Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The third row is practically unusable. Especially in the popular Highlander and Kia Sorrento. Are there cars where it is usable? We are a family of three (2 adults, 1 kid) and want a larger car for carpooling. It looks like it’s minivans or bust.

You are being ridiculous; unless you have 6 ft line backers the 3 rd row is fine for carpooling around the county.

I’m a 5’6” 140 LB adult and I find the back row cozy and functional. Basically by the time kids really start out growing it they will be driving their own car

The third row in a Highlander? You must be a contortionist!

I fit quite comfortably in the third row of my 2012 Highlander. Our 2nd row slides forward to accommodate legroom. Not too sure about that option for other years model.

Anonymous wrote:Highlander third row is painful! Ascent is fine and pilot is fine

The highlander is the perfect car for those who only need a 3rd row some of the time. We have a family of 4. Most of the time we don't need a 3rd row (probably 90% of the time). But, when grandparents come to visit, it's nice to be able to all sit in the same car. And now that our kids are tweens, we often carpool to events or have to bring an extra kid home. We went to an event where we met my kids' best friends (I have twins and their best friends are another pair of twins). At some point, the other family had to leave because it was late for their youngest. But the older kids were not done playing and frankly, they needed to run around and get rid of excess energy on a Friday night. So I told the other parents to take the toddler home and we would bring the older ones home later. Couldn't have done that without the optional third row. I used to rent a minivan for when my parents came to visit so that we could all ride around together while they were visiting.

I understand that the highlander 3rd row is not particularly roomy, but it's perfect for when you only need the 3rd row occasionally and most of the time you don't need it. As for the minivans. They don't fit real well in a garage that you keep things in. We have lawn equipment and bikes and trash cans in our garage. Whenever we rented a minivan, I'd have to move stuff out of the garage to make room for the large whale of a minivan or park in the driveway. I'm willing to make adjustments for a one week rental. I don't want to have a vehicle that big for most a regular vehicle. The Toyota Highlander is the biggest I want to go on a routine basis to fit in my garage and my lifestyle.

Anonymous wrote:Gigantic three-row SUVs are an UMC and rich "flex" to signal you have a big suburban house with a big garage to even fit the damn thing -- plus lots of kids, kids are in expensive travel sports, you car pool for said sports and/or private school, and likely take frequent weekend trips with the kids and dog(s) to your second home.

Or you just have three kids where at least one of them needs a carseat / booster seat.

The 3rd row of my GLS63 is pretty roomy. But then again, I'm rather petite. I'm sure my husband would not fit in the third row.

We have an Acadia and the third row is fine. My DH takes it on fishing trips with six other guys and they all fit fine.

I have 3 children in car seats. Believe me, I did not want to get rid of my last truck but I had to.

Anonymous wrote:The third row is practically unusable. Especially in the popular Highlander and Kia Sorrento. Are there cars where it is usable? We are a family of three (2 adults, 1 kid) and want a larger car for carpooling. It looks like it’s minivans or bust.

We put our kids in the back row when we need the third row, otherwise we keep the seats down and use it for cargo space (sports equipment). We have 6 and 8 year old girls who are destined to be pretty small based on genetics, so they'll be fine in the third row as teens and if we keep the car another 10 years, then they'll are off to college and we go back to a 2 row car.

Anonymous wrote:Becasue people are too snobby for minivans.

This. I looooove our mini-van. I'm not sure I'd get one if we only had 1 kid though, because you already have another seat available right there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve had two minivans and would really like another one. However, not a single minivan on the market currently is narrow enough to fit through my garage door. My current and previous Odyssey’s both fit, although the first one fit easier than the second. Everything just gets bigger and wider, which is just plain silly when you are already talking about a vehicle the size of a minivan.

So, I will be stuck with one of the 3 row SUV’s mentioned here (or similar) not because I’m “too cool” for a minivan but because the car makers are stupid.

The top Odyssey level has mirrors that fold in so you can park easier. But yeah, I agree. I've looked into having my 2, 1 car garage doors demolished and replaced with one single 2 car garage door.

I didn't know that the Odyssey wouldn't fit in my garage and didn't get the top model (because I didn't need GPS or the TVs), and I just about cried when I got it home and it wouldn't fit. I only had about an inch clearance on both sides, which isn't enough IMO.

Perfectly fine as long as you don't mind getting into and out of your car through the sun/moon roof.

Gigantic three-row SUVs are an UMC and rich "flex" to signal you have a big suburban house with a big garage to even fit the damn thing -- plus lots of kids, kids are in expensive travel sports, you car pool for said sports and/or private school, and likely take frequent weekend trips with the kids and dog(s) to your second home.

Anonymous wrote:OP: You just don't have enough kids & dogs to understand.

+ carpool

As others have pointed out, it depends on the vehicle. That said, think about how often you’ll really use it.

I remember an analysis showing Americans usually buy for their max/edge case. An extra bedroom that gets used 2/52 weeks, just in case. The six burner stove when 99% of cooking is without it. You get the idea. Most others buy for what they most likely need.

I think the Highlander is perfect for our kids to cram on the short drives to dinner when the grandparents are here. It’s our 1% case and we don’t need a bigger vehicle. If we were using it a ton, then sure we’d have a proper 3rd row vehicle. But a lot of people will buy the bigger 3rd row vehicle and just waste gas/space 99% of the time.

We carpool with our daughter plus three other kids to school. All need to be in a back seat due to age. The third row makes this possible .

My Mercedes GLS has a decent 3rd row

My Acura MDX did not.

It depends on your needs. We needed awd and a higher clearance. A minivan doesn’t usually have it.