SUVs with 3 rows?

[theraidenproject]

I'm looking for SUVs*, for my mom, with 3 rows. Nothing outrageous like the Lexus 470 etc. The upper limit, maybe even beyond, would be the Land Rover or Lincoln Aviator. I've found those two, and the Toyota Sequioa. Fuel economy can't be horrific, my mom is actually sort of anti-SUV, but the practicality of it, I think, will win her over. So, what other SUVs have 3 rows?

*Yes, we actually would need an SUV. We need a car with 6+ people, the weather gets bad and the snow is not always plowed, I might be getting an ATV which needs a trailer, so an SUV is actually making sense.

[shartley]

I believe almost any mid to full size SUV can come with 3 rows. I believe it is an option you can ask for. Check into the GM line (Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, etc.) I think you may be happy with what you find.

[FalconGuy016]

Even our 1984 suburban has a removable third row, with PLENTY of space (although new models dont have as much space than the older "box" models)

[cphilip]

and...Believe it or not the new Explorer does have three rows and of course the Expediton and Excursion in the Ford line. Just having them and still having them and getting Adults comfortably into them is another thing all together. Only the Suburban and Excursion do that very well. With the Expedition doing it fair. The Nissan Mirano and the Toyota Land Cruiser I think can but on par with the Expedition though. Not as well as the Suburban and Excursion do it. ON the up side the Excursion is the only one presently available with a Diesel so you can get decent fuel milage and Tow big as well.

[theraidenproject]

I didn't know 3rd rows were so prevalent. In all the SUVs I see, which is a lot, I rarely see a 3rd row. And since those Explorer commercials made a big deal out of the new 3rd row, so I figured they were less common. Hey, I'm a car guy. My mom doesn't want anything huge, which rules out the LC and Suburban. I think we're just going to get to the dealership and see what's out there.

[FalconGuy016]

Our new trailblazer has a foldable third row standard

[cphilip]

...well again getting that many people to ride comfortably for a long trip cannot be done with anything small. If you just need to make short trips then fine but you gotta have big to make em comfortable... It's a trade off. So whatever works for you. But many of these the third row is for small children kind of thing.

No, I hear the Explorers seem to be coming with that third row quite common these days.

Look at the Nissan Mirano (I think it has a third row not sure) and Toyota Land Cruiser as well as the Expedition. they are bigger than you describe perhaps but will handle those kinds of people. They are in the size of a 1/2 ton pickup. They are all a bit pricey but what isn't now a day? :(

[bornl33t]

Originally posted by theraidenproject
I'm looking for SUVs*, for my mom, with 3 rows. Nothing outrageous like the Lexus 470 etc. The upper limit, maybe even beyond, would be the Land Rover or Lincoln Aviator. I've found those two, and the Toyota Sequioa. Fuel economy can't be horrific, my mom is actually sort of anti-SUV, but the practicality of it, I think, will win her over. So, what other SUVs have 3 rows?

*Yes, we actually would need an SUV. We need a car with 6+ people, the weather gets bad and the snow is not always plowed, I might be getting an ATV which needs a trailer, so an SUV is actually making sense.

wow, lexus, land rover, lincoln? I consider all those outragous. Have you checked the price on a land rover? Might as well have a H2

[petefol]

My dad's new acura MDX has a foldable 3rd row. it's a little tight for a tall person but it's fine for kids. its a nice car too, and i think it wasn't to much.

[cphilip]

...now remember anything that has foldable third row (which is everything mentioned other than the Burb and the Excursion) is going to mean NO PAYLOAD left at all. Nothing. You can hold it in your lap is all...And its not going to be roomy when you got 7 in there. Full as a tick!

That is why they make the Suburban and Excursion...for large families that need to take trips and tow and haul at the same time.

[TigerMan]

Originally posted by cphilip
...That is why they make the Suburban and Excursion...for large families that need to take trips and tow and haul at the same time.

And for the soccer moms who are to hip for the vans. :p

[Collegeboy]

I know this is going against the grain of what you asked for. But I think your mom would be best suited with a minivan. They have more then enough room to set 6 people. (I am 6'4 300, and sit perfectly fine in the back set) Now as for the weather, the Pontiac Montero, Dodge Caravan (the one my parents have), and some others come with AWD. Both have a maximum towing of 3500, so pulling a trailer with an atv is no problem.

[cphilip]

Yes indeed a mini van or van will do it. But they are SUV's once you do that and none of them have "real" 4 wheel drive. Vans and SUV's are all in the same class. Seems no one wants to admit that though. Its more politicaly correct to avoid that fact...

