Help choosing a 3 row SUV

[blueperidot]

Subject line says it all- In the next few weeks I'm going to replace my Murano with something that can seat 7. I'm not too happy with buying a bigger car, but need the room.

I would love something with as much style as my murano, not too big, safe, and reliable. Any feedback on ford explorer? I'd love an Acura MDX but think it could be more than I'm willing to pay.

Any and all suggestions welcome!

[momof2girls]

I am on my second MDX and love it. Don't assume it is so expensive. We looked at other SUVs and once we added in the options we wanted (heated seats, sun roof, etc) the price was comparable to what was standard in an MDX, not to mention the ride is also smoother in the MDX than the others I tried. I remember test driving another SUV (don't remember which one) and the salesman asked me what other car I was consideingr, when I told him an MDX he said "that is a nice SUV. I don't blame you" and didn't even bother trying to sell me his as I think he knew the MDX would win in the end.

[dukie41181]

I'm really loving my Buick Enclave!

[BillK]

Toyota Highlander is 3row and very nice.

[lmh2402]

I'm really loving my Buick Enclave!

:yeahthat:

[Simon]

We are liking, not loving yet, our Honda Pilot.

I come from a Ford family, but none of their bigger models had much room once the 3rd row was in use. Also, measuring from floor to roof, there was little space compared to other models.

I do NOT reccomend the Jeep's with a 3rd row. Talk about no trunk space!

[ZeeBaby]

We love our Pilot. I am either getting another Pilot or an MDX. The Pilot is the MDX poor cousin. Lol

[Mommy_Again]

I'm really loving my Buick Enclave!

Ditto! :yeahthat:

[ast96]

Have you looked at the Ford Flex?

[scrooks]

I'm really loving my Buick Enclave!

Dh drives an enclave and we love it! I also love my Ody but it sounds like you dont want a minivan.

[infomama]

Toyota Highlander is 3row and very nice.

:yeahthat::yeahthat:

[crl]

We love our Ford Flex. The third row has a lot of leg room.

Catherine

[lhafer]

We just traded in my 2006 Nissan Quest minivan for a 2012 model because DH talked me into it.

Had I gotten what I really wanted, it would have been a new Buick Enclave. I know the minivan is the best choice for our family right now given my kids' ages (5.5yr and 22 months), and my van is NICE and I do love it. But the Enclave still keeps turning my head on the road!

[AngB]

We like our Dodge Journey a lot, although the 3rd row is only appropriate for kids.

[smilequeen]

Well, fwiw, the MDX is not a whole lot of extra space. It's pretty cramped. My DH has one and I only like to drive it kid free :) Infiniti is coming out with new one based on the Murano (but bigger) that looks really cool, but I needed something with more space...the JX. It looked like MDX pricing though. http://www.infinitiusa.com/all-new-jx/

My friend has an Enclave and it's a really beautiful car. Another friend has an Acadia and really loves it. She has 3 kids in there which I guess would work if it wasn't for all the hockey equipment I have to tote around :)

[Kindra178]

If I were to get rid of my Sienna, I would get an Enclave. My friends love their Traverse too.

[Twoboos]

Toyota Highlander is 3row and very nice.

:yeahthat: Looooove my Highlander!!

[endlessheather]

:yeahthat:

another Ditto! Love my Enclave! I'd gladly buy this car all over again!

[blueperidot]

The infiniti does look amazing!

What is it about the enclave that sets it apart?

[sariana]

Toyota Highlander is 3row and very nice.

:yeahthat:

We've had our Highlander for just over a year, and I like it a lot. We have a hybrid, which makes me feel a little bit better about having such a big car (we have and will only ever have 2 kids). And with gas prices on the way up again, the higher gas mileage is nice, too.

[waver]

:yeahthat:

We have the Highlander Hybrid as well. We are getting 27-30 mpg.

The 3rd row is a jump seat (fits 2 boosters), but it splits in half.

Works great for carpool, though the kids have to climb a little into the back row (which they love to do). We get 4 kids in 2 Frontiers in the middle row, and 2 boosters in the back. When they were younger, we could put the marathons back there. With narrower carseats/boosters, perhaps it could seat 3 across in the middle row (I'm not sure).

With 3 rows, the trunk space admittedly is small. When the jump seat is folded down, there is a lot of trunk room.

[SASM]

We REALLY wanted a Toyota Highlander Hybrid but they were sold put everywhere. We test drove a TON...that one seems to make the most sense. 3rd row was actually comfortable and easily accessible. Opted to lease a Sienna (don't love it so "YEAH, lease!") for 3 years and then we'll try for the Highlander Hybrid again. Good luck! Not fun.

[Tondi G]

we have a Dodge Durango ... it's 5 yrs old though so there is a very new model out now! Ours is an 8 seater..... the newer model is a 7 seater. I use my 3rd row ALL THE TIME ... especially now that my kids are older and have friends over all the time. I would suggest giving the new one a test drive. Another thought is the Mazda CX9. My DH drives a Mazda CX7 and we have been very happy with that vehicle. I believe the CX9 has a 3rd row, 7 seater. If we were considering another larger SUV right now, the CX9 would be on my list to test drive. I also like the look of the GMC Acadia. Saw a new Ford Explorer on the road yesterday and I would have a look it too!

