Minivan Vs. SUV

neither! we have a Mazda5 station wagon and adore it. the third row moves down. great gas mileage. fits in normal sized parking spots. and i don't have the dreaded mom SUV or minivan!

I have an 8 passenger Toyota Sienna (I have three in car seats and another on the way in November). The middle row isn't bucket seats right now (it's a bench that's split into three independently folding seats and the middle slides 21" forward if you want to put your infant on it), but you can take out the middle seat of the second row to make an aisle down the middle of the van. I just flip up the seat or seats on the ends of the middle row and the two oldest kids can walk to the back very easily and so can I, for that matter, since neither of them can buckle themselves yet. The sliding doors are awesome, especially the automatic one. No more door dings! The seats are very comfortable and all fold up or into the floor so you can make the entire back of the car flat and open for hauling large items. Even when the seats are all in use, there is still a ton of cargo space and a fair bit of leg room, even for grown ups. From what I've seen and heard, there are a few cons of SUVs, and, unless you just can't bring yourself to be seen in a minivan, a minivan will probably be much more convenient. The smaller SUVs like a Chrysler Aspen are pretty cramped as far as cargo space and leg room and the seats can be uncomfortable (a sedan has a bigger trunk than an Aspen). Also, for smaller children, it can be pretty difficult and tedious for them to climb in and out of the car and manage the big, heavy doors especially in bad weather. My sister has an Excursion (Ford's version of a Suburban) and says it's hard for her kids to climb in and out and her oldest just turned seven, although the older ones are better at it than the younger ones (her youngest is almost two). She also said it's pretty hard on the mom when you have an infant in an infant seat to heft in and out of the car. My sister lives in Minnesota and her husband hunts a lot so they wanted something closer to a truck. SUVs are more expensive to buy, have worse gas mileage, and have less resale value. SUVs seats are wider though, a friend of mine that has three in car seats has all three seats on the third row of her Expedition, so the kids all climb in and get buckled at the same time and it's enough cargo space for her. I think it really comes down to personal preference, what makes sense financially, and even the ages of your children and what activities they're in and how often their friends ride with you. You could start with a minivan and move to an SUV when your kids are older. Since SUVs depreciate in value faster and have less resale value, that also means you could possibly get a better deal on a used SUV, depending on what kind of van you're looking at. Minivans are also being made with family-friendly extras like entertainment systems that might be more affordable than if you got the same thing in an SUV (Dodge Grand Caravan would be a good example of this)although I'm not sure about that at all. Just bring your car seats with you when you test drive and practice parking a lot to see what the visibility is like--those things really helped me get a feel for what it would be like to use the vehicle every day. If you want more details on my recent minivan buying experience, message me and I'll be happy to share. Good luck and sorry this is so long!

D.-

I would suggest a minivan. Although I don't think anyone "wants" a minivan they are just so convienient! I gave up my SUV for a Nissan Quest minivan and it is so much easier with kids. Better trunk space, easier access for the kids, slidding doors, very easy to drive, etc. Good luck in your decision.

Hi D.,

I started off with an Expedition, and was thrilled to switch to a minivan. I specifically ordered a minivan that had two captain seats in the middle (so each child had her own space), providing an aisle down the middle (which I would have loved to have had in the SUV). It was so easy to have lots of kids in (friends, visiting relatives, etc.). I also liked all the automatic doors. It was so easy to just open and close the doors -- the kids could just easily get in and out. To tell you the truth, I miss my minivan! My husband needed a more fuel efficient car, and our family needs a truck (I have a horse). So, I have the truck. It has a full back seat -- but I miss the 3rd row for all their friends.

Anyway - one mom's experience. All the best with your growing family -- and many safe trips in whatever vehicle you select.

S.

I have a pontiac montana minivan & we love it. the middle has three independent seats that make a bench but can fit 3 car seats which is great if you need the back for something, the back has two independent seats that make a bench, any of the seats can be taken out separately which i love. we get good gas mileage about 25 miles per gallon which is better than an suv. we have two sliding doors, one automatic. i personally think that minivans are more comfortable & have more room for families than suv's unless you get a huge one which will have bad gas mileage.