No Big SUV's are for exactly what they are! Moving a large amount of people and their gear around efficently and safely. Don't fall for the PC hype. Nothing moves that many people around as well as they do. Not even a mini van. A regular van does but without styling and with the same mass and gas use. You would be foolish to not realize that.

If I had a family of five I would be hard pressed to find anything else to do it with. If you want a Van to move 7 people and gear around with still some cargo room left you would not be looking at a mini van...you would be looking at a full Van. And the same large profile. Ford does make a E350 that does have that kind of room and will tow large and has a Diesel option. Many people that tow travel trailers with large families use those. But its big!

[bornl33t]

Originally posted by cphilip
Yes indeed a mini van or van will do it. But they are SUV's once you do that and none of them have "real" 4 wheel drive. Vans and SUV's are all in the same class. Seems no one wants to admit that though. Its more politicaly correct to avoid that fact...

No Big SUV's are for exactly what they are! Moving a large amount of people and their gear around efficently and safely. Don't fall for the PC hype. Nothing moves that many people around as well as they do. Not even a mini van. A regular van does but without styling and with the same mass and gas use. You would be foolish to not realize that.

If I had a family of five I would be hard pressed to find anything else to do it with. If you want a Van to move 7 people and gear around with still some cargo room left you would not be looking at a mini van...you would be looking at a full Van. And the same large profile. Ford does make a E350 that does have that kind of room and will tow large and has a Diesel option. Many people that tow travel trailers with large families use those. But its big!

Well it's 1/2 right.

suv's aren't vans though they are glorified wagons.

the big thing about suv's is they are supposed to be good for poor and harsh road conditions, that went south about once they retired the wagoneer. Since then suv's are trully nothing more then a over weight wagon. I think they are currently 4 production suv's that actually could travel in "off road" conditions and make be of any use. Included but not limited to the rubicon jeep and the first hummer.

I'm not sure what you mean by "true 4 wheel drive" but as far as I can tell anything with 2 pumpkins and full time AWD gears is a 4x4.

My dad has been utilizing a grand caravan for many years now with good success. It's got seating for 7 and all the seats are removable giveing you a good load out. Gas milage is good with the 3.8l v-6 and everyone he's owned had a big meaty hitch. Considering most ppl drive even truck 99% of the time on pavement I think he was wise to choise the van over the SUV, not to mension over the truck. Plus as much travleing he does the real savings are come from the areo dynamics.

It's all in the eye of the beholder but why buy a SUV just because it's the COOL thing to have? It's just telling your neighbors your a lemming. I own a jeep and drive it off road on a regular basis ( I'm glad it has a low 4 wheel drive gear!!!! ) But for city folk, vans are considerably more cost effective vehicles.

Now to something I don't really understand is the PT cruiser, it's small and looks like a minivan...without dissing it, am I slow or what did I miss?

[Havoc_online]

http://www.dodge.com/durango/

I love my Durango.

[shartley]

Yes, as Heat stated (and others too), minivans are not quite what some folks think they are. I own one as well…. Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.8l V6…. And I can attest to it being able to be fully loaded with people and gear, AND be able to pull anything we have put behind it….. and with little effort. We have never had a problem. Boats, Snowmobiles, campers, you name it.

Like Heat said, when you take out all the seats, it can really hold a lot of stuff. Another good plus… and is not really high off the ground which makes loading easier.

Also being a front wheel drive, it is great in the snow as well. For a minivan we were very shocked at how good of an overall vehicle it really was. It would also get up and go when you wanted it to. It surely didn’t lack in power.

Folks who look down at minivans need to really take another look. They fit the bill for a good all around vehicle for folks who have lots of people to move. I often refer to our van as “the people mover”.

I still want to get another truck though. LOL I want the open bed for hauling things…. the van if fine, but I don’t like having to remove the seats if I want to do some real moving.

And as for 4WD, AWD…. Like was stated, most folks don’t really take their vehicles “off-road” anyways. A good front wheel drive vehicle, or AWD vehicle is more than enough for most people. I have never gotten our van stuck, not once. And it handles great even in crappy weather.

Yes, the options are many, and folks should really look into them all.

[irbodden]

My dad drives a sedan so we tow our snowmobiles with my mom's minivan. It's done all the roads you can imagine, some were pretty hairy (Cleveland to Corry PA to Warren PA with 8 inches of unplowed snow on the ground).

