Wagon-like family hauler

[pandus13]

Hi,
beside Ford Freestyle (production ended 2007) and Toyota Rav4 with 3rd row seats (how do I find those?), do I have anything in the used/new market with a good gas mileage? I guess reliability will be criteria #1.
Do I have to switch to minivans?
Typical load will be mom, new born, 3 year old, grandma (and kiddie stuff).
in vacations will include me also...
I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks.

 

[bepperb]

FWIW our Highlander gets about 20 city, 25 highway. The Sienna is surprisingly close, I'd say 19/24. Best tanks are 29 and 26 respectively. I know a CRV or Rav would get better mileage but with three kids they won't fit across in the middle row. We sold the Accord as it didn't make sense to own a car that didn't fit all of us.

The third row in an SUV is to trick idiots into thinking they can really seat that many passengers. With a newborn and a three year old who exactly do you think is going to access the third row? It's going to be tricky as the two car seats in the second row will prevent you from tumbling/sliding those seats to access the third row. So it will be you or grandma doing a high jump over the car seats and the seatback to get there. Or in the highlander climbing over the seats and then through a six inch wide tunnel. The reward for this, besides a herniated disc, is pretty crummy small seat and basically a 9 x 36 inch cargo area behind the third row. Don't get me started on the Rav4 third row, when your 3 year old is 8 they won't fit there anymore.

So I guess my advice is to buy a minivan or an SUV that can fit the five of you in two rows. In vacations the third row won't work, unless you get a cartop carrier.

 

[bigjl]

You don't say what kind of vehicle you want.

But why not go for a Subaru Outback, reliable and comfortable and not to flashy but with good reliability.

If you want three rows of seats then consider the Pathfinder, the third row aren't the worst to get into, though not as much leg room as you might think, but with all seats in use it still has a usable boot.

If you have a bigger budget the Volvo XC90 is a very popular vehicle and has a reputation for reliability. I think it came to market in 2004/5 so should be some out here T reasonable price.

 

[supton]

RAV4 with third row is kinda hard to find. Some people didn't like them, as you lose some cubby holes in the trunk; and access to the rear is tight. The rearmost seats are also very small, so I'm not sure if 10 years old and up might mind the seats too small. But you can drop one of the seats in the third row, and retain *some* cargo space.

The I4 is "sufficent", the V6 is noticably more powerful; but more thirsty in the city. Third row does add more stiff rear springs, so it won't sag as much; but only the V6 can have tow prep package (not all V6's get tow prep, and none of the I4's get tow prep).

I did see some company that sells an add-in rear seat. Like $1,200 for a third row that you could add to a non-third row RAV4. That might be a possibility.

One thing we run into is that it is tough to get three booster seats across a back row (normal 2nd row). My Jetta won't do it. Wife's Camry just fits three. We did not measure the RAV4 for width (doah!), since we assumed we'd only get one with third row. Our two kids are close in age, and thus they share friends of similar age, and thus it's not too hard to have to bring two extra kids around at times...

Older V6 models did have a transmission issue, which didn't seem to impact reliability--but there was a recall. Also the water pumps can fail early, and for at least the V6 you drop the engine to replace (nothing cheap!). Beyond that, I do beleive it's typical Toyota reliability.

Oh: RAV4 still has the swing out gate. If you are in Chicago that might be a nuisance, as it swings towards the curb, not away.

Minivans have their uses... I'm not enamored with them, as they are hard on automatic transmissions (I think only Sienna has escaped that issue). The electric sliding doors are slow, and known to have issues at high miles. Thirsty in the city. But, easy to get into and out of.

What else... Been a while since I looked at Mazada5. Forget if that has third row. And never looked at Suburban/etc.

We make do (currently) with our Camry. Will fit 5 persons. We have a smaller inflatable booster for when the load is mom and four kids. But we often take two cars instead of putting 5 into the Camry, if we can. Had to measure the back seat width first (before buying the Camry) to make sure it was wide enough--I'd take a tape measure and measure between armrests if you test drive anything. I forget the required width measurement, the seats are like 16 inches wide, but for some reason I'm thinking you need more width than that.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Toyota Highlander Hybrid?

 

[pbm]

The 2012 Chrysler minivan (3.6 Pentastar) that I recently rented was very roomy and got decent mileage too (20ish around town and 25 to 27 on the long drive from Florida to NY). I think the Dodge version is very affordable also. I know some people are put off by (the non-cool factor of) minivans but the comfort and room make them very practical. I hope that the reliability is as good as I think it is...

 

[Muskieteer]

Are you wanting 3rd row seating?

Just off the top of my head the wagon like cars are.
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Venza
Toyota Prius V
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Outback
Subaru Tribeca
Audi A3
Mazda 5
Mazda cx-7
Mazda cx-9
Buick Enclave
Chevrolet Traverse
GMC Acadia
VW Jetta Wagon
VW Passat Wagon
Volvo V-50
Volvo XC-60
Volvo XC-70

 

[Shannow]

I'm a fan of our family car layout, seats 5 easily (5 adults for a long drive is a bit cosy), and when we have dogs, trips, bikes, they are safely out back.

