suv with little kids

[dethman]

expecting my first child in 2 1/2 months. wife's lease is ending and deciding between an suv like the cayenne or ml350 vs the ol' minivan odyssey/sienna solution. would like people's thoughts regarding having a full size suv with a little one or two maybe in a year or two. tough with the car seats? rides too high? PITA without sliding doors? wife is 5' tall and less than a buck. thanks for your thoughts.

 

[lxskllr]

Depends on what you need more. Minivan is probably slightly more convenient, but not that much more. Anything with 4 doors is good for kids.

 

[Mixolydian]

Well FWIW an SUV is considerably more "manly" than a minivan.

 

[Markbnj]

Well it depends on the SUV, but I would say a minivan is definitely designed for specifically what people with little kids spend most of their time doing, which is loading the little beggars in, driving somewhere, and unloading them. Easy access to storage in the rear is another plus. Movies they can zone out to are a plus. You can get a lot of that with a modern crossover SUV as well, perhaps all of it, but as you move more toward an actual truck they get somewhat less convenient.

 

[rivan]

I went from an old rusty blazer to a Toyota Sequoia when my first kid was small. I'm 6'5" and the ride height and full size rear doors made dealing with the carseat much easier than the wife's company sedan. My wife liked the higher ride as well but is much taller than yours at 5'9".

My only complaint is the terribad mileage, but that's minor for me as I'm very low miles/year.

 

[Vdubchaos]

With one or 2 kids I would stick with a regulard sedan. Heck you can even get by when you have 3 kids.

Anything past that = Minivan

Minivan > SUV for # of reasons.
a) ease of access
b) Ease of buckling kids in
c) cost

....assuming you can get over the entire "image" thing.

Personally I love minivans and I couldn't live without them.

 

[SamQuint]

They should have a special driver ed class for mom's getting these big SUVs. They are the worst drivers in Southern California.:whiste:

They tend to drive them like regular cars and think they can turn and stop on dime just like a smaller car.

 

[lxskllr]

....assuming you can get over the entire "image" thing.

Personally I love minivans and I couldn't live without them.

4WD, and heavy carrying capacity are useful for some people. That's why I picked my Cherokee. It was relatively small, with a relatively heavy capacity. I have no image issues with a minivan though. It's just a tool, and they're a pretty useful tool. Lots of room inside as long as what you're hauling doesn't weigh a lot.

 

[waggy]

With one or 2 kids I would stick with a regulard sedan. Heck you can even get by when you have 3 kids.

Anything past that = Minivan

Minivan > SUV for # of reasons.
a) ease of access
b) Ease of buckling kids in
c) cost

....assuming you can get over the entire "image" thing.

Personally I love minivans and I couldn't live without them.

I loved my minivan with 2 kids it was perfect. 2 captain chairs in the back? kids aren't next to each other. so no "mom he touched me!?"

with a newborn they are great. its so easy to get the carseat in and take whatever you need.

the "image" thing? damn get over it. if you are old enough to have kids you are old enough to drive what you want without caring what others thinks

 

[T9D]

Seems like a regular car is much more convenient and better height with just two kids or less. And way better gas mileage. 3 or more kids i'd start considering something bigger only because i'd need more seats.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I loved my minivan with 2 kids it was perfect. 2 captain chairs in the back? kids aren't next to each other. so no "mom he touched me!?"

with a newborn they are great. its so easy to get the carseat in and take whatever you need.

Yep, also if you are a DYI like me and own a home, they are PERFECT project vehicle.

Heck I will go as far as saying they are THE BEST "multipurpose vehicle".....without getting into towing of course.

You can move LOTS of people and have room for cargo or have more interior space room than just about anything on the road.

the "image" thing? damn get over it. if you are old enough to have kids you are old enough to drive what you want without caring what others thinks

I never really understood the problem with the image people have.

I love driving our minivan and can care less what anyone else thinks.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Porsche Cayenne is the quintessential SoCal mommy wagon.

Edit-Are you planning on having more than 1 kid? Pretty much any midsized sedan will haul a family of 3 or 4 in comfort and safety.

 

[digiram]

With one or 2 kids I would stick with a regulard sedan. Heck you can even get by when you have 3 kids.

Anything past that = Minivan

Minivan > SUV for # of reasons.
a) ease of access
b) Ease of buckling kids in
c) cost

....assuming you can get over the entire "image" thing.

Personally I love minivans and I couldn't live without them.

What he said... I'm expecting a 3rd soon, and wish I would've went with minivan as my Forester doesn't look all that manly anyhow.

