minivan vs 3rd row SUV

[mrsjrd23]

We are thinking of getting a new to us vehicle within the next year.  My CR-V is 11 years old with 160+k miles on it and things are slowly starting to go bad with it.  When we have another kid (plan to TTC later this summer) we'd like something with a little more room to haul the dog and our stuff on road trips. 

I don't know if I am ready for a minivan! Please convince me they aren't horrible??  Can anyone tell me about a minivan or 3rd row SUV that they love?

[thejen626]

Hi!

The trunk in my CRV actually fit more than the trunk in my Highlander, just because of the shape of it.

I drove my CRV for 7 years and then bought the Highlander when we started tttc again. It's the perfect size for 2 kids, a double stroller, etc. But I don't know if it would be big enough to also accommodate Pasco. Does he ride on a seat, or on the floor in the 2nd row? Because when the 3rd row is up, there is no trunk space at all. Like, I can barely fit an umbrella stroller and small diaper bag back there.

No shame in a minivan!!

And let me know when you're ready to look and test drive, because DH knows all the local car guys and can point you in the right direction to save you money

[h]

We own a minivan (Odyssey) and SUV with third row (Highlander). We really like both, but the convenience and ease of the Odyssey blows the Highlander out of the water. I love my minivan. I am not a car person at all, and driving a cool car is really far down on my priority list. I want a comfortable, easy to drive, reliable car that works for our family, and the minivan satisfies that criteria.

[ssmjlm]

I just bought a pathfinder with a 3rd row. Honestly with all 3 rows up it's pretty tight in the cargo area, although I'm not sure it's any shallower than a mini-van.

We are 1 and done though, so really the 3rd row is basically to make outings with a set of parents easier so we're not taking 2 cars.

[bunch]

I just bought a Sienna and I'm in love. We also plan on 3 and I had no wants to climb into the 3rd row of a SUV to buckle. There are days when I'm like "wow, I must be old, I drive a minivan and have two kids" and then I just shrug because I drive a minivan and have two kids

[Deleted]

Um did you not know that the Honda Odyssey has a vacuum? And a mini fridge?!

I kind of want a second kid just so I can justify a minivan. lol

[Deleted]

Jan 6, 2014 20:23:17 GMT -5 h said:

We own a minivan (Odyssey) and SUV with third row (Highlander). We really like both, but the convenience and ease of the Odyssey blows the Highlander out of the water. I love my minivan. I am not a car person at all, and driving a cool car is really far down on my priority list. I want a comfortable, easy to drive, reliable car that works for our family, and the minivan satisfies that cries

We have the Odyssey as well (3 kids) and love it. The ease of getting all three in and out has been great, the automatic doors - or magic doors as the girls call them, are convenient and the storage in the back is pretty good too. 

[elocrates]

Another vote for "love my Odyssey." Didn't want a minivan. Looked at all the 3rd row SUVs, then caved and got a minivan. Best decision ever. Convenience, roomy without being huge to drive, decent gas milage for a vehicle its size and the amount of storage space. The list goes on and on.

[bugandbibs]

I am in love with my Chysler Town and Country minivan. The convience and extra features make everyday life a dream. Magic doors make getting my kids and gear in super easy. So does having seats that fold flat into the floor with the push of a button; the third row rotates entirely for tailgating etc...

We have dual screen entertainment system with wireless headphones. DD2 can watch a DVD while DD1 watches satellite tv while I listen to Sirius radio- sooo great! We have hook ups for gaming systems too, which we have used on long road trips.

[turtlegirl]

We have a Ford Flex and really like it. We have 2 kids in cat seats in the middle row and keep the third row flat most of the time which is great for taking our 80lb dog places, trips to see family, Costco, etc.

But we were also able to rearrange things and take the 4 of us plus the IL's to the airport with all our luggage.

But DH and I are big car people and I just couldn't cave and be a minivan mom. Although I did drive one on vacation once and I can see how they are super convenient.

[h]

Jan 6, 2014 20:48:34 GMT -5 littlespitfire said:

I love my Mercedes r350. It's like a minivan but with regular doors and looks more like a crossover.

