Graduating from the minivan...

[mrsbornkuntry]

I also want to add that I have had no mechanical problems at all.

 

[RN2003AZ]

I ditched my minivan in September for a 2013 Ford Explorer and couldn't be happier!! I got it to be a 6 passenger (2nd row bucket seats) but it comes standard as a 7 passenger. It is NOT the same vehicle as the old Explorer you think of. Many technological bells as whistles and all the bugs seem to have been taken care of from the first issue in 2011. Any questions don't hesitate to PM me!

 

[mafibisha]

Sine we've owned 2 Traverses, (see my earlier post below) I'm really not surprised to hear so many of you have one and love it, too.

DH and I are always amazed at how many we see on the road. Its become a very popular vehicle!

Its also great in the snow and ice, much better than other vehicles we have or had.

OP I don't think you'd regret getting one! We're on our second and would definitely get another one!

 

[WeLuvDiznee]

I have a Traverse.I bought it new,just the basic one as well,and I've had it for 1 1/2 yrs. I love it! While it doesn't have the biggest trunk space,we just put 1 of the 3rd row seats done & we have plenty of room. I do have some visible problems-but that's what you have mirrors for.i won't trade this car for any other!

 

[letsgoreds]

Just try the Ford Flex...best space you will find without getting a huge SUV. Not to mention that the technology that Ford has incorporated in recent years is outstanding.

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

I have been reading everything I can find online and getting stressed about lack of adult leg room and lack of cargo space in all of these medium size crossovers!Some say there is enough room, and some say it is terribly small in the 3rd row! This worries me because I think the 3rd row in our Town and Country seems uncomfortable as it is! Can't wait to do test drives!

 

[ICF]

Just try the Ford Flex...best space you will find without getting a huge SUV. Not to mention that the technology that Ford has incorporated in recent years is outstanding.

We test drove a Flex this weekend and really liked the way it drove and the amount of space in all 3 rows. Plenty of room for growing kids and lots of cool gadgets.

It looks kind of funky, but the inside is very nice and comfortable.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Oh no! I definitely don't want to have visibility problems. I read some reports that said the Traverse had more trunk space than most others in its class, so I'm guessing there must not be much space in any of them. Hmm, we have three kids and sometimes make two week trips to Florida so I need space!

The cargo area is huge "IF" you fold down the third row. With three kids, I'd recommend getting the bench seat in the 2nd row so you can haul 5 people without using the third row.

The Traverse, Acadia, and Enclave are all basically the same car. We have an Acadia and it's been very reliable. Did have to replace one set of tires and recently the water pump ($300). We've had it a little over 5 years.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I have been reading everything I can find online and getting stressed about lack of adult leg room and lack of cargo space in all of these medium size crossovers!Some say there is enough room, and some say it is terribly small in the 3rd row! This worries me because I think the 3rd row in our Town and Country seems uncomfortable as it is! Can't wait to do test drives!

In my kids' opinions, not much leg room in the third row. My 11yo, 8yo and (short) 13yo are all fine back there, but my 15yo and 16yo always complain about the lack of legroom when they're back there.

I agree with Gumbo4x4 about the cargo area, it's super easy to fold the seats down and that gives you a ton of cargo space. For my family of 7 I could easily fit all of our luggage and family in the traverse by just folding down half of the split third row seat.

 

[mafibisha]

We test drove a Flex this weekend and really liked the way it drove and the amount of space in all 3 rows. Plenty of room for growing kids and lots of cool gadgets.

It looks kind of funky, but the inside is very nice and comfortable.

This.

We really liked most aspects of the Flex too. Big interior (not as big as Traverse IMO) and it drives really well. Had we not got our first Traverse (and then our second LOL) we would have bought the Flex. The outside is just too boxy looking for us. The Traverse is more streamlined and drives like a dream. Just love it.

