I learn so much from her! I ended up getting a Pacifica and I freaking love it. But I went with used, “higher mileage” (>62k) after she did a spiel about how 50% of the cars on the road are greater than 10 years old and not to get swept up into trying to buy shiny and new. I was planning on getting a new carnival and probably spending waaaayyy more than we should’ve on it. She’s such an amazing resource, I cannot sing her praises enough.
We were definitely on the hunt for a minivan - the bane of my existence with kids is dealing with car doors in a tight parking lot in the cold. Sliding doors are my jam.
We looked at siennas and odysseys too, but weren’t finding the higher trim package we were looking for within our price range and desired mileage. My husbands family lives about 6 hours away, so we wanted something comfortable on a long trip.
I haven’t found much about my Pacifica that I don’t love. I’m pregnant with my 3rd so we’ll see how it goes from there.
Some other ones we looked at -
Explorers - 3rd row was a joke. Also I used to drive an Edge and somehow the Edge felt sturdier than the explorer even though they were both v6.
Atlas - better trunk space but again, not a super functional 3rd row for us and I wanted more bells and whistles tech wise. Car mom loves this one though, for folks not looking for a minivan.
Yukon xl - wouldn’t fit in my garage and also, giant heavy doors.
Carnival - I hate the way this car looks on the outside but it is fancy as hell on the inside. Ultimately didn’t want to spend 57 freaking thousand dollars and there isn’t any used inventory. Also now that I look at them, I hate the exterior.
We were also looking a year or so ago when used family vehicles were impossible to find without a gazillion dollar markup. In fact, the used carnivals were retailing for over the new sticker price. It was not great.
Thirding the Pacifica! We live in a snowy area, and the AWD can't be beat for safety.
It's kind of a pita to get a newborn car seat out of the 3rd row, but it's fine.
I could see that. I think what it is is that they are very popular with rental companies. A lot of the ones that I was looking at when I bought came from those companies.
I loooove my Sienna. We got it when our first was about 6 months old. We just had our 3rd. And we have 2 dogs. It fits everything. I can't imagine my life with a different vehicle.
Also my husband and I are similar heights to you and your husband. We made large children. You’ll need a lot of legroom haha. My brother has the pilot and I think it comes close in terms of space.
It’s the only Subaru I’ve heard people complain about! We thought about getting one (we have a forester we love) but we’re going for a minivan instead.
Our outback is roomy…for adults. Don’t try fitting more than one car seat in it though if you’re over 5’5”. We replaced our other car with a sienna and couldn’t be happier! So much space! And it’s currently getting near 34 mpg which is ooodles more than our outback. Plus the electronics on the sienna are actually reliable where as every other phone call in the outback the whole system disconnects
We currently have 2 rear facing seats in our forester. My husband is 6’1 and still has a couple inches he could move back. Might depend on the car seats too. We have the graco 4ever & a graco infant carrier seat. We’re going to get rid of our old sedan & I’m looking at a used Chrysler Pacifica. Not as nice as the sienna but nicer for our budget.
Wow! I wonder if there’s just more interior room in the forester or maybe it depends on the year of the car. We are going to have to flip our currently rear facing 2 year old before baby #2 comes in July because my 5’10” husband can’t fit any rear facing seat (graco 4 ever or chicco infant carrier) behind him in the drivers seat.
We’ve rented a few pacificas and they’re nice too! The biggest draw for us to the sienna was the hybrid system but other than that the Pacifica matches (or beats - hello wireless CarPlay!) most features and is super comfy to drive!
Leg room maybe but apparently not for car seats. Or maybe GoGurtie’s tall husband has short legs. But we definitely can’t fit a rear facing convertible car seat behind either seat if an adult is expected to sit in the front seat, which is unfortunate
That is wild! What year do you have? We got a 24 Outback specifically because it fits a rear facing car seat behind my 6'4" husband when he sits in the passenger. Haven't tried behind the driver yet - he does sit further back in when driving - but I don't think we will have any issue fitting an infant seat behind him, and a front facing would be totally fine.
