Small suvs with 3rd rows: Mercedes glB, Land Rover discovery sport, vw Tiguan

Wagoneer

Anonymous wrote:Infiniti QX60

My wife has one and it is a fine vehicle, but the 3rd row is unsuitable for anyone larger than an elf.

I don't understand why we can't just find some other way to make microchips or whatever and just MAKE MORE CARS. Jesus this whole thing is infuriating. I just want a time maching to go back to 2020 and buy a new car before the madness.

Telluride and Palisade are built on the same platform, but they are not "identical" in any way. What a silly thing to say. There are countless differences.

Anonymous wrote:I need 3 rows of seats but do not like the minivan or the Toyota Highlander. I need the 3rd row of seats only for short trips when carpooling, not for long distance travel.

ISO a car that's smaller than a minivan or highlander with 3 rows of seats.

This is a unicorn. You can get plenty of vehicles that have a full 3rd row or an optional 3rd row, but they are not going to be smaller than a minivan or highlander. As various people have pointed out in this and other threads about 3rd rows, the Highlander 3rd row is not a full row, it is a short 3rd row. That helps make the Highlander smaller than most 3rd row vehicles.

Other than having a third row like a sports car second row, (one of those with seats but no leg room at all), you aren't going to find a vehicle that has a 3rd row AND is smaller than the vehicles you name.

To note, all of the other vehicles that are listed in this thread with 3rd rows are bigger than the Highlander. Some only slightly bigger (MDX is about 3 inches longer, Pilot about 5 inches longer). But some are much bigger (Traverse is more than a foot longer).

The Highlander is the smallest of the options with a 3rd row whether optional or full.

Mazda 5. They stopped making them unfortunately but you can find one used. We had one for a long time and switched it out for a minivan, a decision I regret on a daily basis.


We love our Mazda 5. I hate driving/parking big cars. Why did they stop making this?! It's the perfect car.

+1. I love my Mazda 5. It's the Goldilocks of cars: not too big, not too small. I will drive mine until it dies or until they bring it back and I can buy a new one.

Telluride. pretty much unanimously the best 3 row suv on sale today. That's why you can't find one.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/2021-kia-telluride-most-satisfying-3-row-suv-surprise/

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/kia-telluride-is-edmunds-top-rated-suv-third-year-in-a-row.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/21/review-the-kia-telluride-is-the-best-three-row-suv-on-sale.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mazda 5. They stopped making them unfortunately but you can find one used. We had one for a long time and switched it out for a minivan, a decision I regret on a daily basis.

We love our Mazda 5. I hate driving/parking big cars. Why did they stop making this?! It's the perfect car.

We have one too it really is a great car. I would love a new car and would totally get a new Mazda5 of that was an option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have the Palisade and traded in my minivan for it. The Palisade is shorter than the minivan by a few inches.

The Palisade has more 3rd row leg room than the Kia Telluride and the way the 2nd seats fold, it is easy for an someone to get into the 3rd row.

I am uncertain the specific dimensions of the Highlander to comment on comparison.

Nope, they’re identical.

Thanks - for highlighting. I have the 2020 and there was a difference when I was doing research at the time.
My BIL has the 2020 Telluride and we have the 2020 Palisade and for those model years, the Kia had more cargo room and the Palisade had more leg room. I believe it was 2 or 3 inches - but it influenced our decision as we have 3 tweens/teens.

Anonymous wrote:Mazda 5. They stopped making them unfortunately but you can find one used. We had one for a long time and switched it out for a minivan, a decision I regret on a daily basis.

We love our Mazda 5. I hate driving/parking big cars. Why did they stop making this?! It's the perfect car.

We have a VW Atlas. I also didn't want a minivan and I wanted to save a few inches of length because we have a small parking spot in our alley. We've had the car for 1.5 years so far and I like it a lot.

We use our 3rd row only on occasion. I was very pregnant when we were car shopping and I tried getting in and out of the 3rd row and of the Highlander, Pilot, and Atlas, the Atlas had the best 3rd row. I needed help getting out of the Highlander. I don't know what you'll find smaller than a highlander where the 3rd row is really usable. I think the Kia Sorento was the shortest of the 3rd row SUVs I researched, but I didn't go look at one in person. Look into that.

Anonymous wrote:Mercedes GLS! Love mine

I do too, but they are $85k.

We love our Ford Expedition - the middle row has captain seats so you can walk through like a mini van.

Highlander’s third row is a joke, even my 9yo won’t fit in it. Look at the Pilot or the other options mentioned above.