Are SUVs with a third row worth it?

[nabum]

Do you have an SUV with a third row? Do you ever use it?

MH needs a new car and we're looking at mid sized SUVs- primarily with a third row so that if we eventually have more children we can still transport others as well. Are we being short-sided by only considering vehicles with a third row? Are they useful to those of you who have them?

We currently have one child and plan to have at least one more (but max 3). Hypothetically that would be three car seats/boosters for the next 8-12 years leaving no room for other passengers.

Thoughts? Any specific vehicle recommendations?

[lindyanne]

I wouldn't only consider vehicles with a third row if you don't need the space otherwise. We have a sequoia and have used our third row a bunch of times for people but if we didn't have it, it also wouldn't have been a big deal to take two cars. We use all the cargo space frequently though as we have three large dogs and I do big shopping trips to bjs and home depot and such so it gets used a lot. We only have one DS (3 yo) and he will be an only child.

[ReenaP]

We are going to buy a new SUV after we have a kid. Our primary question right now is if we want a 3rd row or not. We tend to buy and hold our cars for a while, so we are looking to the future when we have a 2nd kid. We also take a lot of road trips. It will also be nice for when family flies in to visit. Therefore, we are leaning towards the 3rd row.

Of course, the negatives are higher prices and lower gas mileage.

The model we love right now is the new Infiniti JX. You can actually get into the 3rd row without taking the baby seat out of the 2nd row.

[rikki]

My mom used to have an Acura MDX with a third row. I had to sit back there once and it was awful. The legroom was nonexistent. Children might be fine, but if it is a child that you would have to buckle up or put in a seat, it would be really hard to get back there. I'd rather have more space in the back for luggage, shopping bags, etc.

[iamali]

My Pilot has 3rd row seating and it's been quite useful for us. We don't use it a LOT and when we do use it there is hardly any space in the back, which is a big negative for some.

Overall, I LOVE my Pilot.

[jillybean]

We specifically bought our vehicle because it had a real third row seat that comfortably accommodates a full sized adult. We are a family of 3 (one and done) but DD is 2.5 so her car seat needs to be in the second row at all times. I travel 4 hours away once a month and I'm constantly hauling around family plus shit for the house. The 3rd row and additional cargo space has been a lifesaver.

I drive a buick enclave and I love everything about it, except the gas mileage. It is a guzzler...but my perception may be warped by the fact that our other car is a Camry Hybrid.

[ejpint]

We don't even have kids and I've had use for the third row. We bought our SUV in anticipation of starting a family, and in the meantime, it's been very convenient for times when we've had passengers + dogs.

A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting my parents and they had my young cousins staying with them. We all wanted to take the dogs to the park, and we were able to fit in three adults, two kids with booster seats and two dogs and only take one car.

When we don't need it, it folds down completely flat and gives us more cargo space.

FWIW, I have a Honda Pilot and love it.

[mrsjuleshs]

YES! I bought a Tahoe last year and while I hated giving up my mustang, I LOVE driving it. It is really convenient for travel. I am in a carpool for DD's cheer team so 4 of us rotate taking the kids and usually a mom or 2 comes along. Also, much easier for driving everyone out to the lake when we take the boat out. DD always has a ton of friends with her so it makes chaufering them around so much easier. If you end up having 2 kids and hold onto cars, I would definitely consider a car with seating for more than 5. What happens if they both wanted to bring a friend along somewhere?

[ejpint]

Jul 9, 2012 10:26:40 GMT -5 ReenaP said:

We are going to buy a new SUV after we have a kid. Our primary question right now is if we want a 3rd row or not. We tend to buy and hold our cars for a while, so we are looking to the future when we have a 2nd kid. We also take a lot of road trips. It will also be nice for when family flies in to visit. Therefore, we are leaning towards the 3rd row.

Of course, the negatives are higher prices and lower gas mileage.

The model we love right now is the new Infiniti JX. You can actually get into the 3rd row without taking the baby seat out of the 2nd row.

The JX will be my next car - I love that thing!

[madringal]

Jul 9, 2012 10:29:52 GMT -5 iamali said:

My Pilot has 3rd row seating and it's been quite useful for us. We don't use it a LOT and when we do use it there is hardly any space in the back, which is a big negative for some.

Overall, I LOVE my Pilot.

Exactly this.

[nabum]

Thanks for the responses so far. We looked at the Pilot and MDX yesterday and looked at the Tahoe and Traverse a few weeks ago. It sounds like the Pilot is pretty popular although I know he was hoping for a sportier driving car. We'll add the Infiniti to our list of cars to check out.

Yes - we will keep this vehicle for a long time. FTR, he's currently driving an 01 Blazer. Also, we have a large dog and we have recently realized that traveling with kids = bringing a ton of crap so cargo room is important to us.

[M]

It depends. My mom has a Land Cruiser and has NEVER used her 3rd row. But she likes it for all the room it has in the trunk. H and I have tried talking her into trading it in for an X5 or X6 but she loves her car.

So I think it really depends on what you want it for. If you plan on hauling other people's kids which my mom refuse to do for liability reasons, then a 3rd row would be useful. Or if you want more trunk space, etc.

[Deleted]

We solely looked at mid-sized SUV's with a third row when we bought our vehicle last year. We have 2 kids, but we transport other kids quite often for playdates and carpools. It's also useful when my parents are in town so we can all go in one vehicle.

