6 Plus Passenger Vehicles - What Do You Drive?

Hi M.!

I got a Ford Freestyle (not a freestar) about a year and a half ago and I LOVE it. I only have one child, but I have a good sized dog and we take frequent trips up north. It gets good gas milage and is roomy enough for all of us to fit, plus lugage and hunting or fishing equipment (depending on the season). I have the 6 person model, though it can fit 7 if you get a middle bench seat instead of bucket seats. I had my 6'1'' husband sit in the back seat before we bought it and he was able to fit like the description said (I was doubtful, but proven wrong) and I have sat comfortably in teh back as well, so I am confident that it will last me until I am hauling around my son and his friends when he gets older.

good luck!!

The Ford Flex is great. If you know anyone that works for Ford you can get the Friends & Family plan. Let me know if you don't.

Hi there,
I have 4 kids and in February got a GMC Acadia. Mine seats 7 but you can get a different model that fits 8. It works really well for us and it drives really nice too.

My husband and I have 3 boys and a dog, plus we are always driving friends of our boys or our nieces and nephews. I have a GMC Suburban. I love it! I get 15 mgp, and 18-19 highway. It fits 8 adults comfortably. Even with all 3 rows of seats, I have tons of space in the back. I can fit my stroller, a skateboard, a 5 year old size bike, a spare tire, and more back there- no problem!! I've had to drive my 3 boys and my sisters three kids. In the second row, we had 2 rear facing carseats, and one forward facing. In the 3rd row, we had 2 boosters, and my 9 year old without one. Everyone was comfortable. We have also driven with 8 adults in at the same time with no complaints, either. Good luck!

We have a Ford Expedition - Eddie Bauer. We love it! We get about 17 MPG. If you have all 3 rows up you can fit 8 people and still have quite a bit of storage. We have twins that are almost 1 and a very large dog. All of our family lives 3 hours away and we travel very comfortably, even with all the stuff we have to haul! Best of luck!

i have a dodge mini van. I love it... have you thought of a station wagon, with the reverse view rear seat, that will be my next car. I understand needing the 6 or 7 passenger vehicle, you get a friend or cousin or 2 and you need that extra space, I do a lot of carpooling and you can't do that with a regular car.

There are not many options out there, but GM has several. Please check out the GM website at: www.gmfamilyfirst.com browse the site, or in the upper right corner under the pull-down menu for Vehicle Shopping, select "GM Full Line Catalog". You can then search through all of the GM products and features, as well as safety test ratings, etc. If you decide to buy a GM car, I may be able to get you a discount (there are several discount programs that employees and executives can share with non-GM family members, which are not available from anyone other than a GM employee). Good luck with your vehicle purchase....if you have any questions, or are ready to buy GM - contact me for the discount. Also, Drive-Safe, Buckle-UP and DRIVE-GM! Thanks! H.

Hi M. - I drive the GM Acadia and love it! It seats 7 (can seat up 8 if you get a different model than I got), handles beautifully and is made in America. Good luck on your search!
P.

The Buick Enclave is gorgeous, good gas mileage and would fit what you need. There are also GMC (Acadia) and Saturn (Outlook) versions as well. All are great and look great too.

Hi M.,
I have a Saturn Relay. I love it. It's a minivan that seats 7 but it's not huge (if that makes any sense). It has a dvd player and all the nice amentities. I think Saturn might have stopped making them because they came out with the Outlook which is like a SUV and seats 8. You could go to the Saturn showroom and check them out. They are not pushy there and that is why I will always own a Saturn. My salesguy, Casey, introduced himself and then said that he would love to help us and if we had any questions he would love to answer them but he would leave us alone to look around. That was so nice to hear because everywhere else we looked sales people hounded us. Anyway, good luck.
Chris

We have a Dodge Durango and a Chevy Suburban. We have 4 kids and a dog, all kids are in car seats still. We used to have an excursion, which we liked. I believe they make a 4th row seat for aftermarket installation for those. We like our Suburban, but the Durango is great too. It's older (2000) and I've put a TON of miles (120,000) on it and we've put MAYBE $500 into fixing things on it. It's very dependable for us. GL! :)

yukon xl... great gas mileage 15 intown 18 on highway
better than a lot of smaller crossovers etc
for the size its great :)

I also own an 8-passenger Saturn Outlook and love it. One of the main reasons I like it so much is we are able to fit three carseats across the middle seat when we need more storage space. I have also gotten three boosters and three carseats in it and no one complained they were cramped for space. I love being able to carpool with friends even though we have so many kids' seats.
My husband likes it because he can go to the hardware store and pick up full sheets of plywood with it. It can also tow 4500 lbs. without a problem.
Have fun shopping!