But the automatic sliding doors are one of the best features.

[atarianna]

We just bought the new 2014 Highlander and I love it! It has the fuel economy of a car, well eqivalent to my old car, and is very spacious plus some really awesome features.

It has a third row, and they improved it to keep leg room but allow for 3x the cargo space when the third row is up.

[beefjerky]

Minivan for the win. I just got a Sienna (my Black Friday purchase) and love it. It took me awhile to come around but it is honestly amazing. Tons of cargo space and enough tethers for the majority of families.

[sjh722]

Jan 6, 2014 22:15:10 GMT -5 littlespitfire said:

Jan 6, 2014 21:57:07 GMT -5 h said:

But the automatic sliding doors are one of the best features.

Agreed!  But if you're in minivan denial..

I drive an Acadia. I am in minivan denial. It's a minivan with doors that open out.

[catinthehat]

We had a Chevy traverse but just sold it and bought a surburban. We are about to have our third and our children are pretty close in age so I wanted more cargo room for the double stroller, groceries, dogs etc.

we were really limited on space in the traverse because it had captain chairs in the second row. We always had the thrid row down because we needed more cargo space so the thrid row was useless. Our suburban is big and will be roomy with three car seats and i think its easier to drive/park than the traverse.

I really wish we had reseached and bought the suburban first and skipped the mid size suv. .

[greekypie]

I went from a CRV to an Odyssey and I'm in heaven. The ease and comfort of that thing far outweigh anything else. I'm a mommy. I'm embracing it. Lol.

[Deleted]

Ditto the minivan love! Can't beat the sliding doors with young kids or the cargo space.

[Deleted]

I didn't want a minivan but with 3 kids we had to be realistic. When we compared cargo space with the third row up that alone pushed us into tthe minivan. We looked at the odyssey, the highlander, cx-9 etc. All of them have a tiny amount of cargo space when using the 3rd row. There is no way our strollers would have fit. Plus, we need to be able to access the third row with two carsests in the middle row.

I got the van a couple of weeks ago and I have to admit, the convenience is awesome. The sliding doors, the space - you really can't best the convenience. And for me, that more than makes up for the fact that I am actually driving a minivan.

[readyin07]

LOLing at all the minivan embracers I don't have one, but I was out the other day and saw one and it was like a clown car with all these people and all this crap fitting in...and to cap it off, all the kids could get in and out themselves. Ooh ahh. DH and I had our mouths hanging open and we both turned to each other and were like "maybe..." HAHA.

[IrishBelle]

I've always been anti-mini van but I dislike the 3rd row SUVs even more. The trunk space is very limited. It would be difficult to get a stroller in the back with the 3rd row up. I find the seats to be cramped in most of them and I wouldn't even want to try to put a kid in a car seat in the 3rd row. Two kids in car seats in the 2nd row renders the 3rd row useless.

[CrazyLucky]

We are in the same position as you. Our SUV died when we had DS and I was pregnant with DD. We also have a large dog (75 pounds). We make long road trips at least twice a year.
DH and I were both very anti-minivan, but that's what we ended up with. It is not as easy to get into the third row of an SUV, especially when you have two carseats in the second row. We also didn't think they had as much space.
I'll say what almost everyone who has one says - Once you get over the fact that it's a minivan, you like it. It's very functional, has a ton of room. Lots of extras. We love having three different climate controls.
We liked the Honda better, but couldn't justify the additional cost and went with a Toyota. It has been a great vehicle.

[ECB]

Jan 7, 2014 7:56:17 GMT -5 @vicmo said:

Pretty sure that an SUV is just as much of a mommy car as a minivan these days. Especially when a kid or two pops out of the back seat at the soccer field, lol.

When people talk about the "mom-mobile"ness of a mini-van, this is what I always say!  "What do you think kids coming out of your car say about you?". 

And yes, I agree.  SUV is just as much a "mom" car as a mini-van is. 

[SusanBAnthony]

Minivan for sure. I don't care if it is not "cool". I am not cool. I am loading two kids in and out of car seat, it doesn't matter what kind of car I am driving, lol.