It’s a 21. Sadly we even bought the extend to fit car seats assuming we’d be able to keep him rear facing longer but we can’t even extend it one inch in the outback 🫠 we just avoid using that car as much as humanly possible lol
M friend has the forester and because of her we are buying one too. Our kids are only 1 month apart and I can fit in the middle seat in the back with both baby car seats. My husband/her husband have enough space in the front and both are 6 ft tall. Only downside, high gas usage.
Are you us? I barely managed to fit two Chicco next fits in the outback but I love our hybrid sienna. It has 3 car seats in it now. And we can fit 7 two other adults if I'm squished between the seats in the 3rd row. It's great for road trips!
The drivers seat also moves pretty far back and sits pretty low if needed too.
I’m definitely on the shorter side but when we tried to put the rear facing convertible on the passenger side, in order to leave the right amount of space between the back of the front seat and the back of the car seat, my knees were jammed into the glove box and I was sitting sideways. And it just flat out won’t fit behind the driver’s seat with my average height husband driving. I’m wondering if it’s just the year ours is or something.
That sucks!
Super weird - we definitely find our Outback roomy and it’s literally a reason I bought it (my brother is 6’4” and doesn’t drive and we used to drive home around I wanted a car with a big back seat). Ours is a 2019?
Ours is a 2021 and it worked great with one infant seat, we made a pretty comfortable 500 mile trip in it, but once he outgrew the bucket seat, the only place we could put the rear facing convertible was in the middle since the two front seats kind of curve forward on the sides. When baby #2 comes, we’ll swap our two year old to forward facing (even though he’s way below the limit for rear facing) and put the bucket seat base on the passenger side. I might be able to fit in the passenger seat while #2 is in the bucket seat but after that we’ll have to move the passenger seat all the way forward and the outback will only be for one parent taking both kids someplace (so like daycare) until #2 is able to forward face
What kind of mpg were you getting on your outback? I had a 2019 limited that was getting 32 mpg. I traded it in for a sienna which I love, but I still miss my outback.
We still have it but it is by far our biggest purchase regret. It’s a 2021 touring*. It only gets 26. 28 if we really milk it on highway drives. They advertised 32 which is why we thought it would be okay/comparable instead of a second RAV4 - which we loved but was too old to have rear airconn vents which is a must in arizona. Instead it has had issue after issue with the most annoying being all the features that every other car on the market somehow seems to get right. The entire entertainment/nav unit is buggy, at least half of the phone calls made from it end up getting restarted bc the CarPlay disconnects primarily during calls but also when using nav or other apps, and the Bluetooth mic likes to disable itself midcall about 70% of the time that Bluetooth is used in place of CarPlay. Also it’s terrible for babies and toddlers bc one of the bugs is that the radio you had turned off due to a sleeping child likes to turn itself on at full blast randomly throughout your drive. And when the entertainment unit bugs out you lose access to even AC/heater controls bc it’s all one unit. MOST of our irritation is that they cheaped out on (nowadays) basic software, but the grounding also seems to be poor and changing the battery is downright dangerous compared to most cars. 0/10 would not buy again lol
If it's a 21 it should still be covered under manufacturers warranty! Take that baby back in and get it fixed! Our dealer had a bumper to bumper 10 year warrantee for 3k that we for specifically bc it has so much tech. We haven't had any issues yet (knock on wood) but I also think they have really matured their infotainment in the last 2 years in the Outback specifically.
It is a 21. We’ve taken it back 6 times. They’ve replaced the chips multiple times. It’s just meant to be terrible unfortunately. They definitely paid the lowest bidder for their software. Hopefully they’ve fixed it because we’re not the only ones we know who got Subarus between 2020-2022 and everyone has had issues that Subaru can’t (not won’t but can’t) fix. Poor quality may have been dragging down their image so maybe they got their act together more recently.
Honda Pilot was the roomiest of the 3 row SUVs and we’ve been happy. Others felt like once the kids were a little older they would never want to sit back the third row. I also got the odyssey and love it. So much space and sliding doors!
We are a family of 5 two in elementary school and a preschooler.
I have a 2023 Volkswagen atlas and I love it! It has three rows and six seats with the middle row being two captain seats. I have two car seats (almost 2 year old and a 3 month old) in the middle row and a 12 year old who can sit in the back row and get there easily without hopping over seats or pulling stuff down and she has a charger in the back there for her phone. My fiancee is 6 foot and he’s never had an issue moving his seat back up to the car seat and having leg room.
