Vehicles: Others

Please share your experiences with your vehicle. Would you or would you not recommend your car to other parents? Why?

Volvo: XC90

"I am expecting twins in March. I have a 3 year old son and a 5 year old daughter. I have been worried about how to set up the cars with carseats and such. We already have a minivan (the latest Toyota Sienna) and I really like it. It can be set up to get back to the 3rd row with little problem - we have the 7 seater but it comes in a 8 seat version - in which you may be able to fit 3 carseats in the middle row. My husband just traded in his 2 door car for a Volvo XC90 (suv) just because it has a 3rd row. It will not be easy to get the kids in the 3rd row but it does have a built in booster in the middle row which is fine for our 5 yearold. But we don't plan on using the Volvo as the everyday car but felt more comfortable with both cars being capable of toting all 4 kids. I don't think there is a perfect solution but there are some cars out there that can accomodate 3 carseats in the backseat - it wasn't an option for us."

Volvo: Station Wagon

"We have two kids (3 yrs and 4 mos) but carpool from preschool with another child, so needed to fit three car seats. We looked at a few of the smaller SUV's with third rows (e.g. Highlander), but the problem with many of these is that if you have a car seat permanently installed
in the second row, you can't fold the seat forward in order to access the third row without un-installing the permanently installed seat. There may be some SUV's where that is not a problem, but make sure you check. We then decided b/w a minivan and a Volvo station wagon. We picked the Volvo for a couple of reasons -- one was asthetics, we just didn't like the minivans. Another was that even though the minivans have good space, it was still hard to crawl into the back to put one child in when the front two seats had car seats on them. We have three carseats in the backseat of the Volvo (this might work in your Touareg as well, actually). It's tight, but it works, and we have had no problems with having the kids too close (in fact, my daughter often holds her sister's hand, it's quite cute). One caveat is that this would not work with three Britax seats -- we ended up getting narrower car seats for the older kids. Putting a child in the middle is not too difficult if the middle child is old enough to climb in him/herself; to buckle, we just reach across and that's not a problem. Also, the Volvo has a rear facing bench seat which we figured we can use in another year or so, when our daughter is a little bigger, and that should give us enough flexibility for a few years to come. The Volvo backseat also has integrated booster seats, so that, when our daughter is a little older, we can use those and not have the car seat issue at all."

Hyundai: Entourage

"I went through the whole minivan buying excursion in the spring. After having a Chrysler Town & country for years, we weren't sure what we would buy. I was determined to get the Honda but it was just too expensive and I too, wanted the automatic rear lift gate and all the works. We ended up trying them ALL and ended up getting the Hyundai Entourage. I really do urge you to test drive it. It was $10K less than the Odyssey and have every single thing in it but the navigation (we really wanted a portable one anyway). It has the rear lift gate, the DVD entertainment thing, sun roof, side windows that lower, fancy interior, etc. I have to say that it is the BEST car I've ever had and I'm so happy I didn't spend the extra $10K on the Honda. Plus, the Hyundai comes with a 100K bumper to bumper warrantee that can't be beat. Anyway, check it out. You won't regret it!"

Lexus: SUV

"We have 3 kids and drive a Lexus SUV (the largest one). It holds 3 Britax Marathons in a row. We got it when our kids were 3, 2, and newborn (3 years ago). It works well for us. We have half of the 3rd row in place and use it for playdates, etc. I must say, though, that we do have problems with them keeping their hands to themselves, but this issue has arisen fairly recently."

