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5-seat vehicle with kids approaching teen years?


Xuzi
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We're looking to replace our minivan, and I'm sort of considering not replacing it with another one. Are there any 5-seater vehicles that would be comfortable for 3 kids in the back seat? My kids are currently 11, 9, and 7, but we keep our vehicles until their last leg, so the older two at least will be teens by the time we get rid of it.

 

My DH travels a lot for work, so most of the time one of the kids will be able to sit in the front passenger seat, but for those times when we're going somewhere while DH is home, what would be the least miserable?

 

I'm mainly looking at small used SUV's and crossovers.

Edited by Xuzi
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I just want to say this to you.  I am 5'6".  When we bought our Toyota Rav 4 (small SUV) my older son was substantially shorter than me.  Now, 5 years later, he's 6'9" and can NOT sit in the thing. 

 

Your kids are young.  I would look at another mini van or large SUV.  They will be grown sized for 3-5 years before they are out of the house.

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I just want to say this to you.  I am 5'6".  When we bought our Toyota Rav 4 (small SUV) my older son was substantially shorter than me.  Now, 5 years later, he's 6'9" and can NOT sit in the thing. 

 

Your kids are young.  I would look at another mini van or large SUV.  They will be grown sized for 3-5 years before they are out of the house.

I have a 17yo mini-van (I've had one for 26 years), which I still have, but am looking at mid-suvs.  I haven't been happy with any.

 

I still have a young adult at home, and not sure when kids will  stop going places with us.

 

2ds is 6'1" - and the third  row in a mid-suv is out, even for short drives.  the middle row will only seat two comfortably - no matter what they  claim.

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Will you be traveling in it, or is it just for bopping around town?  If you will be traveling in it, or if you anticipate your kids having friends who will be going places with you, or if they are into sports or anything that involves carrying around a bunch of *stuff*, or if there is a strong height gene in your family, you might really want to reconsider, and get another minivan or full size SUV.  A full size sedan would be an option if it has a bench seat in back and lots of leg room.  Front wheel drive would be a plus, so that it doesn't have the "hump" in the middle of the back seat.  

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I would ditto the height thing. Unless you & your dh are both people well under 5'10, stick with a minivan.

No guarantee on height.

DH is 5'9".

Of four adult kids - three range from 5'11" - 6'1". One is a girl.

 

Dudeling is still growing, and will be at least as tall.

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My kids are 16, 19 and 22 and I would never put them three across the back of a car.  Believe it or not, they fight.  They would rather drive their own cars than be forced to sit that close together and they really get along well all the time, they are great friends.  My son also is 5'11" tall and still growing.  He is not comfortable  the back seat of most cars.  We had to make the same decision last year and after trying out many, many SUVs and cross overs. I ended up with another minivan.  My last car lasted me 9 years, this one will too.

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I'm 5'1"  and I will not be sitting in the middle of the back seat just because the tall people think that's where I should sit.  No Thanks!  Everyone needs to share the crappy seat.

 

Ha. I'd rather be in the middle of the back than in the front with my son behind me.  Knees in the back, just ugh.  Even in our expy he doesn't fit all that well.

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I have one kid less than you, and I still miss my mini-van sometimes. 

 

I do love my Honda CR-V, but that's with two kids. They are teens already but they are tiny - I am 5' and they are 2" and 3" shorter than me! 5 in the car works fine when we're giving friends a ride or something, but I don't know that I would want even 4 in it all the time. We do tend to always have STUFF with us in the car, though. 

 

We also have a truck that seats 6 and of course has lots of storage room. If your other vehicle is small, I'd really consider sticking with a mini-van. 

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We are a tall family of five and have never owned a minivan. I like 5-passenger smaller SUVs.

 

Like what?  My son can't sit in our Rav 4.  My shorter, 6'2" husband can only just drive it.  Forget sitting in the back.  What small SUVs does your tall family fit?

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I have a 15 Subaru Outback.  It fits my 6' son, 5'8" daughter, and 5'1" daughter in the back seat. 

 

When I went car shopping, I asked to sit in the back seat first.  That eliminated many cars without even a test drive.

 

As far as Subaru goes...The Outback is wider, the Forester is taller. 

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Like what? My son can't sit in our Rav 4. My shorter, 6'2" husband can only just drive it. Forget sitting in the back. What small SUVs does your tall family fit?

We've been fine in a Subaru Forester and a VW Touareg. There are certainly roomier cars though.

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We like our Volvo XC90. Three people fit across the back seat reasonably well, and there's a third row seat if needed. MIL has an Acadia which easily fits three across the second row seat and has a third row seat.

.

 

We love the looks of the Volvo, but there are no certified used available anywhere near us.

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.

 

We love the looks of the Volvo, but there are no certified used available anywhere near us.