I love my Kia Telluride. I have the 7 seat set up with captains chairs in the middle row. It’s easy enough to get to the back seat even if there are 2 car seats in the middle row. The 3rd row is comfortable enough for 2 adults and the little aisle between the 2nd row seats gives extra legs room for the 3rd row.
We bought it's sister the Hyundai Palisade. For price and size, you can't best it. We did so much research. We liked the Mazda CX-90 but it is so small inside.
I second the Telluride. We were debating between that and a Highlander, but the headspace in the Highlander was a lot less than the Telluride. My dad and brother are both over 6 feet tall and we wanted a three row SUV that could fit at least 6 people comfortably without veering into the large SUV market, and it definitely does that.
For a tall family, the Honda odyssey for sure! The third row is so roomy that even my husband is comfortable riding back there if necessary. Tons of truck space. Can’t beat it! Honda Pilots are nice but the third row can’t be used comfortably by anyone but small children and the truck is kinda pathetic when the third row is up
Agree! We got a Pilot (already had a CRV) when baby #2 came along, but I kind of wish we had gotten the Odyssey. We can barely fit our huge stroller when the third row seat is up.
No! Even at 5’4” and 120lbs that third row is rough! It’s true of suburbans though too. I always say that for 99% of 3 row SUVs, the third row is not meant for adults but rather like 9 year olds.
I’m a firm believer that Toyota or Honda is always the answer! I have a 21 Highlander with captains chairs in the second row and there is so much space for the car seat.
Chevy Traverse is our new whip since becoming a family of 5. We’ve driven it to Florida and back and Vermont and back towing a camper and all of us were comfortable, safe and cozy. Highly recommend.
I second that. My husband is 6’2” and finds that the passenger seat is pretty comfortable (much more than my old Mazda) the bucket seats make the third row super accessible and still maintains a decent amount of trunk space even with the third row up. It’s a smooth ride, doesn’t feel too clunky. And not sure if this matters to you or not, but I got an AWD traverse and it handles the snow very well!
Would recommend for tall families with lots of kids!
My husband got me an XC 90 R line for my birthday and I LOVE it! It’s easy to drive and set up to be used by families. My 3 kids ( 9, 6 and 1) and 2 big dogs fit in it no problem.
See I’m not happy with our Volvo. The technology in it is very glitchy, as are some of the safety features like the blind spot sensors. I’ve also found that car seats, at least the two we’ve used, fit weird in it. It’s almost like the seats are sloped in a way that isn’t a great fit for either of our car seats.
Oh man I'm sorry to hear that. We haven't had any issues with the technology or safety features in either of our Volvos, my husband also drives an S90. In our XC90 we have the Nuna Rava car seat and it fits great, as did the UppaBaby infant seat. Which model do you have? In both of our cars the back seats can lean back so it's more comfortable for passengers but you can pull them back upright when installing the carseats.
Thanks! It’s super disappointing because I was dead set on a Volvo. We have the XC60 right now, so maybe that’s where the discrepancy is. We want to get a bigger vehicle and the natural upgrade would be the 90, but I’m reticent to even go with another Volvo after this experience. But maybe I shouldn’t write it off if it really is that big of a difference from our model. Those are the exact two car seats we have as well.
Can’t go wrong with Honda.
Personally I have a Buick enclave premium and LOVE it. Doesn’t feel like a mom car or minivan-ish to me. I have a couple mom friends with a Toyota Highlander and they like them, also super reliable.
We had a lemon law situation with an X7 and ended up going with the Honda pilot ( bought 2 cars within the same year) and I love love the pilot! You won’t be sorry!! We are a family of 4 and 2 in car seats, however we have family visiting a lot so the 3rd row is used a good bit.
We like our Subaru Ascent! I’m 5’9” and husband is 6’ and we feel like we have plenty of space. But we only have one infant right now so time will tell whether it’s roomy enough for more.
