SUV or minivan?

DH and I have been talking about getting a new vehicle in the near future and whenever we do we'll be buying either a minivan or an SUV. We're just not sure which would the best vehicle to tote two infants/toddlers around. So I thought I would see what other twin parents like in their vehicles, as well as things they wish they would have considered when they purchased their last vehicle.

Here are things we would really like:

seating for 7
4WD or AWD (I think Siennas have AWD option?)
comfortable/roomy interior
decent storage space in back for stroller and baby gear

We really need 4WD or AWD because when it snows our 2000 Camry just can not make it up the driveway and therefore has been in the garage for the past 1.5 weeks. I really like the minivans that have doors that slide open automatically - that looks super convenient. But I like the styling of SUVs better. And while we would prefer that the vehicle not be a gas guzzler, our jobs are only 3 miles away from home so we really don't do a lot of driving, so it doesn't have to be the most efficient vehicle either. Lastly, we just purchased 2 Britax Marathon convertible seats, so we need a vehicle that those would fit comfortably in rear-facing for a while.

So, tell me what you love or hate about your SUV or minivan so that we can configure our dream vehicle Thanks in advance!

 

If you want an SUV and "accessible" seating for 7 your options are limited to the SUVS with two chairs in the middle with a passageway between them. Otherwise, you won't be able to access the 3rd row b/c the carseats will be in the seats thus making it impossible to fold down the seats to get to the 3rd row. We have a Lincoln Navigator which we really like--very big though! The other suvs with this option are the Escalade, Denali and a few other GM or Ford suvs and the Toyota Sequoia. Most of the other 3rd row SUVS won't work b/c you can't fit two carseats next to each other which you would need to do to access the 3rd row. When the 3rd row is in use, the trunk space is limited but with it down you've got tons of space. I didn't want a minivan but I think they are probably really convenient!

Frankly, it's really which route you'd prefer to take.
GOOD LUCK!

 

Our Yukon XL is the perfect vehicle (in our opinion!)

Seats 7. We have the captain's chairs in the middle row for the twins, and my older 2 kids sit in the rear row. 3rd row pulls out easily if necessary. It has the extended back end (hence the XL) so even with the third row seat in there is a ton of storage back there. We needed it because we do a lot of camping and every summer we drive 2000 miles one way to canada to visit my family. We've already made a trip to the beach in it, loaded with 4-5 suitcases, a stroller, and various beach items. Handles like a dream, has available 4WD when needed but we keep it turned off, has the tow package, and the racks on the top of it.

No minivan that we looked at had an equivalent amt of storage in the back end. We knew we needed room for suitcases AND a stroller back there, and nothing else compared. I believe the Ford Explorer has the extended back end, as well as the Chevy Suburban.

Here's ours:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=73633&id=681590812&l=ceef431760

 

So you're saying that if the Britax Marathon seats were in the 2 middle seats, that we wouldn't be able to get to the 3rd row? We were thinking with a Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander that wouldn't be a problem, but we haven't actually looked inside those vehicles yet either, heh. I just assumed the 2 car seats would fit in the middle, leaving room in the third row for the in-laws to ride, or for me to ride back there on long trips to keep the boys pacified.

Danibell, my sister-in-law had a GMC Yukon until recently and loved it. We rode in it several times along with her DH and 3 kids and that thing was super roomy. I'd hate to have to park that battle cruiser though, LOL (but she had no problems doing so, it just intimidates me!).

 

We just bought a Chevy uplander. I had my dream car, a Nissan Altima with push start ignition when the twins were born, but after only three months we knew that the car had o go. We were limited by our budget, so the bells and whistles were a sacrifice. Our minivan has captain seats in the middle, plenty of floor space to make moving around easy, and lots of room in back for our stroller (infact for a while I carried my jogging stroller and the snap-n-go).

My SIL has an SUV, it is very sporty looking, but the gas mil. is not as good as ours, and while it seat seven, it's almost impossible to get to the back row.

My vote would def. be for the mini-van.

 

With the seats rearfacing, even with captain's chairs, my kids had to crawl underneath the seats to get to the rear row. There's no way I would fit underneath them! With a full center row she's saying that you would have to crawl overtop of the seat back to get to the back row. 2 carseats (one near a door and one in the middle) will prevent the middle row seat from folding forward to get into the backseat.

And parking is definitely more challenging, but with 4 kids I prefer to park furthur away from stores anyways so I don't have to worry as much about someone running over a kid while I'm buckling the other kids in! You quickly get used to it!

Oh I meant to add that ours gets 17 mpg, and our GMC Jimmy (our second vehicle) gets 19 mpg. Not great but not as bad as you'd think, and better than some of the older minivan's we looked at!

 

I drive a 2007 Suburban that I love to pieces. I have four kids - and we actually DO NOT have captains chairs in the second row, I have a bench. I intended to have that swapped for captains when I learned I was pregnant with twins last year, but a friend stopped me. She and her hubby both drive Suburbans like mine - one with second row captains, the other with a bench. She said she preferred the bench, leaving the passenger side seat flipped forward for access to the third row - as previous poster mentioned, it's a whipping to get around those car seats to get between captains chairs to access the third row. So I kept my bench, keep that second row seat flipped forward and we're all happy campers. My carseat configuration is as follows:

2nd Row:
Graco Snugrides x2 in the middle and driver-side positions

3rd Row:
Britax Marathon
Britax Frontier

So the "spare" seat is the one always flipped forward - super easy to access when a grandmother or friend rides with us or when I ride in the back with the kiddos on a long car trip. And I suppose a scrawny kid could fit between the two carseats in the third row.

Finally - my two cents about Britax Marathons ... I have absolutely loved this seat and am a huge fan of Britax. However, I plan to purchase the smaller Roundabouts for my twins. I was sold on the Marathon due to the high height/weight limits of the seat for my first child - now that my oldest is five, however, I can see that it is extremely unlikely that she would've stayed in that seat (had she been an only child) long enough to test those limits. I think this is a point now highlighted in the newer Baby Bargains books. Anyway, I think that a Roundabout is likely sufficient to carry your child until they are ready to move to more of a "big kid" seat. And for that next step, we have been very happy with our Frontier - five point harness, converts to backless booster, etc. Just my two cents when you're considering carseats and how much room they will take up!!

 

We bought the Chevy Traverse and I love it, DH refused to buy a mini-van and I didn't want to drive a beast of a vehicle. We have the twins in the middle row (bench seat, although you can get bucket seats) they are in rear facing Radians in middle and drivers side and my 4yr sits in the back. We have the two back seats flipped down so there is tons of trunk space. Right now since the boys are still rear facing we have the second bench pushed back so there isn't too much leg room in the 3rd row but when we turn their seats around there is plenty. Its good on gas mileage considering it seats 8 but I think it only comes FWD or AWD - did well in the snow for us though. It doesn't have automatic doors - my only drawback

 

I'm enjoying everybody's posts about their configurations and helpful hints! Please keep 'em coming I'll point my husband to the thread later so that we can discuss the positives and negatives of SUVs vs minivans and bench seats vs captain seats in the second row, etc. This has been very informative so far!