Minivan, SUV W/ Third Row for Family of 5...what Do You Drive?

Minivan. My kids are older and I need to go back to a minivan. It's just so much easier to throw that 3rd kid in the back so they literally aren't sitting on top of each other. With younger kids, I would do the 2nd row with captain chairs instead of a bench, especially if you are going to keep it for a long time. SUV's are not great on gas and it's a little harder to get to the 3rd row and the back isn't as big as a van. Good luck!

We have an 8 seat Toyota Sienna. We easily fit all 3 in the middle row. We only use the third row when we have extra passengers or the kids are having a niggly day and we have to separate someone. It fits absolutely everything and the kitchen sink!
We did a day trip to the Hollywood/LA area from San Diego. We had 4 adults, 2 kids in carseats/high back boosters, one tween and when we got to LA we picked up one more adult. All 8 seats were full and we still had more than enough room to fit everything we needed in the trunk and we didn't completely clean it out of random things that were in it before the trip. We all had enough room. We could all see out the windows as we were sight seeing. We could all get in and out without huge problems.
We've fit all of us, a bunch of bikes and trailer (some on the bike rack and some inside), fishing gear, chairs, coolers etc and everyone in their seats.
We love this car!! It has more than 100K miles on it now, it was in single digits when we bought it, and it's still taking us all the places we want to get to.

I drive a Toyota Sienna and absolutely love it. It was so nice to get it after driving 3 kids in a Chevy Equinox for over three years. It has tons of cargo space, tons of leg room even in the 3rd row. I've ridden back there a few times and it's very comfortable. It drives so smoothly-like a car. I would highly recommend it!

Get a minivan. It's so much easier, especially with a baby. Your other kids will be able to climb in themselves and get into their seats (my two year old can) so you won't have to lift them in along with the baby. SUVs are a lot higher off the ground so it will be tough for the little ones.

We have an Odyssey and it's great. The trunk/cargo space is pretty big and it's easier to access the back seat than in an SUV. The third row is more comfortable and more spacious, too.

Ok I guess I am not the norm. I wanted a minivan. I only have two kids, but I could never bring anyone else with us. I had a small SUV and once my daughter figured out how to open her door I couldn't park next to anyone. I now have a Honda Odyssey. I love all of the room and the sliding doors. We go camping and can fit us and everything we need to tent camp in that thing and we all still have leg room!

So, here's the thing...Nobody really "wants" a minivan...but, all things considered, they are what they are for a certain time in your life as a parent. Better gas mileage, less expensive insurance & maintenance, more adaptable interiors, etc. Now it may be easier to say for me because I'm nearing the end of my minivan years, but I did have to sell a Corvette to get mine after my second child was born, so I can totally relate to those saying they never "wanted" a minivan...neither did I. That said, I won't buy another one...don't need it, since we ended up only having 2 kids. Good Luck!

We have three kids (all in car seats) and drive a 2011 Honda Odyssey. It is great if you want three car seats with LATCH in the second row. The only problem is that if you want to access the third row, you have to climb over the second row, since the seats don't fold forward when there are car seats attached. You can also climb in through the rear if you fold one seat down.

A friend of mind just bought a new Toyota Sienna. I don't know if it seats three across in the second row, but the wonderful thing about her minivan is that the second row seats can slide forward enough so that you don't have to fold the seat forward to get into the back. So even if you have car seats in the second row, it is easy to access the third row. I wish this feature had been available when I bought my minivan.

One more thing about driving a minivan -- It is great for hauling home stuff from Costco and Ikea! Good luck!

Hello,

I drive a 2006 Toyota Sienna 8 Passenger minivan. It has 168,000 miles and we have been very fortunate with it. My kids are older now but It's great because I can fit all three kids in the second row if I have to and leave the entire third row down for storage. The third row is split so if one kids needs to go to the back, it still leaves a lot of cargo room. Good Luck!

Any van you find that fits your body and is comfortable to drive will be fine.

The issues I find to be important are these:

Area behind the back seat. Some vans are very nearly touching the back window glass. That's not enough room for anything. Make sure you get one that has at least a foot behind the headrests and the back window. I also like the stow and go seats so that I can get the back of the van flat to the floor. I can haul all sorts of things with it.

The windows on the back section on the sides need to open. If you are hauling trash they take the smell out and don't circulate it to the front.