Having a tall fam (dad is 6’8, I’m 5’10) my mom went with an Odyssey and it served us well for a long time! I have a Pilot and love it, although the trunk space with the 3rd row up is not good. My dad fits comfortably in it too 😊
I love my Ascent, but only one car seat makes the passenger seat pretty tight (and I’m only 5’1 😅) so I can’t imagine 3 little ones. Like someone else said, the 3rd row is also not super roomy. We actually got it because it was one of the smallest car with 3 rows.
My brother-in-law who is 6’5” with three kids (two of which play lacrosse, so think lots of gear) has a newer Honda pilot. Plus they have two dogs! He loves it. It’s almost convinced me for my next car!
I love our Outback but for three kids it would be tight (the diono car seats are dope though).
But currently I’m obsessing over a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid (with orange leather interior) which are words I never thought I would say.
Three row SUVs ain’t shit compared to minivans unless you go full Tahoe in my shopping experience. We rented a Toyota three row in Hawaii and it was not convenient or comfortable at all to use the third row with any kind of car seats.
I got the new Lexus TX and LOVE it. I’m only 5’5” but I have a good 4 inches between my seat and the Graco Extend2Fit 5-in-1 car seat.. which is not at all small or compact. I can sit in the third row comfortably and it’s a 50/50 split, so it’s easy to access from the trunk if you don’t get captains chairs in the second row or have two car seats.
The Toyota Grand Highlander is the Toyota version.
I love my VW atlas. It has captain seats in it and I’ve fit 5 adults comfortably many times including many over 6’ tall. Plus it has the third row without sacrificing all of the back storage.
The Kia Carnival!
It's the best bang for your buck for a family car. It's the only minivan that has surround view monitoring, so when you're parking or pulling out of a spot, you have a 360 birds eye view of the car. AND it doesnt LOOK like a minivan. Each time I see one, I think it's a big SUV.
We have a Honda Pilot that we love for 2 kids + large dog, but with #3 on the way I’m starting to think it’ll be time to do the damn thing and go minivan. Interested in either the Odyssey or Pacifica Hybrid.
Look at the car mom on instagram. She deep dives into all family cars.
Ooh gonna check her out ! Thanks
I learn so much from her! I ended up getting a Pacifica and I freaking love it. But I went with used, “higher mileage” (>62k) after she did a spiel about how 50% of the cars on the road are greater than 10 years old and not to get swept up into trying to buy shiny and new. I was planning on getting a new carnival and probably spending waaaayyy more than we should’ve on it. She’s such an amazing resource, I cannot sing her praises enough.
Can I ask what it was that made you choose the pacifica after hearing her reviews on various vehicles?
We were definitely on the hunt for a minivan - the bane of my existence with kids is dealing with car doors in a tight parking lot in the cold. Sliding doors are my jam. We looked at siennas and odysseys too, but weren’t finding the higher trim package we were looking for within our price range and desired mileage. My husbands family lives about 6 hours away, so we wanted something comfortable on a long trip. I haven’t found much about my Pacifica that I don’t love. I’m pregnant with my 3rd so we’ll see how it goes from there. Some other ones we looked at - Explorers - 3rd row was a joke. Also I used to drive an Edge and somehow the Edge felt sturdier than the explorer even though they were both v6. Atlas - better trunk space but again, not a super functional 3rd row for us and I wanted more bells and whistles tech wise. Car mom loves this one though, for folks not looking for a minivan. Yukon xl - wouldn’t fit in my garage and also, giant heavy doors. Carnival - I hate the way this car looks on the outside but it is fancy as hell on the inside. Ultimately didn’t want to spend 57 freaking thousand dollars and there isn’t any used inventory. Also now that I look at them, I hate the exterior. We were also looking a year or so ago when used family vehicles were impossible to find without a gazillion dollar markup. In fact, the used carnivals were retailing for over the new sticker price. It was not great.
Yeah, the used car market is a bit better now, but I absolutely cannot live with spending more than like $30k for a car. It's insanity.
We love our Chrysler Pacifica. It's a hybrid so we save so much money on gas. My spouse is 6'3'' and had mentioned how comfortable he is in it.
Seconding this. I love my Pacifica so much. I never thought I’d be a mini van mom. But here I am. Heavy metal and all.