[MSWR0319]

How much room do you really want? We went through this about a year ago and tested just about very SUV or crossover. We really like the Enclave or Acadia, but it didn't have enough leg room in the third row and if you have to use the third row you don't have a whole lot of storage in the trunk. So it really depends on your needs. We ended up with an Infiniti QX56 which may be too big for your liking. It drives like a dream though. A cheaper alternative is the Nissan Armada if you want that big. The majority if the true SUV's do not have old flat third rows which was a feature we wanted. I thin most of the Crossovers do.

[lhafer]

We REALLY wanted a Toyota Highlander Hybrid but they were sold put everywhere. We test drove a TON...that one seems to make the most sense. 3rd row was actually comfortable and easily accessible. Opted to lease a Sienna (don't love it so "YEAH, lease!") for 3 years and then we'll try for the Highlander Hybrid again. Good luck! Not fun.

This is what we did too! Except I want the Enclave! We leased our new minivan, even though I do love it. I am just ready to be out of the minivan game. But my kids LOVE it, and it is really nice. I think the Enclave will be a good alternative for us when our 3 years is up (in 3 years - since I just got my minivan a week ago!).

Everytime I think about cars - I kind of regret getting talked into a minivan again (DH talked me into my first one too). But then I drive it and fall back in love with it. So it's great for us for now.

The Enclave is just...not a minivan! BUt it has a enough room for us (family of 4), I wanted a 3rd row seat, it's super quiet, it has a nice finish (wood grain, blue lighting on the interior, etc).

[lmintzer]

I am also a Murano driver thinking about buying something that will seat more. I despite driving big cars, though, so that's where I get stuck.

Because of that, I am seriously considering the Mazda 5--not quite as cool looking as an SUV, but is soo nice and small. It's technically considered a "micro-van." Mazda 5 seats 6 in a 2, 2, 2 configurations (with room to walk through to the 3rd row instead of climb).

I would also check out the Mazda CX-9 if you are looking for a roomy 7-seater. It has one of the best 3rd rows on the market (space-wise).

[Momit]

We love our Ford Flex. The third row has a lot of leg room.

Catherine

:yeahthat: We love our Flex, too.

[crl]

I would also check out the Mazda CX-9 if you are looking for a roomy 7-seater. It has one of the best 3rd rows on the market (space-wise).

We test drove this when we bought the Flex and the CX-9 did not have as much legroom as the Flex in the 3rd row. In fact the drivers and front passenger's seats felt kind of like cockpits. If you want leg room and a roomy feel I would definitely recommend the Flex over the CX-9

Catherine

[Simon]

Another thought is that some cars have a bench like 3rd row and others have the 40/60 split. We use the 40/60 split in our car (Honda Pilot) a TON.

We can have just Ds1 in the 3rd row and have lots of trunk space next to him. I also have times where I might have Ds2 riding in the 2nd row on the 40 side, and then transport some very large items (recently twin size beds, dressers, etc) using the split feature to put down the 2nd and 3rd rows on the 60 side.

In the future, this feature will be a deal maker/breaker for us.

[mommylamb]

We've got a Hyundai Veracruz and love it!

[AnnieW625]

I have an 06 Pilot w/ a 3rd row, but if I wanted a similar sized car with a third row that I was going to use a fair amount I would look at the Higlander, or the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limted or Overland edition. If the price was right I would look at the MDX also. If I wanted something bigger I'd probably get a Tahoe, Ford Flex, or a Toyota Seqouia.

[theriviera]

Well, fwiw, the MDX is not a whole lot of extra space. It's pretty cramped. My DH has one and I only like to drive it kid free :) Infiniti is coming out with new one based on the Murano (but bigger) that looks really cool, but I needed something with more space...the JX. It looked like MDX pricing though. http://www.infinitiusa.com/all-new-jx/

My friend has an Enclave and it's a really beautiful car. Another friend has an Acadia and really loves it. She has 3 kids in there which I guess would work if it wasn't for all the hockey equipment I have to tote around :)

I am so excited about this car!!! I didn't love the interior of the MDX and I love the Infiniti interiors. Plus, the 3rd row looks actually usable!

[LexyLou]

Well, fwiw, the MDX is not a whole lot of extra space. It's pretty cramped. My DH has one and I only like to drive it kid free :) Infiniti is coming out with new one based on the Murano (but bigger) that looks really cool, but I needed something with more space...the JX. It looked like MDX pricing though. http://www.infinitiusa.com/all-new-jx/


Ohhhhh, so the JX is in between the FX and the QX? I need something with 3rd row but the QX is a beast! I refuse to drive something that big.

I have a Volvo XC90 and I love it! I only have two kids though so we only occasionally use the third row and it's perfect for that. If I had 3 kids I'd want something with easier access to the 3rd row (like bucket seats in the 2nd row). With the 3rd row down there is a ton of trunk space, with it up there is still a decent amount (as compared to similar type SUVs).

I love that it's not a beast of a car, although it does get horrible mileage.

I hear they are totally redesigning it in 2014 and making it slightly bigger. I am dying to see it because as of now, I would 100% buy another XC90, although that Infiniti JX looks mighty nice!

[lpl47]

We also have the Hyundai Veracruz and we're very happy. It just came back from the body shop (after a little accident) and the body shop manager told us that "Hyundai is really doing things right, making really good solid cars."