 

 

Used Xc90's are popular.  Volvo redesigned and upped the price last model year.  It took us a couple months of online stalking to find a used one.   We finally found ours at CarMaxx with 35k miles.  After shopping online, I really liked CarMaxx because they let you reserve one car until you can get to the dealership for a test drive.   The other dealers didn't have this option so it made online shopping incredibly frustrating.  Keep looking, and you'll probably find one to fit your needs.  Best wishes!

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I know you said used, but I just bought the new Cadillac model XT5. It has a HUGE backseat that is super comfortable and holds 3 teens easily. Actually, we have had to double up in the seatbelt and put 5 teen girls in the back for a quick carpool.

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I think that full-sized sedans have more comfortable back seats than small SUVs. I only bought a mini van when I needed space for a power wheelchair.  Until then, a sedan suited us just fine.  Also, my 1998 Plymouth gets much better gas mileage than my 2014 mini van.  My kids didn't have the same friends or interests, so space for them and a friend each wasn't much of an issue.  We live in the suburbs and two cars gave us more seats and flexibility than one SUV or mini van.  Any sort of road trip with friends generally meant that a parent was home with the other child and that freed up two seats.  

 

Do your driving habits thus far demand a lot of seats and cargo room?  I think since they became teens, my kids' friends spend less time in our vehicles.  Usually it's a drop off gathering, they ride with kids who can drive, they just walk or bike to their destination, or their friends are at my house.  99% percent of my driving is within 15 minutes of home, so making two trips once a year makes more sense to me than paying for gas and a larger vehicle all the time. Like I said, I HAVE a minivan, but the car payment and extra gas wouldn't be worth it if I didn't need an accessible vehicle.  

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We've been fine in a Subaru Forester and a VW Touareg. There are certainly roomier cars though.

 

Interesting.  We actually wanted to buy a Forester (back then Subaru had this woodsy-camping marketing theme that totally sold me) before we bought the Rav 4, but when we went to test drive my husband couldn't even sit because the ceiling was too low.  Don't know about the Touareg.  We won't try VWs because of their poor service records.

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Ugh we are having this issue too. 9.5 year old and 6 year old twins. Currently in a Prius V that we love, but the kids are getting cramped. We had a mini van for 3 years and hated it. We will def get an SUV, but I can't decide if we want the third row for friends.

 

You want the 3rd row if you can afford it.  Not only for friends, but to remove for cargo carrying.  I recommend getting one where you can raise the back window so that you can let stuff hang out the window if necessary.  It allows the SUV to double as a pick up in many cases.  We just brought home a lot of lumber in our Expedition a few weeks ago.

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You want the 3rd row if you can afford it. Not only for friends, but to remove for cargo carrying. I recommend getting one where you can raise the back window so that you can let stuff hang out the window if necessary. It allows the SUV to double as a pick up in many cases. We just brought home a lot of lumber in our Expedition a few weeks ago.

Yes, this is what we are thinking. My son plays double bass, which take up a ton of room, we def need cargo space!

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I have a 15 Subaru Outback.  It fits my 6' son, 5'8" daughter, and 5'1" daughter in the back seat. 

 

When I went car shopping, I asked to sit in the back seat first.  That eliminated many cars without even a test drive.

 

As far as Subaru goes...The Outback is wider, the Forester is taller. 

:iagree:

My DH just replaced his ancient car with a '16 Outback. It's the first thing that has made me think I might not have to replace my van with another van when the time comes. I think I still will, but I LOVE that car! It's nice, roomy, has fantastic storage space, and is so fun to drive! 

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I have had a friend or two try this and regret it.  They found they could no longer take kid's friends places ever and they just felt cramped.  I guess it depends on the size/height of your family and how often you might want others to come along (which might increase as they get older).  I love my Honda Pilot.  When DH isn't with us, we do not need the third row and we can pack it with costco trips, etc and if we need to suddenly add in extra people, we can utilize that third row (or a portion of it) and ta-da everyone fits.  Good luck on your decision.

Edited by Attolia
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Whatever you do, make sure that each seat has a headrest. So often the middle seat does not. So it is a matter of Russian Roulette as to who gets to have whiplash if there is an accident. Whose turn is it to risk having neck issues for the rest of their life? No thank you. I do not know how car manufacturers get away with not putting in a headrest for all the seats.

Edited by Garga
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I have two teens and drive a a Ford Transit Connect Wagon, which is very roomy and easy to drive (doesn't feel huge). We looked at smaller but it would limit my ability to car pool, travel (We transit scouts around a lot), and have enough space. I couldn't do a sedan just yet.

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And I rode in the middle of back seat with two other adult women the other day. It wasn't bad at all.

 

I like my crossover size vehicle....but my ds16 has a Prius that has almost as much room. Very surprising.

 

But the back seat would not hold three teens comfortably.

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I only have two teen girls and both are probably close to 5'6". We have a 4-door Honda sedan that we drive around town. However, it isn't much fun for vacations - there is no easy way to take a nap in the back seat - or the front passenger either without seriously inconveniencing the passenger behind that spot.