Why is foreign out of the question? Honda Oddesy is large and gets good mileage.

You may not know this, but Honda's and Toyota's are made in the U.S.A. Not all "American" vehicles are made in the U.S.A. If American made is important, be sure to check where the vehicle is actually built. My husband's Dodge Ram was built in Mexico. My Honda was built in Ohio.

Take a peek at the Ford Flex. It seats 8 or 9 and gets great gas mileage and drives fantastic.

I have a couple of friends with the Ford Flex and they love it too. One works for Ford and has offered up the Ford discount if anyone would like to buy or lease a Ford. If you decide on a Ford Flex or Taurus X and you don't have access to a Ford discount, let me know and I'll try to hook you up with my friend's discount.

HI M.,

Just like Marta W we drive a Ford Freestyle. We love it. With out model we can fit 6 passengers. With the rear seats folded down there is so much room in the trunk area we were able to fit two full size power wheels and have room left over. In the middle row we have put three car seats and they fit well. Two adults can comfortably sit in the way back. Some models I believe have a 3 passenger seat in the way back. When all the seats are in use we are able to fit a large cooler, stroller, and some other bags and smaller stuff in the trunk. Plenty of room when we take friends or other family on trips. We also have a black lab that goes everywhere with us, and we have never had trouble fitting her in. For gas mileage we get about 20 - 22 city and usually above 25 highway. Ours is a 2005 model with 27,000 miles on it.

Just wondering why you need a 6 passenger car when you only have 2 kids?!

We have a 2004 Chevy Tahoe Z71. It was/is hugely expensive and gets cruddy gas mileage. We have had several problems with it and even more problems getting anybody to do anything about it. The warranty covered the first 60,000 miles. At (I kid you not) 60,008 the check engine light came on and it's been a downhill battle ever since. We had to replace the transfer case and put a brand new transmission in it before our lease was even up. The seat heaters don't work (haven't since it was about 2 1/2 years old). We have had the brakes done a number of times and now there is a problem with the ABS sensor. We've had the sensor replaced, but it didn't help. It is something in the computer itself. Whatever.... To boot, both the front and rear bumpers are starting to show rust and I have seen a few spots on the inside of the doors that look like they may not be far behind. I want my Toyota 4-Runner back!! Sorry I'm not helpful with what TO get, but perhaps can help steer you away from trouble.
Good luck!

We have six children and drive a Ford E350 full size van that seats ten. We've had it for 2 years now and really enjoy it. There's plenty of space for everyone, probably too much space because there's always stuff to be picked up. :) We have a friends with seven children that drive the same van, just a 15 passenger version.

We've also looked at Dodge Sprinters. They seat ten and have some amenities that our van doesn't. Every seat has a shoulder strap and a headrest, plus I can stand up in the van (I'm 5'9"). We'll probably get one of these in a few years when there are more used ones around.

HTH, have a great day.
God bless.

I own an Outlook that we got in 2007 and I would not trade it for the world. There is cubby storage everywhere, gas mileage is between 17-23 depending on where you are driving. Someone just recently backed into us in a parking lot and they totalled the back end of their van and we only had a minor scratch. Side curtain airbags, front airbags, we have a bench middle seat that slides forward and backward to adjust for footroom, I have ridden in the third row and it is comfortable despite my claustrophobia. I love the service we have received as well. Let me tell you.
Our wipers broke in the middle of a torrential downpour on our way back from visiting hubby's grandparents in GrandRapids. Did I mention it was 5:30pm on a friday? I called the Saturn dealership (Okemos) and they not only stayed open late to loan us a safe car home while they put ours in for service, they helped us switch gear and carseats from one car to the other. My dealership will wash my car for free every time I take it over and we have had over the top service whenever we are there. Honestly, I have owned Pontiacs (horrible customer service) and GM's all my life and this Saturn was a jump because we wanted an 8 passenger AWD because we have 2 kids and 3 dogs and live in the country. We looked at Saturns, Acadia's and Chevy's Traverse wasn't out yet, but you get a lot more options with the Saturn line for your money and I LOVE the body style of the Saturn compared to the others.
I thought of the Saturn company as the "slam your cart into our car and it won't leave a mark" economy vehicle line-up, but boy have they really changed since then.
Must be all part of their "Rethink" campaign, but I am a Saturn owner for life now! I loved not being hounded when we were looking as well. It is a very comfortable environment and they have never hesitated to answer any questions we've had since we bought the vehicle.
C.

