SUV/Crossover for a family of five.

[epsmith921]

Got an Acadia a few months ago and love it. It's like a minivan but "cooler."

If you are looking at some of the larger GM suv's check out costco to potentially get the supplier discount and a $500 costco GC. We used that program and got our card pretty quickly.

Now this was being traded out to replace a large 3 row mercedes SUV. I must say, with the exception of a few "fancy" things and the larger engine that the Benz had, I prefer the Acadia hands down!! I was admittedly shocked but seriously love some of the practical features in the Acadia.

 

[jmac323]

I just got a Ford Edge in April 2013 and I love it. We are a family of 4. DH is 6'2" and he fits perfect in it with some room. I have two kids in car seats/boosters that fit with room also and I love the back space. I would say that if you have all three kids in car seats or boosters it would be a tight fit. We opted against the Explorer with the third row seat because the Edge had more back seat space and back trunk space.

 

[katie111]

We are also a family of 5 (kids are 6, 10, & 11). We just traded in our Toyota Sienna for an Infiniti QX56. The trunk space is pretty good and the 2nd row is a bench so we can seat 8. My kids often want to bring along friends so it was important for us to not only be able to seat our family of 5 but also a friend for each kid. It drives beautifully and I love the Interior and the exterior look to it. There are still a few things I miss in my minivan though. It was just such a workhorse, the amount of stuff I could fit in there was amazing. But, it was also falling apart, so it was time for a change & I'm very happy with our decision.

 

[thebeesknees]

I've been driving a Mazda 5 this week as a rental and HATE it for our family of 5. Very cramped in both the middle and back rows and NO space in the back for cargo at all, not even their backpacks. The kids and I can't wait to get our Sienna back from the shop (paint damage due to vandalism, nothing mechanical). That said, when we were test-driving vehicles before we bought the Sienna, we brought everyone along to see how they fit. Originally, we were looking at a Rav4, but there is no way the 3rd row would work on a regular basis for full sized people (my 11 year old was cramped) and having it up leaves no cargo space. The Pilot and Highlander were both comfortable for all of us. We eventually went with the Sienna because I didn't want to have to fold down the middle row every day to get the kids in and out of the car at the carpool line - too much hassle. But they both were spacious and had plenty of cargo space.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We are a family of 5 and bought our Traverse brand new in 2009. I still love it! The only issue we ever had was our water pumped was leaking (I hear is common) but was fixed right away under warranty We have 2 in booster seats and 1 in a regular 5 point car seat. All 3 seats do fit in the middle row. The 3rd row is split, so I normally have one half up so my oldest can sit in the back and leave the other half down for space.
I think it has plenty of space. We have driven it round trip from California to Pennsylvania and also moved from Cali to Texas. All times we had 3 kids in boosters/car seats, my 95 pound Boxer Mix dog, plus many bags and such.

We've replaced the water pump and the master cylinder/brake booster on our 2008 Acadia (and a set of tires) We're around 90,000 miles now.

 

[Ernie]

We are on our second Hyundai Santa Fe (2001 and now 2013). Absolutely loved them. Come loaded with all the bells and whistles we need, and very reliable as well as good on gas.

 

[wfdiaff]

I have recently been shopping around for our next vehicle. DD 6'3" DW DD11 DS8 DD 6. We a currently have a 2011 Traverse and DW loves it she had a mini van prior to that. The Traverse, Acadia, and Enclave are all the same platform just some different options. We like the 7 seating option you can also get 8 seating. With 7 seating you get captains chairs in the second row versus a bench. Separation is the key here, no arguments of the kids touching each other. Also with the captain chairs the oldest has a walkway to get to the third row bench she likes it back there in her own world. On occasion all three kids will sit together in the back row and play their video games and such. Plus with 7 seating we have room to haul the kids friends with. We will more than likely get another Traverse.
I looked at the Highlander, Durango, Journey, Edge, Equinox, Explorer, Rav 4, Flex and none of those vehicles has the space/seating to compete with the Traverse.
PS: The Traverse is big enough that the local funeral home uses one to transport caskets.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

PS: The Traverse is big enough that the local funeral home uses one to transport caskets.

I do like that folding rear and center rows makes a large, level surface. I swiped the mattress off my daughter's bed and put it in our Acadia & camped in it one weekend

 

[AnnaS]

I love my Lincoln MKX!

 

[jen73]

I have recently been shopping around for our next vehicle. DD 6'3" DW DD11 DS8 DD 6. We a currently have a 2011 Traverse and DW loves it she had a mini van prior to that. The Traverse, Acadia, and Enclave are all the same platform just some different options. We like the 7 seating option you can also get 8 seating. With 7 seating you get captains chairs in the second row versus a bench. Separation is the key here, no arguments of the kids touching each other. Also with the captain chairs the oldest has a walkway to get to the third row bench she likes it back there in her own world. On occasion all three kids will sit together in the back row and play their video games and such. Plus with 7 seating we have room to haul the kids friends with. We will more than likely get another Traverse.
I looked at the Highlander, Durango, Journey, Edge, Equinox, Explorer, Rav 4, Flex and none of those vehicles has the space/seating to compete with the Traverse.
PS: The Traverse is big enough that the local funeral home uses one to transport caskets.

This! (minus the part about transporting caskets but I will take your word for it!) We have had out 2012 Traverse for almost a month and I love it! We already took it on a roadtrip from Dallas to Branson and with 5 full sized adults in the car, plus luggage and groceries, we were comfy. Add in the heated seats and the automatic lift gate and perfect. Love it...we also have the captains chairs and works great for our twin teens

 

[shelly3girls]

We have owned a Pilot, Expedition and now a Nissan Armada. The Pilot was nice but like others said I would only recommend it if you plan to use the third row part time. There is little storage space when it is up. I do think we got excellent value for our money.

The Expedition was large but had a tough ride. The Armada is great. It's large, comfortable, and we were able to negotiate a great price compared to other large SUVs.

 

[SUSIEQ]

Definitely look at the Chevy Traverse. I really like mine.

 

[cjackearl]

We love our Flex! We're a family of 5, all on the short side, but whenever we transport tall friends, they comment on the amount of head and leg room. We'd buy another.

 

[North of Mouse]

Love the Honda Pilot - very reliable.

 

[MommaSnowwhite]

Ford Flex! I went from a Yukon Xl to the Ford flex for our family of 5. My DD13 is our 3rd row person and she did nothing but complain about the Chevy Traverse 3rd row (not enough room for her legs & feet).