Having room to put my purse between the seats. If you have a console it is nice for sure. They are a nice place to put everything but if you are constantly having to unbuckle and climb into the passenger floorboards to get your purse for money to pay for food at the window, well, that's just not fun. I like having some room in the seating area to put my purse.

When you're driving either north or south you'll often find that you have the sun shining on the side of your face. I love the duel sunshades. One extends when you put it over your side window and the other one folds down in front of you. I like this option.

I have to have front and rear separate controls. If the kids are cold and I am hot, well, I am the driver and if I'm too hot I might pass out. So I turn the air conditioner off in the back and turn it arctic in the front. Same for heat in the winter. I like my feet warm but I want my face cool.

I like when I can open the doors with the touch of a button. I like having a remote that I can choose which door I want to put everything in. I also like a remote start because if someone tries to steal it they can't go anywhere because as soon as they try to put it in gear the van will die and not restart until the key is inserted.

There are many many features that separate a van from something special. It all depends on what YOU find important.

A.:

We are a family of 4 and one dog. We drive a Honda Odyssey.

Get in the car. Drive it. Bring the stuff you need to put in your car - stroller - car seats, etc. and see how it works for you. What works for me - might not work for you.

My kids are older 11 and 13. And I have found that we still need the room as we take their friends places.

Good luck!!

My kids are 2,4, and 6. I have a dodge caravan and I love my mini van. I REALLY didn't want to get a van so I got a dodge journey when my second was little but it had no trunk space with the third row up. I drove it a few months before getting my van. Ideally I would have love a big Tahoe or suburban but you really can't beat the room on the excellent gas mileage. We all fit along with my bob double stroller(its huge) an umbrella stroller and I still have lots of room for groceries, huge bags of dog, etc. If we have another child we still have room.
*dog food
I was also 24 when I got my van *sigh

Honda Odyssey. I'm all about function, and it works best for my family. As long as it's dependable and handles well, I'm happy driving it.

Right now I'm driving a Volvo XC90 with seatbelts for 7. It's great for carpooling and teens. But when my kids were little, my minivan was wonderful. Easy to access carseats, room for the gear in back, and I could walk from front to back without getting out of the car. This was good for getting snacks and changing diapers in the back. In the rain.

I drove a Dodge Grand Caravan and loved it. Who says no one wants a minivan? After trying to get my baby in and out of her carseat in the back of our old 2 door sedan, I wanted that minivan!

We are also a family of 5. I had a GMC Acadia and LOVED it! I loved the captain's chairs in the middle row, so my oldest (just 5years old when #3 was born) could walk to the 3rd row. We recently traded the Acadia for a Suburban. The Suburban is nice, but I miss my Acadia! My Suburban also has the captain's chairs--which is a must!!

We have a Toyota Sienna and its a great fit for us . The back row is actually comfortable to sit in compared to other minivans . Don't get the Dodge its super uncomfortable for driver and passengers (armrests ).
We love the fact that we can bring my parents with us to dinner ,etc. Its a nice smooth ride too.My husband loves the sliding doors because our kids would open the doors and ding our car and other cars! Good luck !

I have 3 kids (all just shy of two years apart each) and NEVER drove a mini-van or wanted one. We have had a Nissan Armada (LOVED) and a Yukon Denali XL (LOVED). Those were what we drove when they were all in car seats and smaller. It was great because both gave us room for everyhing we needed and then some.

Last year we got rid of the Denali and got a Camry hybrid. It fits all 5 of us (kids were 5, 7, and 9). I use that to go visit my sister in SC, it's an 8 hour drive and it only takes one tank of gas. It's also what my husband uses to commute to and from Southern Maryland and Bethesda daily (2 hours each way).

This past February, we got rid of the Armada (my baby!) and got a Highlander. It's great too, but not great on space for extra things. It's not as wide as the Armada or Denali, but when it's just the 3 kids and I, my 10 year old sits up front and the 8 and 6 year old hop in the middle seat. When we need the back seats up, it's doable and we can get luggage in there too without a problem, just not convenient to probably do that all the time.

It's really up to you. Minivans seem great, but I'm NOT a minivan kind of mom, so I woudln't ever plan to buy one. If you are, then they do seem great. I found the Armada to be the best LARGE vehicle we have ever had though.

We have a Ford conversion van. It's the best purchase for the space we were looking for. I never had to change a diaper in the cold or nurse or anything. If I had to do anything I was able to stay in the van without stepping foot outside. We were even able to have a tiny portapotty for the kids.