I feel like of all my circle of mom friends, the ones without minivans are uniformly jealous of the ones with minivans.

[cosmowife]

Minivans are not horrible.  In fact, they are wonderful!  I love my Sienna, and I am a "car person" and swore I would never, ever drive one.

[mswax]

We have 3 kids squeezed into my 2008 CR-V. I cannot wait until I can get a mini-van!!! DH will not drive one, and since it was his turn to get a new car this year, he got a Ford Fusion (which surprisingly fits all 3 kids in the back seat, but it's tight). We looked at some 3rd row SUVs, but as many pp have said, there is little/no trunk space when using the 3rd row, and you can't really access it if you have 2 carseats in the middle row, so what's the point?

I'm (no so) patiently waiting for 3 years until it's my turn for the new car...mini-van here I come!

[whitepicketfence]

Jan 6, 2014 21:00:52 GMT -5 bugandbibs said:

I am in love with my Chysler Town and Country minivan. The convience and extra features make everyday life a dream. Magic doors make getting my kids and gear in super easy. So does having seats that fold flat into the floor with the push of a button; the third row rotates entirely for tailgating etc...

We have dual screen entertainment system with wireless headphones. DD2 can watch a DVD while DD1 watches satellite tv while I listen to Sirius radio- sooo great! We have hook ups for gaming systems too, which we have used on long road trips.

We have a Dodge Grand Caravan that is pretty similar. I was pretty against getting a minivan but, with 3 small kids, I didn't want the hassle of getting anyone into the 3rd row of an SUV. Now that I've had the minivan for several months, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

The automatic doors are the best thing ever with small children. I love that I can open them with the push of a button since I rarely have my hands free. We have the stow-and-go system where our seats fold flat into the floor (both 2nd and 3rd row) if we need them to. Meantime, the system provides additional storage in the floor (amazing for road trips). We alsi have the entertainment system with dual tv screens in the headrests of the front seats. The kids can watch different movies at the same time if they want and we have 2 sets of wireless headphones. Ours also has a video game hookup but my kids are still too young for that. I also like that we have ample trunk space even after hauling several kids in the vehicle.

We are thinking about getting a larger SUV with 3rd row seating down the line for DH's primary vehicle since his current one can't fit 3 carseats (he would like a Chevy Tahoe or GMC Yukon). I wouldn't want it to be my primary vehicle since I'm the one who does the bulk of the driving with the kids. The minivan is just way too convenient.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using proboards

[lishie]

I love my minivan. My sister has a third row SUV & I find getting in and out of the third row (and the vehicle in general) so much easier in my minivan.

[ilikedonuts]

Jan 7, 2014 11:20:51 GMT -5 lishie said:

I love my minivan. My sister has a third row SUV & I find getting in and out of the third row (and the vehicle in general) so much easier in my minivan.

I definitely is much easier with a mini van!

If we have a 3rd kid, I'll have to give in and get a mini van. With just two though since we rarely use the 3rd row of seats, I'm happy with my Traverse.

[jena]

I have a Sienna and it's super convenient. But I have 3 kids at home, a SS, and a MIL who stays with us for months at a time. So we often use all 7 seats (and I kinda regret not holding out for the 8 seat version).

But with 2 kids I don't see a minivan as a necessity. I think a 3rd row in an SUV is crappy for getting kids in carseats, but if you're just putting a dog back there then it's fine. And when the kids are big enough to just get in and buckle themselves they'll be fine in the 3rd row. We couldn't even consider an SUV because we needed the bigger kid in the 2nd row for school dropoff - in a minivan there's easier access to the 3rd row so she can sit in the 2nd or 3rd row.

[stephogirl]

I've had two CR-Vs and I loved them both. DH has wanted a minivan for a long time and I was pretty solidly in the no-way-in-hell-will-I-ever-drive-a-minivan camp. Fast-forward to two kids...we now own a Honda Odyssey. I loooove it (but I will never admit it to the FTF outside world...lol!) I've come to the conclusion that, at this point in my life, a minivan makes sense. It's not like I'll drive a minivan forever.