Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VW Atlas It's awesome. And safe.

Our car repair guy said to avoid VW cars at all costs.

NP here. We also have an Atlas and love it. Previously had a Jetta for over a decade. No major issues with either car.

Anonymous wrote:VW Atlas It's awesome. And safe.

Our car repair guy said to avoid VW cars at all costs.

VW Atlas It's awesome. And safe.

We bought a 2019 CX9 last year and are very happy with it so far.

Just upgraded from a 2015 Mazda3 to a 2022 CX-9 now that baby #2 is on the way and there was no feasible way to fit in two rear-facing car seats. I’m super happy with it, and I got a good deal on a low-mileage Signature that has all the bells and whistles like parking sensors etc. (really the only thing I cared about was the 360 camera, which is on both the Grand Touring and Signature models from 2021 on I believe). Haven’t yet used the 3rd row but it will be handy for when extended family visits, and it’s nice to have a giant trunk when it’s folded down. I like that the cx-9 isn’t massive compared to other 3rd row SUVs. Have been very happy with Mazda for reliability and nice design and finishes, and glad to have greater visibility and ride higher in this new one (though I will miss the 3’s stellar gas mileage).

Anonymous wrote:We love our 21 highlander (hybrid).

And we love our 19 highlander hybrid. It's the perfect car for us, but caveats that it isn't perfect for everyone.

We have twin tweens and most of the time we have only 1-4 people in the car. But we carpool a lot and frequenty need the extra space. But those who ride with us are predominanty other tweens. So the smaller 3rd row is fine with us and provides exactly what we need. But, if you need a 3rd for for teens (especially bigger teens) and adults, then the 3rd row is not particularly useful. I push the middle seats forward and both 2nd and 3rd rows gets medium leg space, but in order to have tall person leg space, the other seat ends up with only small kid leg space.

That said, I like this car because it is the upper limit of what will fit in my garage. Even the 2021 highlander is 2.5" longer and 1" wider and even that little bit would make things that much tighter. Any of the vehicles with 3rd rows with leg room are at least 12" longer than what I have and would make it impossible to get in and out of the car while in the garage.

We love our 21 highlander (hybrid).

XC90 - I have a 2019 that has been great.

We love our 2021 Ford expedition!

We've been very happy with our Honda Pilot with captain's seats in the 2nd row.

Can’t stand her. And she has no clue on long term reliability because she keeps her cars a year (car dealership family.) But if you want a review of the cup holder situation, she’s your girl.

OP, I loved the Cx9 but my DH felt cramped. If your family isn’t too tall, it was nice. Didn’t like Highlander at all.

Anonymous wrote:check out https://www.thecarmomofficial.com/ she has recommendations for 3 row suvs in all budgets.

"Oh my gosh!" She's a nightmare.

check out https://www.thecarmomofficial.com/ she has recommendations for 3 row suvs in all budgets.

Chevy Blazer

We're in the market for a pre-owned SUV with a 3rd row. Been looking at Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9 and Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Thoughts on any of these? Any others we should consider? Would like to stay under $40K.