Anonymous wrote:Telluride can easily be gotten for less than $45k. But they are in high demand, given their great reviews and many dealers are charging +MSRP (but still well under $45k).

FALSE

If you need the third row for every day to fit your family, I would go with a minivan.

If you need a third row for carpooling a few extra kids, I would go with the third row.

If you are carpooling HS age kids and need the third row to fit them, it will be tight, but it will work. If they have back packs or sports equipment and the car is full with kids, you will have almost no room for that stuff.

Third row will be okay on long trips for young kids, but not older young adult kids. Just not super comfortable for a long trip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a Highlander (and so does my spouse), and we love them. (That's why we have 2, a few years apart in age.) But the 3rd row is probably my least favorite thing about it. When raised, it takes up nearly all of the trunk space, there is barely any leg room back there, and you should look into potential car seat / booster seat configurations if that is important to you (I recently realized it wouldn't work for a setup I wanted to do).

Maybe this is common among the mid-size 3-row SUVs, but it wasn't everything I dreamed of.

(Otherwise, we LOVE them, and this is not a frequent issue for us.)

thanks! we have 2 kids and would mostly keep the back row folded down for greater cargo space, but do like having the option for carpooling, when the grandparents are in town, etc.

I have a 2019 Highlander Hybrid. We also have 2 kids. The third row is important for when we have relatives in town (we used to have a Ford Escape and had to rent a minivan when my parents or inlaws came to visit), or when we have to carpool with other kids. Right now, my twins are 10 and their best friends are 10. I can move the middle seat forward and they all have shortened seats. It's worked great including when we took all four on a trip to Great Wolf Lodge. However, in about 3-5 years when they are teens, the 2nd and 3rd row will only be usable for short trips because the kids will be bigger.

We love the Highlander and it has worked great for us so far. We'll just have to see when the kids are teens whether it still works for us.

Volkswagen Atlas add to list. If you get fwd with regular engine gas mileage ok.

I know you hate GM but Buick is the most reliable brand and they have a 3rd row

I was in a Highlander Uber a couple of weeks ago and it made me think of this board - how there are so many people who would NEVER drive a minivan and always pushing these three-row SUVs as an alternative. The third row was unusable. Not "tight," more like "an adult can crouch nearby to buckle in a child and then escape before taking a breath." No space between the second row and third at all.

So, less cargo space, fewer usable seats, harder to park and worse gas mileage, but: hey, at least you're still cool in your 15 year old head!

Anonymous wrote:I have a Highlander (and so does my spouse), and we love them. (That's why we have 2, a few years apart in age.) But the 3rd row is probably my least favorite thing about it. When raised, it takes up nearly all of the trunk space, there is barely any leg room back there, and you should look into potential car seat / booster seat configurations if that is important to you (I recently realized it wouldn't work for a setup I wanted to do).

Maybe this is common among the mid-size 3-row SUVs, but it wasn't everything I dreamed of.

(Otherwise, we LOVE them, and this is not a frequent issue for us.)

thanks! we have 2 kids and would mostly keep the back row folded down for greater cargo space, but do like having the option for carpooling, when the grandparents are in town, etc.

I have a Highlander (and so does my spouse), and we love them. (That's why we have 2, a few years apart in age.) But the 3rd row is probably my least favorite thing about it. When raised, it takes up nearly all of the trunk space, there is barely any leg room back there, and you should look into potential car seat / booster seat configurations if that is important to you (I recently realized it wouldn't work for a setup I wanted to do).

Maybe this is common among the mid-size 3-row SUVs, but it wasn't everything I dreamed of.

(Otherwise, we LOVE them, and this is not a frequent issue for us.)

Telluride can easily be gotten for less than $45k. But they are in high demand, given their great reviews and many dealers are charging +MSRP (but still well under $45k).

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure you can get anything on this list for $45K.

huh? of course you can

Forgot to say that I would rank the Hyundai/Kia just below the Mazda followed by the Toyota. But you need to decide which features are most important for your use.

And as PP noted it’s going to be a challenge to find any of these without a markup if you’re not willing to invest the time digging through online forums. Subaru snd Mazda availability continue to be scarce at best. Toyota keeps cutting production every month due to supply chain issues. Be prepared to put down a deposit and wait.

I think you’re looking at another $3700 to get a MDX with Nav.

Pilot has had reliability issues in recent years. Maybe Honda’s worst model. Not great price to value. But, like the Atlas, it’s on the larger side.

The Highlander is … well … a Toyota. It will be reliable, run forever and hold its value exceptionally well. It rides well and is built well. Notably the Highlander is switching its tried-and-true VVTi V6 to a I-4 for 2023. But if a third row and space is your focus a Sienna is almost always the better choice. Easy to load and for passengers to get in and out of. And comes in AWD. Crossovers are overrated. You can get a XLE Hybrid for slightly more than $45000.

Atlas has a history of not great reliability and a generous 6/72000 warranty to reflect this fact. You might be able to get a deal and make use of the warranty if needed. Much more usable third row than Explorer or CX9. It’s a big, boring family hauler without jumping to full size. Four years of scheduled maintenance. Interior design and quality is what you expect from VW. Available in four and six cylinder models.

I can’t help much with the Explorer because the design is not my taste. It seems to be overpriced and my experience is that overall fit and finish is just not great. It feels like a rental. It’s also not that refined in terms of handling even though it’s no longer a body-on-frame design. Entry level is a turbo I-4 that produces a respectable 300hp. But I think you’re pushing $50000 for a Limited with AWD. Third row is kids only iirc. I would rate it above only the VW. Does Ford even provide 3 years of maintenance coverage?

The Kia/Hyundai are not remarkably different but for the fact the filly-optioned Hyundai tops out at $6000 more than its sibling. Both are in high demand and tough to find without big markups unless you are willing to do some hunting. Hyundai/Kia dealers generally don’t have the greatest reputations. Sleazy bottom feeders comes to mind.

I would go for the CX9. Mazda is doing terrific interior design. The car handles really well for its size. It looks like it costs about $10000 more. But the third row and rear storage is smaller than the Kia/Hyundai offerings. The CX has a turbo 4-cylinder which gets improved mileage — but lower horsepower — numbers over the competitors’ V6s.

I can’t offer anything in terms of the Subaru as I’ve never driven or been a passenger in one.

I'm not sure you can get anything on this list for $45K.

Anonymous wrote:There's no such thing as a "mid-sized three row SUV" - they are all huge.

it's a class of vehicle. Full size SUVs would be things like the Ford Expedition, Suburban, or the Toyota Sequoia.

There's no such thing as a "mid-sized three row SUV" - they are all huge.

I'd like to trade in or sell my 2013 Honda Odyssey and get an SVU. I'd like to spend no more than $45k. I'm considering the following. Any thoughts or experiences with the following would be appreciated!
- Hyundai Palisade
- Kia Telluride
- Honda Pilot
- Toyota Highlander
- Ford Explorer
- Mazda Cx-9
- VW Atlas
- Subaru Ascent
- Acura MDX- I know this one is a little more expensive. I'm willing to spend a little more if it's worth it over a high-level of the aforementioned models, but is it worth it?

any others I should consider? I hate GMs with a passion so not considerin Traverse, or Enclave.