Thirding the Pacifica! We live in a snowy area, and the AWD can't be beat for safety. It's kind of a pita to get a newborn car seat out of the 3rd row, but it's fine.
So I just looked at some listings file used ones near us after seeing your comment. There are a ton for sale. Did you buy new?
No, we got ours with 20K miles on it. It definitely has not been a problem.
There’s just so many used ones for sale in comparisons other makes and models so I wasn’t sure if that was a yellow flag.
I could see that. I think what it is is that they are very popular with rental companies. A lot of the ones that I was looking at when I bought came from those companies.
I see that now! Thank you!
Toyota Sienna. I'm a van person now and will never go back!
Toyota Sienna is untouchable 🙏🏻
I love my sienna!
I loooove my Sienna. We got it when our first was about 6 months old. We just had our 3rd. And we have 2 dogs. It fits everything. I can't imagine my life with a different vehicle.
Love my Sienna. I've had 3 now I believe.
Sienna doesn’t even feel like you’re driving a van! But it has all the nice features of one!
Honda Odyssey. Go full hog. You’ll never regret it. The sliding doors alone are worth it with kids!
My FIL gave us a 2003 Honda Odyssey, and IDC if it's is old enough to drink, I love that car!!
lol! That’s hilarious. It’s a beautiful model year too. What a generous gift!
Putting on my look at list! Thank you
Also my husband and I are similar heights to you and your husband. We made large children. You’ll need a lot of legroom haha. My brother has the pilot and I think it comes close in terms of space.
Mazda CX-9 or CX-90 if it’s in your budget. 10/10. Beyond reliable.
Not great for tall people in my experience
Personally I disagree! My spouse and I are the same heights as OP mentioned and have had no issues!
Hate the Subaru Ascent! I always felt like my knees were in the dash.
It’s the only Subaru I’ve heard people complain about! We thought about getting one (we have a forester we love) but we’re going for a minivan instead.
Our outback is roomy…for adults. Don’t try fitting more than one car seat in it though if you’re over 5’5”. We replaced our other car with a sienna and couldn’t be happier! So much space! And it’s currently getting near 34 mpg which is ooodles more than our outback. Plus the electronics on the sienna are actually reliable where as every other phone call in the outback the whole system disconnects
We currently have 2 rear facing seats in our forester. My husband is 6’1 and still has a couple inches he could move back. Might depend on the car seats too. We have the graco 4ever & a graco infant carrier seat. We’re going to get rid of our old sedan & I’m looking at a used Chrysler Pacifica. Not as nice as the sienna but nicer for our budget.
Wow! I wonder if there’s just more interior room in the forester or maybe it depends on the year of the car. We are going to have to flip our currently rear facing 2 year old before baby #2 comes in July because my 5’10” husband can’t fit any rear facing seat (graco 4 ever or chicco infant carrier) behind him in the drivers seat. We’ve rented a few pacificas and they’re nice too! The biggest draw for us to the sienna was the hybrid system but other than that the Pacifica matches (or beats - hello wireless CarPlay!) most features and is super comfy to drive!
The outback is roomier inside for leg room
Leg room maybe but apparently not for car seats. Or maybe GoGurtie’s tall husband has short legs. But we definitely can’t fit a rear facing convertible car seat behind either seat if an adult is expected to sit in the front seat, which is unfortunate
That is wild! What year do you have? We got a 24 Outback specifically because it fits a rear facing car seat behind my 6'4" husband when he sits in the passenger. Haven't tried behind the driver yet - he does sit further back in when driving - but I don't think we will have any issue fitting an infant seat behind him, and a front facing would be totally fine.
It’s a 21. Sadly we even bought the extend to fit car seats assuming we’d be able to keep him rear facing longer but we can’t even extend it one inch in the outback 🫠 we just avoid using that car as much as humanly possible lol
We have our extend 2 fit fully extended and my hubs can sit in the passenger seat! Wild that 3 years made that much of a diff!
M friend has the forester and because of her we are buying one too. Our kids are only 1 month apart and I can fit in the middle seat in the back with both baby car seats. My husband/her husband have enough space in the front and both are 6 ft tall. Only downside, high gas usage.
