An oft repeated subject on the Forum. My wife and I just welcomed our 4th granddaughter into the family this week. The oldest, at 8 years old is still in a booster seat, so all 4 require a car seat. My wife's car is a Porsche Macan, but it's not possible to put 3 child's car seats in it, and now with a 4th here, even my crew cab F150 is not the solution.

My wife wants a vehicle with 3-row seating, and we've begun the process of narrowing down the search. Very highly rated is the Kia Telluride, closely followed by the Hyundai Palisade, both pretty good-sized vehicles. Smaller, but highly rated are: Kia Sorento, a Mitsubishi, and a VW, and the latter two are not attractive to me. The Mazda CX-90 fits in there somewhere, as does the Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L.

There must be first hand experience in the Forum for a few of these; what do you think?

Here's a couple pictures of the latest granddaughter, Lennon Grae. The first has grandpa holding her.

Not on your list, but I've been very happy with my Ford Explorer.
I've got a 2020 Limited, so it has the 2.3 turbo 4 cyl.

300hp is plenty for a daily & it's pretty economical, compared to my wife's Expedition Max.

I haven't had a ton of use with the 3rd row & it has 2nd row captain's chairs. But I was able to fit my 6'0" self in the 3rd row without feeling like I was in a sardine can.

All models above the Limited (ST, King Ranch, Platinum) have the 3.0 twin turbo V6 with a lot more power.
But the 21" wheels [and cost of tires] put me off those a bit.

Coworker just bought a 2023 Sorento last month, and she loves it so far. Huge upgrade over her early 00s Nissan Rogue.

This is a Toyota is god site so I would suggest the long version of the Highlander.

Thanks, man. At this stage, I'm not really excluding anything, except those vehicles whose styling I really dislike, or those that I think will have poor resale value, e.g. Mitsubishi.

My wife doesn't seem interested in a Ford, but I've had nothing but a good experience with Ford trucks.

1s1k, true confessions. Toyota is not my god, and generally speaking I have an aversion to Japanese vehicles. In spite of that, it's going to be my wife's car and if she really likes something (that will hold its value) I won't veto the purchase.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Not on your list, but I've been very happy with my Ford Explorer.
I've got a 2020 Limited, so it has the 2.3 turbo 4 cyl.

300hp is plenty for a daily & it's pretty economical, compared to my wife's Expedition Max.

I haven't had a ton of use with the 3rd row & it has 2nd row captain's chairs. But I was able to fit my 6'0" self in the 3rd row without feeling like I was in a sardine can.

All models above the Limited (ST, King Ranch, Platinum) have the 3.0 twin turbo V6 with a lot more power.
But the 21" wheels [and cost of tires] put me off those a bit.

Coworker just bought a 2023 Sorento last month, and she loves it so far. Huge upgrade over her early 00s Nissan Rogue.

Captain seats make access to the 3rd row very easy. Having to get back there and take the child seat in and out isn't always a fun task. Also if she's used to the fun of a Porche, the explorer st is 400 bhp and 2k to 3k dollars away form 575.... just saying.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nickelsig229,

EDIT: Check out www.thecarseatlady.com

4 child car seats in any vehicle will be a challenge. I'm on my 3rd Suburban, which most would agree is among the largest SUV. I have captain's chairs on the second row, so there is no issue putting a car seat in each seat on row 2. Row 3 however is a joke in my opinion in all SUVs. We can only get one car seat in row 3. Row 3 is made for small children or for short distances when taking your friends to lunch.
If you truly need 4 car seats in your car, you should look at passenger vans.

Toyota Grand Highlander.

Well, you will get 564 responses to buy something from Japan, however the USA has some very good vehicles in this size.

Mid Size 3 row SUV

Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia 2024, Buick Enclave and oF course there are the Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade, Navigator and Expedition, all of which have even larger cousins in Suburban sizes.

With 3 kids seats I'd frankly go for a Minivan, it's lower, easier to get in and out, lots of room, better fuel mileage, remote sliding doors because loading 3 kids takes patience.

There are some really good looking vans from Chrysler, Honda, Toyota etc

Congrats!!

I'm with HRK in suggesting a minivan rather than SUV.

I'm going to recommend the Tahoe/Yukon

Getting to the third row of those smaller suv's will be a pain in the ass.

My vote is for the Honda Odyssey minivan. I have owned one for 8 years now and it has never let the family down no matter what is being hauled around.

Getting into the third row of any SUV is more difficult than it is in a minivan, no matter what. For child transporting convenience a minivan can't be beat. That said, we have a Telluride, and so far we really like it. It's roomy, comfortable, and the third row is large enough for a full size adult.

