I love my Acadia (I have 4 kids) but the newer ones are smaller than my 2015. I think they’ll be bigger again next year. If I were getting a new car today I’d get a Traverse for the size. The Enclave is also on the same platform and is a bit fancier
BicycleBride , I can look at exactly how it's configured. I have a RFing infant (so I can unclick the bucket seat from the base to swing his seat forward) and a FFing 32 lb. 4 yo using LATCH, so I haven't run up against that issue yet.
I am on my 2nd Toyota Highlander. We exclusively drive Toyotas and have been so happy with the quality and durability. We drive our vehicles into the ground. In fact my last highlander was doing great, but it was the old version and I needed more room (3rd row) otherwise it was still perfect at 130K miles.
The 3rd row is not huge, but it is perfect for a smaller SUV. There is a ton of room in the 2nd row. We only use 3rd row for hauling friends/kids around.
I test drive several makes and models this summer. Some brands are “off limits” because DH works on cars and knows when makers keep putting shitty/problematic parts in their cars.
I drove the Subaru Ascent, and I really liked it. I also drove a 2019 Ford Explorer the new Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade. The Palisade is seemingly harder to find in the mid and higher end trims. I liked the interior of the Palisade better than the Subaru and the Kia Telluride. The Hyundai has so many safety features even in the base model, I like Leather seats, so I drove the mid trim (SEL) with some extra packages but the Limited was a little more than I wanted to pay ($47-49k) I also liked the Explorer but they were revamped for 2020 and the price seemed $$$ for the options and features. You could easily find a used Explorer harder to find the used Ascent and probably impossible to find a used Telluride and Palisade and they aren’t any cheaper than new new.
I have a friend who bought a new Volkswagen Atlas and also loves it. My SIL has a 2019 Toyota Highlander and the backseat is super tiny, so may not work with larger kids in and out of the back.
I would suggest watching videos and looking at the pics online and narrowing it down to a few to test drive based on your budget. I wanted to get a new new car because of some issues with my last car that happened with the transmission just past the warranty.
What did you think of the room in the 3rd row of the Palisade? We're going to start test-driving after the holidays and I'm liking all the Palisade features they have listed.
Post by tarzanswife on Dec 4, 2019 13:02:16 GMT -5
I love my Acura MDX. I love that the second row (split-bench) can slide forward and back depending upon who is sitting back there. It also helps with the third row room. It still has some storage space after the third row is up too which is needed when hauling kids and sports crap.
Honestly I wish we had leased not due to the specific car. But because we bought a different car and realized we didn’t want it and sized up. I would have rather leased while we were figuring it all out rather than take the depreciation hit. Now we know for next time I guess.
My boosters are a bit too big for the 3rd row. Maybe it’s me because no one else mentions it. But I haven’t bothered getting narrower ones because DS has almost outgrown his booster anyway. So I’ll just take his out and switch DD to the backless booster.
I have a 4Runner and we love it. Like PP mentioned it's def more of a truck type SUV but it has plenty of room in the second row (3rd row is tight for adults) and is awesome in the snow with the 4WD. I had a 2005 Pilot before that (which I also loved) but I HATED the redesign (2016?) and went with the 4Runner instead. It's def an old-school SUV, which is what I wanted.
My sister had a brand new 2018 Honda Pilot for a year and got all her money back and they paid off her loan because it was a lemon since the day she took it home. It just took a year to go through the process.
I love my traverse and it has a third row with three seats. A lot of SUV have only two seats in the third row. We have captains seats.
Post by litskispeciality on Dec 4, 2019 13:31:30 GMT -5
My friend has a Nissan Pathfinder I think with a third row that she loves. It has three rows, plenty of room for grown adults, she's taken us off site for work stuff so I assume kids should fit fine. Normally I hate leasing, but in theory as your kids grow you might change your mind on space needs, so a lease could hold you over for a couple of years until you see what they grow into...but I know as kids grow they travel more, you start bringing friends etc.
When we buy another car we're thinking Honda or Toyota because I want something that will last. I will say though you don't get a lot of luxury and driving it for 10-20 years gets old regarding lack of luxury.
I'm going to be the unpopular opinion and say please don't ever buy a Ford. I had a Ford Escape (no third row) that had all of the issues you did, and only got recalled years after I had to lose money on getting another car in an emergency (transmission issue). DH swears it's a one off, but there were plenty of people who lost the engine before the transmission so I will die on the don't buy a Ford hill.
I bought a 2019 Highlander with captains chairs last month and love it. There is a body style redesign for 2020 so I got a great deal as they are trying to get rid of the 2019 models. I went in to it thinking I wanted to Atlas, and honestly did love that one but it was very wide and we have a narrow tandem driveway and I was so nervous to park it in my driveway so I had to cross it off the list. Highlander has been fantastic - I love the captains chairs as we have two in FF carseats and this still allows 3rd row access when we need it.
Post by dutchgirl678 on Dec 4, 2019 14:19:10 GMT -5
We had a 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and sold it in 2014 because we moved overseas. Otherwise we would still be driving it. We loved it. We recently bought a Ford Escape but it has no 3rd row and is not a hybrid, mpg is not that good. But if we were to buy again, I would really like a plug-in hybrid such as the Volvo XC90.
I test drive several makes and models this summer. Some brands are “off limits” because DH works on cars and knows when makers keep putting shitty/problematic parts in their cars.