But when it comes to SUVs, the QX4 is a sweet chick SUV from Infinity. $35,000, comes with leather, 6 disk cd, etc. Infinities are great, upscale Nissans...

And the H2 is a joke, don't even consider it. My dad and I were the first people at the dealership back in Chicago to check them out when they came out. It's small on the inside and I couldn't imagine it handling very well on the snow. My dad said it handled like a school bus with sloppy steering. It's NOT like the H1 besides the body, leave it for the baby boomers in So Cal, not for driving slick roads.

[oldsoldier]

Screw em. Get a jeep, tell the rest to walk. Heat is right. Most SUVs today are built on car platforms; Take them off road, they break. With most SUVs and minivans, AWD or 4WD wont make a difference, as you wont really be going offroading. True offroad driving requires a decent suspension, high ground clearance and a strong frame. I know for a fact the lower end SUVs are built on car frames, which makes them nothing more than large cars with push button 4WD. However, for travel in snowy conditions, with no real plans to go off-road (as I doubt your mom will), I am sure they will do just fine. I wouldnt give my jeep up for anything though :)
Sidenote; I feel cheap now, I am just taking my mom out to breakfast!!

[cphilip]

What I mean is that SUV's and Mini-Vans are all lumped into the same category when statistics are kept and when GVW is taken into account. They all weigh similar mass and in some cases are built on similar chasis. The term SUV is a lot muddier than it was once. Now a lot of them look like SUV but hardly are anymore.

What I mean by real 4X4 is the ability to go into "4 Low" range. And even to lock into 4 wheel high range sometimes. None of them have it and in fact now a days more and more SUV's are starting to be offered without it. Basicaly they are starting to come more and more the same equiped other than styling. Most people do not need or use "real" 4X4. But the people who realy take them off road do. Its just and observation is all. In fact a lot of the All Wheel Drive units are smart type systems and you cannot lock them into even 4 High. So that is what I mean by REAL 4 wheel drive. Its a term coined recently with the onset of these other systems to describe the fact that the systems do not let you chose what you want to be in.

I'm not sure what half you think I got right or got wrong? Mini Vans, as I stated do a real fine job of what they do. And so do SUV's for that matter. But none of them is big enough to do what a real large Van or Real Large SUV can do. That is haul 7 people and gear. Its got nothing to do with what you classify them as. It has everything to do with size more or less.

I do not realy know his situation as the sizes of the 7 he reports to want to move are not listed. But if he intended to keep this thing for a long time even if they are now a few small ones that might come into play in his decision. If it was for a few years then he might find the mid sizes of Mini's and SUV's would do him...

As to the truck thing most of the larger SUV's are indeed still built on truck platforms. The Expedition is on the F150 platform and the Excursion is on the F250 platform. And thier suspensions are capable off road. But I have no idea if he intends that or not. I doubt it. Just for the sake of consideration I point it out. Not many smaller SUV's are as you all have pointed out.

If it was me? And I was looking to haul 7 fairly full sized people (not sure thats his situation but) and their luggage and gear? Well I would not be looking at a regular sized SUV or Minivan at all. I would be looking at a full Van or large SUV. And of them I cannot think of one other than the Excusion and E350 Van that would do it with good fuel mielage simply because Chevy does not offer its Diesel in them yet. When and if they do then those options open up a bit. But in the gas versions they are all hogs and impractical. They are in the range of 10-12 MPG if that. Some report 8-10 on them. Thats not realy practical. However the Excusion and E350 folks with Diesels are reporting 17-21 MPG. Now thats doable. Hopefully Chevy will come through and start installing thier Duramax into thiers soon.

But I do not think his situation warrants that big but some people's does. And there are very few options for those people out there. I realy feel for them as those are expensive options coming in at about 40 grand. Youch!

[Remington]

Get a Honda Pilot. :D We got one back in November and it's a really great vehicle. If anyone has owned an early Honda Oddessy model(like 2000 or earlier) you know that the third row of seats folded down into a cargo well. The Honda Pilot does something like that, but instead of folding down into a well, they fold flat and give plenty of cargo room. If you need more room, the second row of seats folds down flat too! The only downfall that I have found with this car(or should I say SUV) is that the third row has NO foot room; it's very cramped back there. We generally only use the third row when we need to pack some extra friends into the car. The Pilot also comes with AWD which is great if you live in New England(or somewhere like it).

Check it out! (http://www.hondacars.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Pilot&BrowserDetected=True)

[bornl33t]

The excusion might have the suspension for off road driving, but it's weight and vertical stability make even mild off roading hazardous.

