Jump to content

Menu

Do you have a 7 seater SUV?


Recommended Posts

We have a van - but only 4 people in the family. Thinking about an SUV that has a 3rd row. We LOVE Hondas and like Toyotas. Do you have one? If so can you tell me what make/ model/ year/ gas mileage (city and hwy) and thoughts.

 

(Seems some have room for 7 and others don't so I need some help.)

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have an odyssey and climbed all over the honda pilot. but the third row just seemed so tiny to me. The cargo space in the back was barely enough for a double stroller. Then our transmission went out on the odyssey and we've been driving a family member's old Suburban and I have to say I totally love it, it is so spacious, but I do miss the minivan. It was so much easier for the kids to get in and out. But I have a 12, 6,4yo, and baby.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We *love* our 2006 Honda Pilot. Dh and I were just talking about how we might get another one since we need to replace his really old Honda Accord soon. It is a great, safe tank for driving kids around. One of my favorite parts is that I can easily fit three carseats in the second row. There are not a lot of cars you can do that with except for suv's that are very large. The Pilot is the smallest car we could find in 2006 that could fit three carseats across the second row. (However, I recently heard that there is a website that catalogs cars that can fit three carseats across the second row.)

 

We mostly use it with just the first two rows for seating since that leaves us a nice, large cargo area. We frequently haul others around, though, and it is nice to have the space to put the extra people. The back row is smaller than the middle row, and you can only fit three people in it if they are skinny.:D There is not much cargo space with the third row up, but you can just put either one seat up or two seats up in the back row if you need more cargo space.

 

The gas mileage stinks, but it is not that much different than a minivan. We get about 16 or 17 mph driving around town, or a little over 20 mph on the highway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 2009 Chevy Traverse. It seats 7, gets an average of about about 22 mpg, and has lots of horsepower.

 

It also has the most comfortable driver seat of any car I've ever driven.

 

ETA: This vehicle can also seat 8. I just prefer captain's chairs to constantly reminding my kids not to climb over the seat instead of sliding it forward.

Edited by darlasowders
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2004 Acura MDX here. We have loved it for 8 years and hope for at least several more years of enjoyment. It gets about 18-19 MPG in town, and around 25 MPG on the highway. It's very comfortable and drives like a sporty car, plus it came standard with all sorts of fancy bells and whistles. One consideration with the Acura, though, is that it requires premium fuel. I like the car so much that it doesn't bother me to pay a little more for gas, but YMMV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 2001 Lincoln Navigator. Seats 7. Truck type. Gets 10-12 mpg. It goes everywhere (all terrains), has no trouble going uphill, and handles snow and ice well.

 

I love it and will drive it until it dies, but I don't advise anyone to get one because it has very little cargo space, the 3rd row bench seat is cramped for tall teenagers, and it has terrible gas mileage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I adore my 2005 Ford Expedition. I don't keep up with gas mileage, so I'm no help there. It has the third row, and holds 8. I really like all the room I have in it, and that it sits higher on the road. I will say that I wouldn't put adults in the back. There really isn't any room for your legs if you are taller than five feet. :D

 

When the engine finally goes, I told my dh that I didn't want a new vehicle, I just want him to put a new engine in this one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I adore my 2005 Ford Expedition. I don't keep up with gas mileage, so I'm no help there. It has the third row, and holds 8. I really like all the room I have in it, and that it sits higher on the road. I will say that I wouldn't put adults in the back. There really isn't any room for your legs if you are taller than five feet. :D

 

When the engine finally goes, I told my dh that I didn't want a new vehicle, I just want him to put a new engine in this one.

 

I love my Expedition, too! It's the same year as yours, too. I try not to think about gas mileage, either.

 

I've ridden in the third row on a long-ish (5 hrs each way) road trip, and I was fine. I'm 5'8". I still wouldn't put more than two adults in the third row for an extended period of time, if at all possible, though.

 

We are a family of four, but move across country (with pets) more than any one family should even have to imagine. Between cross country moves and family flying in to visit, the bigger vehicle has almost paid for itself several times over, I'm sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For a family of four you can't beat t he Pilot IMO. i have never owned a minivan, always owned SUV's. while I loved the room in my Suburban, quality and mechanical problems have made me a Honda enthusiast.