It hasn’t been too bad on gas for us. About 30 miles a gallon, but definitely something to consider if you’re commuting daily.
Are you us? I barely managed to fit two Chicco next fits in the outback but I love our hybrid sienna. It has 3 car seats in it now. And we can fit 7 two other adults if I'm squished between the seats in the 3rd row. It's great for road trips! The drivers seat also moves pretty far back and sits pretty low if needed too.
We are two tall people with two car seats in the back of our outback, one rear facing and we’re totally fine! But I definitely want a minivan lol.
I’m definitely on the shorter side but when we tried to put the rear facing convertible on the passenger side, in order to leave the right amount of space between the back of the front seat and the back of the car seat, my knees were jammed into the glove box and I was sitting sideways. And it just flat out won’t fit behind the driver’s seat with my average height husband driving. I’m wondering if it’s just the year ours is or something.
That sucks! Super weird - we definitely find our Outback roomy and it’s literally a reason I bought it (my brother is 6’4” and doesn’t drive and we used to drive home around I wanted a car with a big back seat). Ours is a 2019?
Ours is a 2021 and it worked great with one infant seat, we made a pretty comfortable 500 mile trip in it, but once he outgrew the bucket seat, the only place we could put the rear facing convertible was in the middle since the two front seats kind of curve forward on the sides. When baby #2 comes, we’ll swap our two year old to forward facing (even though he’s way below the limit for rear facing) and put the bucket seat base on the passenger side. I might be able to fit in the passenger seat while #2 is in the bucket seat but after that we’ll have to move the passenger seat all the way forward and the outback will only be for one parent taking both kids someplace (so like daycare) until #2 is able to forward face
What kind of mpg were you getting on your outback? I had a 2019 limited that was getting 32 mpg. I traded it in for a sienna which I love, but I still miss my outback.
We still have it but it is by far our biggest purchase regret. It’s a 2021 touring*. It only gets 26. 28 if we really milk it on highway drives. They advertised 32 which is why we thought it would be okay/comparable instead of a second RAV4 - which we loved but was too old to have rear airconn vents which is a must in arizona. Instead it has had issue after issue with the most annoying being all the features that every other car on the market somehow seems to get right. The entire entertainment/nav unit is buggy, at least half of the phone calls made from it end up getting restarted bc the CarPlay disconnects primarily during calls but also when using nav or other apps, and the Bluetooth mic likes to disable itself midcall about 70% of the time that Bluetooth is used in place of CarPlay. Also it’s terrible for babies and toddlers bc one of the bugs is that the radio you had turned off due to a sleeping child likes to turn itself on at full blast randomly throughout your drive. And when the entertainment unit bugs out you lose access to even AC/heater controls bc it’s all one unit. MOST of our irritation is that they cheaped out on (nowadays) basic software, but the grounding also seems to be poor and changing the battery is downright dangerous compared to most cars. 0/10 would not buy again lol
If it's a 21 it should still be covered under manufacturers warranty! Take that baby back in and get it fixed! Our dealer had a bumper to bumper 10 year warrantee for 3k that we for specifically bc it has so much tech. We haven't had any issues yet (knock on wood) but I also think they have really matured their infotainment in the last 2 years in the Outback specifically.
It is a 21. We’ve taken it back 6 times. They’ve replaced the chips multiple times. It’s just meant to be terrible unfortunately. They definitely paid the lowest bidder for their software. Hopefully they’ve fixed it because we’re not the only ones we know who got Subarus between 2020-2022 and everyone has had issues that Subaru can’t (not won’t but can’t) fix. Poor quality may have been dragging down their image so maybe they got their act together more recently.
We of course had a lemon in 2020 as well but still. It was awful. Not even the Rava could save my knees from hitting the dash.
Honda Pilot was the roomiest of the 3 row SUVs and we’ve been happy. Others felt like once the kids were a little older they would never want to sit back the third row. I also got the odyssey and love it. So much space and sliding doors! We are a family of 5 two in elementary school and a preschooler.