Dodge: Caravan

"We have almost 7 yo girl twins and a 3 yo boy, and are expecting in June! So your questions re cars: we have a minivan. I have never had an SUV, although we have relatives who do, and I can tell you that my brother, who has three kids in car seats, switched this fall from a minivan to an SUV w/ 3 rows and he is so very sorry. It is hard to get to the child in that cramped back row and if you need the row up all the time, you have no space in the back for stuff you get at places like BJs or Costco. I think a 3-row SUV might be ok if your son was old enough, say 7 or 8, to climb back there himself and buckle in, but you will find it quite difficult, I think, to reach him over the infant car seats in the row in front of him. We have a minivan (just a Dodge Grand Caravan), which is frankly perfect for families with more than 2 kids. I won't say it's fancy, nor is it stylish! But the side doors slide back wide, easily letting the kids (and me) climb in and out, yet we still have room in the far back for groceries and stuff. Our twins are in the back row, which is perfectly comfortable for two in booster seats, and our son (and the infant to be) is in the captain's chair behind the front seats. I love that the minivan drives like a car, I (and the kids) can climb in and out without breaking an ankle (I swear I almost did break my ankle trying to get out of my sister in law's ford expedition!). I love the automatic side and back doors (meaning they open with the remote). As we come up to our car in a parking lot, I hit the button and the door slides open and all three of my kids know the rule -- climb right in and don't get back out ever! I can then help arrange seatbelts and buckle my 3 yo in. With an SUV, the doors need to be opened wide to get the infant car seat in and installed (if you have the pop out kind) and that can be very difficult when you are in a parking lot with other cars parked next to you! Before we had our minivan, we had our twins in a 4 door sedan, when they were in infant car seats, and sometimes I could not get one in her side, b/c someone had parked close to me and I couldn't open the door all the way! so frustrating!

So all in all, I don't know why people hate minivans, because they do exactly what they are intended for -- helping parents of kids get them around easily and safely!! Take some empty car seats and go visit car lots -- try moving the seats in and out, pretending someone is parked next to you and you are holding your 2 yos hand, etc. There is a range in minivans for space -- we rejected the Mazda outright b/c the sliding doors don't slide back very far. The Honda was great (my sister has one and loves it), but at the time we bought, about 4 years ago, they were requiring a $5K deposit just to look at one, so we opted for our Dodge. We've been very happy!"

Acura: MDX

"We looked at the 2007 Honda Odyssey and the 2006 Acura MDX, I ended up with the MDX for quite a few reasons. First, I can fit three carseats across the second row, 2 Britax (Wizard and Boulevard) and 1 Graco infant seat. I was amazed. I can also fit two adults comfortably in the second row with one carseat and put the other two in the the third row. Right now I have one carseat in the second row and one in the third row, I am expecting again in April. That has been working out well. I think that I may intially put them all in the second row. The downside is that with the entire third row seats up, not stowed, there is very little trunk room.

The Odyssey on the other hand was also a great car, but I just didn't like the handling. I also like the features in the touring model, which means there is only seating for three adults and three kids. The EX model can handle three adults and three kids, but I didn't think it was as comfortable as the MDX. The Odyssey also has great trunk space and you can change the seat configuration.

Dealerships still have some 2006 models on the lots and are looking to get rid of them."

Honda: Pilot

"We have the honda pilot. We love it. The third row is easy to get up and use. It allows a 2/3, 1/3 split, so you can have one seat up in the 3d row (or 2d row for that matter) and leave the rest for storage space. The 2d row is also adjustable so that you can slide it forward or backward when you have longer legged people in the 3d row. We have also had 2 britax roundabouts (one rear-facing, one forward) and a booster seat in the 2d row. We only have two kids, but we've done this when other kids have been with us."

Honda: Odyssey

"We have 2 year old twins and a 4 mo old and just manage to fit three car seats across the middle of our 2005 Honda Odyssey with the plus one seating."

Honda: Odyssey

"Every twin and triplet mom I know, and there are many - swear by their Honda Odysseys or Toyota Siennas. We looked at the new car buyers guide and test drove both and there are days when I just want to stand in front of my house and pet my Odyssey like a well-loved dog for the loyal and comfortable service it provides to our family."

Honda: Odyssey

"I am a walking advertisment for the Honda Odyssey. And I am not a "car" person -- as long as they run reliably, I've generally always been happy, but I love this van.

Features that I love are:
= Both the side doors slide open from the key and they "touch" closed (you just gently yank the handle and the door does the rest) -- or you can close them from a button next to the steering wheel.
= On the Touring edition (which we have) the back gate is also automatic from the keychain or a tiny little button accessible when the gate is open. Having your hands full of kids and groceries, it is lovely to just press a button and have the door close itself.
= The second row of seats are captain's chairs, just like the driver/passenger seats. You can slide them close together and leave an "aisle" up the middle, or slide one to the center and leave the aisle on one side.
= The third row folds away (no taking it in or out) and is super-easy to open or close. It also opens 1/3 or 2/3. With 2/3, you can still have the car seat Latched into the third row.
You can fold down the center console between the driver and passenger. This makes it easier for the passenger (me, on long trips when husband is driving) to leave the passenger seat and get into the back to manage children.
= And, it has about a million cupholders.

So, that's my commercial for Honda."

