SUV or minivan for a family of 6?

[Ann.without.an.e]

I think our older minivan might be on the blitz. We are thinking about replacement, but we just can't decide.

 

DH leans toward an SUV (Expedition or Suburban?) because

The extra room for trips, etc (we pretty much fill a minivan)

They are easier to repair

 

I lean toward a larger minivan (Odyssey or Quest?) because

Even though I don't drive much, I know the gas expense would make me nervous.

I am not sure how comfortable I will be driving a huge SUV

The initial expense is more and tires, etc will cost a lot more

 

Is there a great vehicle we should consider? Are there reasons why you would chose one over the other?

 

Thanks :lurk5:

[Wamommy]

We have a Toyota Sienna 8 seated and we fit really well. We have 4 kids similar in age to yours---13, 10, 8 and 4. We do have a rooftop carrier for long trips, but there is lots of storage space. We can flip down 2 of the far back seats if we need more room, and still fit 6 people. It is very functional.

[WishboneDawn]

We'll be buying a Kia Sedona in a year or two. We're Hyundai fans to begin with and both Kia and Hyundai offer the same simple formula - low price/high quality.

[Pretty in Pink]

I greatly prefer the minivan. I've been driving a Sienna for six years and it's a great vehicle.

[happygrrl]

We recently had to chose between van and SUV. We decided to consider every vehicle on the market, as the best choice might not be obvious. Our main concerns were:

 

1) We live rurally and need all wheel drive (there goes most vans)

 

2) We need high ground clearance (there goes the rest of the vans)

 

3) Making sure the back seat was a 'real' backseat that an adult would be comfortable in for long drives (that test ruled out many models)

 

4) We need good gas mileage, as we live far from town.

 

We chose to spend more upfront to buy a vehicle that would last us many many years, and that would have a diesel engine so that we get good gas mileage. My friend with a Suburban averages 13 mpg, and that is just not acceptable (we get better mileage than even a mini van would climbing the mtn.(avg. 25-27 mpg)). The gas savings more than make up for a larger payment.

 

Just open your mind, run your numbers (how much do you drive every week, how many people do you need to seat, how much cargo space, do you use AWD) and your choices will narrow enough to become clear. HTH! :)

Edited July 14, 2011 by happygrrl

[Ann.without.an.e]

We recently had to chose between van and SUV. We decided to consider every vehicle on the market, as the best choice might not be obvious. Our main concerns were:

 

1) We live rurally and need all wheel drive (there goes most vans)

 

2) We need high ground clearance (there goes the rest of the vans)

 

3) Making sure the back seat was a 'real' backseat that an adult would be comfortable in for long drives (that test ruled out many models)

 

4) We need good gas mileage, as we live far from town.

 

We chose to spend more upfront to buy a vehicle that would last us many many years, and that would have a diesel engine so that we get good gas mileage. My friend with a Suburban averages 13 mpg, and that is just not acceptable (we get better mileage than even a mini van would climbing the mtn.(avg. 25-27 mpg)). The gas savings more than make up for a larger payment.

 

Just open your mind, run your numbers (how much do you drive every week, how many people do you need to seat, how much cargo space, do you use AWD) and your choices will narrow enough to become clear. HTH! :)

 

 

Did I miss it somewhere in here...what did you get? Don't leave me in suspense :lol:

[Aggie]

We recently graduated from a mini-van to a Durango. The larger SUVs are great, but I couldn't justify getting one right now.

 

I enjoy the Durango, but it's harder for the dc to get in/out of the back seat. There is no way I would put a grown-up back there, or a girl in a dress. :001_smile:

[FeFe]

The Odyssey has a LOT of space in the back. The six of us can pack for a two week trip and still not have it completely full.

 

I chose it over an SUV and I don't regret it. I'm more comfortable driving it around than a Suburban.

[Riverland]

I have on '05 Odyssey. Tons of room for people and stuff. When my sister had a Tahoe, she would borrow my Odyssey when she needed more space.

[kitten18]

Before we bought our Odyssey, I drove every SUV on the market. I was "not going to drive a minivan".;)

 

None of the SUVs had as much room or drove as nice as the minivan. We only have 2 kids so we shouldn't need a ton of room but we have a large dog and when he travels with us, he takes up as much space as 1-2 people. Ours in an 05', I plan to drive it for about 5 more years, then get something a little smaller.

[Ann@thebeach]

We are a family of 6 and have an Odyssey AND a Suburban. We mainly have the Suburban to haul the camper though ;)

I drive the Odyssey on a daily basis and DH drives the Suburban to work.

 

The Odyssey gets much better gas mileage and is easier to maneuver in parking lots and I couldn't live without those automatic doors-seriously! When you are hauling bags of groceries or carrying a baby/toddler the auto doors are essential now that I've been spoiled by them.

 

The Suburban has a little more storage room in back and it does have bigger back seats for adults but that's not really an issue with us.

 

Whenever we go anywhere as a family or weekend trips we always take the Odyssey because of the gas mileage. If mileage was the same then I'd probably take the Suburban on the longer trips because it has more room and the front seats are comfier ;) but for daily use I'd still stick with the Odyssey for the convenience of the little things that I'm used to now.

[ktgrok]

Also, many many SUVs require you to fold down the middle seat to get into the back seat. If you have car seats or boosters in that middle seat that really isn't feasible. That's why we got a mini van instead.

[happypamama]

I used to have a Ford Expedition. I loved it. It held 8 and had tons of leg room for the middle row. However, with the third row installed, the cargo space was pretty slim -- disappointingly slim, I'd say. It barely held a week's worth of groceries. (But since I only had 3 children at the time, we folded the third row down, and all of the children's seats fit in the second row.) I thought it handled nicely, and it did fairly well off-road (like for the beach -- though I do think DH did install a couple of parts to make that easier), and it had some decent ground clearance. It also got like 13 mpg, and we live minimum of about 10 miles from anywhere. It was a good vehicle, and I'd have been happy to keep driving it.

 

In a sad twist of irony, it was fatally wrecked when DH slid on some ice and hit a jersey barricade. Instead of bouncing off, the Expedition's bigger tires made it ride up the barricade and roll over completely, totalling it. (He'd probably have been better off in that instance to have taken our small sedan, even without the 4WD. Live and learn.)

 

So now we have a Ford Windstar minivan of the same vintage as the Expedition, and truly, I love it. It will only hold 7, but the third row has more room and seems to be more comfortable (seems to be about the same room in the middle row and front row). It's easier to get to the third row too. It gets closer to 20 mpg, and it's a very comfortable ride. (Haven't tried it for camping or snow or anything though.) It has more cargo space than the Expedition, even with the third row. Last week, I did a mega grocery shop, plus had stuff from park day, picnic lunch, books, etc., and it had tons of room left over. So my vote, unless you need the off-road/4WD capability, would be for a minivan.

[catz]

We'll be buying a Kia Sedona in a year or two. We're Hyundai fans to begin with and both Kia and Hyundai offer the same simple formula - low price/high quality.

 

We love our Kia Sedona. Seats 7 and still has decent storage space in the back.

 

I don't really understand why someone would pay SO much more for a suburban unless you were hauling a yacht or a big camper? Maybe if you NEED 4WD? We live somewhere with harsh winters and we survive.

[lcelmer]

LOVE our toyota sienna!

The flip out of the way seats are fabulouso!

 

I don't like climbing UP into a vehicle while wearing a dress, carrying a purse, diaper bag, and an armload of books.