The third row in our vehicle (Ford Explorer) is pretty good for an adult to sit in - but better for kids obviously. The negative with the Ford Explorer is that you have to flip up the second row seat to get to the third row so if you have 2 carseats it won't work. (Although DD1 just climbs through the trunk to get to the third row).

The Toyota Highlander was our second choice and was much easier to get to the third row because the second row slides forward.

Anyway, we love our 3rd row and for us its absolutely made life easier.

[thatgirl2478]

we looked at one, but it was next to impossible for an adult to get into the 3rd row so we nixed it and went for the minivan instead. It's enough space back there for 3 adults and when down, we have a massive amount of cargo space. Plus, the gas mileage was pretty equal.

It depends on what you plan to use it for.

[egishere]

I have had two Acura MDX's and the 3rd row was not really useful. If you or DH are tall it will be hard to be comfortable when you have car seats in the second row and it will be tight having the third row up if you need to put a stroller or anything in the back.

[aspentosh]

I don't have third row, but I'll just say this- a lot of the time the third row isn't really an option for adults to sit in anyway. It's usually quite cramped.

[CloudBee]

If you only have one right now, it will be a while before the kids are old enough that they would have enough friends riding with you, to warrant the 3rd row.

I think cars with 3rd seats should be considered and in the running, but I certainly wouldn't rule out 5 seater cars at this point. Especially if you're going to spend more on gas for a 3rd row.

[jenni232323]

3rd row in my Explorer - used it many times during college when we would pack people in my car and go around town, or drive to spring break destinations.
In the 6 years since college, I haven't once pulled up my 3rd row. (except to clean)
I don't have kids yet, but would think that if you have car seats in the 2nd row, you'd have to take them out to move the 2nd row up so people could sit in the 3rd row. I woudn't think you would put car seats in the 3rd row - the baby would be waaaay back there and it's not that easy to reach back there to buckle/unbuckle. I don't have kids like I said so I may be totally clueless.

[shortcake2675]

We have a Suburban (most likely significantly larger than you're looking at) and haven't had the third row seat installed in the last 4 years. However, as we're expecting our second child in about 2 weeks, I anticipate if we need to haul more than just our family, we'll put the seat back in. We took the seat out so the dogs had more room. We have two Great Pyrs and a Newfoundland, so they take up quite a bit of space. Or maybe it originally came out so we could fit a futon mattress in the back when we went camping.

[Kore]

I drove an Expedition for a couple years (given to us). We have no kids. It was ridiculously large. Like driving a tank.

For a car that large, there was surprisingly little room for transporting stuff. The 3rd row didn't fold flat, so it sucked. And I got like 9 mpg.

[Deleted]

I personally just like having the option of the third row, esp. since we'll have three kids soon. We hardly ever use it right now but you never know.

[WOT?*]

I have a Mazda CX-9 and love it. I use the third row fairly regularly when I'm hauling all three grands; they actually fight over who gets to sit in back and I have TV monitors on the headrests for the middle row - lol. The third row is a split and if necessary I can drop one half for additional storage or for the kiddo to climb out the back instead of going through the side door. Going through the side door is not a problem either because the middle row seats slide forward as well as tilt so it gives more legroom/exit room. The kiddos are 6 and 8 and fit comfortably in the third row. I wouldn't put an adult back there if I could help it although I've sat back there without a problem (I'm not exactly tall though.) I bought the car because my prior one sat five and if I had all three they'd be in car seats in the second row and I'd only be able to haul one adult in the front seat; the two additional seats have come in handy very regularly.

[imojoebunny]

We have the Toyota Highlander

We love our 3rd row and for us its absolutely made life easier. I have two kids, 3 and 6. I had a Mazda 5 before. I use the row all the time for carpool, traveling with friends, daytrips ect. I can fit 4 car seats in either car, but otherwise, neither is giant. If you had 3 kids and a dog, I think you would want a larger car. For taking friends to the zoo, picking up the pool at dance camp, occasional girls night so you only have to stay sober every 6 months, yeah for the Highlander and the Mazda 5.

[Deleted]

We have a Pathfinder & 3 kid's. We move the older 2 (still in boosters) to 3rd row & can take others. I am really glad we have the 3rd row.

[preppy]

I have an Audi Q7 with third row seating and it can pretty comfortably seat adults. We test drove the pathfinder, x5, and acura MDX and found the Q7 had the most space, as well as had ample trunk space when the third row is up. I highly recommend it!

[vegas]

We have a Land Rover and rarely use the 3rd row. We do like the extra trunk space though. With the third row seat stowed we get a ton of room back there.

[katb]

I have a Durango and love it. We use the third row. I have three in carseats and one teen. The twins are in the back row. The toddler is in the second row. The seats fold and tumble up to allow access to the third row - so no climbing over seats. I also liked it because it was one of the few SUVs that with using the third row I still had room in the back for the double stroller and few bags of stuff.

[nabum]

We have seen the Acadia - we like it.
We both love the Q7 but I drive an A6 and we feel like it would be kind of lame to drive two Audis.
We will add the Durango and Highlander to our list to check out. I had an Explorer as a rental for a few weeks while I was getting work done on my car.

Thank you for the responses!

[mrsjuleshs]

I love the new Durangos and eventually want to trade in my Tahoe for one.

[lishie]

I have a minivan with three rows, and we love it...with the third row folded down, we have tons of space for storage, transporting stuff, etc. We have two kids, and my MIL comes for extended stays often and doesn't drive, so it's really nice for us to have a third row that's actually usable when she's here.

Before we bought the minivan we looked at the Chevy Traverse and really liked that as well