My husband kids me that we will never be a "minivan driving" family. We have five small children (3 still in car seats). We camp alot so pulling a 32 foot rv with a van is out of the question. My husband loves Ford made vehicles so we bought the Ford Excursion. It's a diesel so the mileage isn't that bad. It seats eight comfortably, and plenty of room for our two large dogs (one being a saint bernard!) in the back. I know they no longer make the Excursion, but my parents recently bought the extended version of the Expedition. Not as much room in the back area for strollers and shopping bags, but it is still roomy. We used to have a Suburban, but had so many problems with it, so we bought the Ford truck. Hope this helps and good luck:)

M. -

I just want to thank you so much for saying "foreign is out of the question." Your many responses from the happy moms who support American companies by driving (and loving!) American vehicles warms my heart. I hope you replied to Nicole W. and clued her in. I absolutely, wholeheartedly believe that if EVERYONE in America would make the choice to support our American automakers, our economy would not be in the mess it is today and here's why:

Despite the fact that many imports are now manufactured in the U.S., and thus employ American workers, the PROFIT from foreign car purchases still leaves the country. Where the PROFIT goes is the key factor. Foreign car owners can rationalize all they want, but they are not supporting our country and helping our economy in the long run. If everyone made the choice to buy American, all the Honda, Nissan, Toyota, etc. plants in the U.S. would be needed and utilized by our American automakers to meet increased demand. Win/win for everyone.

Kudos to you, M., for supporting our American auto companies and our economy. Each American holds the key (quite literally) to restored economic stability for our country. Hats off to all the Mamasource moms who are doing their part.

P.S. - I downsized from a Ford Expedition to a Cadillac STS last year. My kids are older and now driving themselves around, so my days of needing all the extra room are over. Loved it when everyone was little, though.

My husband works for Ford (so I might be biased!) but the Flex seems to be getting great reviews. I think it seats 6 or 7 and has good mileage. I think it looks good too. good luck - Alison

I drive a 2005 Freestyle....it was renamed to the Taurus X for 2008. I LOVE it. I can fit 5 kids in carseats, along with 2 adults. Now, don't get me wrong, the carseats had to be in the right order in the middle row for them to fit together and still allow us to buckle in - but my sister and I did that for many trips together. I still had enough room in the rear to stow a stroller or two. I highly recommend them.

I've also investigated the new 2009 Ford Flex - it is awesome as well. It's very smooth riding and still has plenty of passenger and storage capacity. That's what I'll get when I buy a new car.

I drive a Mercury Mountaineer and its seats 7. Ford Expedition is a nice ride and very accomodating. Also I've heard great things about the Ford Flex.

We just got rid of our Ford Freestyle Crossover Vehicle, and it was because we didn't need all those seats. Its a Ford, has 6-7 seats (two models), and gets between 16-24 mpg. I LOVED it except since moving into the city it was getting the lower mileage and I realized I didn't need all the space with just one kid. ;) Its a crossover vehicle, ford also makes a FreeSTAR minivan, and recently the name of the FreeSTYLE changed, now its called the TaurusX though its EXACTLY the same vehicle. It has a surprising amount of space in the back, not sure how it compares to a normal minivan (my grandmother's is an extended version with more room) but with all the seats in use I could fit a normal sized cooler, the stroller and a few boxes (on top of cooler). Hope its helpful, we really enjoyed the car while we had it (we got it planning to have a bunch of kids and are rethinking that idea now ;)).

We have a GMC Acadia, it comes in 7 or 8 passenger, and we love it. The kids love it too, and my almost 2 year old can climb into the car and into his carseat unassisted. Good luck!

We have a Pontiac Montana. We love it. It is an eight passenger van and it has "trunk" space in the back behind the third row of seats. We are raising 4 of our 10 grandchildren (12, 7, 5, and 4) and wouldn't be able to have anything any smaller since we still need two car seats and a booster.

Melody R.

