3-Row SUV for Midlife Crisis

[edyvw]

Rivian R1S?

Otherwise, any 3-row Toyota/Lexus would be the safest choice.

There's also the Durango Hellcat

WOW "reasonably good" 0-60 is under 7.0 seconds!

Also, the only thing that will satisfy the first criterion of an adult-size third row is a minivan, sorry
IDK when Mercedes stopped putting a third seat in their wagons, but otherwise, an E63 wagon would've been a contender.

Maybe an ID Buzz might work for you

Which one exactly? Because a lot of them like to leave rod bearings on the road, broken seats, dashboards etc.

 

[mco30mco]

My wife woke-up one day and decided she wants an early midlife crisis vehicle. Here are her desired requirements, in order of importance:

- 3rd row that can comfortably sit an average-sized male adult for a road trip.
- 2nd row Captain Chairs
- Panoramic moonroof
- A seemingly upscale interior
- An exterior color that is similar to Audi's Nardo Gray
- Reasonably good acceleration (e.g. under 7 second 0-60)

Price point: Less than $100K

Condition: New or less than 1 yr old/15K miles

Other preferences that would be nice to have but are not critical: brown interior color, available 10 yr extended warranty from OEM, reasonable reliability and parts availability, rear entertainment system for kids.

Vehicles we have looked at:

TX 500h Luxury: workable, but her desired color combination is rare and the market has priced it accordingly.
GLS450: 3rd row is too small
Yukon AT4 Ultimate: doesn't like exterior appearance or interior quality.
Escalade: exceeds budget

Looking for suggestions.

Thanks.

Ford Explorer. especially the explorer st if it’s a midlife crisis
Ford Expedition 2025 has new body style and the remaining 24s have great incentives

 

[The Critic]

Which one exactly? Because a lot of them like to leave rod bearings on the road, broken seats, dashboards etc.

The truck-based ones, yes.

 

[SEBZX79]

My wife woke-up one day and decided she wants an early midlife crisis vehicle. Here are her desired requirements, in order of importance:

- 3rd row that can comfortably sit an average-sized male adult for a road trip.
- 2nd row Captain Chairs
- Panoramic moonroof
- A seemingly upscale interior
- An exterior color that is similar to Audi's Nardo Gray
- Reasonably good acceleration (e.g. under 7 second 0-60)

Price point: Less than $100K

Condition: New or less than 1 yr old/15K miles

Other preferences that would be nice to have but are not critical: brown interior color, available 10 yr extended warranty from OEM, reasonable reliability and parts availability, rear entertainment system for kids.

Vehicles we have looked at:

TX 500h Luxury: workable, but her desired color combination is rare and the market has priced it accordingly.
GLS450: 3rd row is too small
Yukon AT4 Ultimate: doesn't like exterior appearance or interior quality.
Escalade: exceeds budget

Looking for suggestions.

Thanks.

X7

 

[edyvw]

Rental review of X7Č

Thread '2024 BMW X7 4.0i Review (rental)'

Oct 26, 2024

So, in my attempt to avoid buying 2nd generation Toyota Sequoia (will happen, still, keep reading) I am renting these 3 row SUV's every time I need to rent something.
We went to Hawaii for a week since kids have a two-week fall break (our district has that, but they start school two weeks earlier). We chose Honolulu because we usually just stay in a hotel with a kitchen, and Honolulu is not as pricey, because of competition, but then we just spend time on North Shore etc.
I rented initially X5 through SIxt (I cannot say enough praise about them). It was $62 a day, and X7 was $117...

• edyvw
• Replies: 43
• Forum: Vehicles

• 
• 

 

[4WD]

I searched issues on several of these posted - none get off super clean …
(I’d negotiate enough to pay for an extended warranty) …

 

[tbm5690]

The 3rd row being actually comfortable for an extended period of time for an adult is really the sticking point here. Minimum Tahoe on up for size to meet that requirement.

I think the easiest solution is to talk your wife out of her crisis.

 

[MParr]

Ford Expedition Platinum.

 

[Passport1]

My midlife rite du passage wasn't about a third row seat but a red two seater.

 

[Dave Hess]

I vote for the Tahoe or Escalade if you can swing it.

That would be my choices.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

My wife' early midlife crisis was when we had our 1 and only kid. That was 2013. " I WANT A HONDA PILOT EXL, RED w BLACK LEATHER INTERIOR ! " WAAAAHHHH !!!! So, 48k later, we got it. Brand new. BIGGEST mistake of our lives. Drank gas, hard to park, tranny blew at 70k, lower control arms recalls, horrible brakes, Cats at 100K, Sold at 105k. That 3rd row was used 3x tops !!!! Should have bought her a Civic. One kid, really ????? Now she drives an 06' Camry Le. Too bad !!!!!!!!!!!! No camera, no bluetooth, , no Sirius XM radio, no nothing. GO TO WORK !!!!! At least I charged up the A/C for you. Stop complaining !!!!!!!!! LOL

 

[ATex7239]

The 3rd row being actually comfortable for an extended period of time for an adult is really the sticking point here. Minimum Tahoe on up for size to meet that requirement.

I think the easiest solution is to talk your wife out of her crisis.

