3rd Row SUV

[Emptyhanded]

I did a search and didn’t find anything pertaining to the family grocery getters, so I figured I’d ask. We currently have a CR-V that’s great, but we are needing more cargo space after having a kid and getting a second lab. We are undecided on new or pre owned, probably depending on what we can get out of the CR-V. Our main criteria is reliability and cargo space, but not wanting to get into the full size Tahoe/suburban class. What are your thoughts? I’ve been looking at highlanders, Chevy traverse (v6 and the new turbo 4 cylinder, curious on longevity of either?), used Audi q7 (unsure of increased maintenance cost) and Honda pilot. Open to other options and hoping to hear some first hand experiences. Thanks!


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[Dhoey07]

We have a Subaru Ascent.  Zero issues so far, 40k miles. 

[fishngamereaper]

We have an '18 Highlander and love it... rarely use the third row for people but the cargo area is great for two big dogs..and still roomy enough for 5.

Sis in law has an Audi and anything that needs fixing is a PIA..$$$$$

[b23]

My wife's daily driver up until a year ago was a 2017 Explorer Platinum.  It was a 7 passenger and the 3rd row seat folded down completely flat when not in use which gives you a very large cargo space if you ever need it.  Had the 3.5 ecoboost motor so it had plenty of power yet still did well on fuel.  It was a great trouble free vehicle that served our family very well.  My wife and daughter ski all winter the last five vehicles she's had have all been AWD and my wife said it was the best vehicle she's ever driven in the snow.

[hughjorgan]

IMO the midsize is going to not offer you much cargo space if any. We have a honda pilot, compared it with the Toyota Highlander when we bought it. The highlander seemed more cramped compared to the pilot. At the time we had two kids and two dogs and if we loaded everyone and all the critters up there is very little room left to put anything in the cargo area. If you put up the third row up you’ll have about a foot of space between the hatch and seat. We ended up buying a second SUV this past year; a full size Ford Expedition. It has a ton more space even more so than the Honda, I can put my third row up in the ford and still has more cargo space than the Honda, way more power and gets almost the same fuel economy as our mid size SUV.

[BD1]

We love my wife's Durango RT...lots of room and it hauls ______ 

[brokenvet]

If you go with the Tahoe, look for one that has the 3.0L Turbo Diesel engine.

Have the same engine in my Silverado 1500 and I get 31 miles per gallon while fully loaded,(1K lbs load in the bed), but have to go 60-65mph.  Great low end torque for towing.

[jrebel]

We have a Toyota 4Runner with third row.  The third row is for kids only…we almost never use it.  When the third row is folded down it has quite a bit of cargos room. 67k and no problems.   Great rigs

[WSU]

I think you'll find that almost none of them have a useful amount of cargo space with the 3rd row up.  Many have lots of space with the 3rd row down.  Even the tahoe has very, very little space with the 3rd row up. 

We previously had a pilot and it was fine with two rows of seating.  We still put a roof rack on it if we were hauling kids and dogs.  We ended up getting a suburban, which still has cargo room with 3 rows up. 

Bottom line, if you want 3 rows of seating and cargo space, you are looking at a suburban or similar.

[Emptyhanded]

Thanks for the input guys. We are more interested in the cargo space with the 3rd row folded down. We’d be hauling 2 labs and a kid at this point, plus whatever baggage is needed. I’m almost thinking the smart move is to skip the midsize and look at a Tahoe, armada or sequoia. But I’m not positive any of them will fit in my garage haha!


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[Igor]

My wife has a 2020 GMC Acadia AT4, 3.6 V-6, 9-speed, AWD.  She loves it!

The 3rd row is usually folded down, and there is a lot of cargo space.  She has a friend who uses a wheel-chair, and there is plenty of room to carry it when folded up.  The leg room in the second row is great.....unlike many of the newer SUVs.  Even larger-sized adults often comment on how roomy it is.

We test-drove many SUVs before we bought it, and the Acadia has the most cargo space of all that we looked at.

My advice would be to stay away from any SUV that has a turbo.

[BeWitty]

I did this entire comparison a few years ago for my wife’s vehicle. Compared 4Runner, traverse, Acadia, pilot, and Highlander. I wanted to stay away from German made cars because of maintenance costs and I like to work on them when I need to.

Ruled out Acadia, 4Runner, Highlander because of space. Either the 3rd row was very small or basically no cargo space when 3rd row was up.

We ended up going with the new 2019 Traverse and it has served us well. 45k miles and just replaced tires and alternator. Pilots are also very nice but not quite as much cargo space IMO.

The traverse is nearly as long as the Tahoe and my wife liked it way more cause it’s not as wide and easier for her to park.

[highside74]

We bought a 2018 v6 Highlander new and love it. My wife has put 100k miles on it without issue. I'm 6'4 and can sit in the 2nd row with lots of legroom. We've had 6 adults in it and everyone was impressed about the space. Rear seat folds flat when not needed. We originally were looking at a Tahoe or 4 runner with 3rd row. My wife felt the Tahoe was to big and we were set on the 4runner until I had her drive the Highlander. She picked the Highlander hands down.

[HikerHunter]

Most or all of the smaller 3rd Row SUVs will fold the back seats down separately or at least in two parts, so you could still have a passenger or two in the back row and have some room for cargo. We used out Pilot that way a few times.

[Ghost Hunter]

If you happen to see a clean, low mileage 2013 - 2016 FJ Cruiser while you are looking.      Might work for you.