I like my 2016 Acadia Denali. 2nd row captains chairs and more cargo space than a Tahoe with the 3rd row folded down. The 3rd row isn't terrible, either. We have a 1 teen and 2 under 5 in bulky carseats.

My 6'5" friend has a Highlander and seems to like it just fine.

I also love Santa Fe's. Had a 2011 and would still have it if DH didn't talk me into a Touareg (which then was traded for the Acadia).

What about the volvo sc90?

If you're really picking between the highlander and the pilot, go with the Toyota. Honda is difficult to deal with if you have a problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you decide against a third row, which I would if you mostly drive in the city where space is at a premium, look at the Kia Niro. It's really nice and gets awesome fuel economy. Totally changed my mind about Kia.

+1 about Kia. I've been looking at Sorento - reviews seem pretty solid and it has the third row seat in case you need it. I haven't test driven one, yet, but from videos it looks to be a smaller vehicle than a minivan but it still has a lot of space for luggage/hauling/passengers. You would definitely want the more powerful V6 engine on this one, just fyi.

I bought a Kia about 6 months ago, and I love it. I was surprised. If you're going for a Sorento, definitely look into getting the V6 engine. It's a really heavy car, and the V4 felt like it was struggling to drive up hills.

We’ve been test driving vehicles in this class and did not like the highlander. My H is also tall (6’5”) and he felt like his line of vision was cut off by the angle of the windshield.

He preferred the pilot over the highlander if those are your top choices, but we both preferred the VW Atlas and the Subaru Ascent. We are likely going with the Ascent, though finding one with what we want is slightly difficult at the moment as they are mostly all pre ordered through December.

I prefer the highlander over pilot.

Anonymous wrote:If you decide against a third row, which I would if you mostly drive in the city where space is at a premium, look at the Kia Niro. It's really nice and gets awesome fuel economy. Totally changed my mind about Kia.

+1 about Kia. I've been looking at Sorento - reviews seem pretty solid and it has the third row seat in case you need it. I haven't test driven one, yet, but from videos it looks to be a smaller vehicle than a minivan but it still has a lot of space for luggage/hauling/passengers. You would definitely want the more powerful V6 engine on this one, just fyi.

Anonymous wrote:Just bought an Explorer with a 3rd row so we have it if we need it. My 6’ 2” DH fits just fine in front and middle. Couldn’t do 3rd row.

To the PP about why you need an SUV. Mine is front wheel drive (standard). Plus we live in the city and commute 5 miles to work. I traded in my old SUV which was a 2009 with 42,000 miles. My SUV is much better for the environment than a person driving alone in a car who commutes from the suburbs.

Other people who can't afford to live in the city aren't an excuse not to drive something more efficient. With such a short commute, you'd be a perfect candidate for an all electric.

Just bought an Explorer with a 3rd row so we have it if we need it. My 6’ 2” DH fits just fine in front and middle. Couldn’t do 3rd row.

To the PP about why you need an SUV. Mine is front wheel drive (standard). Plus we live in the city and commute 5 miles to work. I traded in my old SUV which was a 2009 with 42,000 miles. My SUV is much better for the environment than a person driving alone in a car who commutes from the suburbs.

If you decide against a third row, which I would if you mostly drive in the city where space is at a premium, look at the Kia Niro. It's really nice and gets awesome fuel economy. Totally changed my mind about Kia.

Subaru now makes a 3 row SUV

We don't "need" an SUV but we'd like one. And we don't want a minivan. So per my original question, I'd love opinions on which one - Highlander vs Pilot (or any others)?

Is there a reason you need an SUV? (eg) need 4WD for camping or you’re a first responder? Or you just like being high up? I’ve had a few 3 row SUVs but ended up preferring the minivan now that I no longer have those 4WD needs.

We need a new (used) mid-sized SUV for a family of 4. We drive mostly in/around the city but space would be a good thing since husband and young teen are both over 6 ft tall, and the younger kid is on his way there too. We don't do too much carpooling but the idea of a 3rd row seems sensible. We also don't do a ton of long-haul drives (we're getting rid of a 10yo car with only 60k miles on it.) Our other car is a Rav4, so I'm tempted to do the Highlander but the thread about the Pilot has me wondering. Any other brand/model recommendations? Would it be worth it to get the Highlander hybrid if we can find one in our budget?