I have the telluride and love it! It was a bear to get though. This was a year ago and it's probably worse nos

Kia sorento plug in hybrid! We barely ever fill it up. Charge it from s normal plug. It’s a great car, but not cheap.

Buick Enclave

We love our Ascent too. Third row is great.

The fixation on 3 row SUVs is a textbook example of how effective marketing is and how stupid Americans are.

Half the people we know now have 3 row SUV's and only one family even has 3 kids and several just have 1.

Yet something like 95% of the car mileage in the US is people driving alone.

And people wonder why there is no hope for our planet.

i like my cx-9. The third row is much more comfortable for my petite teens than the highlander. The 2nd row is still roomy after 2 car seats BUT when all seats are up the trunk space is tiny! I barely fit my double stroller there and nothing else.

I have the Subaru Ascent and love it (I agree the third row is roomier than Highlander/Pilot), but what is your budget? The Ascent isn’t cheap. Do you plan to regularly use the third row? If so, you may want to consider a minivan. We occasionally use our third row, so it works for us but if I needed it daily then I would pass. Gas mileage is high also.

Anonymous wrote:We have an Ascent and love it. Also looked at the Highlander and Pilot but found the third row on the Ascent to be roomier and much, much more comfortable.

I disagree with PP that you're losing money off the lot with a Subaru vs. a Honda or Toyota. Subarus hold their value.

wrong. Not all subaru's hold their value. Subaru foresters and outbacks do, subaru ascents do not.

If you lease, its definitely worth doing your homework, the model and trim matter A LOT when it comes to residual value. You also have to call the dealer and understand what you are negotiating. It may say a car costs "X a month" and that sounds good -- but then you'll realize that's for the base model with 8k miles and 6k due at signing...

If you search for lease on here there is a lot of good advice on what to look for.

Anonymous wrote:If you are leasing -- the highlander and the pilot are really the only choices that will make financial sense. They have very high residual value and therefore lease well.

The atlas, accent, palisade etc depreciate so much once you drive off the lot that the leases are very expensive

Those leases are much cheaper than the Toyotas and the Hondas though, from what I can tell.

We have an Ascent and love it. Also looked at the Highlander and Pilot but found the third row on the Ascent to be roomier and much, much more comfortable.

I disagree with PP that you're losing money off the lot with a Subaru vs. a Honda or Toyota. Subarus hold their value.

If you are leasing -- the highlander and the pilot are really the only choices that will make financial sense. They have very high residual value and therefore lease well.

The atlas, accent, palisade etc depreciate so much once you drive off the lot that the leases are very expensive

We like our Mazda CX-9. The third row is not great for adults and teens, though, so if you need to fit taller people in the back, it may not be for you.

If it was me, I'd be looking at a Palisade.

We have a Pilot that we love because the 3rd row actually fits teens and adults. Others we drove at the time lacked head and legroom. It’s been a great SUV even if not an exciting vehicle to drive. It’s been very reliable for us. Based on the marketing from the dealer, I think they are actually available for purchase so you can avoid paying above MSRP. I heard a rumor that they’re being redesigned so that might factor in.

We are looking to lease a 3 row SUV, budget is primary concern. I have never leased a car before but this is the best option for us right now for a variety of reasons. Which 3 row SUV would you be looking at in this scenario?