https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:41:48 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives/page/2#post-692867 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:19:36 +0000 kml636 692867@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TurtleDoves: Thank you for this list! I would love the Audi Q7, but probably will get the Toyota Highlander. Want the hybrid, we'll see. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives/page/2#post-692693 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:15:35 +0000 Ash 692693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have been anti minivan aaaaaallllll my life until a few weeks ago when I had to take my suv in to get fixed and they gave me a minivan to take home. I was humiliated. But I loved it! It busted through the snow like no other and it was so freakin roomy! Down the road, I could see myself driving one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives/page/2#post-692645 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:58:01 +0000 StbHisMrs 692645@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Beebug: This has been my argument with my dh about the excursion (basically an enclosed F-250). I think I'm winning him over, I want to trade it in on a 4 door diesel truck and my explorer in on an Armada. That way we'll have an SUV that fits all our kids, and a way to pull our boat and we can buy a camper! The kids can tent it, I want a camper ;)</p> <p>I really don't know why he loves the dang thing, it's loud (super charged diesel) gets "ok" mileage, it's bulky, and so hard to park. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives/page/2#post-692555 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:24:28 +0000 Beebug 692555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TurtleDoves: bahahaha omg you are hilarious.</p> <p>I love how anti-minivan you are, it is amazing, lol. Do you have a dog? I feel like this skews me, dog + kids, taking out seats will be so much more awesome for having him come along (we take him everywhere) over putting him in the back back. Plus we do dog show stuff and what's best is all the minivan dog people that don't even have kids, lol.</p> <p>PS I like soft chocolate ice cream!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives/page/2#post-692544 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:19:57 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 692544@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Beebug: ok, fine. If you get a can,, get an icecream truck! Then, I'll ride with you all day long and we'll be super popular. (&amp; fat) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-692506 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:07:28 +0000 Beebug 692506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I wwould buy a truck (4 door, full ext cab) before I would drive a 3 row SUV. Big SUVs are boats to drive I find, so might as well get the gas pigginess and bigger features of a truck. Would be wider so fit car seats no prob.</p> <p>I can't wait to own a minivan, seats able to go in/out (esp in middle) and wide open vehicle floor trump any of the 3 row SUVs for me. I have a small SUV now and drive a lot of different rentals for work and the 3-row/large SUVs are my least fave. Older interior technology (esp the Traverse and Acadia) and they're just massive, and pigs on fuel. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-692464 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:55:27 +0000 Rescuemom10 692464@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I use to have the Acura MDX. I loved it!!! My SIL has the Honda Pilot and that is super nice too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-692380 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:24:23 +0000 NavyRN2012 692380@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have the Chevy Traverse and loooooove it! There is plenty of room, and the third row isn't uncomfortable. It's also not huge and bulky. We went back and forth between the Traverse and Acadia when we were car shopping. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-692371 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:20:09 +0000 LovelyPlum 692371@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abbydabbydoodlebug: there's a ton of those in our neighborhood, and I'm always intrigued. Thanks for the insight :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-692278 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:46:19 +0000 StbHisMrs 692278@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Honeybee: Maybe we just need a smaller stroller! When we test drove a couple there just wasn't enough room, I really loved it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-692271 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:45:01 +0000 jetsa 692271@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are getting either a Honda Pilot or a Nissan Pathfinder later this year. They get decent mileage, have 4WD, and have 7 seats. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-692216 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:32:05 +0000 stlginkgo 692216@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TurtleDoves: thanks for the awesome list! I was just talking to DH about how I wanted a 3rd row option in our next vehicle. (So we can have more than just car seats in there!we can have other passengers as well!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-692117 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:10:11 +0000 Honeybee 692117@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@StbHisMrs: we have a Volvo XC90 and found that the trunk room with the third row up is actually bigger than it looks. We fit all of our luggage, a bouncy chair, and a couple bags full of toys/food/etc... back there on a 16 hour road trip, last summer!</p> <p>I love our XC 90, but we're big fans of Volvos in general. :) Our "other" car is the Volvo XC 70! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691982 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:30:57 +0000 StbHisMrs 691982@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a Ford Excursion, talk about a tank. It's super comfortable though. </p> <p>We looked at the Volvo XC90 but there was no "trunk" room with the 3rd row up, my stroller wouldn't fit with groceries. That as a sad day.