Doubtful.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. You can't win

 

[edyvw]

My wife' early midlife crisis was when we had our 1 and only kid. That was 2013. " I WANT A HONDA PILOT EXL, RED w BLACK LEATHER INTERIOR ! " WAAAAHHHH !!!! So, 48k later, we got it. Brand new. BIGGEST mistake of our lives. Drank gas, hard to park, tranny blew at 70k, lower control arms recalls, horrible brakes, Cats at 100K, Sold at 105k. That 3rd row was used 3x tops !!!! Should have bought her a Civic. One kid, really ????? Now she drives an 06' Camry Le. Too bad !!!!!!!!!!!! No camera, no bluetooth, , no Sirius XM radio, no nothing. GO TO WORK !!!!! At least I charged up the A/C for you. Stop complaining !!!!!!!!! LOL

On my list, the most uncomfortable vehicle I ever had.
When Southwest screwed us for that Christmas 2022, we took Tiguan instead of Pilot from Colorado Springs to San Diego. It is 100X more comfortable vehicle. I cringe even when I drive it just for battery to stay healthy.

 

[02SE]

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. You can't win

I feel like I hit the lottery when I hear things like this. My wife is awesome. We never argue about vehicles, money, or whatever.

 

[RooflessVW]

I feel like I hit the lottery when I hear things like this. My wife is awesome. We never argue about vehicles, money, or whatever.

A lot of people seem to marry who they hate the most

 

[swathdiver]

My wife woke-up one day and decided she wants an early midlife crisis vehicle. Here are her desired requirements, in order of importance:

- 3rd row that can comfortably sit an average-sized male adult for a road trip.
- 2nd row Captain Chairs
- Panoramic moonroof
- A seemingly upscale interior
- An exterior color that is similar to Audi's Nardo Gray
- Reasonably good acceleration (e.g. under 7 second 0-60)

Price point: Less than $100K

Condition: New or less than 1 yr old/15K miles

Other preferences that would be nice to have but are not critical: brown interior color, available 10 yr extended warranty from OEM, reasonable reliability and parts availability, rear entertainment system for kids.

Vehicles we have looked at:

TX 500h Luxury: workable, but her desired color combination is rare and the market has priced it accordingly.
GLS450: 3rd row is too small
Yukon AT4 Ultimate: doesn't like exterior appearance or interior quality.
Escalade: exceeds budget

Looking for suggestions.

Thanks.

Consider the Yukon Denali and Yukon XL Denali and the Tahoe Premier or High Country and Suburban Premier or High Country.

These are full frame trucks built for towing and comfort and will still be on the road 20+ years from now faithfully serving their owners. These do not share the spartan interior of the AT4 trim level. Don't forget, you can build your own online and see what they look like equipped the way you/she wants.

- James

 

[tbm5690]

Doubtful.

Women are emotionally superior/more capable than men, but sometimes need to be talked off the ledge of making emotional decisions that aren't rational. That's where hubby comes in, and why marriage is meant to work so well in a complimentary fashion. So, I was partly tongue in cheek but also serious with my comment.

 

[RBT]

My wife' early midlife crisis was when we had our 1 and only kid. That was 2013. " I WANT A HONDA PILOT EXL, RED w BLACK LEATHER INTERIOR ! " WAAAAHHHH !!!! So, 48k later, we got it. Brand new. BIGGEST mistake of our lives. Drank gas, hard to park, tranny blew at 70k, lower control arms recalls, horrible brakes, Cats at 100K, Sold at 105k. That 3rd row was used 3x tops !!!! Should have bought her a Civic. One kid, really ????? Now she drives an 06' Camry Le. Too bad !!!!!!!!!!!! No camera, no bluetooth, , no Sirius XM radio, no nothing. GO TO WORK !!!!! At least I charged up the A/C for you. Stop complaining !!!!!!!!! LOL

Respectfully the number of gen 2 Pilots still on the road makes this claim surprising. They aren’t sexy cars but when you have kids and need a useable third row, we have many friends who swore by them and still do, accumulating many years and miles with little fuss. I think the real issue is you didn’t like the cost of the vehicle for one kid.

In any event for the original poster if you are looking for the most comfortable vehicle with a useable third row, the consensus seems to be one of the big American SUVs - Tahoe or Suburban, Expedition/ Expedition EL, or the Wagoneer/Wagoneer L.

 

[John105]

In any event for the original poster if you are looking for the most comfortable vehicle with a useable third row, the consensus seems to be one of the big American SUVs - Tahoe or Suburban, Expedition/ Expedition EL, or the Wagoneer/Wagoneer L.

For whatever reason I care greatly about cargo space. Our barometer is the 2011 Enclave that we had--we typically did not use the 3rd row, so we drove around 70% of the time with the 3rd row down, providing 66 cu ft. That is in the range of a CR-V and all the euro SUVs with 2nd row folded. A Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade would have 73.

The Wagoneer has slightly more cargo than the Enclave. The Expedition far less.

On the GM side, the 2025 Tahoe (or 2021+) has 123 cu ft., and the Suburban 145 cu ft. This may or may not be needed nor a selling point, but the competitions' Suburban sized cars tend to have the Tahoe's cargo, while their Tahoe offering is less than a previous 2008+ GM crossover. Why, I'll never know without having all the vehicles in front of me and loading them.

Cargo does matter imho when one has a large dog, or say multiple kids with hockey bags.

So with respect to cargo and interior space, GM, Ford, and Jeep are different. I would expect sales numbers to show that as well. Where I live, there are zero to 2 Tahoes on the lots of Chevy dealers. Nationwide searches do come up with as many as 20 on the lot in Dallas. We have one on order btw scheduled to be produced the week of 7/28.