My kids are 6, 7, & 9 and we've had the van for 8 yrs.

Our neighbor hit our van a couple years ago. We got a Honda Odeyssey rental. We all couldn't wait to get our van back, we felt so cramped. My 3 carseats barely fit and we had no extra room.

Honda Odyssey all the way! We have 6 kids and I used to drive a huge Ford E350 (12 seat van). I finally talked my husband into downsizing and I researched and researched all the options. The Odyssey fits us all comfortably and the cargo area is still rather large. Plus gas mileage for commuting was good. I love my van!

I drive a Dodge Grand Caravan. I have two boys, aged 8 and 11. I have driven a mini-van since the first was born. I love my Grand Caravan. It has tons of storage, especially with the stow and go seats. I can take both of my boys and a friend for each, along with all of our camping equipment and fishing gear in it no problem. We have the family package so we have all the extra's such as dvd player etc. Excellent family vehicle and fantastic for road trips!

We didn't want to do a minivan. Our kids are 6,3, and almost 8 months. I ended up getting a Ford Flex with the second row being captain's chairs with pass through for my oldest to go to third row and buckle himself in. The storage behind the third row is fine for everyday (groceries and single stroller) but a double stroller probably wouldn't fit. My husband ended up getting a GMC Acadia with captain's chairs in second row and pass through to third row and that has more storage room behind third row. We love both and are happy with the purchases.

We have a 2009 VW Routan SEL van. I put off getting a minivan as long as I could, but when Baby #2 was about 1 year old we saw the value in it.

We're now expecting #4 and I don't have to worry about space. Our particular model has tons of options, including power sliding doors & lift gate, power stow & go rear seating with a 1 seat/2 seats split bench.

ETA: Oh yes, and DVD player--rows 2 & 3 have their own screens, as well as headphone jacks. Makes our 7 hour road trips to visit my hometown MUCH more pleasant!

It also has remote start which is GREAT in the winter time, or when I don't want to bring the kids with me into the dry cleaner, so I can just close the door, press the remote start, and run in and out of the cleaner within 2 minutes.

I drive a Dodge Journey and love it! They have 2 models one has a 3rd row.

I recently traded in my Nissan for a Town & Country minivan. My husband did not want one but I did and I love it.

I have had a large and small SUV in the past and this has so much more room. Now that I live in FL I don't need a 4 x 4 anymore. I like the stow n go seats the most along with the automatic doors (especially when my hands are full).

We tried to avoid the minivan route when we were pregnant with #3, but everything I looked at just seemed crazy for us. At the time, we had 3 and 4 yo boys. In the end, we opted for a Toyota Sienna, which was awesome. We just replaced it with a Chrysler Town & Country last year and with 4 kids, it's a dream. Getting in & out isn't hard. I can haul equipment to sporting events and it's comfortable.

Go for the minivan - this coming from a person who never wanted a minivan but wound up owning one (Toyota Sienna) for 9 years, LOL! They are just plain 'ol better for fitting multiple car seats, storage, comfort, etc. We recently "downsized" to a crossover (Chevy Traverse) and when our family of 5 heads out on road trips in the Traverse I really, really miss the spaciousness and comfort of my minivan! When we moved half-way across the country (from East Coast to Texas), our 8 passenger Sienna fit 4 adults, two children (our third child wasn't born yet), two cats and all of our luggage and we were comfortable! Gosh, sometimes I miss that minivan ... sigh

We have a Dodge Durango & couldn't be happier! I'm only 5'0" & used to be afraid to drive a "big" car but this handles so well & comfortable I feel like "queen" of the road!
Gas saving tip - always keep the tank half full & don't drive fast (if you can help it).

Love my GMC Acadia! I only have 2 but I needed the space for friends and family. I agree with KM about the captains chairs for the second row. It makes getting to the rear seat much easier.

Plenty of cargo space (roof rack and I have the tow package), and leg room!

I am super picky. We test drove every suv with the third row. I didn't like any of them because I wanted lots of room for cargo. I also wanted it to be easy for people to get to the third row. The two options that worked were the suburban size suvs and the Honda Odyssey. We went with the Honda mainly because I felt like I was driving a tank in the suburban. We have been really happy with it.

ETA: I DID want a minivan. The only reason we test drove the suvs was because my husband insisted we would find one that would work for us. I convinced him otherwise. ;)

I love my Ford Explorer. It has a third row, the seats easily fold down.