Honda: Odyssey

"We have a Honda Odyssey and I LOVE it. The best part about it is that the doors open (and close) automatically with the touch of a button on the key ring thing-- this has made getting the baby in and out so easy. Another nice thing about it is that it's low enough to the ground that my 3.5 year old son can get in by himself and climb into his seat, so I don't have to lift him. It gets very high ratings for reliability, too. Just thought I'd share! "

Honda: Odyssey

"We do not have twins, but we do have 3 kids close in age and we recently went from an SUV to a minivan. We had a 2000 Ford Explorer with no third row. Getting all three kids in and out of a single row was a nightmare! It took forever, and when we went from carseats to boosters for the older ones, it was very tough to reach down to buckle/unbuckle the seatbelts, and it frustrated the kids that they couldn't do it themselves (I could barely do it). Perhaps if you get a really big SUV like the Expedition or that size range, you might be able to do it more easily, but I would suggest a third row if you opt for an SUV. Having said that, my kids liked all sitting together in the same row and did not fight (any more or less than usual!). They all just had birthdays and are now 6, 5, and 2, but we had the Ford since the oldest was born, so we've done all sorts of configurations of different carseats & boosters. Since the baby was born, he has been in the center, with the older kids on each side, and he loved having "built-in entertainment" on each side, esp. when he was rear-facing.

When the truck died (mercifully) in September, we got a Honda Odyssey. (We looked at the Sienna as well but did not even consider buying another SUV.) This car has literally changed my life! It's SO much easier to get everyone in the car. It used to take me so long to get everybody in their seats and it was so aggravating that I often wound up yelling at my kids, but now it's actually pleasant to get in the car!

Things I love about the minivan:

= It is so roomy inside, and it's really easy to get my little guy into his carseat (in my old car, I had to kind of hurl him into the center to get him into his seat).
= The older kids can easily buckle themselves in their boosters now.
= We can take an extra kid to soccer or home from school with us for a playdate (impossible in our truck) - you're not doing this now but you will be in a few years.
= I have not looked at SUVs recently, but the seating in minivans is really versatile and easy to reconfigure to suit your needs as they change over time.
= My Odyssey actually seems to have more storage space in back than my truck, even with all the seats in use, and if the third row is folded down (which takes about 10 seconds to do), there is a ton of cargo space. We have also removed the 2nd row seats to transport large items - not something you want to do on a daily basis but easy enough.
= Minivans are built on a car chassis as opposed to a truck chassis, so they drive like cars, which to me is a plus. My minivan is WAY quieter than my truck.
= Sliding doors is a REALLY nice feature - no more cringing as my kid slams the door into the car parked next to us.
= My old SUV got horrible gas mileage and I was filling it constantly; the minivan is much more fuel efficient.

As far as the "cool factor" - ummm, don't care. I finally have a car that does what I need it to do and actually makes my life easier.

I know there are a lot of nice trucks out there now, but I hated my old one so much and I love my minivan so much that I have to come down on the minivan side of this debate. The top-selling minivans are specifically designed for families with kids -- so they seem to have thought of just about every feature a family with 3+ kids could want. "

Honda: Odyssey

"For what it's worth, we have 10-month-old twins and a four-year-old and have a Honda Odyssey. We bought the Odyssey while I was pregnant with the twins (twins and older sib are exactly 4 years apart). The infant seats are in the second row, and the booster seat is in the third row. It's a little tough to get someone else into the third row, but my son has no trouble getting in and out of his booster seat. We love the roominess of the van, as well as the automatic side doors that can open remotely (extremely helpful when you're carrying 2 infant seats!). My only complaint is that visibility is sometimes not perfect -- I came to the van from a 2-door Honda Civic and find it much more difficult now to see what's going on on the sides (at ground level) and in the back of the van. Also, of course, the gas mileage is pretty bad."

Honda: Odyssey

"We have the Honda Odyssey, which we love (power doors....very key!) The third row, as great as it is, is not optimal for infant car seats. We've tried it. I would be surprised if you found any vehicle where the 3d row is open enough to easily maneuver two infant seats (which
you would have to snap in and out on a regular basis). My kids' car seats (a Marathon and a Decathlon -- both enormous) are in the 2d row (which is only 2 seats wide). When we drive other kids, those kids sit in the back. So I would put your infants in the 2d row, and your 3-year old in a carseat or booster in the 3d row. This makes it possible for whoever is in the passenger seat to just turn around and attend to the babies as needed. Or you can sit in the 3d row with your toddler, where you would have easy access to all kids.