(LOL This thread is almost like a Traverse Fan Club )

 

[apnep]

OK, I'm chiming in. I finally got to dump my van last year and purchased a KIA Sorento with a third row and I LOVE it! We looked at the Pilot, Highlander, and all the comparable vehicles but for the price couldn't beat the KIA. True, you'll not have much cargo space with the third row in use, but I drive around in the city with it down most of the time so I can hall my camera gear, groceries, whatever, and for road trips, we purcahsed a rooftop cargo carrier which worked great. We really love it.

 

[Chelley00]

I graduated from my minivan to a Traverse last year. I love it. It does take some getting used to around its blind spots. The lack of trunk space does blow but we made it to Florida for 2 weeks in October by folding down one of the back seats and DS used a suitcase as his "table" for his coloring books We also make travel soccer tournaments with 5 people, luggage and all of DS's goalie crap and have plenty of room.

I have two 6 foot 3 teenage boys and they've never complained about the leg room in any of the rows. It's nice that you can move the captains chairs in the center forward or back depending on what you need.

 

[Gokstate]

We drove a 2008 GMC Acadia for the last four years and absolutely loved it with our three kids. Drove it to 90k miles and never, ever had it in the shop. We just traded it in and bought a 2012 (with 14k miles) Buick Enclave. It's everything we loved about the Acadia but more refined and super comfortable. It's an amazing vehicle.

My parents and Grandparents both drive Traverse's and love them too. They are just an outstanding family of vehicles - you won't go wrong with any of them.

 

[disneysmyhappyplace]

Okay I just have to ask "no one has had any trouble with their traverse's?" I have a 2011 traverse and it has had a lot of problems. In fact last week it was back in the shop for blown coil packs that blew the spark plugs. Before that the power steering had to be replaced and before that the back brakes. My traverse only has 14,000 miles on it! I do love the space and the way it drives but I am getting a little tired of it being in the shop. I am hoping that all the kinks are out of now.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[luv2mickey]

We graduated from our minivan after our kids were out of college. I had a Plymouth Grand Voyager and now have a Honda Pilot. There is a lot more room and legroom in the minivan than in the Pilot. I also could pack my kids up for college in the minivan and couldn't have done the same in the suv. The minivan has a lot more room. I'm so glad we kept the minivan throughout college. And, yes, a Pilot seats "8" but the rear seats are not meant for adults at all. We could seat 7 in our old minivan and still had room for luggage, not so in the Pilot.

This is exactly why I am keeping my Honda Odyssey, next year all 3 of our kids will be in college and it is amazing with all the seats out how much you can pack in there!
We have both a Pilot and an Odyssey, both great cars but the car I am eyeing when it's time to get rid of the van is the Acura RDX, now that was fun to drive.

 

[anelson81993]

