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Old 04-04-2022, 10:04 PM
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Default Third Row Vehicle Recommendations

I'm in the market for a new vehicle (after 14 years & 200K miles, my current ride is ready for That Dealership in the Sky) and am looking for seven-passenger/third row seating vehicle recommendations. I'm looking at SUVs vs. minivans (not a hater just BTDT) from the last 3-5 years.

Anything I buy will be much more updated than what I currently have so I'm not looking for any particular bells or whistles besides comfort, safety, and decent(ish) gas mileage.

What do y'all recommend as a good family vehicle?
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Old 04-04-2022, 10:21 PM
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Depending on how tall your passengers will be, we like my parents' Chevy Traverse. My 6'4" dad is comfortable driving it but my 6'1" son is not wild about long distance trips in the middle or third row in it since he's all leg. Driving around town he's fine in it, but we've done some 5-6 hr road trips and he maxes out early in the back row. Otherwise they bought it used and have had no issues with it.
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Old 04-04-2022, 10:36 PM
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I have teens and love my Kia Mini van. We have leather seats and it seats 7 so when family comes in we can all get around.
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Old 04-05-2022, 01:10 AM
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I absolutely LOVE my Honda Pilot. Mine does have all the bells & whistles (leather heated and cooled seats, built in video system, etc) since I knew I was going to keep it forever, but you can get more standard models too. When I looked, it was one of the few SUVs that had a backrow that was fully collapsible while still having normal seats. Mine is about 5 years old, so I'm not sure if it's changed, but the gas mileage is just ok, not fantastic. I think that's pretty typical of larger vehicles. It does have an eco mode which helps.

I literally looked at EVERY third row SUV that was out and the Honda Pilot won easily. I haven't regretted the decision at all.
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Old 04-05-2022, 08:45 AM
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We have a 2008 Toyota Sienna (8 passenger Mini Van) and a 2015 Ford Expedition (7 passenger SUV).

Surprisingly the mini van has more leg room in the middle row and more cargo space. The third row in both are about the same. Adults/near grown teens are a bit tight in the third row of each vehicle. I absolutely loved my minivan. Still like it, but now hardly ever have more than one or two with me since they all are grown and drive. In fact, my 17 year old son now drives my Minnie more than I do. I usually drive the Expedition and if hubby and I go out, it's in the Expedition too. My Minnie does not have a lot of bells n whistles but the Expedition has lovely heated and AC seats that I admit I totally love.

Gas milage in better in Minnie so that did most of out road trips when we needed space for 4 or 5 kiddos.

We have decided when I get a new car in a few years, it will probably be a Highlander or Explorer. They have the third row, so we will have it just in case, but I don't need it on a regular basis anymore.
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Old 04-05-2022, 09:05 AM
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We love our Mazda CX9
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Old 04-05-2022, 09:44 AM
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We also have a mazda cx9 and really like it

last month we had to switch vehicles with my parents chevy blazer for a bit and I am SO glad we have our mazda because the difference in gas was crazy!

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Old 04-05-2022, 08:12 PM
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I think it's highly dependent on what your price-point is. I upgraded to a 7 passenger last summer (after owning my previous vehicle 17 years). I did a ton of research and ended up getting a Volvo XC90. I know a lot of people with Toyota Highlanders that love them.
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Old 04-05-2022, 09:24 PM
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Not sure how big a vehicle you want to drive, but I love our Chevy Suburban. In fact this is our third. Because of the price tag for a new one, we've always bought used and have had good luck. In fact our last one had over 270K miles when it became a farm only vehicle.
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Old 04-06-2022, 09:30 AM
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We had a Honda Pilot for six years - great vehicle. Jake can still fit in the 3rd row, but it's hard to get in and out of if you are tall. We now have a GMC Acadia and it's easier to get in and out because there are two bucket seats in the middle row. (We had to go to the Acadia because we needed a vehicle to be able to flat tow behind our RV, otherwise we would have stayed with the Pilot.)

My parents have a Chevy Traverse... that thing is a tank and drives like a pick-up truck. It's so nice, but would never fit in our garage... too long.
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Old 04-06-2022, 07:24 PM
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We love our 2015 Honda Pilot. The 3rd row is good for 2 smaller adults or 3 children. The trunk is still a decent size with the 3rd row up, but I wouldn't want the 3rd row to be permanently up. I am "the mom" who drives my kids and their friends around because I can fit 8 in the vehicle. I like it that way!

Super dependable, just recently had the AC do some weird stuff but never had an issue with it but we've been good keeping up with maintenance and caring for it. It's the older boxy look and I like it for that! The newer models look like every other SUV on the market now. I love all the features which were new to me when we bought it. We did buy it preowned and certified. My dad taught me to never buy new (it depreciates in the value the minute you drive it off the lot).

It does take a decent amount of gas but the tank is big so I don't feel like I'm filling up all the time. We got the seats with the power adjustments and lumbar support and a sun roof. Love my sun roof. Although I left it open in a rainstorm once. Oops. I also love how it drives. Not too squishy like a mini van, it drives more like a truck to me which I like.
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Old 04-07-2022, 09:46 PM
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We purchased a Yukon XL a few months ago. We needed room for 3 grandkiddos and opted for a bigger SUV, upgrading from a Traverse. The Traverse was great, but man, there is so much more room in the Yukon XL. Probably not the best for gas mileage (especially at today's prices), but it gets pretty good MPG.
Good luck with your choice!
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