What's your family hauler?

[Fish]

I thought Dodge stopped making the Durango.

3 rows and not fullsize is a very tall order indeed. Remember as they get older, they will just need a booster seat, while having the base for a baby/1 year old can still be set in the middle.

 

[Angus]

I can't speak to reliability, but generally speaking I think the old Honda 5-speed had longevity issues that plagued many Honda V-6 models for a while. Don't recall if it's something they worked out prior to that. Performance-wise, it's always been a good performing transmission in that generation.

Here's a three-row SUV test we did before the Pilot's redesign. The top three were Santa Fe, Durango and Highlander. The results are so close, however, that you really need to pick which SUV does the best at what you need, like third row room for child seats, driving enjoyment, fuel economy, etc.

https://www.cars.com/articles/the-40000-3-row-suv-challenge/

Will definitely look at this. Thanks Bru

 

[Intel]

Mazda just redesigned the CX-9, has third row seat, decent mpg, nice interior, turbo 4 cylinder. I haven't tried putting car seats in one as I haven't gone down that road yet. Just sat in one and it was way nicer then the previous version.

 

[BeerOrGasoline]

 

[jason05gt]

Explorer Sport is another car to look at that's somewhat fun to drive and has a third row.

 

[framos242]

We have the 2015 Mazda CX-9. It has the 3rd row but I've managed to 2 car seats and a booster in the 2nd row.

 

[Blood on Blood]

We have a 2012 Nissan Quest minivan. It's a POS.

Wish we bought a Toyota Sienna AWD

 

[Blood on Blood]

You plan for 3 kids to ride in the vehicle, but then their friends, cousins and other folks pile in too. Only way to prevent that is to buy a standard SUV (no 3rd row).

But....

Now you have 3 kids sitting next to each other and fighting. This sucks for you!

So how do you prevent that?

Well my friend, I just justified you picking up a F150, Sierra, Silverado, Tundra crew cab. The second row is so wide, the kids rarely fight. Icing on the cake, separate DVDs in head rests and you are driving a balls out truck.

And should the wife question, then respond:

"Cuz 'Merica" and walk out of the room as if you just scored the winning Super Bowl touchdown.

 

[GG Allin]

Me, the wife and two kids get around in this no problem. Mine does not have one but they are available with a third row. One of the only SUV's out there with an enthusiast following and great aftermarket mod-ability. We also have a '14 MDX with the third row.