 

We buy all our cars brand new. I had a Mazda MPV 20 years ago. It was tiny but worked well with small children. Quality was mediocre. We then got a Suburban. We used this for a family of six. I loved it but the quality was poor. It was the third Chevy I owned. Never again. After doing a ton of research on quality vehicles we then got our first Pilot. My Suburban had become a money pit and was in need of another expensive repair so I did not have time to shop around. I got a 2007 Pilot and was never really happy with it. Then Honda made the Pilot much larger and nicer inside. We got a 2011 and couldn't be happier. I believe I will own nothing but Hondas from here on out as I have never been impressed with the quality of any a Ford, Chevy or Mazda I have owned.

 

The third row seat is not intended for full grown people, but it is perfectly fine if you are not going on long road trips. That is how we feel but we are a TALL family. The seat is better for short people or kids but I have sat back there myself and I am 5'10.

 

I *LOVE* the cargo area. I can NOT believe how much I can fit back there! I stack things up. With the Suburban, there was no way to contain items/groceries and they would roll all over the place like the would in a truck bed. I couldn't stand that! Since it is mainly four people in our car now, if we do a huge shop I simply put down all or part of the rear seat. If you still use a stroller you can fold down 1/3 of the seat and easily fit it in.

 

Since you love Hondas, I really don't think yoU will find a better option than the Pilot.

 

Can you tell I love mine?:001_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I should also add that I live on a dirt road not pluwed by the town. My Pilot handles well driving on ice or snow. I love that the 4wd kicks in on it's own and I don't have to pull over and stop to put it into 4wd.

 

It has an Eco mode where 2 - 3 cylinders will shut off Automatically to conserve on gas.

 

I love that I can just open the glass window on the back door to pull items out. It also has a remote controlled rear hatch/door that I love.

 

When we went to check out the 2011 Pilot, my 6'3 son swore there was as much room in the middle seat that there was in the Suburban. It is MUCH roomier than our older Pilot.

 

I was listening to Clark Howard recently. A caller had phoned in asking if he should get the extended warranty on his Pilot. While Clark wasn't a fan of them in general, he pulled up the reports on quality on a Pilot and stated that the Pilot had an exceptional quality record. His opinion was that it would be a waste of money to buy the extended warranty. I agree. I believe I read that the Pilot had the #1 rating for mid-size SUV's, and I remember reading a rave review of the 2011 in Car and Driver.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love my Expedition, too! It's the same year as yours, too. I try not to think about gas mileage, either.

 

I've ridden in the third row on a long-ish (5 hrs each way) road trip, and I was fine. I'm 5'8". I still wouldn't put more than two adults in the third row for an extended period of time, if at all possible, though.

 

We are a family of four, but move across country (with pets) more than any one family should even have to imagine. Between cross country moves and family flying in to visit, the bigger vehicle has almost paid for itself several times over, I'm sure.

 

 

Ditto! Love my expedition! It's a 2004. Mine will actually seat 9 because my front seat is a bench seat, but I would never put someone in the middle of the front because it only has a lap belt. Love it!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Yukon XL that might be a 2004 or 2005. IT seats 7 and has a huge area behind the third row. We are starting to look at our options for replacing it and will probably go with the same or a Suburban. We've looked at some other SUVs too, but the thing is that with a family of 6, you really need that back space when it comes time to go camping or on vacation. Many of the smaller SUVs just lack that cargo space I think we need -- oh, we have a lab too -- so we we'll stick with the big gas guzzlers for a while longer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've got a Toyota Highlander (seats 7) Love it. Got this one specifically because I didn't want a bench in the middle--- but it has the option of 'installing' a middle seat between the 2 captain's chairs (in the middle).

 

Gas mileage is worse than my old Mazda MPV, but we were expecting that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 2004 Toyota Sequoia. I am hoping it lasts through the kids growing up. It is great. It seats 8 and it very roomy. The rear 3rd row is split so you can remove just half of it if you wish. We normally have one of the half out for carrying STUFF for scouts or sports or whatever.

 

I get around 18mpg around the city, 20 freeway. It is a 2WD as we just don't need the 4wd.

 

It runs like the day we bought it and we have done only routine maintenance on it. It is also our newest car!

 

Dawn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a 2005 Toyota Sequoia, with captian's chairs so it seats 7. We live in skiing country so it's 4WD. Probably get 22 mpg on average.

 

All of the 2nd and 3rd row seats fold down separately and also have a folding up option so that gives you twice as much storage room in the back. With the back seats in position, there is adequate storage room but really opens up with one or more of the seats folded away (we ski every weekend and even though we have a Thule topper, everything fits just great in the back if we lay some of the skis longways through the middle.)

 

 

We have had zero issues with it...fabulous car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...