Thanks, everyone. My wife seems pretty adamant about not driving a minivan

Realistically, she just needs room for 3 car seats, the newborn is not likely to be off with her/us for quite awhile, and perhaps by then our oldest will be big enough to sit up front with my wife.

I've been hunting for a car for my wife after she totaled hers hitting a deer on the highway.

If I wanted three rows for three car seats and no minivan, I'd want something with some size. That many kids means strollers and all kinds of geegaws, not just the three car seats. Now you're getting into some coin.

GMC Yukon XL or maybe a Toyota Sequoia if you don't go bananas on the trim level.

Former Toyota Highlander owner here. We traded last year. Highlander was only 2 years old, but always felt cramped.

I will say GMC Yukon XL or Chevy Suburban. Skip the Tahoe or shorter Yukon if you are truly interested in more space. Same truck from third row forward, the extra space is in the back and makes a significant difference in how much storage you have.

Same as you, needed more room and this is my wife’s ride. We love it! Car seats and still seating for 3 or 4 adults. And tons of space for whatever we are dragging around. At 10k miles now, quality seems to be good.

Biggest concern was driving a truck that size, but wife has zero issues with it. Make sure you get the 360° camera as it makes parking a breeze. Great on trips, and the presence on the road is not to be missed. With all the crazy drivers these days it is nice to be wrapped in one of the biggest family haulers around.

At least take a look and test drive. We could not go back to a smaller ride at this point.

Edit to add: Also considered a mini van but she did not want to drive one. And we picked the Yukon XL over Suburban simply because that was available with the equipment we wanted

Just another one chiming in for a minivan. I get it. She doesn't want one. NOBODY did until they drive one. Im a car guy. Never liked minivans, my wife only wanted SUV's. Until we took a roadtrip with our toddler and rented a minivan. Space, cupholders, USB chargers everywhere. No bending over to load/unload the carseats. Doors that slide, so you can park in tighter spaces without having to worry about door dinging. TV screens. Storage. Fold down sheets. Technology for both driver & passengers. Park assist cameras & sensors. Comfortable heated seats. Drives like a car. Seriously, test drive one for a weekend that y'all have the kids with you. Everyone will be happy. Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna have great reviews and resale. We ended up selling our minivan and got another Lincoln MKX SUV. Wife says she would rather have her minivan back.

The Honda Passport (2-rows) and Honda Pilot (3-rows) have a lot of passenger space. Much more than a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I love my 2022 Honda Passport. I'd suggest you consider those. It's quite likely you can fit 3 car seats across the rear seat.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Thanks, everyone. My wife seems pretty adamant about not driving a minivan

Realistically, she just needs room for 3 car seats, the newborn is not likely to be off with her/us for quite awhile, and perhaps by then our oldest will be big enough to sit up front with my wife.

If you have 2 that are self-sufficient with their carseats, you could put those in the 3rd row, and the 1 for the youngest in the 2nd row, which leaves a seat for an adult/other passenger in the other 2nd row seat

Congrats on your 4th granddaughter!

I think you have narrowed down to two good choices. My daughter and SIL (with boys 10 & 8) were close to buying a Telluride or Palisade and had looked at each a couple times and test drove one (also with the neighbor's kid along). They liked them but finally decided that they were a little cramped so they tried a Tahoe which they all liked better, except the price LOL. But while this was going on the dealer got in a 2 year old Tahoe with under 20K so they bought it. Had it almost a year now and they love it. If a Telluride is big enough and has easy access to the car seats it'd make a good choice IMO.

I drive a Suburban. I have had multiple Suburbans over the last 12 years. I love them, great vehicle for my family and lifestyle.

But if you told me I had to put four carseats in it, or even three car seats, I would give up and get a mini van.

Accessing the 3rd row is easy. I hit a button and the second row captain's seat folds forward making it easy to climb in or out of the 3rd row. Even a full grown man (5'11") such as myself can sit in the 3rd row. However, once car seats are installed in the captain's chairs in the second row, those seats will not fold. And now accessing that 3rd row just got really difficult.

I did know someone a while back who drove a car and was able to put three car seats in the 2nd row. I think maybe it was a Honda Pilot, but I cannot recall exactly. If not going mini van this would be my focus, finding an SUV that would hold three, side by side by side.

For your eight year old, re: sitting in the front seat, make sure to check height and weight recommendations for front seat passengers. I believe they are supposed to reach certain levels before they are supposed to sit up front due to airbags.