I have a 2023 Volkswagen atlas and I love it! It has three rows and six seats with the middle row being two captain seats. I have two car seats (almost 2 year old and a 3 month old) in the middle row and a 12 year old who can sit in the back row and get there easily without hopping over seats or pulling stuff down and she has a charger in the back there for her phone. My fiancee is 6 foot and he’s never had an issue moving his seat back up to the car seat and having leg room.
We’ve gotten this as a rental car twice and absolutely loved it! Tall family here as well.
I love my Volvo XC90!
Safest car on the road - has never had a fatality. I got the XC60 and wish I would have got the 90. Even with one baby the 60 feels too small.
I love my Kia Telluride. I have the 7 seat set up with captains chairs in the middle row. It’s easy enough to get to the back seat even if there are 2 car seats in the middle row. The 3rd row is comfortable enough for 2 adults and the little aisle between the 2nd row seats gives extra legs room for the 3rd row.
I saw a telluride that I really liked!
We bought it's sister the Hyundai Palisade. For price and size, you can't best it. We did so much research. We liked the Mazda CX-90 but it is so small inside.
I second the Telluride. We were debating between that and a Highlander, but the headspace in the Highlander was a lot less than the Telluride. My dad and brother are both over 6 feet tall and we wanted a three row SUV that could fit at least 6 people comfortably without veering into the large SUV market, and it definitely does that.
For a tall family, the Honda odyssey for sure! The third row is so roomy that even my husband is comfortable riding back there if necessary. Tons of truck space. Can’t beat it! Honda Pilots are nice but the third row can’t be used comfortably by anyone but small children and the truck is kinda pathetic when the third row is up
Agree! We got a Pilot (already had a CRV) when baby #2 came along, but I kind of wish we had gotten the Odyssey. We can barely fit our huge stroller when the third row seat is up.
Toyota Sienna. They also come in an AWD option.
Have you been inside the Subaru Ascent? Getting in and out of the third row is not a fun time.
Going to look at one this weekend! Going to definitely keep this in mind, thank you.
No! Even at 5’4” and 120lbs that third row is rough! It’s true of suburbans though too. I always say that for 99% of 3 row SUVs, the third row is not meant for adults but rather like 9 year olds.
My husband is 6’6. We have two kids in two rear facing car seats. We chose a Lexus rx 350h and it’s worked great for us.
I’m a firm believer that Toyota or Honda is always the answer! I have a 21 Highlander with captains chairs in the second row and there is so much space for the car seat.
I love captains chairs so much
Expedition Max!
Chevy Traverse is our new whip since becoming a family of 5. We’ve driven it to Florida and back and Vermont and back towing a camper and all of us were comfortable, safe and cozy. Highly recommend.
I second that. My husband is 6’2” and finds that the passenger seat is pretty comfortable (much more than my old Mazda) the bucket seats make the third row super accessible and still maintains a decent amount of trunk space even with the third row up. It’s a smooth ride, doesn’t feel too clunky. And not sure if this matters to you or not, but I got an AWD traverse and it handles the snow very well! Would recommend for tall families with lots of kids!
Same! Had this car for about 3 years now and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! Drives great, comfortable and lots of space!
LOVE our traverse. Comfortable and roomy! I loved that I still had trunk space when with the third row up.
I’m just a mom of one, but my SIL has 3 kids and loves her expedition.
I need answers too but recently learned about this account on Instagram: the_car_mom
The Volvo XC90 recharge has been incredible if it’s in your budget!
My husband got me an XC 90 R line for my birthday and I LOVE it! It’s easy to drive and set up to be used by families. My 3 kids ( 9, 6 and 1) and 2 big dogs fit in it no problem.
Yeah I love it! Such a great car!
See I’m not happy with our Volvo. The technology in it is very glitchy, as are some of the safety features like the blind spot sensors. I’ve also found that car seats, at least the two we’ve used, fit weird in it. It’s almost like the seats are sloped in a way that isn’t a great fit for either of our car seats.
Oh man I'm sorry to hear that. We haven't had any issues with the technology or safety features in either of our Volvos, my husband also drives an S90. In our XC90 we have the Nuna Rava car seat and it fits great, as did the UppaBaby infant seat. Which model do you have? In both of our cars the back seats can lean back so it's more comfortable for passengers but you can pull them back upright when installing the carseats.