We kept our old mini van and use it for vacations. It is so nice to be able to spread out and everyone can lean their seat back and take a nap as needed. The additional space between siblings is also great - just more conducive to peace even though they are teens! We can take the sedan, but with four introverts 'stuffed' in one car, we tend to not be able to relax as much as we can in the van. 

 

If we are going somewhere and want to take extra passengers (friends), the mini van is great. We can only take 2 extra friends in the car. 

 

I don't think your only choice is a mini van, but a larger vehicle makes life a lot more pleasant - more space to not be stacked on top of each other, more leg room, more space for suitcases, more space for friends, etc. Think about the future and what you like to do with your vehicle and as a family. 

 

Oh, yes, I hate driving that van. I love my little manual transmission sedan. But I'm okay with taking it on vacations because it just makes our trips so much more pleasant. 

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Interesting. We actually wanted to buy a Forester (back then Subaru had this woodsy-camping marketing theme that totally sold me) before we bought the Rav 4, but when we went to test drive my husband couldn't even sit because the ceiling was too low. Don't know about the Touareg. We won't try VWs because of their poor service records.

My family's height is in our legs so now that a lot of cars have more legroom, it's a lot better.

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You want the 3rd row if you can afford it.  Not only for friends, but to remove for cargo carrying.  I recommend getting one where you can raise the back window so that you can let stuff hang out the window if necessary.  It allows the SUV to double as a pick up in many cases.  We just brought home a lot of lumber in our Expedition a few weeks ago.

 

that's one thing that's making me slow to give up my minivan.  I can haul with that baby.  4x8 sheet of plywood laying flat.  my kids will now borrow it to haul stuff.

dh said I could keep it as long as I want.  it's 17years old, and we're the original owners.

 

I have had a friend or two try this and regret it.  They found they could no longer take kid's friends places ever and they just felt cramped.  I guess it depends on the size/height of your family and how often you might want others to come along (which might increase as they get older).  I love my Honda Pilot.  When DH isn't with us, we do not need the third row and we can pack it with costco trips, etc and if we need to suddenly add in extra people, we can utilize that third row (or a portion of it) and ta-da everyone fits.  Good luck on your decision.

 

2dd drives a pilot. just before they started dating, dsil bought it to replace his accord after an accident. he really missed his accord, so he ended up giving it to her and getting another accord.  he's mesmerized at the amount of "stuff" she puts in it - but she teaches a class of 12yo girls at church.  they've also used it as a camper, but it's just the two of them.

I felt cramped in the middle seat as compared to the middle row in my van.

 

 

also consider weight/ hauling capacity

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My family's height is in our legs so now that a lot of cars have more legroom, it's a lot better.

 

That makes more sense.  I wasn't thinking, but now that you mention it, my dh is very tall backed (his legs are almost the same length as mine, even though he's 8" taller).  With my son, of course, practically nothing fits.  At 6'9", he fits "ok" in the middle row of our Expedition.  Can't really sit in the back at all.  The front passenger is ok.  I might end up giving it to him when he starts driving regularly (it's old).

 

I was really bummed about that Forrester, though.  They are supposed to be super reliable for ages.  Though the Rav 4 has been good that way, too.  It's taller inside, so my dh just fits.

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Not sure what manufacturers you're interested in, but we are looking at some Jeep models and even the Kia Sorrento (which comes in 5 or 7 seats).  Not sure about Kia's reliability, though.  

 

I hate mentioning car brands because people can be snooty about them!  LOL  We mention Ford to just about anyone and they make a sour face.  :P

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Not sure what manufacturers you're interested in, but we are looking at some Jeep models and even the Kia Sorrento (which comes in 5 or 7 seats).  Not sure about Kia's reliability, though.  

 

I hate mentioning car brands because people can be snooty about them!  LOL  We mention Ford to just about anyone and they make a sour face.   :p

Our current vehicle is a 2004 Kia Sedona with over 130k miles on it. :p

 

 

Thanks to everyone who's commented so far. Lots of food for thought! :)

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Volvo Xc 90 doesn't have much legroom in 3rd row at all. We have a Dodge Durango 2015 model with 6 seats and it has adequate legroom in the back for adults. We got the one with an open middle/captains chairs or whatever in the middle. The one with the console in the middle would be a pain. It's a larger SUV but not bad, and the gas mileage is about 23 mpg if I recall correctly so definitely respectable.

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I was considering replacing my 2006 Sienna and test drove everything. I liked the Nissan Quest best becasue it isn't as big but still has space. It also doesn't scream mini-van.

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We have 3 kids, ages 12, 16, and 18 and we wouldn't go without an SUV/Mini-van until the last one was out of the house.  We are hoping our SUV lasts that long.  

 

Vacations can include dogs along too, so that factors in, but even without the dog, with just 5 of us and suitcases, tents, or whatever we need, it can take a lot of space.  and with 3 in one bench seat, it just isn't that comfortable, no matter how large the seat is.

 

We will all pile into the Camry to just go to church or something local, but not for a trip or anywhere very far.

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