Honda pilots mentioned? they have a surprising amount of room. My wife's looking for a new midsized SUV with a third row also. Tried to convince her into looking at AWD minivans like a sienna she said I should sell my truck and buy it. I ended up sleeping on the couch. Anyways I told her second row hopefully will have bucket seats to allow easier access to the third row.
Best midsized SUV
- Thread starter LD1
- Start date
DGZRT
Silver Member
My vote is for the Mitsubishi Outlander . My daughter has a 2022 and it has been flawless. It’s got a great warranty and is decked out for the price . The third seat is not for adults but kids fit in a pinch. The Honda Pilot is probably the top pick . The Kia is also very good . If you want more room the new Kia Carnival looks like a SUV but has features of a Van .
Attachments
Bearsixty7
Veteran Member
Post 11
Best midsized SUV
We were looking at the same vehicle segment about a year ago, when I started seeing inventory and deals happening. As of February 2023 we decided to hold off until probably this fall or next spring. Anyway, One of my main concerns was what dealerships will be relatively close for future service...
www.tractorbynet.com
OP
LD1
Epic Contributor
Where does one draw the line though?
Why not suggest jumping to a full sized van then? Or why not a full size SUV like a suburban? Heck why not just get a mini bus?
The fact is I have indeed considered the minivan. But balancing wants and needs....and the fact that we live in Ohio I don't want to give up AWD/4wd.....because on the occasional bad storm we get...I don't want my only means of transportation to be my dually ram while the fwd vehicles stay parked
Streetcar
Veteran Member
With good tire never had a snow problem in ten years we owned our minivan in Ohio. Fed chevy
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
When we got into dog showing, we didn't have a good vehicle to haul the dogs around, along with all the gear needed to be at a show, and also in the hotel. Our first thought was to get a mid sized SUV, but after looking at most of them, we realized that they where just too small. We didn't want a big SUV, but it was either that or a mini van.
All of our dog show friends have Chrysler Town and Country mini vans. At the dog shows, that's just about all you will see, it's almost all mini vans, and most of them are Chrysler or Dodge mini vans.
The big reason for Chrysler is the way their seats fold down into the floor. It's truly amazing how much room you have in there with all the seats out of the way. We test drove the Toyota first, then the Honda, but we really liked the Chrysler the best. I've never been a Mopar fan, but the van was really impressive. All leather, super comfortable seating and it's almost impossible to describe just how much visibility you have when driving it. Acceleration is scary fast, handling is tight and the ride is very smooth. After driving it, I wanted it!!!
Another nice feature to the mini van is the sliding doors on the side. We can open them with the remote, or a button on the dash, or by pushing a button on the inside. If you turn the handle, then let go, they will open. There is a safety lock to stop the grandson from opening them too. The back door opens upwards and provides protection from the rain if you are loading groceries on a rainy day. Just push the button on the key fob when you get close to it and then you have a dry place to load up your groceries. Or if you have a dog that you are wanting to put in a kennel in the back, just push that button and it opens for you. It's a little thing, but super handy once you get used to it.
We normally have two kennels in the back, one seat folded down in the middle and the other seat is in place with a child seat for our grand child. There is a DVD in the ceiling so he can watch movies and be entertained.
It's a 2016 that we bought used in 2016 that had been in a Rental Car fleet. I don't know what company, but it had 20,000 miles on it and brand new tires. I paid $18,000 for it, and looking back on that price, I think it was a really good deal.
If you have never driven a mini van, you really should give them a try. They do everything a SUV does, but with more room and comfort.
All of our dog show friends have Chrysler Town and Country mini vans. At the dog shows, that's just about all you will see, it's almost all mini vans, and most of them are Chrysler or Dodge mini vans.
The big reason for Chrysler is the way their seats fold down into the floor. It's truly amazing how much room you have in there with all the seats out of the way. We test drove the Toyota first, then the Honda, but we really liked the Chrysler the best. I've never been a Mopar fan, but the van was really impressive. All leather, super comfortable seating and it's almost impossible to describe just how much visibility you have when driving it. Acceleration is scary fast, handling is tight and the ride is very smooth. After driving it, I wanted it!!!
Another nice feature to the mini van is the sliding doors on the side. We can open them with the remote, or a button on the dash, or by pushing a button on the inside. If you turn the handle, then let go, they will open. There is a safety lock to stop the grandson from opening them too. The back door opens upwards and provides protection from the rain if you are loading groceries on a rainy day. Just push the button on the key fob when you get close to it and then you have a dry place to load up your groceries. Or if you have a dog that you are wanting to put in a kennel in the back, just push that button and it opens for you. It's a little thing, but super handy once you get used to it.
We normally have two kennels in the back, one seat folded down in the middle and the other seat is in place with a child seat for our grand child. There is a DVD in the ceiling so he can watch movies and be entertained.
It's a 2016 that we bought used in 2016 that had been in a Rental Car fleet. I don't know what company, but it had 20,000 miles on it and brand new tires. I paid $18,000 for it, and looking back on that price, I think it was a really good deal.
If you have never driven a mini van, you really should give them a try. They do everything a SUV does, but with more room and comfort.
Rancher Ed
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2011
- Messages
- 306
- Location
- Texas
- Tractor
- 2008 Kubota M7040 4WD w/loader, 1979? Mitsubishi D2600 4WD w/loader
Of the vehicles you list I would recommend the GMC Acadia or the Mazda CX-9, although I have not heard anything specifically bad about the Pathfinder or Sorento. I would second/third the suggestion to also consider a Mitsubishi Outlander.
To those suggesting a minivan, yes they are more spacious but they are also physically larger and the few that offer AWD would be significantly out of his target budget. The CX-9 is the longest vehicle listed and it is still ~5" shorter than most minivans; the others listed as well as the Mitsubishi Outlander are all 10" to 20" shorter - not an insignificant length when parking, either at a store or in a garage. The mid-size SUVs are also typically 2" to 4" narrower which is an advantage when trying to open the driver's door.
For the described tasks of typically seating 4 people with reasonable cargo space with the option for seating for 6 on occasion and a desire for 4WD/AWD I think a mid-sized SUV is likely a good choice.
To those suggesting a minivan, yes they are more spacious but they are also physically larger and the few that offer AWD would be significantly out of his target budget. The CX-9 is the longest vehicle listed and it is still ~5" shorter than most minivans; the others listed as well as the Mitsubishi Outlander are all 10" to 20" shorter - not an insignificant length when parking, either at a store or in a garage. The mid-size SUVs are also typically 2" to 4" narrower which is an advantage when trying to open the driver's door.
For the described tasks of typically seating 4 people with reasonable cargo space with the option for seating for 6 on occasion and a desire for 4WD/AWD I think a mid-sized SUV is likely a good choice.
deserteagle71
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2017
- Messages
- 1,919
- Location
- northern Nevada
- Tractor
- John Deere 2020 diesel, Kubota M7060HDC12
Don't know about all the brands of minivans but I do know the Toyota Sienna and Ford Transit are available with AWD.
But it sounds like you've already made up your mind, and that's fine. It's just that, as an owner of a Toyota 4Runner - which is probably as roomy as the vehicles you are considering - I'd hate to put 4 people in it and then have to try to haul a bunch of "stuff" besides.
blee03
Gold Member
Dodge Durangos have the 3rd seat option... get a fast one