I've been shopping for both also, trying to make up my mind, but the truth is it really wasn't hard at all to decide on a minivan. I babysit for a couple who has a really beautiful new SUV (wow) with 3rd row seating, but the trunk space (I do heavy shopping, lots of field trips with multiple diaperbags and a picnic basket, etc and we go on big road trips at least once/year) and difficulty for small children to get in and out of the back, gas prices, price of the actual car, etc were all cons in my opinion. Yes, you can seat an adult in the 3rd row, but not a big one, lol....and getting back there? Ug. It's beautiful, but not one to meet my needs.
As for minivans: I REALLY love the stow and go seating where the seat just folds FLAT into the floor if you need the space. That is so cool on so many levels. I like the 2 sliding doors that make it SUPER easy to get in and out of, and I'm cheap so I wouldn't necessarily have both automatic, but to have the one automatic door comes in handy especially in a drop off lane at school in rainy weather. I remember in the old days those stupid heavy sliding doors were such a pain but they've come A LONG way these days, and they're really easier to load up with children/groceries. The gas mileage isn't fantastic, but better than the average SUVs (we've owned a couple Troopers, a Rodeo, a couple Jeep Cherokees, and an Explorer so we know). I think the stigma behind minivans being for "old" people is gone. Practicality rules these days, and they're not all ugly and boxy like they were in the 80s. And finally, while the Kia has rated at the top the last couple years in safety (not something an SUV can brag about much)and they're really inexpensive, the actual feel of the Sienna and the Town & Country really make a difference. They don't feel like a truck at all, and handle very well.
Now it's just a matter of choosing between the minivans I'm interested in......hmmm......good luck and happy shopping.

I have a Town and Country. Love it! The sliding doors are great. You can still get the baby carrier in and out even if the person next to you is parked very close. Love the space. We have taken it to the mountains and the beach and love all the ways the seats can be configured. For now we have two kids. Stow and go seating is great and we can haul all kinds of stuff. Happy shopping!

I only have 1 child now (pregnant with 2nd), but we also have 2 dogs that we travel with. I prefer minivans. An SUV with a 3rd row generally doesn't have much truck space with the 3rd row up. I wouldn't even be able to fit the groceries in the back, much less go on a road trip and fit everything in the back. Also, the 3rd row isn't easily accessible unless you fold down a middle seat. On a trip to Phoenix, we rented an SUV, and I hated it! I like the car itself, just not how difficult it was to get in/out of the back seat, and there wasn't room for out luggage in the back, so we had to be crammed in there with one side of the back seat folded down. The next trip, we rented a minivan and it was so much easier!!!! There was enough room for our luggage, and getting in/out was much better!

I have an older van (93 Plymouth Grand Voyager) that I LOVE! We got it from my husband's aunt and I wasn't sure about it at first, but I soon realized I would never get an SUV. We've looked at several, and I haven't found one that I like as much as the vans. I would love a newer minivan (I really like the Honda Odyssey and Toyota one) but I like not having a car payment!! My husband makes fun of me and would rather have an SUV, but I'm the one who totes the kid around all day, and for me, a minivan is much easier and more convenient!

I have an SUV and a minivan. I like them both, but for family stuff I prefer the minivan. I have captains seats in the middle row, then a bench in the back. The sliding doors open wider than an SUV, so it makes it easier to get bulky items in (like car seats). The minivan drives more like a car and I like that as well, plus the gas milage is better in the van.

I love my SUV for my husband and I, but I really do prefer the minivan with the kids.

D.,
I used to have an SUV (4 Runner, LOVED, LOVED IT!) and struggled to switch over to Minivan - they just don't look as cool, and all my girl friends had hard time to stop calling it MMMV. Like Karen, I got the Quest because the new body style. 4 years later, I am ready to switch back to SUV, but still want to keep the van. But for you, I will think of following reasons to have a van -
1.) you have a little one one the way. Seat wise, van's middle row seats are lower, so it's easier to get the carrier in and out of car. The middle doors are also wider, so you won't hurt your elbows to get them in and out of the car. The auto sliding door feature will allow your older kids to get in and out of car by themselves, and free your hands to carry the carrier with both hands - as you may know, you will need that.
2.) With 3 kids, I assume you will take more road trips instead of flying. It allows you to pack and load more stuff if needed, and it's easier for the front passenger to get to the back seat if needed.
3.) Most of the mid size SUV with 3rd row seats is really crowed. If you go with a larger SUV to get comparable amount of room, the the gas mileage in that range is terrible.
Those are the reasons I got my Minivan, and I don't regret the decision.
Good Luck with your new baby and congratulations!

S.

Hmm... I guess I have a different outlook here... I prefer the SUV because it is safer. Even if a smaller car gets a 5 star rating, it was crashed into by the same size car. You smash the same 5 star car with an SUV, and guess who wins that one... For convenience, a mini van sounds great, but my priority is safety.

Minivan. We just went through the same thing and bought our minivan last month. I really wanted to stay "cool" with a SUV, but ultimately the minivan had more things I was looking for. I needed third row seating with enough room for a double stroller in back. The minivan is lower so that I can put the infant car seat in easily. Also, since my son is 6 and old enough to open doors, I don't have to worry about him opening his door and slamming it into the car parked next to us. I do know evenutally when it's time in a few years to get a new car I will probably not get a minivan, but by then I won't need a double stroller and my kids will all be old enough to buckle themselves and get in and out of the car fine. Plus, minivans feel so much more spacious!