BTW, even with the 3rd row in use, we still have a good amount of trunk space -- enough for a weeklong trip to Hilton Head for four adults, a baby and a toddler. We have GPS and a DVD player. The GPS is a godsend. The DVD player is used way less than we expected, but
is still great for long trips. The only option I wish I had for the Odyssey is a power back door -- which I think is now available, but correct me if I'm wrong. I was very resistant at first to getting a minivan, but it has been great!"

Ford: Tahoe

"I only have one child (so far) but we bought a Tahoe with a third row after my daughter was born and we love it. We have family in the area and the third row is a nice option which allows us to take one car instead of two. The regular backseats are captain's chairs, the negative is this takes out the middle seat, but it makes it much easier to get to the third row, which is removable. I would recommend getting a car with this set up because it allows you to maneuver within the car.

The third row takes up a large portion of the cargo area, and I'm not sure whether more than one stroller would fit easily, however, the Suburban may be a better option, because it has more cargo space and then your child's car seat would not be so close to the back of the car for safety reasons.

I personally just did not want a mini-van, and this was the best option for our family. It still has a grown up feel, yet it is very functional, and the additional height is nice in bad weather and in general I like being above the other traffic."

Ford: Explorer

"We have the ford explorer with 3 rows. with two car seats in the second row it is very difficult to get the middle part to go down far enough to let our little carpool friend from preschool climb into the third row. most of the time i end up sticking him through the trunk part and buckling him in. you still have enough room for a pack and play and stroller in the back with the 3rd row up but, i wouldn't buy this car if you are going to need that third row on a daily basis! all of my neighbors in the same situation have the honda oddesey. seems very nice, i wasn't ready to have a minivan though!"

Saturn: Outlook

"I just test drove the new Saturn Outlook. I never considered a Saturn before...but after the test drive and much research..it looks to be a great vehicle with great reviews and a lot of vehicle for the $. Not so bulky...attractive....reasonable cost (which is relative)....DVD
(necessity for my son - or rather for me)..double sunroofs which are cool.... But most important for you...it can seat 8 or 7 (if you get the 2nd row Captains chairs)...check it out. Good Luck!! FYI top of the line with everything runs about 43,000."

Chrysler: Town and Country

"I'll start off by saying I never thought I would be a mini-van person - the idea seemed so far removed from any image I had of myself, my life, etc. That being said, I love driving my van and so does my husband. We looked at and test drove the larger SUVs. The problem I found was that I couldn't get to the back seat easily and I was eight months pregnant and still lifting an almost five year old up into the vehicle. Not fun! In fact, I don't know about all the SUVs, but the ones we tried, you had to fold forward the middle row seat to get to the back seats, so you couldn't keep an infant seat base secured; you would have to take it out each time to fold the seat. In the van, my son can climb in easily, buckle himself up, and push the button to close his door while I get the baby settled in.

We ended up with a Chrysler Town & Country Touring edition. I love that the doors open with a push of the button. Also, this is maybe the only van (I could be wrong) where the back opens with a button as well. I can not tell you what a lifesaver that has been while carting my kids around, and with twins I'd think this would be a big selling point; you could carry both of them and still be able to get the doors/tailgate open or closed. Also, I was surprised at how easy it is to drive, and it turns well and is easier to park than any SUV I've ever driven.

A bonus that I didn't take into consideration when buying is that all the seats fold down into the floor. We've avoided some delivery charges on larger items we've purchased for our house - my husband was able to bring home a grandfather clock for example.

I think you just have to drive some of both, vans and SUVs, and see what is a better fit. For me, the convenience of the van has greatly outweighed my aversion to being a "mini-van mom". The only thing was I insisted that if I was going to have to drive a van, it be a nice one - leather seats, all the bells and whistles. One other thing I just remembered, as your son gets older, you will likely be carting his friends around as well, so it's nice to have the extra room."

Chrysler: Town and Country

"We bought the Chrysler Town & Country minivan. On an environmental note, the T&C is larger than the Pacifica, but gets better gas mileage. Apparently the minivan is built on a car platform using a car engine, while the Pacifica is built on a truck platform, using a truck engine.
So we got a bigger car with slightly less offensive mileage, which mademe feel better about the whole thing."