We are looking to sell our current van, and purchase something a bit smaller. While I love the space of our van, its really not needed. It has pretty bad gas mileage, and honestly I have felt like I was driving a mini bus :)
We want a vehicle that has a large back seat, a third row would be great but not neccessary. And decent "trunk" space. We are going to buy used. I really like the Chevy traverse, but havent found anything used in the price range we want to spend. We are also looking at the Kia Sorrentos.
Any suggestions appreciated! TIA!
Honda Element.
People I know who have that and have kids, like it.
Or maybe one of those modern day "station wagon" type cars.
http://buyersguide.caranddriver.com/sedans-wagons/wagon
Maybe a dif van? My Odyssey gets better mileage than most of what's been suggested - got 30 on my last road trip :) Plus there's room for all of us and each of the 3 kids to have one friend along.
I have a Rav4 and love it but not a lot of space if your kids are older. One nice thing though is they keep their value. But it's bouncy on the highway.
I also have a Redevous (Buick) it has a third seat that completly folds away if you need the hauling space. To me the Rendevous is big but it rides nice.
Gas milage is about the same for both.
Dodge Journey. If I didn't need all the space of the van I would get a Journey.
We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Sorrento we leased one in 2011 and just leased a new one today. It is awesome great mileage great space not huge
We had the same dilemma. Ended up in a van. The gas mileage on those you mention aren't much better if at all than a van (mine gets over 20 - Honda Odessey). You may want to try a sedan if you want better gas mileage. The new Accords get great mileage (can you tell I'm a Honda fan). Could also try a Camry or the larger Hyndai. Lots of trunk space and a big back seat (only seats 3 though). I guess you need to decide if you want space or good gas mileage? Hard to find both. Best of luck with your search.
Honda CRV is an excellent vehicle if the back seat is large enough for your family. You'd need to try it and see. My husband has a 2005 that we bought used in 2008. It is fun to drive and has been trouble-free. No third row seating, but it has a roomy cargo area.
If you want something larger, I've heard great things about Toyota Highlander.
If you decide on a Chevy Traverse, you might want to stay away from the 2009 model-- looking at Consumer Reports reliability info, it has required a lot of repair. 2010 is slightly better, though not great. As for Kia Sorento, avoid the 2008 V6 and all 2011 models.
What about a Subaru Forrester? That's what I'd get if I didn't need a van :)
I have a Dodge Caravan and love it. It is a bit larger than some other 3 seat vans. My daughter and husband have a Kia which they love. I think it's a Sedona. I don't know for sure. It also has a third seat but seating there is real cramped. I've rode in the rear seat of both and much preferred the Caravan. In fact, I would not ride in the third seat of the Kia if we were driving a long distance. I have rode in the third seat of my van for 2 hours and it was quite comfortable.
The rear or third seat folds away in both of these vans. The Caravan has stow space under the floor in front of the second row of seats which is handy. I don't pay attention to the gas mileage so can't comment on that.
Following answers! We are also looking non minivan route but need space! Someone raved about Mazda 5 at church Sunday. Fits 2 carseats comfortsbly & had kids only 3rd row. She said they got great desl used. They love it b/c its not a gas guzzler, not a crossover or SUV. Great gas mileage & consider it a mini minivan. It does have 2 sliding doors.
We are just now starting research etc. but also looking into Honda elrment.
Good luck!
P
Love love my Honda Pilot. Good mileage. Lots of space n fits three car seats. Has third seat that is very easy to manage. If not being used tons of space.
I am also downsizing from a mini van. I have looked at several different models. We haven't decided for sure but the ones we are looking at are
ford Edge
Chevy Traverse
Chevy Equinox
Rendezvous (not sure who makes this one)
all of them are spacious on the inside lots of head room. you can get the tv screen on the back of the seats which is important as we take a lot of trips and it comes in handy. No 3rd row but we don't want that lol.
I have finally finished car shopping after a month and a half! I was stuck between the Odyssey, the CRV, and an Avalon. I was being forced to choose between Honda and Toyota. I have a broken Saab 9000 and a broken Volvo wagon. The Saab broke because my wonderful hubby didn't do the maintenance on it, and the Volvo broke because I bought it from a "bad" guy and since I bought it I have heard nothing but horror stories about him.
Anyway, I don't know what your budget is, but my hubby, me, my brother, and mom have all done TONS of research. I recommend using kbb.com and read the consumer reviews. Also, look at carcomplaints.com. You can search by year, make and model, and real information from real people. Consumer Reports is also helpful. They basically said to stay away from Ford.
Personally, I really liked the Honda CRV, it needs to be 2005 or newer because that is when they fixed some major problems, like the AC going out and taking out the steering while driving down the freeway. I even made an offer on one, but they wouldn't come down to what I had money for. I didn't like the Pilot because it was too big. I loved the Oddyssey, but the transmissions go out. And, I didn't like the Element because although it doesn't look like it, it only seats 4 people, 2 front, 2 back.
I also LOVED my Volvo and Saab wagons and would buy another one in a heartbeat if I had the option. But, my dad was buying me a car as a present, so I had to stick by his rules.
Anyway, if you see some you like go to the dealerships and tell them up front that you are NOT buying today, you are just test driving to make an educated decision. I did this at a couple and they were fine with it. Good luck! Buying a new car is so exhausting.
Believe it or not, we downsized from a mini-van to a Mini Cooper. Our kids are 13 and 11, and we even took the whole family plus dog on an 8 hour trip awhile back! We all got big duffle bags for travel instead of the bulky luggage pieces we had, and it worked just great. We're also getting a roof rack for more storage if we need it. Gas mileage is better, but sadly it eats premium only, so not a ton. We also loved the Prius (smallest one).
I love my Honda Pilot! I have a 2004 and it still runs great with tons of mileage on it. I can fit three car seats in the back seat and we have a third row (rarely, if ever, use it). The trunk is HUGE and the gas mileage is pretty good.
My mother has a Ford Edge and it's comfy, but much smaller.
Check out the used Pilots and CRV's!
I just rented a 2013 Ford Escape this weekend and LOVED it. It's more of a small crossover than a SUV. But it's very roomy and good trunk space. Great mileage. Give one a test drive.
We just bought a Toyota Highlander in February. I can absolutely recommend it! Ours is a 2013, so I'm not sure what the used ones look like, but it's so versatile!
It's NOT great for vacations for a family of 5, because the storage space isn't great...but, we love it. It seats up to 7, and the 3rd row seats are so easy to put up and down.
I actually looked at the gas mileage today. I'm at 23.1 for this tank (but it's a brand new tank still) and average is 20.2. Not too bad at all. It sure beats the 12MPG on the Armada we traded in,.
I really can't recommend it enough. If you don't NEED to seat 7 on a regular basis, it's one of the best cars we've had. They are expensive though, so heads up on that. I had sticker shock.