Wanted to throw my family's experience in. My mom "graduated" from her minivan 7 (8?) ish years ago. The first non-minivan she purchased for our family was a Chevrolet Traverse, and since then, "her" car has always been a Traverse (I say "her" because she does occasionally drive my dad's Impala, but for the most part they stick to Mom in the Traverse and Dad in the Impala). I believe we've had 3 or 4 Traverses now, never because of mechanical difficulties, but because Mom or Dad wanted something in the newest model or got a good deal on a trade-in.
We've always had the 7-seat model with the split backseat. My brother and I are 6'2" and 5'10" respectively, and we both fit fine in the backseat (but we also have always had movebale chairs in the second row, so the second row can move up to give us a little more legroom).
The trunk isn't huge, but with even one of the seats folded down, it drastically increases in size. We've driven various Traverses to Florida and back with 5 passengers plus stuff without problems. Last spring, my dad and I were able to fit the entire contents of my dorm (and I'll be honest, I manage to cram a lot of stuff into one tiny space) into the trunk and backseat of our Traverse, with both of us traveling back home comfortably as well. And my older brother (who admittedly does not have the same amount of personal possessions for the dorm space as I do) was able to fit all of his belongings into the trunk of our Traverse, no folded seats, when he moved into his dorm back in August. The trunk is deceptively small, and you can actually fit a lot of stuff in there.
The interior is super-roomy, and actually comfortably fits 7 people (can't speak for the 8-capacity models as I've never been in one of them) of the tall/long-legged persuasion. As I mentioned, my brother and I are not short individuals, and the shortest person who regularly rides in our Traverse is my 5'7" sister. We have, at many times, fit 7 people ranging in heights from 6'5" (my grandpa) to 5'7" (my sister), with the majority at 5'10", and all their associated stuff, comfortably in our Traverse. YMMV, though--it's entirely possible that we have a different definition of "comfortable" than you.
Others have noted that the Traverse is hard to see out of/has a lot of blind spots. That is true of any big car. I don't drive the Traverse, or any big cars, partly for that reason. I will say that my mom has no trouble seeing out of her windows, and until this latest model (purchased late 2011/early 2012) did not have any kind of rear backing camera, but also has not had problems with not being able to see/blind spots/backing into things, and often has to back out of our drive around other cars due to timing issues. However, if you have the option of getting the rear backing camera, get it. It's not a necessity, but it will make your life easier and give you one less thing to worry about.
As far as mechanical problems go, I'm sorry PP, but our Traverses have had almost no issues and are only very rarely in the shop.
Personally, my family and I all love Chevrolet in general. My dad has been driving various Impalas for the last 3 years; my mom's had her Traverse for 7 or 8. I bought my first car last year, and it was an Impala. My parents also recently purchased another Impala for my dad to drive once my sister gets her license (she gets to drive the paid-off one). If the question in our family ever came up as to whether or not to get a Chevy anything or a car made by another company, the Chevy would probably win. If the question ever came up as to whether or not to purchase the Traverse or something else, the Traverse would win, hands down. We love these cars, and have never had major problems. Like always, your mileage may vary.

 

[PaulaSue]

OP we have a T & C and the chevy trav and I hate it (trav). Family of 5 and it has something stupid in the middle row like the front row and it doesn't move at all. Youngest DD only 9 hardly has any leg room in the trav. We went to the auto show a few weeks ago and I fell in love with the Ford Exp..It back row seats fold flat (not the middle row) and it is bigger than the minivan IMO but hopefully will still fit in the garage (I really want the suburb size SUVs but it has to be able to fit in our garage) I liked alot of other SUVs the size of the Exp but the seat thing sold me on it (I fold mine all the time for different things I haul with the girls etc)

 

[rusty4]

I have been reading everything I can find online and getting stressed about lack of adult leg room and lack of cargo space in all of these medium size crossovers!Some say there is enough room, and some say it is terribly small in the 3rd row! This worries me because I think the 3rd row in our Town and Country seems uncomfortable as it is! Can't wait to do test drives!

This is reason I fell in love with the Ford Flex. It is the one and only vehicle that I have found where you can stretch your feet under their the front seats. Even though the front seats are power seats. Can't do that in our T&C or our Chevy Tahoe. Could not do it in any other SUV that we looked at. The Traverse was too small (front seat leg room) for my 6'5" DH. Same problem with every minivan we looked at. The T&C is the only one that went back far enough for his long legs. I wanted the Flex. We were replacing his truck at the time. So he got the Tahoe. Next new vehicle is mine.

Leg room is important to us. I am 5'9" with long legs and our older boys are
6'3" and 6'4". I have to admit they get sore sitting in the middle seat behind their Dad driving the Tahoe for long trips. He has the seat back as far as it will go. The third row is too small for them unless they sit sideways.

Going from the T&C to the Tahoe for me is tough. I hate to drive it. It is way too big. Too wide, tall and tough to see out of. I would not want it to me my everyday car. Harder to get in and out of too and I am tall and have long legs.

 

[bellarella]

Does anyone have experience with the Mazda CX-9? I've read that it has better visibility than the Traverse.

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

Maybe I should just give up and get another minivan...that would be a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. But wait, the GMC Acadia looks nice? LOL...this is gonna take a while! I'm going to try to decide something before all of the low financing option deals expire! Well, that is if I choose to buy new. Hoping to go test driving this weekend, maybe before then!