 

[blackdogdeek]

When we had our first we only had a RAV4. It was fine but it had small rear doors so getting the car seat in took a little maneuvering but it was easily manageable (hold baby seat orthogonal to front-back axis to get through door, then rotate 90 degrees to put it on the car seat base. Depending on how strong your wife is this could get annoying. From what I've seen, minivans and their big sliding doors are much better in this respect.

Also, the RAV4 (and our current SUV, honda pilot) have higher rear storage areas which means you have to lift your folding stroller and other cargo about a foot higher than you would in a minivan. This is also something to consider since your wife is only 5'.

We love our pilot but whenever we fly places and rent a minivan we rave about how much easier it is on us (especially with two in the back on the captain's chairs as Waggy pointed out).

 

[Midwayman]

If you can get over the image issue, minivans are simply better designed for accommodating families.

 

[BurnItDwn]

1 or 2 kids you are fine with anything 4 doors.

Only makes practical sense to jump to a wagon or suv if you have 3 or more and need the 3rd row.

 

[SpunkyJones]

I had a Toyota Sequoia, great for carrying all the baby crap around. Height was fine, but I"m 6'4". As long as you have 4 doors, you'll be fine with the baby. The other bonus of a big suv like the Sequoia, kids love being in the 3rd row, giving mommy and daddy a bit more peace on road trips.

Edit: changed piece for peace. I don't need a piece of my wife while driving!

 

[pauldun170]

Minivan all the way.
whatever you get, always take the cargo area and subtract the space the stroller is going to take up. If you have two, you'll end up with one big dual seater or the big one and the little umbrella type stroller.
then toss in grandparents, play dates (Lets squeeze 3 carsseats in there and still have room for adults...) Minivan...minivan...minivan.

As someone with 2 kids I'd take an Arcadia\Enclave\Flex\Any minivan over the Ml350.

Also remember what ever you get....will be trashed after 3 years. Some of the caked in organic matter that you will find would qualify as industrial building materials.

If you are more concerned with brand then get a Cayenne, Q7, ML350 or whatever. You'll probably get less for your dollar on the Porsche vs the other options.

 

[bigrash]

SUV is fine. I hate minivans, but I can see them being more convenient.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Toyota mni-van for sure my ex still loves hers.

 

[HomerSapien]

why on earth would you spend the money on a cayenne when it WILL get puke, poop, pee, etc on it. Even if it is leather, it will find the cubby holes.

How many people do you plan on carrying? Some car seats can be rather large once they get out of the infant seats. In our pilot, two britax roundabouts pretty much take up the middle seat, although if one is forward and the other faces back, we can get them next to one another.

We have one kid and the pilot has suited us perfectly. It carries all 50 lbs of my wife's luggage, my duffle bag, and the 700 lbs of toys/books/clothes/diapers/food/naptime accessories/stuffed animals/etc my kiddo needs.

 

[waggy]

why on earth would you spend the money on a cayenne when it WILL get puke, poop, pee, etc on it. Even if it is leather, it will find the cubby holes.

How many people do you plan on carrying? Some car seats can be rather large once they get out of the infant seats. In our pilot, two britax roundabouts pretty much take up the middle seat, although if one is forward and the other faces back, we can get them next to one another.

We have one kid and the pilot has suited us perfectly. It carries all 50 lbs of my wife's luggage, my duffle bag, and the 700 lbs of toys/books/clothes/diapers/food/naptime accessories/stuffed animals/etc my kiddo needs.

a nice large suv is great.

Where a Minivan shines is

• sliding rear doors. great for kids that want to get in and out on there own.
• captian chairs! great when they get older and bug each other.
• far far eaiser to get "click in" car seats in and out.
• being able to have small kids STAND getting in and out is great.
• did i mention sliding doors?
• when kids get older they won't want to borrow the car!

I loved my windstar. i put so many damn miles on that thing. I thought my kids were older so i got a Taurus instead of another van. BIG mistake. I am looking at getting another Van (really want a full sized one) or a LARGE SUV.

 

[Murloc]

the comfort of a van for whoever seats in the rear is unbeatable, it's also way easier to get stuff in and out.

Unless you're rich, don't get a cayenne because it will get all stained and shit, not worth it.

 

[Baked]

Tiny women shouldn't be allowed to drive giant vehicles. They're putting everybody on the road in danger. Stick with tiny cars like the Mini, Smart, or iQ.

 

[twinrider1]

If you're talking lease, you can get by fine with any sedan for the next 2-3 years.

But after that, get a minivan. You'll be carrying your 1-2 kids, plus their friends. Soccer, t-ball, zoo, science center, movie theater, get ready for it. A minivan, with it's low entry and tons of storage is what you'll want.

And congratulations on being a dad. Highest highs, lowest lows.