I currently drive a 2016 Suburban LTZ. Job changes will mean several days a week I will now drive about 150 miles round trip to work. I do put 7 people (4 children) in the Suburban at times.

I’m looking for 7 passenger ability for at least short trips and as close to 30 mpg that I can get. Explorer with 4 cyl engine looks good online. Anyone drive one and get that kind of mileage? Any suggestions?

3.5 V6 FWD in our Flex. We've had it about 2.5 years & it's been trouble free. On a long trip to Albuquerque from Houston, we averaged mid-20s at 75-80mph.
At 6'0" I can sit in the 3rd row relatively comfortably. But have never gone further than a few miles back there.

90% in town, my wife averages 18-22mpg.

I'd imagine the Explorer would be similar with the V6, not sure on the 4cyl EcoBoost.

Chrysler Pacifica seats 7 (8 is available) very comfortably and gets amazing gas mileage. 27-28 mpg hwy and better on some stretches. I'm still amazed by the gas mileage, and a hybrid is also available.

We are shopping for the same three row mid size suv.

Volkswagen Atlas larger and drove better than explorer, pilot, Acadia, Mdx,. We still plan to drive Chevy traverse, possibly a 4 runner. But I'm pretty sold on the Atlas. It drives a lot like my brothers Audi, they share the same chasis.

I can get in the third row and sit comfortably. And there is still room behind for storage. The SE with technology has great safety features.

Down side is first year of this model. Also interior selection are limited, I don't want black interior and tan is limited by exterior color.

Looked at the new Subaru Ascent. Third row is meant for really short trips. Or the dog.

I'm on my 4th Explorer, the current one is a 2014. It is by far the most comfortable one yet and has a ton of space. I travel a lot and rent quite a few vehicles a year. I haven't found anything yet that compares to how an Explorer drives or feels. Of course we all like different things in how a vehicle handles so it is up to the individual.

We recently moved up from a 2014 Outback into a 8 passenger 2017 Suburban LT. When we were visiting friends in Alaska this summer we drover their Explorer while they towed a camper in their F250. I liked alot of things about the Explorer, but didn't really consider one for our family of 5 because I wanted obscene amounts of space. Also, be very careful of what seatbelts you get with certain Explorer packages. Some have airbags on the seatbelts and that is not compatible with car seats. We thought about holding out for a Subaru Ascent to come out or maybe look at the new Traverse, but we only got maybe 24 highway on a good day in the Outback and that was supposed to be 29 highway. Most SUVs grossly underperform their stated mileage. With the amount of money these things cost I'm not too worried about the gas bill, I just cheap-optioned into a lower trim Suburban instead. My Accord makes up the difference on household mileage.

In summation, not knowing how old your kids are, pay very close attention to the Explorer seatbelts.

Have you considered keeping the Suburban and buying a used,small, commuter type car for your commute? You're probably gonna get a screwing on depreciation, trading in a vehicle that new on another new one.

Subaru Ascent looks really good.

Having recently become a grandpa, and now need 2 car seats in my vehicle I had to trade in my Chevy Impala for a Buick Enclave. Seats 4 adults plus 2 car seats (car seats are large infant size) Very comfortable for trips. Have to take wife from SW fl. where we live to Jacksonville to mayo clinic every other month gas milage is about 19 city and 27 hwy actual numbers

In my humble opinion, 7 passenger SUV's that get 30mpg don't exist. My neighbor has a 2017 Explorer that is the 4 cyl ecoboost and he gets mid 20's when he's lucky (he does a lot of highway, it's his work car).

Keep the Suburban and buy a commuter car. Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or similar and you'll have a cheap ride that gets 40mpg.

Good info so far. Will look into a commuter car. Have 3 vehicles in the household already, hate to add a 4th

Keep the 'Burb, when you need a 'Burb nothing else will really do. For the savings in fuel mileage, is it really worth the expense of trading in or selling for a new vehicle?

I absolutely love my 2017 Pilot EX-L RES. It's extremely comfortable, has a lot of power, great gas mileage and very useful storage. The average gas mileage since I bought it was 21.5 mpg. I can get close to 30 on the highway and it's around 18 in the city. I use my 02 Civic for commuting to work and the Pilot mainly sees city driving with some highway thrown in for trips.

I traded in my Ridgeline because we have a 2nd baby on the way and it would have been way too cramped.

I'll trade you my 2014 Sienna

The Explorer gets no where near 30mpg.
We had the Escape that claimed 28 mpg on the Highway best I ever did was 22.

Highlander Hybrid will likely get you the closest to your desired MPG.
We love our Highlander though not the Hybrid model.

If the kids are small enough you can get a Diesel Audi Q7, but if they are over 8-10 they wont fit in the way back 2 seats. Plus there is literally no trunk if you are using the 2 far back seats. So take caution on the recommendation but it will get 30 mpg highway all day long.

quote:

Originally posted by Some Shot:
Chrysler Pacifica seats 7 (8 is available) very comfortably and gets amazing gas mileage. 27-28 mpg hwy and better on some stretches. I'm still amazed by the gas mileage, and a hybrid is also available.

Don't knock the Pacifica before you drive it.