Hellobee Boards

We have a Nissan Pathfinder that we're enjoying. It also has 3rd row seating, but a bench on the second row. We initially looked at captains chairs for easy access to the third row, but the Pathfinder has a sliding seat that you can use to get in there easily without uninstalling a FF car seat.

@LittleBook: ours is AWD- we drive DHs truck with snow tunes in the snow but would go to the mountain in my car without hesitation.l (I don't have snow tires but do keep chains in the car just in case)

I’ve had both a Toyota 4Runner and now have a Lexus RX350. The Lexus is a freaking solid beast in the snow/ice/slush (I live in Maine). It is safe, reliable and solid – but also likely not a great choice for more than 2 kids, as it isn’t very large and no 3rd row seats. I only have 1 LO and she’s anchored in the middle seat in a larger sized car seat and adults can sit on either side of her.

So I guess it depends on what size you’re looking for, whether you want/need a third row of seats, etc.

@LittleBook: So i guess mine is supposedly not that great in snow? Oh well. Take a look:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/09/survey-rates-suv-and-wagon-performance-in-snow/index.htm

Love our Honda CRV! Reliable, AWD and fits two kids. But when my car dies I'm going for a minivan lol

Nissan Rogue -- it was my first SUV and we bought it prior to having our first little one. I love it. If you want a little bigger the Pathfinder is a great option as well.

Our top contenders right now are the new Honda Pilot and Toyota Sequoia. For us, a third row is important.

I love my Acura MDX, but am thinking I'll get something a bit larger this summer. It is fine for our immediate family (fits 3 carseats across the back seat no problem), but the third row is really hard to access with the carseats in, so I can't take more than one adult passenger without the second passenger needing to climb in through the trunk.

Loved my grand cherokee...I had two girls in it and it was great!

Plus you cant beat the re-sale value!

I have a Ford Explorer and love it

We have a Volvo XC60 and it's an awesome family car. The safety features are great, it drives really well in snow and it's great for car seats. Definitely look into car seat compatibility if you'll be having 2+kids in the car, usually it's not an issue with only one way but issues pop up in some cars if you add more (for example in some cars the buckles overlap so you can't have two seats next to each other.) We wanted to be able to have three across or two right next to each other so we could have another adult fit- this is really hard in a lot of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Also pay attention to seat belts with built-in air bags, some car seats aren't compatible and you can't use latch past version weight limits.

I've being doing lots of research on this for the past two years as I know we'll have a big family and I keep expecting my 16 year old car to go kaput (somehow still going strong!). I seriously have a spreadsheet with Consumer Reports reliability ratings, car seat install details, seating options, cargo space and MPG estimates. Yes, I'm crazy

Here are some great links
http://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/3-across-car-seat-guide-html/
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdmWqCdsjCu50RxrEOlPZJLi8E-xolDWJ (I loooove this series because he actually puts the carseats in, looks at the latch locations and shows you the cargo space in each of his reviews.)

I've also spent a lot of time browsing on these car enthusiast sites:
http://www.truedelta.com/my-next-car
https://www.reddit.com/r/whatcarshouldIbuy/

The general consensus is that AWD doesn't necessarily mean better in snow. You may be better off with decent snow tires.

Top of my list right now:
Toyota Sienna
Kia Sorento
Mazda CX-9
Toyota Highlander

@mrskansas: how is it on gas?

This comment has been deleted by the original poster.

The day we unloaded our Jeep Grand Cherokee was one of the happiest days of my life. Ugh that car is so expensive to maintain and has terrible mileage. It IS sturdy in the snow and has a very powerful drive, but we aren't in it often enough to warrant it. Hated it.

We were totally set on the Highlander until we rented one for a vacation and it was not our favorite. The cargo space with the 3rd row up is a joke (it wouldn't fit our Costco pumpkin pie) and I was SO cramped in that third row on a 2.5 hour drive. I feel like 4 adults and a toddler in a car seat should be able to go away for a long weekend easily in a car that big/expensive and we BARELY fit ourselves and our hoard into the vehicle.

We went looking at minivans soon after and we (even my Jeep loving husband) are madly in love with our Sienna. DH actually drives it like allll the time.

@birdofafeather: Seriously love our outback too! It is amazing in snow and ice and I feel so safe in it with my 2. We are expecting a 3rd and I don't think I will get rid of it if I don't have to! I will just get 3 new car seats to make it work in the back row.

We have an Audi Q5 and we absolutely love it. It has enough space like an SUV but drives like a car so you don't feel like you're in a huge tank. We have the 3T Quatro which gives the car amazing power and pickup.

I have a Ford Edge and adore it! It's been great in snow this winter (just bought it last spring).
It's so spacious. It doesn't have a third row, but I could see fitting three car seats across if I needed to. The trunk is huge.
We road tripped for 20+ hours one way in this thing and it was fantastic, and so comfortable.
My only complaint is the gas mileage (about 17-20mpg).

does anyone who commented above wish that they had a third row? We are debating getting a larger car; we have a VW GTI (which we loooove) but its a little small. We are debating just getting a larger SUV 2 row with more cargo space (plus more narrow car seat(s)), or one with a third row. We only have one car, we don't drive a ton, but when we do we occasionally carry my (very tall) brother in law, and we also are trying to have a second kid. We take a lot of road trips.

I'm leaning towards a third row but we also live in NYC so I cannot imagine driving a school-bus sized vehicle.