[shartley]

I would like to know how many people actually DO go “off road” anyway. I would be that most of the people who have “off road” capable vehicles spend the vast majority of their time on roads. We live in a country that has a pretty good network of roads. ;)

Folks can make themselves feel better by saying what is and what is not a “true” OFF ROAD vehicle, but at the end of the day, so few people actually GO off road that it makes most of these discussions moot. An SUV on a standard truck body and suspension is a good vehicle for what their owners use them for. Heck, a TRUCK is a good vehicle for what most people use them for. And a small SUV on a standard car body and suspension but with AWD is still better than a car without it.. for what their owners use them for. ;)

It comes down to what you NEED, and what you will be DOING with your vehicle, as well as what you WANT. Who cares if it can or can’t go off-road? I know I don’t. And I don’t think any less of the vehicle if it can’t. That is not what I would have purchased it for in the first place.

GET WHAT YOU NEED AND WANT!!!!!!!!!!! PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!! ;) And if anyone does not like it, or wants to act “better” than you… let them. They didn’t buy it and they don’t have to drive it. :D

[cphilip]

Originally posted by Heat
The excusion might have the suspension for off road driving, but it's weight and vertical stability make even mild off roading hazardous.

Has some disadvantages in that area thats for sure. But it will do moderate stuff just fine. Its not very unstable at all. That is not a charicteristic of the Excursion. Its very stable. Its the same chasis as the F250 which can do moderate off road just fine stock. And there are indeed a group of enthusiasts that do it even more than what you and I might call moderate and they will quickly disagree with you on that one. They are serious off roaders and do some modification to them like raise em some more for clearance. I think there nuts myself but... Its not my choice for an all time Off Roader for sure! Especially small trail stuff. Thats where it is a disadvantage. But in their element they do great they just need more space is all. But it will do it better than some other choices if it has a big enough trail to move through. Thats why the Jeeps are a better choice is they are small. I would chose it just for capacity and only in the situations outlined. Large number of large people with gear and even some moderate to heavy towing while still trying to achieve reasonable fuel mileage. Not for off roading myself.

There is also a whole group of enthusiasts (other nuts) that like to go primative off road camping and there is no way to pull a Travel Trailer in those places so they buy Superduty trucks and such and put In Bed Campers on the back of them and go back into the back roads (again within reason and size limitations) and camp out in those areas. Now they again have to pick the types of roads and such that will allow them to do this. But even then not just anything will go where these campers go.

So its all a matter of degree's of what you describe as "serious offroad". What these guys do is more serious than most vehicles will do. But its not rock crawling at all. Its a different degree of it.

Not too many of them do Sam is my bet. heck I bet half of them do not even have 4 wheel drive. They use em as station wagons realy. And they like the styling better. And who is to critisize someones taste realy? Not me. It seems to be the popular thing to do now but I see very little merit to it. Politicaly correct is not my style when I see no real merit to it. If I am driving something that is as efficent as say a big station wagon (those are dead to the Mini Van now) or a Mini Van and we are all getting around the same gas mileage who cares what it looks like. And most manufacturers have addressed the stability issues by widening the stance and lowering the centers of gravity. They only had to because people were buying them for highways and not off road and getting into trouble. Now most of them are not realy so much different. Seems they are now evolving into a nice alternative for the highway. Much to the dismay of the Off Road buyers as that defeats what they wanted was clearance, and low range and limited slip between axles, but still its a step in the right direction for most people who are buying them.

But some do some moderate stuff where they like to be able to at least lock in 4X4 even if its only High Range. Lots of the people here in our Mountains do. Some if not MOST of their driveways will make you think twice about visiting and they have snow all the time. Those poor slobs love it out in the sticks and have to get in and out. So they need em. Rural America still exists. Some of em drive muddy ruts to check there Cows every day. Some of em go back in and get firewood. Some of em drag logging skidders and crew of men into muddy slick ruts to work every day. There is more of em than you might think! They gotta have a choice of something that does their work for them.

Looks to me lately like the Mini Vans itself is becoming an SUV and Visa Versa. They seem to be melding into the next multipurpose vehicle. Both of them moving towords the center and becoming one! That is not so bad realy. At some point you can have the advantages of both worlds with some limitations.

But there will always be a few folks that need rugged off road and a few that need large people mover/hauler combo's. And those are totaly different needs. I am not sure you can have all of those perfectly in one vehicle. Something has to be compromised.