I drove the Subaru Ascent, and I really liked it. I also drove a 2019 Ford Explorer the new Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade. The Palisade is seemingly harder to find in the mid and higher end trims. I liked the interior of the Palisade better than the Subaru and the Kia Telluride. The Hyundai has so many safety features even in the base model, I like Leather seats, so I drove the mid trim (SEL) with some extra packages but the Limited was a little more than I wanted to pay ($47-49k) I also liked the Explorer but they were revamped for 2020 and the price seemed $$$ for the options and features. You could easily find a used Explorer harder to find the used Ascent and probably impossible to find a used Telluride and Palisade and they aren’t any cheaper than new new.
I have a friend who bought a new Volkswagen Atlas and also loves it. My SIL has a 2019 Toyota Highlander and the backseat is super tiny, so may not work with larger kids in and out of the back.
I would suggest watching videos and looking at the pics online and narrowing it down to a few to test drive based on your budget. I wanted to get a new new car because of some issues with my last car that happened with the transmission just past the warranty.
What did you think of the room in the 3rd row of the Palisade? We're going to start test-driving after the holidays and I'm liking all the Palisade features they have listed.
I actually really love the room in the 3rd row! The captains chairs in the 2nd row move forward and backwards quite a bit, so if you needed someone back in the 3rd row you could easily move the 2nd row forward a bit. Overall, I think the interior is very spacious!
I'm really surprised to see that you've had so many issues and would seriously consider pursuing a Lemon Law Claim. All of that is NOT normal for a Honda, they are generally very well made. My Pilot was amazing and I never had a single issue with it, let alone all of the issues that you've had. That's crazy.
That said, if you are done with Honda, would you consider an Acura? It's basically the Honda luxury line. I have a 2013 Acura MDX with over 125K and have never had an issue and the only money I've ever had to put in to it is for basic repairs like tires and brakes.
hard pass on anything associated with Honda, honestly.
Looking on the Piloteers forum, these are mostly known problems that Honda just keeps dicking around with. My thought is they don't want to acknowledge the problem, and just give the green light for dealerships to fix at a discount as they come up. Like with the transmission, TONS of cars from my line have had their transmission replaced within 3-4 years of ownership. Honda ended up doing it for free (because they know it's a problem), but only after they hold your car forever to run diagnostics (which they may or may not charge you for, depending on how much you push back). It's apparently not been designated as a true safety issue (even though my car jerked and would downshift randomly, including on the highway), so they just wait for them to fail and then quietly replace them.
ETA: I just looked up the lemon law requirements for my state. Unfortunately my car/issues don't qualify, but I do appreciate the suggestion.
I completely understand! That sucks that it doesn't qualify under the Lemon Laws
I got a 2019 Volvo XC90 in February and I love it. I have three kids and it's perfect for us - I usually have the third row half up. FYI - only two seats in the third row. The middle in the second row has a built in booster.
I have been very happy with my QX60. It's the same body as the Nissan Pathfinder. It has enough room for car pool, but I don't feel like I am driving a school bus. There is still room for groceries/golf clubs/luggage even with the third row occupied.
Post by chocolatelove on Dec 4, 2019 16:32:11 GMT -5
We were strongly considering the Kia Teluride, which is brand new this year. The only reason we did not go for it is because the car loan didn’t fit within our budget. We ended up with a van, but would have gone with the Pacifica, which supposedly is technically an SUV, not a van, but they didn’t have any in stock when we were looking.
Another chevy traverse owner!!! I’ve been driving it since May and I love it. We have a 2019 with the captains chairs in the second row. We didn’t like it with the bench in the 2nd row. I love that you can just climb back there without moving/folding down a seat. I’ve sat in the 3rd row without any issue. DH has been in the 3rd row of a 2018 or 2017. We tend to throw the kids in the 3rd row instead of making adults climb back there. We haven’t had a car load of 7 adults yet.
Post by nextbigthing on Dec 4, 2019 17:16:24 GMT -5
Toyota highlander or 4runner.
I tend to alternate between the two and trade when they hit 200k miles. Never had an issue. I'm on my 3rd Highlander and have had 3 4Runners (highlander gets better gas mileage and I drive a ton for work)
We have a Highlander that DH drives, the third row is a bit tight for adults but that seems the case to me in any mid-size, I feel like only the giant ones have a spacious third row.
And I know you said no mini vans but I’d challenge yourself to figure out why you’re against them- interior wise they’re basically the same thing as an SUV and generally cost less, plus have doors that open themselves/kids can’t accidentally use them to hit the car parked next to you.
Love my 2017 Highlander with captains chairs. I leased bc I wasn’t sure I’d love it, but while I’ll probably look at the Traverse, I’m pretty set on the 2020. It has more cargo space and Apple Car Play which are really my only issues with my current car.
I had a QX60 for a rental. Despite me being the only person in the car almost all week (DS was in his carrier in the back a few days I think), the car felt cramped to me when I tested sitting in the back. We bought the QX80. I thought I'd never be able to drive it but I got used to it and I feel super safe driving it. Your carpool would love how spacious it is but I'm sure they'd survive the QX60. The only downside has been it's a gas guzzler. My other car is an RDX so I'm familiar with Acura and didn't want to consider the MDX. Same issue of feeling cramped.