Love my MDX, I get almost 19mpg with premium fuel. Driving experience is great. I had an awful experience with my Volvo, biggest POS I've ever owned.

another vote for Mazda5. It is good as a small vehicle with the 3rd row option, for occasional use. We don't put grownups (aside from ourselves) in the 3rd row, but it is nice to have that extra seating at times. Also, the 3rd row is split, so you can make it fit 5 seats with one half of the third row still folded flat.

2nd row is captains seats, which I was not especially looking for, but turns out to be nice for 2 kids in the car -- they have some separation, easier to reach their seat belt straps. And there's a litte fold out table between them.

It has manual sliding back doors, a la a minivan, which turns out to be great for keeping my child from swinging his door into other parked cars in a parking lot.

dad here. Would the Acadia be possible to commute in? Would I feel like a soccer mom driving it to work? Ideally I'd like to keep a small sedan for commuting, and get the Acadia for weekend trips - not sure there is room in my garage or my budget though.

Any love/hate the Land Rover LR4? It has a great third row.

Honda Pilot

Anonymous wrote:Audi Q7.

Drives very well, great handling. Also one of the safest SUVs on the road.

+1. Love ours. Got it used with low milage. Did not like the Acura MDX, but I was pregnant and grumpy when I test drove it.

We have a GMC Acadia. I refer to it as "the beast" b/c it's just huge. But it's quite comfortable and great to drive. I have never attempted to parallel park it, and some parking spaces can be tight. Not luxury but nice just the same. Now I'm thinking I should have sprung for the air-conditioned front seat option . . .

Takes 87 gas -- but mileage isn't great.

We have captain's chairs as a 2nd row. I can literally stand in front of DS while strapping him in there is so much room. Easy to get to third row too.

3rd row is comfy. We especially like it when grandparents are visiting and we can all go somewhere in a single car, comfortably. And carpooling will start soon for us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you care about the driving experience and performance minivans are out

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! Oh my gosh....if you care so much about driving experience and performance, NO car with a 3rd row of seats is going to get you there. Not a minivan, not an SUV...you do what my DH does, you buy a little sports car with barely enough room in the back for 2 carseats and then listen to the kids laughing and screaming at him to go faster. And then the other parent does what I did, buy a minivan. DH loves the minivan too, not for the "driving experience" but for the practicality, the hauling capability, and the sliding doors.

Acura MDX has a great driver experience and yes has three rows

Anonymous wrote:
If you care about the driving experience and performance minivans are out

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! Oh my gosh....if you care so much about driving experience and performance, NO car with a 3rd row of seats is going to get you there. Not a minivan, not an SUV...you do what my DH does, you buy a little sports car with barely enough room in the back for 2 carseats and then listen to the kids laughing and screaming at him to go faster. And then the other parent does what I did, buy a minivan. DH loves the minivan too, not for the "driving experience" but for the practicality, the hauling capability, and the sliding doors.

Are there any luxury suvs that take 87 octane

We also love our Mazda 5, BUT do not use the tiny third row very often for passengers. The third row has seatbelts that are positioned poorly for children in booster seats - the belt is too far away from (in front of)their shoulder. There is no LATCH in that row.

FYI. Test drive it anyway - it is quite economical and easy to park.

When we bought our 3-row SUV a few years ago, the Volvo XC90 was the best option- middle of 2nd row folds down for access to 3rd row with carseats in outer seats of 2nd row, most cargo room even with 3rd row up, and airbags in 3rd row. The Highlander, Pilot, MDX, and others didn't have those features then, but it sounds like they may now. Anyway, we love our XC90.

Anonymous wrote:Oh my god, lady, gas is almost $5/gallon. Do you REALLY need this huge car? Probably not.

Most who can afford a luxury are not affected by any increase in gas prices... I know it has no significant impact on my family budget and is not a huge consideration over what meets our 6' and 6'6" needs.

Anonymous wrote:Love my chevy traverse with captains chairs. The buick enclave has the same configuration and is much nicer, but we couldn't afford it.

I have a Traverse - no captains chairs, 2nd row bench and I can use the 3rd row when we need it. GMC Acadia is the same thing.

Love my Enclave - roomiest 3rd row of any I drove. I loved the Acura, but the backrow is tight and storage not so great. The Traverse and Acadia are similar to the Enclave and not as expensive.