Tell your DH that ship sailed when he had 3 kids and a dog. He can be cool again when your kids are starting to fly the nest and you don't need the mini-van anymore. Then he can go back to the horrifically unsafe Wrangler.

But for now, he's Capt Daddio and he's going to drive a mini-van.

AWD Sienna. I’m on my second one and have put 11K miles on it since September..
We live where it snows regularly and do a lot of winter driving.
We have 3 kids who are all in multiple sports, including ski racing and travel soccer.
We carpool a LOT. Cargo space doesn’t go away when you use the third row.

My DH drives a 4Runner but before that he had a Yukon XL (GMC version of a suburban). He tells everyone how awesome the Sienna is in the snow—better than the other 4WD vehicles we’ve had. And there’s much more leg room for everyone, the teenage boys I regularly chauffeur around have even commented on it.

You husband needs to get over himself.

Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe

You can't. It doesn't exist.

Get a high-trip Toyota Sienna AWD, and well all welcome you to the minivan club. (We also know that you'll love it, because we do!)

I like our Honda Pilot - third row is pretty roomy and cargo space is decent.

Yeah... I think we will end up with a gas guzzler. The more important feature is that it is comfortable and safe for long drives. I don’t put a lot of miles on the car when we are here. All activities and errands are nearby. So, it is okay if it guzzles some gas. I am more concerned abot the other features. I almost could go for an Odyssey. But, I also like having the option of 4-wheel Drive when we visit family in colder climates. And, I am used to driving an SUV.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hahaha! I had a feeling someone would bring up the minivan/Honda Odyssey option. We are leaning towards an SUV because we like having 4-wheel drive. Also, my husband told me that he won’t drive a minivan. He still misses his pre-kids old Jeep Wrangler. lol

Anonymous wrote:Honda Odyssey. There, I said it.

Your DH needs to make a choice - gas guzzler or not.

There is not some special magical 4 wheel drive fuel efficient vehicle for kids to sit comfortably in the 3rd row and have room for cargo that everyone knows about but is not sharing with you.
Just get the suburban and own your choice.

Anonymous wrote:Hahaha! I had a feeling someone would bring up the minivan/Honda Odyssey option. We are leaning towards an SUV because we like having 4-wheel drive. Also, my husband told me that he won’t drive a minivan. He still misses his pre-kids old Jeep Wrangler. lol

Anonymous wrote:Honda Odyssey. There, I said it.

Your DH needs to make a choice - gas guzzler or not.

There is not some special magical 4 wheel drive fuel efficient vehicle for kids to sit comfortably in the 3rd row and have room for cargo that everyone knows about but is not sharing with you.
Just get the suburban and own your choice.

Hahaha! I had a feeling someone would bring up the minivan/Honda Odyssey option. We are leaning towards an SUV because we like having 4-wheel drive. Also, my husband told me that he won’t drive a minivan. He still misses his pre-kids old Jeep Wrangler. lol

Anonymous wrote:Honda Odyssey. There, I said it.

Honda Odyssey. There, I said it.

Buick Enclave

Suburban is your best option. If you want something with better fuel economy, look at GL-class diesel.

Atlas.

If you need the 3rd row for passenger seating then your choices are minivan, Expedition, or Suburban.

I love my Mercedes GLS 450. It really doesn’t have a ton of space behind the 3rd row though. No suv will. Maybe you need a minivan and then you can put stuff on the floor around people? Suburban or the gmc equivalent will javebthe most room behind the third row, but yeah they are all gas guzzlers.

We have three kids and a dog and carpool extra kids for sports/after-school activities. Also, we often travel during weekends to visit family and attend extracurricular activity events. Therefore, we need a good amount of cargo space and comfortable third row seating. Our current SUV has very little space in the third row making it difficult for my older kids and their friends to sit comfortably. I have been researching the Sequoia. But, I am worried that it will be a bit too big and will guzzle gas. I also am looking into the Land Rover Discovery and Lexus. Do any of you have any of these? Are you happy with your SUV? Are there any other SUVs you recommend? Is there an SUV that you definitely do not recommend?