 

[bigjl]

Volvo V50 would probably be too small for the OP. I have bad mine for over a year, really nice and comfy drive but very tight on legroom, even with my 11 and 14 yr olds in the back there is little room left for a third rear seat passenger.

 

[Bgallagher]

I'd go with a Subaru Outback or Forrester. Both great for what you are looking for

 

[Astro14]

Volvo wagon - either XC or FWD...

The P2 version is a great value: car ride and MPG, Euro luxury and build quality, room for stuff from Lowe's...not a ton of passenger room in the backseat...but I would take my T5 (great handling, quicker than many sports cars, 28 MPG highway) over any baby-ute that does everything worse, except have AWD...

Which 99% of the population does not need (sure, they'll spend thousands on AWD, which doesn't help them stop...instead of hundreds on winter tires, which will help them go AND stop...).

 

[AuthorEditor]

A minivan is really far superior for seating and comfort with little ones than any of the alternatives, and much safer too. An option might be a Grand Marquis or Crown Vic. My family of four took many longish vacations in comfort, and we averaged 25-26 on the highway, could cruise at whatever speed we wanted all day long, and the trunks are voluminous. You might want to check out something like the new Taurus, which is pretty roomy inside.

 

[bigjl]

I have seen pictures of a Crown Vic boot and wouldn't co sider that as particularly roomy. Then again I have only seen boot pictures of Police versions, perhaps the civilian versions are different.

 

[surfstar]

Mazda5 as previously mentioned?

 

[AuthorEditor]

Quote:
I have seen pictures of a Crown Vic boot and wouldn't co sider that as particularly roomy.


Here's a quote from one review: The Crown Victoria comes with a generous 21 cubic feet of trunk space that Edmunds auto reviewers say can "easily swallow a week's worth of luggage for four adults."

It is surprisingly deep, that might not be apparent in the pictures. For example, it swallows up the small mini-fridge my son uses in his dorm room.

 

[punisher]

Wagon Queen Family Truckster

 

[The_Jeff]

My olds silhouette van pulled 24-26 MPG and it wasn't embarrassing to be seen in. Mostly because it was so bland-- the Venture styled one, not the Dustbuster.

Time and legislation has not been kind to my 91 volvo wagon: The rear facing seats are limited by Volvo to 120 lbs, but the law is 4'9" before you get out of a booster seat. The 3rd row is essentially for 12.5 year old skinny girls.

If you get a receiver hitch on whatever you choose you can get one of those trays in the back where you can put your extra luggage.

 

[Spazdog]

I thought the US would get the 7 passenger Ford Grand C-Max, but I guess Ford put that on hold.

Mazda5 might be the only real minivan anymore. The Caravan, Odyssey, Sedona, Sienna...etc... are pretty close in size to the '65 Chevrolet van I took my driving test in.

That being said, I am actually surprised at the numbers that come up for the Sienna 4cyl. 26mpg. 9.5 second 0-60, roughly the same to 60 as a Corolla LE. It wasn't that long ago that V6 minivans were 10 seconds 0 to 60.

I'm not exactly sure what the Chrysler Pacifica was or Mercedes R-class is. They are not minivans, but they are not really crossovers either. I guess they are kinda' wagons. But you look at a Magnum and think, that's a station wagon. Not so much with the Pacifica. A co-worker has one. I drove it to get a battery for my car. It looks like they fitted it with a lot of unused parts from Mercedes Benz inside. It's not sporty but not minivan-like either. Wasn't bad. I don't think the gas mileage is any better than a Caravan but it does have a 3.5 or 4.0

 

[bigjl]

The Grand C Max is not really that big in the rearmost seats.

North America should ask for the Galaxy or S Max to be sold there. S Max is a bit more lifestyle than practical.

But one of the most common private hire cars in London is the Ford Galaxy, and one large company, Addison Lee has roughly 3500 on its fleet, they are all 2.0tdci with autoboxes, from '11 on they have the double clutch Powershift box and can do up to 45mpg if driven with a little restraint, I had one for four months when I gave the private hire work a go as I was bored at home.

The one I had wAs a year old and had 54k on it when I handed it back, I put 12k on it in those months. And most do 100k over three years the. Get sold off to owner driver private hire drivers to be worked some more.

Not the best room in the boot with all the seats up but you can use a roofbox in extremis.

I am not saying they look cool but are very practical.

 

[JOD]

I think you hit it on your first post--a Ford Freestyle. I'm almost looking for my next car, just because, and I have yet to see anything that has the cargo/people space to fuel economy ratio of this car. The only downside is that in the unlikely event of a transmission issue, you'll have an expensive repair. All-in-all though, the transmissions have been both reliable and durable. A friend of mine has almost 300K on his, and he's had very few problems (end links, 1 motor mount and the rest has been regular maintenance). I'm at 130K, and mine has been solid as well.

Here's one in your 'hood: http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/3317920958.html

I like the P2 V70 better than my car, but I just needed more space. The other good option would be a Mazda5.