3 Row SUV with three kids

wolfekm

We are in the market for a new SUV. Looking to trade out an '07 Toyota Sequioa with 110k miles. LOVED my Sequoia, and thought we were ready to downsize a bit, but looked at the Honda Pilot, Acura MDX and Toyota Highlander today and was really disappointed with the middle seat in the second row, especially with the Highlander. It seemed to be an afterthought in all three cars, not something to be used on a daily basis. Our local Toyota dealer says the Sequoia's are really hard to come by now... So, where to go now? I think we are leaning towards a larger SUV again. Maybe Lexus GX 460? Or Chevy Tahoe? Have owned the Volvo XC90 and was underwhelmed by it. What else am I missing?? Kids are 5, 9 and 12 now, so looking for a car we can grow with beyond the booster seat stage, and our whole family is tall...

Chrismax

We downsized from a 2004 Sequoia to a 2011 Traverse. Same situation with 3 kids-same ages. Got the LTZ model, went from 8 pass to 7 pass. Have not noticed a lack of space as the traverse seats fold flat and the sequoias did not.

nyccarguy

We have 3 children, all in car seats (5 1/2, 3, & 7 months). We bought a 2011 Pilot last year & couldn't be happier. 2nd row has 3 sets of LATCHes & we can fit 1 Graco Base + 2 Britax Marathon car seats in the 2nd row. The Pilot also has 1 set of LATCHes in the 3rd row. My boys like to sit in the 3rd row, so we have the baby in the 2nd row middle, one Marathon 2nd row driver's side, & one Marathon 3rd row passenger side.

Good luck with your search!

ndg

I'm in the same boat. I have kids ages 8 and 11, plus a dog. I have an '03 Odyssey that I'd like to replace with something more upscale. I've been looking at the MDX, but I'm concerned that it's not quite big enough. I've owned a couple of Lexus cars and been quite pleased, but the LX570 is expensive and gets really poor mileage. I'm not sure about the size of the GX. If you can tolerate a minvan, the Sienna limited looks quite nice. However, for the same money, you can get a well equipped MDX. That's a long way of saying I don't know what to get.

txpackersfan

The Sequoia is really a nice choice. I too was in an Ody which served us well with 3 little kids. The little kids are now teenagers, 2 of which are over 6' tall. Even the minivan was getting cramped for them. The Sequoia has tons of space. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much stuff we packed into it for a 3 week vacation. It swallowed at least as much stuff as the van and could have taken more. We have the Platinum so we just put down the left rear seat (the 60 portion of the 60:40 split). Each kid had their own space and all were comfortable. We sometimes drove 14 hours in a day and never had a complaint from anyone. The seats are so comfortable and the ride is so smooth.

We too looked at mid size SUVs including Pilot, MDX, Traverse, Explorer, JX35, X5, etc as well as other large SUVs like the Yukon and Suburban. All the mid size were just too small. While we all could fit into it for driving around town or short trips, there was no way we could pack all our luggage into it and be comfortable. Also, most did not have enough leg room for my 6'-4" tall son and the rear seat on all of them was much too small and cramped. The other large SUVs just didn't have the build quality of the Sequoia.

As you make your decision, think to the future. Kids grow up fast. Ten year old kids soon become 14 year old kids that may tower over you. The Sequoia fits our family well now and will also work in the future as the kids go to college and we move them back and forth. It's luxurious without being a luxury brand and you will see very few on the road so you get to be unique. I get many comments about it and I'm sure it's because most people have no idea what it is.

Good luck in the search.

wwest

Minivan...

Toyota Sienna F/awd...?

paublo

We were in a similar situation a couple of months ago. We needed more seats for when the kids and grandkids came to visit. Went with the Sequoia for quality, features, towing, etc. It is hard to find the exact options and colors, but the dealers do a lot of searching and trading. It took a week to get what we wanted, but worth a little wait. It has exceeded our expectations. Get what you want.

buyingacar2

We have 2 kids and looking for a non-minivan. we found nissan's pathfinder 2013 or infiniti jx both have comfortable 3rd row seats, 2nd row can be adjusted so 3rd row leg room is good. pathfinder over all is a good value car... but price we got down to just under 40k.

While we asked around friends, almost all of my friends, family have MDX... oh well, we are swing voters. We are re-thinking mdx again. it's only about 4k more. Maybe we'll go for mdx luxury but not comfortable 3rd row seats. huh...

txpackersfan

I looked at both the MDX and the Infiniti JX35 before buying the Sequoia. My opinion is the MDX is by far the better vehicle. It looks better on the outside and has a much nicer interior. The power train is also much better. I didn't like the CVT transmission on the JX. I found the 3rd row seat on the MDX to also be more comfortable.

As you're deciding also consider how you will use the vehicle now and as your kids get older. I really liked the MDX, but ultimately we went with the Sequoia because it gave us the room we needed when we travel. The MDX (and JX35) would work fine for trips around town. As soon as you take a weekend vacation, you'll find the limitation in cargo room. With only 2 kids it may not be a problem. I have 3 kids so there was no way 5 of us along with our luggage could fit in any crossover SUV. I actually tried it before purchasing. That was the big driver that took us to the Sequoia. It handles all the stuff we need to take now and in the future. If you go with the Platinum or Limited, the interior is very nice. Definitely not as nice as the MDX but the quality is much better than anything you'll find in a Ford or GM SUV.

I also thought about gas mileage but my cost is essentially the same. Even though I get lower MPG with the Sequoia, I can use regular gas instead of premium that is required in the MDX and JX. So fuel cost is essentially a wash.

One other point about the Sequoia; it is big and takes some time to get used to driving. Once you get used to it however, it's easy to drive. I also find people tend to get out of my way when I drive it. I think they get scared when they see this big thing in their mirrors especially when the DRLs are on.