Family of 4. Do we need 2 row or 3 row SUV?

[Anonymous]

I’ve been looking for a car for my family of 4. My husband has his own car but I want something I can drive each day. My husband will be in the passenger seat occasionally but mainly my kids will be in the back (4 and 5 months). Is a 2 row suv like a Ford Edge ok, or will a 3 row be better. Not sure if want drive a 3 row suv day to day. But also want my family to be able to grow into it.

[Anonymous]

Edge is really small when you have car seats gear, and maybe an extra kid.

[Anonymous]

I would get 3 rows if you plan on eventually having anyone else in car (grandparents? Cousins? Carpooling? Playdates?).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would get 3 rows if you plan on eventually having anyone else in car (grandparents? Cousins? Carpooling? Playdates?).

We have this issue too. I think my ideal setup would be one three-row SUV and one small sedan or hatchback for around the town driving. So in my mind it depends on what the spouse's car is and which car is likely to be replaced first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would get 3 rows if you plan on eventually having anyone else in car (grandparents? Cousins? Carpooling? Playdates?).

We have this issue too. I think my ideal setup would be one three-row SUV and one small sedan or hatchback for around the town driving. So in my mind it depends on what the spouse's car is and which car is likely to be replaced first.

Great point. My car (Nissan. Sentra) needs to be replaced first. He has an Infiniti and we’re already squished when we ride together. He does want to get a large truck (f150 type down the line) but I also don’t want to break the bank since I need to have leather seats, Push to start, and Apple car play.

I’ve also been looking at the Kia sorrento, Hyundai Sante fe, and the equinox. Does anyone have these cars? Like them? Anything bigger than my Sentra would be great.

[Anonymous]

We’re a family of four and have a three row SUV (Ascent). Here are the reasons:

1. My parents visit a lot but won’t drive around here so we all go in one car when they’re here.
2. We have a dog who isn’t huge (40lbs) but goes to the dog park everyday and needs a place to ride without dirtying the main seating area.
3. One of my kids plays travel baseball and has a massive bag.
4. Before Covid, we carpooled kids to sports from time to time—see multiple giant baseball bags.
5. Sometimes more than one of these things is happening at the same time.

I would absolutely have a 2 row if I could get away with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re a family of four and have a three row SUV (Ascent). Here are the reasons:

1. My parents visit a lot but won’t drive around here so we all go in one car when they’re here.
2. We have a dog who isn’t huge (40lbs) but goes to the dog park everyday and needs a place to ride without dirtying the main seating area.
3. One of my kids plays travel baseball and has a massive bag.
4. Before Covid, we carpooled kids to sports from time to time—see multiple giant baseball bags.
5. Sometimes more than one of these things is happening at the same time.

I would absolutely have a 2 row if I could get away with it.

Oh ok! Both set of grandparents are out of state. He’s 4 but I do expect him to be in sports with just stuff.

[Anonymous]

I got a three row when I was pregnant with my second. The only times I used it for people was when I brought friends home for play dates from preschool. It was nice to have the huge back to put groceries though.

[Anonymous]

We have an MDX which has a very small 3rd row, we don't use it often, but it's so nice to have for when you have a couple of extra people. The Mazda CX9 is nice and also has a 3rd row.

[Anonymous]

We have a Sorrento. Love it.

It just makes life so much easier when parents are in town, anyone visiting to be able to use just one car, carpooling, etc.

You probably don't need three rows now, or maybe even for the next 2-3 years, and there are work around that mean you don't ever really NEED it, but in 2-3 years it'll make life easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a Sorrento. Love it.

It just makes life so much easier when parents are in town, anyone visiting to be able to use just one car, carpooling, etc.

You probably don't need three rows now, or maybe even for the next 2-3 years, and there are work around that mean you don't ever really NEED it, but in 2-3 years it'll make life easier.

Hmmm...that makes sense!

[Anonymous]

You can get away with a two-row Subaru Outback. It has a very wide 2nd row.

But if you think you will have grandparents, an au pair, etc fairly frequently, you'll want the 3rd row.

That said, mid-size SUVs with pop-up 3rd row are very difficult to get in and out. For example, no way in hell an elderly grandparent can crawl into the 3rd row in a Sorrento, Honda Pilot, or CX-9. It's too tight. Also, when you're using the 3rd row, your trunk storage capacity shrinks big time. So the pop-up 3rd rows are really not that great for roadtrips, in my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can get away with a two-row Subaru Outback. It has a very wide 2nd row.

But if you think you will have grandparents, an au pair, etc fairly frequently, you'll want the 3rd row.

That said, mid-size SUVs with pop-up 3rd row are very difficult to get in and out. For example, no way in hell an elderly grandparent can crawl into the 3rd row in a Sorrento, Honda Pilot, or CX-9. It's too tight. Also, when you're using the 3rd row, your trunk storage capacity shrinks big time. So the pop-up 3rd rows are really not that great for roadtrips, in my experience.

If you don’t really need it save the extra money and stick with the 2nd row. You have two kids, don’t get n extra row for “other people”. They can figure it out. Or have your husband drive the grandparents. Since you said they live out of state. Don’t buy for the what if’s. Buy for What you currently need

[Anonymous]

The problem with two row sUVs is that they usually don’t have enough storage space for gear, suitcases, etc. We have a Mazda CX-9, and while we’ve maybe used the third row twice, we have filled up the back with the third row down quite often for road trips, shopping etc. With a two row, you can lose visibility quite easily if you have to pile things in that tiny space.

[Anonymous]

So having a third row that you fold down is the same space as a 2 row current or no?