</p> <p>We're talking about trading our Explorer (it doesn't have a 3rd row) in on a Nissan Armada or Infiniti QX56 (they're very similar).</p> <p>The problem I've run into is we will have an infant seat, a convertible seat and a booster seat that need to fit. They don't fit across the Explorer's backseat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691947 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:23:10 +0000 T.H.O.U. 691947@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a '05 Volvo XC90. The third row isn't large but the seats are comfortable. A smaller adult fits fine. The middle seats slide forward easy for access to the third row but you wouldn't want to be messing with it daily. The middle row is very wide and comfortable for three people. </p> <p>I love that when the third row is folded, they fold into the floor and there is a TON of trunk space. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691923 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:14:47 +0000 Charm54 691923@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We jsut got the Nissan Pathfinder last week - they redesigned it for 2013. We love it so far!!</p> <p>ETA: DHs family was up for Easter and we piled 6 adults into the vehicle comfortably. I sat in the 3rd row most of the time with his sister and we had tons of room. I also like that you can access the 3rd row with car seats installed on the 2nd rather than having to remove them like some other suv's. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691922 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:14:12 +0000 Weagle 691922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My ILs have the Enclave, which is pretty much the same car as the Acadia. The thing is a tank, but the third row is comfortable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691908 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:10:14 +0000 shopaholic 691908@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TurtleDoves: wow! What a great list! Subbing to come back to this!</p> <p>I'm actually hoping to get the Volvo XC90 used. My SIL just got the new Infiniti JX something crossover which is really nice too! I'd be tempted but not sure I want to have the same car like we're copying? Lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691789 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:26:59 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 691789@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My aunt has an Escalade and the 3rd row is so comfortable. The SUV is too big overall IMO, but then again I can barely maneuver my sedan well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691778 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:23:30 +0000 LuLu Mom 691778@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>GMC Acadia...I love mine! It has a 3rd row and it isa nice size without feeling too big! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691699 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:52:43 +0000 Springtime 691699@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really want a GMC Acadia! It has 3rd row. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691690 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:49:58 +0000 ninja 691690@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TurtleDoves: thank you!!! This is an amazing list :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691675 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:43:49 +0000 Mrs. Lovejoy 691675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have the MDX and love love love it. We bought it used so it wasn't such a high price tag (yikes to the ^40K figure shown above!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691669 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:41:19 +0000 autumnlove 691669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TurtleDoves: love this list!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691665 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:40:45 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 691665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We will be getting an Acura Mdx when we need a third row. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691663 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:40:38 +0000 JessiBee 691663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I drive a little Civic, so I have no personal experience on this one, but I've heard from others that 3rd row SUVs are great in theory, and/or if you don't keep your cars all that long. But it sounds like in many of them, the third row is so small/compact that adults won't be comfortable back there, and once your kids are a bit older, they won't like it either, so it's only good for a pretty short amount of time when they don't need you to strap them in but they're not big enough to feel cramped. Here's hoping there's a solution there before I need it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691636 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:29:14 +0000 BSB 691636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: Ah, good eye. Didn't catch that part. Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691600 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:17:02 +0000 lawbee11 691600@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: It's in alphabetical order :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691597 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:16:15 +0000 BSB 691597@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@TurtleDoves: Great list. Is that your list? Or did you get that from somewhere. I'm curious. What does #1 vs #35 mean? How is it ranked?</p> <p>The first car I thought of was the Mazda CX-9. I love my CRV but if I had to go bigger I would go to the Mazda. The Pilot just seems so big. I drove a Pilot rental and it felt like a huge SUV/truck. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/minivan-alternatives#post-691596 Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:15:53 +0000 Dandelion 691596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have an old school Volvo station wagon and love it. It's sadly dying on me, though...I might have to live with a sedan next, cause DH hates it, lol </p>