[theraidenproject]

Sorry everyone, I was gone for a day, and I couldn't comment.
First, don't think of this as "just a mom car". I want her next car to be a (preferably cool) SUV, because, she (hopefully, don't know the feasibility) will give that to me when I get my license, and I don't want a wagon or a minivan. I will drive it a good amount, at least. The Suburban and others of that size are a little big, but 6 people plus gear for the shore for a week or two might redeem it. I know she's going to freak after the first trip to the gas station with something like that, but I'm afraid a big SUV will be the only thing to fill her (and my :D) requirements, 6+ people and gear, moderate towing, bad weather capabilities, and looks good. I didn't know the Excursion was the only one with a diesel option. My friend's family has one. They just seem so huge, though. I think we're just going to have to go the dealerships. Oh yea, I'm neglecting the minivans, because we used to have a Dodge Caravan. We're not going that route again. The only van I'd take would be a replica A-Team van. j/k.

To address some comments:
Heat's first post: I said the Lexus would be too expensive, and the Aviator turned out to be much too expensive, when actually equipped (don't take MSRP too seriously), the Land Rover (maybe you're thinking of the Range Rover, which is around $70k, iirc) is comparable to her Volvo wagon, now.

Oldsoldier: Lol, I didn't mean to make it look like I'm buying her one, I'm just doing some preliminary research for her. I couldn't afford a $5k wreck from AutoTrader. I'm in high school, and I don't have a job.

cphillip: Good point about the sizes. My mom, her boyfriend, and I are all normal adult sized. Well, I'm 6'2" and still growing, so size is definatly a consideation. My sister, and his kids are all aroud middle school. They're all fine for third row size seats. By the time they're not, I'd be in college, and they could go with a more "regular" size vehicle.

Looking at the Excursions and Suburbans, damn, those are expensive! Even with no options or anything, they're over $40k! Mid $30s would be the limit. I think we might just end up with a mid-size SUV and have to use 2 cars on some occasions.

[cphilip]

Well if you for some reason do end up with looking at the Excursions do not just go out and just buy one. Go to theDieselstop.com and ask one of the Ford guys to let you have one of his X plan pin numbers. Ford gives them 4 or 5 a year to give to their family and "friends" and many of them give them to Board members rather than waste them. They are fairly easy to get. He/she will want your full name addy and SSN to assign you one. They will just state you are a Friend. You can get a pretty much fully optioned on for Mid 30's or so. No more than 38 anyway. But I am not pushing that option realy except that is the only Diesel one and big enough to do what I was thinking you might need to do. I was not sure though. They are all big when you get into that range. Suburban, Yukon, Excursion...they are all about the size of a class 2 truck with extended cab. All within five or six inches of each other. Thats how long they are. They are not as long as my truck which is a class 3 truck. But do not pay MSRP. I know we can get you an X plan price on a new one. Or there are two dealers on that site that will get you one at X plan and drop ship it to you. So if you realy think you are interested then you should go there and look around and learn about the problems and maintenace of one before you decide. You might decide its too much! Be sure before you decide!

But you might realy be best served with several vehicles if you think the trips with all of you would be rare. Just some things to think about is all...

[bornl33t]

DUDE! Volvo wagon? those are sweeeeeeet, they make one with 400hp!! There's nothing wrong with a volvo.

Anyway, I'd say stick with a jeep. They seat 5 comfortably and they are well under 30000$

[theraidenproject]

Thanks a ton for the link. I'm checking it out.

[Jack_Dubious]

Heres a good site that has a lot of good info on the current crop of SUVs...

SUVS (http://www.stopsuvs.org/)


:D


JDub

[dave_p]

i have a grand caravan sport and i will attest with the other "van people". i can load me, wife, inlaws, 2kids and all our luggage, boogie boards,beach chairs etc. down to cape may every year. we have tons of room and look good doing it! with all the weight its still hard to keep her under 80mph. with all the seats out it is absolutely cavernous.

if isuzu still makes the trooper it has full 3 row seating ,is not outrageously priced and looks pretty good as well.

[1stdeadeye]

Check out the Isuzu Ascender. It is the rebadged extended version of the GMC Envoy. You can pick one up for between $26 and $36k depending on how you option it out. You can get a straight 6 or V-8. My wife and I are getting ready to buy a new SUV ourselves. I hate to trade in my Grand Cherokee, but it is too small for our family and Jeep makes nothing bigger. We have narrowed our search to the Durango or Isuzu. I am leaning towards the Isuzu. I love straight 6 engines. My BMW has one and so does my Jeep.
Good Luck!

Isuzu Link (http://www.isuzu.com/models/ascender/index.html)