Mini Van vs Midsize SUV

I have been dreaming of a Honda Pilot SUV for a long time now; we are currently loading J&D and all their stuff into our tiny car. In a few months we'll be moving to a place where we will need a second vehicle. I'm starting to wonder if, despite my dreams of the SUV, it might be more practical to get the Honda Oddyssey mini van instead. If so, I wonder how much more practical. I.e. - is it not at all a question, or is it personal preference? Both have hatchback doors in the rear, both have seating for 8, both have a 3rd row of seats that will fold into the floor. It is only the 4 of us (plus all the stuff). But is the arrangements of the seats in the van a huge plus? Is the sliding door on the side? Just wondering what those of you with either kind of vehicle might think. Thanks!

 

I posted a thread on the exact same topic a few months ago, LOL. We decided to get a minivan instead of an SUV, because with two rear facing seats in the second row of an SUV there wouldn't be any way to get to third row seats (without crawling under the convertible seats - not easy for an adult). So just last week we bought a 7-seater Toyota Sienna which is exactly what we needed. We moved one of the captain chairs in the second row to the middle so that those 2 seats are side-by-side now and put the Britax car seats rear facing in those. This allows access to the third row. And best of all it has dual power sliding doors which I LOVE! I figured if I had to get an uncool minivan that I would at least make sure it had dual power doors We don't have visitors often so our third row won't get used often, except when the in-laws visit, or for long trips I may sit back there to entertain the boys. And man there is a TON of storage space in the Sienna compared to our 2008 Toyota RAV4!

 

We LOVE our Honda Pilot! We did not want to get a minivan (swore we never would). We have 2 kids in the second row and will be adding a 3rd when baby #3 comes in Sept. We will probably buy 2 of the narrow Sunshine Radian Kids seats and then use one of our Evenflo Triumph seats as well. We mainly use the back for storage. Sometimes the dog sits in the backseat (she has a seat belt).

 

The sliding doors is a huge plus. Especially in parking lots, you don't have to worry about leaving the doors open too long and someone pulling in beside you and taking off a door, or slinging the doors open into another car while you try to pull out a carseat. Or, as the kids get older, them throwing a door open into another car. They are just so convenient and space saving. As far as the third row..lots more room in a van. When we get together and go out with other family members there's more leg room than the SUV's I've been in. We, too, considered getting an SUV (gas mileage is compareable), but in the end, there was just more room in the van.

 

Love love love my Sienna. I would never trade it for any SUV. So much easier to get in and out of a van, and a van drives like a car, while an SUV drives like a truck. Mine doesn't have power doors, but I can tell you that once kids start opening their own doors, sliding doors are great, because there is no chance they are going to fling them open into the car parked next to you.

 

Two word answer.

I too love my Sienna and wouldn't have an SUV. The sliding doors make it so much easier to get infant carriers out. More leg room, better gas mileage, safer blah blah blah. . .

Whatever you get, take your carseat with you shopping!

 

It's all a personal choice. I prefer my Yukon XL because I like driving a truck better than a car! We also needed way more storage in the rear of our vehicle than an mini van provides, the extended SUV gives us that. I won't say I will never buy a mini van, but I will say we'll never buy a car again and will probably stick with SUV's.

 

I had the exact question in mind! We were thinking of the Pilot. How did you moms find it in terms of space?

 

I found this YouTube video comparing space inside an Odyssey vs. a Pilot very helpful when I was considering those two vehicles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgNGOKhNLRQ

 

We (I) went through the same thing! I wanted a Pilot and certainly NOT a mini-van. But I after shopping for both I couldn't escape the fact that mini-vans are simply and especially made with families in mind. Fast foward two years later and i love my Honda Odyssey. Really, it's the little things that make a huge difference. Just the other day my DH needed to jump into the back seat to help one of the girls. With just a flip of a switch he can walk back easily and sit right between them. Sliding doors are big (with two in hand plus bags of items) they are super helpful.
I figure I'll have it at least 10 years and then I'll finally get my "cool" car :banana:

 

I just traded in my Chrysler Pacifica for a Town and Country and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! It makes shopping with the boys soo much easier and there is a sort of well behind the 3rd row that my double stroller fits nicely in to and more room I can stack on top!! The power sliding doors are a God send too!!!!!

 

Mini van ALL.THE.WAY with small kids.

The sliding doors are a life saver as well as the automatic tail gate. We have a Tahoe as well as a Sienna and I can tell you now that the kids are older, the Tahoe works just fine. But if Leah had to climb over the seat every time we got in when she was smaller, I wouldnt have wanted to deal with that. Now she can climb in the back and buckle herself which makes all the difference.

 

We went from having no kids to two in car seats. I was driving a 4-door Jeep(which is not kid friendly)and my husband has a 4 wheel drive truck. I swore I would never drive a minivan just not me and I would end up wrecking a SUV. It took me 8 months but I finally found the Chevy Traverse. It seats 8 people, plenty of room and very comfortable. It also came with the back up cameras, so I won't end up backing into anything. To me it was the perfect solution of not wanting a minivan or a SUV.

 

Just curious, are adults able to get to the third row with rear facing seats in the second row? That was the biggest reason we decided to forego an SUV and get a minivan.

 

yes, there's just as much foot room but difficult to climb back.

 

I love my Sienna, but I still would rather just have an SUV if I only had 2 kids. I will say that the Sienna is more comfortable, quieter, and easier to drive then my CRV.

 

I think it's just a matter of personal preference. I really dislike mini-vans and we opted for a Nissan Pathfinder with the 3rd row. I have the girls 3 across in the second row and I have no troubles getting them in and out. The 3rd row is a little small, but we rarely use it and it gives us quite bit of storage space with it folded down. When I have sat back there, I just jumped through the rear door and it was no big deal. It drives incredibly smooth and quiet and I love my sunroof and little extras.