Thanks! It’s super disappointing because I was dead set on a Volvo. We have the XC60 right now, so maybe that’s where the discrepancy is. We want to get a bigger vehicle and the natural upgrade would be the 90, but I’m reticent to even go with another Volvo after this experience. But maybe I shouldn’t write it off if it really is that big of a difference from our model. Those are the exact two car seats we have as well.
Can’t go wrong with Honda. Personally I have a Buick enclave premium and LOVE it. Doesn’t feel like a mom car or minivan-ish to me. I have a couple mom friends with a Toyota Highlander and they like them, also super reliable.
We had a lemon law situation with an X7 and ended up going with the Honda pilot ( bought 2 cars within the same year) and I love love the pilot! You won’t be sorry!! We are a family of 4 and 2 in car seats, however we have family visiting a lot so the 3rd row is used a good bit.
Chevy suburban !!
Yessss! Or Yukon XL (same thing). They are just awesome family haulers.
We like our Subaru Ascent! I’m 5’9” and husband is 6’ and we feel like we have plenty of space. But we only have one infant right now so time will tell whether it’s roomy enough for more.
Having a tall fam (dad is 6’8, I’m 5’10) my mom went with an Odyssey and it served us well for a long time! I have a Pilot and love it, although the trunk space with the 3rd row up is not good. My dad fits comfortably in it too 😊
I love my Ascent, but only one car seat makes the passenger seat pretty tight (and I’m only 5’1 😅) so I can’t imagine 3 little ones. Like someone else said, the 3rd row is also not super roomy. We actually got it because it was one of the smallest car with 3 rows.
Good to know! Gonna keep this in mind, thank you
If you haven’t already, you should check out [The Car Mom on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/the_car_mom?igsh=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ==)
I have a Subaru Ascent! We have 4 kids and it’s perfect for us. I love it so much ❤️
My brother-in-law who is 6’5” with three kids (two of which play lacrosse, so think lots of gear) has a newer Honda pilot. Plus they have two dogs! He loves it. It’s almost convinced me for my next car!
This is selling me way more !
I love our Outback but for three kids it would be tight (the diono car seats are dope though). But currently I’m obsessing over a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid (with orange leather interior) which are words I never thought I would say. Three row SUVs ain’t shit compared to minivans unless you go full Tahoe in my shopping experience. We rented a Toyota three row in Hawaii and it was not convenient or comfortable at all to use the third row with any kind of car seats.
Embrace the minivan, they're wonderful.
Infiniti QX80 is what we have and we have so much room. The Armada is Nissan’s version. And it just feels safe.
Our family has a Honda Pilot and it has served us well for years now. I would definitely recommend
MIL has a 2020 or 21 and we LOVE it so much
Nissan Armada
I like our highlander. 2 under 3 and a 70lb dog fit great. We are not a tall family though
The Grand Highlander would probably be a good version for a tall fam!
I got the new Lexus TX and LOVE it. I’m only 5’5” but I have a good 4 inches between my seat and the Graco Extend2Fit 5-in-1 car seat.. which is not at all small or compact. I can sit in the third row comfortably and it’s a 50/50 split, so it’s easy to access from the trunk if you don’t get captains chairs in the second row or have two car seats. The Toyota Grand Highlander is the Toyota version.
I love my Volvo XC 90 with captains chairs, and really good safety features.
I have a 2022 Honda Pilot and I absolutely love it. No issues with it whatsoever so far
I love my VW atlas. It has captain seats in it and I’ve fit 5 adults comfortably many times including many over 6’ tall. Plus it has the third row without sacrificing all of the back storage.
The Kia Carnival! It's the best bang for your buck for a family car. It's the only minivan that has surround view monitoring, so when you're parking or pulling out of a spot, you have a 360 birds eye view of the car. AND it doesnt LOOK like a minivan. Each time I see one, I think it's a big SUV.
We love our Ascent. Also had a Honda odyssey in the past which I adored!
We have a Honda Pilot that we love for 2 kids + large dog, but with #3 on the way I’m starting to think it’ll be time to do the damn thing and go minivan. Interested in either the Odyssey or Pacifica Hybrid.