car Seats for the Littles is awesome, and even if you don't want to post on the page, they have a ton of resources you can check out (like reviews, comparisons, recommended seat lists, etc.).

[notmoose]

mrsweasley oh yeah, we have the separate climate controls too and I love that!

I think the only way I'd drive a van is if we had more than 4 kids and had no choice. But our neighbors have a new Dodge Caravan (I think) and the back windows roll down too. I thought that was so cool, I'd never seen a van that could do that.

I also drove a new Honda Odyssey for a rental back in 2013 when my car was totaled. I will admit that thing was fancy and drove nice. I'm sure they're even better 5 years later.

So, I definitely see the perks of vans. I just never want to be a van owner myself.

[mrsweasley]

notmoose our middle windows roll down too and have built in sun shades. It's so nice

I know vans aren't for everyone, different strokes and all. I love that you love your SUV and it works great for you

[notmoose]

Jan 6, 2018 15:23:39 GMT -6 mrsweasley said:

notmoose our middle windows roll down too and have built in sun shades. It's so nice

I know vans aren't for everyone, different strokes and all. I love that you love your SUV and it works great for you

Right. And if you love vans, I love it for you!

I had to drive my mom's mini van when I was a teen. I think that's where my van hate comes from. Lol

[mrsweasley]

Jan 6, 2018 15:46:51 GMT -6 notmoose said:

Jan 6, 2018 15:23:39 GMT -6 mrsweasley said:

notmoose our middle windows roll down too and have built in sun shades. It's so nice

I know vans aren't for everyone, different strokes and all. I love that you love your SUV and it works great for you

Right. And if you love vans, I love it for you!

I had to drive my mom's mini van when I was a teen. I think that's where my van hate comes from. Lol

I don't know why this didn't post earlier, but I would drop dead before letting a teen drive a van. Way too much room for shenanigans

[kaeguri]

Jan 8, 2018 16:09:25 GMT -6 mrsweasley said:

Jan 6, 2018 15:46:51 GMT -6 notmoose said:

Right. And if you love vans, I love it for you!

I had to drive my mom's mini van when I was a teen. I think that's where my van hate comes from. Lol

I don't know why this didn't post earlier, but I would drop dead before letting a teen drive a van. Way too much room for shenanigans

I mean, if a teen is trying to get it on, it doesn't matter how much room they have   signed someone who had sex inside a mini cooper.

[mrsweasley]

Jan 8, 2018 16:19:57 GMT -6 kaeguri said:

Jan 8, 2018 16:09:25 GMT -6 mrsweasley said:

I don't know why this didn't post earlier, but I would drop dead before letting a teen drive a van. Way too much room for shenanigans

I mean, if a teen is trying to get it on, it doesn't matter how much room they have   signed someone who had sex inside a mini cooper.

Oh I know, I just don't need to make it easier!

[notmoose]

Jan 8, 2018 16:09:25 GMT -6 mrsweasley said:

Jan 6, 2018 15:46:51 GMT -6 notmoose said:

Right. And if you love vans, I love it for you!

I had to drive my mom's mini van when I was a teen. I think that's where my van hate comes from. Lol

I don't know why this didn't post earlier, but I would drop dead before letting a teen drive a van. Way too much room for shenanigans

Lol I already had a baby by the time I got my license. There weren't any more shenanigans going on for a few years after that.

[catspajamas2]

notmoose, I feel the same way about minivans, as someone who was forced to drive the family van at age 16. We now have a minivan but it is my husbands car. I'd be lying if I didn't say it was pretty nice but still can't do it myself. I may feel differently when strapping all 3 kids into the car.

[klw]

We had a chevy traverse when DD was born and now have a dodge Durango. H is anti mini-van.

[vvvvvfee]

i'm resurrecting this thread in case anyone else felt like chatting....

we did some test driving this weekend... we went to toyota and honda. the third row in the toyota highlander was just laughable. if you don't have captain's chairs in the 2nd row, there is literally no way to get to it as an adult unless you're literally climbing in from the trunk. and there is no way an adult could comfortably sit back there. we didn't look at the sienna because it got a not-so-great crash test rating for small overlap and we're looking for a stellar safety record.

we fared better at honda. we liked the odyssey a lot-- god, it's so easy to access all the seats, and there's so much space. i thought it was fine to drive- i was worried it would feel huge and boat-like but it seemed to handle fine. the pilot was also ok- also fine to drive and it has WAY more space in the 3rd row than the highlander. and the cabin is wider so it just feels less cramped. hondas definitely seemed to have a lot of user-friendly features.

we're also wondering if we should wait until june and test-drive the new subaru 3-row SUV, the ascent. we really love DH's forester and subaru's focus on safety. we know we're not going to be able to get a good deal on one bc they're in high demand, but since we would have to go up a model or two with honda to get all the safety features we want and they all come standard on the base model subaru-- it might end up being a wash, price-wise.

we're still deliberating over how important 4-wheel drive is vs. the spaciousness and convenience of a minivan. it's hard to resist all that space and the sliding door.

[mrsweasley]

Vans are huge but I had very little trouble adjusting from a sedan. I have a feeling it'll be harder to adjust back to a car down the line when we don't have a need for a van anymore. I love being up higher and able to see everything. I am not great at parking by pulling in, that's really my only struggle. I'm great at backing into spots though, probably because of the backup cam

I don't think you can go wrong with an Odyssey or a Subaru. MH's next car will likely be a Subaru, we're hoping to get at least a few more years out of his Toyota Yaris though. DS is almost 14 and I think it'd be a good first car for him, plus my Sienna is almost paid off and it'd be great to save that $ for a few years before we buy another car.

[ohreally]

vvvvvfee, I have an Odyssey so that'd be my choice I couldn't do without the sliding doors. Out of curiosity, what are the additional safety features on the van in the higher trim lines? I have a 2014 and chose it for its higher small overlap ratings (at that time the test was new so 2014 was the first year manufactures made design improvements). Our budget didn't allow us to look above the EX trim line so I'm not sure what other safety features are also available.

[vvvvvfee]

ohreally, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation, and collision mitigation braking. automobiles.honda.com/sensing

oh, plus a blind spot warning system. and i guess all the 2018 models are required to have a backup camera now.

you only have to go up from the LX (base model) to the EX to get the safety package. subaru has an equivalent safety package available on all their base models, and toyota has it on most of their base models.

[ohreally]

Mar 1, 2018 12:58:11 GMT -6 vvvvvfee said:

ohreally , lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation, and collision mitigation braking. automobiles.honda.com/sensing

oh, plus a blind spot warning system. and i guess all the 2018 models are required to have a backup camera now.

you only have to go up from the LX (base model) to the EX to get the safety package. subaru has an equivalent safety package available on all their base models, and toyota has it on most of their base models.

OH!  Yeah. I don't know anything about those features. I remember buying a used car in 2009 and my requirements were anti-lock brakes and side curtain airbags. Those are standard now too.

Makes me wonder what safety features I'll be in the market for in 8ish years when I'm buying again!