I'd highly recommend you check out the Taurus X or the Ford Flex - I know a number of people who have them and they love the ride and comfort. Also, these vehicles have best-in-class crash ratings, and lower risk of rollover than a traditional SUV. If you have need to use your cell phone while driving, you might also like the SYNC system that is available w/ these vehicles - it's great to take a call while driving just by hitting a button on your steering wheel!

We have been happy with our Buick Rendezvous. It seats 7 when the 3rd row is up but it doesn't have a ton of storage space then.

I drive an extended 2000 Chevy Venture which seats eight total. I love this van. Although they don't make the ventures anymore I think they are Uplanders now. It also has 2 built in car seats.

I drive a Ford flex and LOVE it! Best vehicle I have ever driven (in terms of smooth ride and comfort). You can have 6 or 7 seats and it has loads of options. Middle seats fold forward with a touch of a button (to get to any car seats in back). Lots of storage and love the reverse camera on the tailgate (push button tailgate lift too)! Kids LOVE it. The look is great for some and a little less so for others (some people seem to love it and some hate it). Bar none - all that have looked love the interior. Gas mileage between 17mpg and 24mpg (I am getting 18.6 - all city miles).

We just bought a used Ford Explorer XLT. It's about on scale with a trailblazer but it seats 7 or 5 if you fold down the back seat for cargo room (which is what we normally do). My husband flat out refused to drive a mini-van and I wasn't ready to give up my car (an Alero). It's not so wonderful on the gas mileage, but not as bad as I expected either (around 16-17 MPG usually)

I have heard good things about the Ford Flex and if you want to go with used - the Oldsmobile Sillouette is REALLY nice.

Good luck!

We have a Chevy Extended Venture also and it seats 8. All of the seats in the rear are removable and/or just fold up. It is very convenient and comfortable even for 1-2 hour rides!!

Hi

I drive the Ford Freestyle which is now the Ford Taurus X It is a crossover. You can have either 6 or 7 seats. I love it! Check it out :) http://www.fordvehicles.com/crossovers/taurusx/

Happy hunting
God Bless
K.

We have a Pontiac Montana and absolutely love it. It fits six passengers plus a driver - so seven total. Ours is an extended, which means that it has a little bit more room between the cargo space and leg room. We searched long and hard for a mini-van that had captains seats in the middle, as it was hard to put both car seats on the middle bench seat. Ours has about 130,000 miles on it, and we recently re-built the engine so that we could keep driving it!!

We purchased a used Kia Sedona (half the cost of new!). It seats 7, runs great, is roomy and has a nice size trunk area when the seats are up.

My hubby and I are also looking at the Chevy Traverse. It's brand new - I think it hit the dealerships last week. It is on the same platform as the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave - but a little less expensive. The Traverse is an 8 seater, I drove it last week and it was really nice.

I drive a Chevy Venture extended version (seats 7) and my husband drives a Pontiac Montana SV6 (seats 7).

We do a lot of camping and have to pull our trailor, fit 2 adults, 2 kids, a German Shepherd and a Great Dane in the car for hours at a time. We have a Durango that does the job nicely. If you put up both rows of seats in the back you can put 6 kids in it, plus two more in the front (drivers and passenger seat) and still have a little 'trunk' space in the back. About as much as a minivan I'd say.

My husband and I have a 2005 Ford Freestyle, and we love it. We have the 6 passenger variety, but it also comes in 7 passenger. It drives smoothly, gets up to 30 mpg highway (in the low 20s for predominantly city driving), and has a lot of neat features (ours has traction control-- a must for me for Michigan winters, a special mirror that allows you to check on your kids in the back seat, steering wheel radio controls, and a numerical doorpad for keyless entry to ensure that you never get locked out of your car). As others have mentioned, the new model is the Taurus X, which my in-laws have and love driving, too. The Taurus X packs more power, though the gas mileage might be slightly lower. Good luck with whatever you buy!

We have a Ford Windstar and I love it! The seats come out if you would like to haul something. It seats 6 people with room in the back of the seats for groceries, etc. Good luck!

I bought a GMC Acadia in May and I LOVE it! We have 5 kids so we needed the extra seating too. The Acadia was a nice move away from my mini-van days. I got a "cool" car without having to give up the extra seating. There is a little less space in the back than a mini-van but it works quite well for us. Add in the dual sunroofs and heated leather seats.......I'm very happy with my choice. A less expensive option is the Saturn Outlook. Same car with a few minor changes.