Anybody know of a car or crossover vehicle with a nice sized (leg room) third row. My wife hates minivans....
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Car or crossover with third row
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Doesn't offer so much more than her current Rav 4. When her lease is up, I can buy the Rav 4 for a decent price. I'd spend more if I was getting a lot more inches but I don't think this is worth the money. Oh well, thanks for the posts.
Chevy Suburban or GMC Yukon XL (basically same vehicle). I have a 2001 Suburban and a family of 6. 2 of my boys are 5'10" or taller and one wears a size 14 shoe, the other a 12. We had a Mazda CX-9 for a very short time because they could not even slide their feet between the door and the seat so they had to twist their feet just to get in. It was bad and there was no storage behind the rear seat when traveling.
The Suburban is huge. Every row has plenty of leg room for up to 6' plus people with large feet. And storage is a non-issue because there is more storage in a Suburban than any vehicle I have found still in production. Only the Ford Excursion was bigger for everyday use, but it's no longer made. Ford also made an Expedition in an XL version (extended length) but I am not sure if it's still being made.
Suburbans are VERY comfortable and few cars ride as smoothly. Tons of power, fuel economy 14-16mpg, quiet. My next vehicle will also be a Suburban and I have NEVER owned the same model of car twice.
The Suburban is huge. Every row has plenty of leg room for up to 6' plus people with large feet. And storage is a non-issue because there is more storage in a Suburban than any vehicle I have found still in production. Only the Ford Excursion was bigger for everyday use, but it's no longer made. Ford also made an Expedition in an XL version (extended length) but I am not sure if it's still being made.
Suburbans are VERY comfortable and few cars ride as smoothly. Tons of power, fuel economy 14-16mpg, quiet. My next vehicle will also be a Suburban and I have NEVER owned the same model of car twice.
Didn't know the RAV4 had a 3rd row..... Doesn't show up in the specs for the 2013 RAV4 on Toyota's site. With it being 179" long, the 3rd row would be a huge compromise.
The Highlander has a 3rd row, but it's legroom stands at 29". It does have better 2nd row legroom than the Acadia, but the Acadia's 3rd row legroom is at 33". The Highlander's cargo room is compromised at 10 cu. ft. up to the 3rd row where the Acadia's is 24 cu. ft to the 3rd row.
If a 3rd row isn't a must, I recommend the Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain. My mom had a 2006 Equinox and she loved it. Just got a 2013 Equinox last week. The 2nd row slides forward and back giving you amazing legroom or more cargo space in the back.
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Checking out all the advised cars now. Thanks again. As for the rav4, they don't make them with three rows anymore. They did when we leased ours, almost three years ago.
Any of the GMC Acadia clones e.g. Chevy Traverse, Buick Enclave (for something a little more upscale).
For something really upscale, the Acura MDX is a great car, but it has zero trunk space when all three rows are occupied.
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+1 Equinox is the best on the road for the price in this class.
For something really upscale, the Acura MDX is a great car, but it has zero trunk space when all three rows are occupied.
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+1 Equinox is the best on the road for the price in this class.
It really is. Size wise, it straddles the compact and midsize crossover class. The latest generation fixes everything that was wrong with the first gen. Now that the POS 3.0 liter V6 was replaced with the 302 HP 3.6 liter V6( with no negative impact to fuel economy), either engine is fine.
The biggest negative against the Equinox/Terrain is due to its long wheelbase it drives like a bigger SUV. My mom and I like to joke our Suburban has a better turning radius/easier to park than the Equinox.
To get more customers with differing tastes into the fold. And it works. The Lambda (the name of the platform) trio are all selling well without taking each others sales. I much prefer the Acadia's design over the Traverse( ignoring Enclave because it is a premium CUV compared to the Traverse/Acadia mainstream aspirations). Straight out rebadging that GM has done in the past is bad. Differentiated enough, nothing wrong with 3 brands having the same vehicle just as long as there is a market for it. For the Lambda's there is as seen with sales.
Take the Equinox and Terrain. I much prefer the Terrain's design, but my mom likes the Equinox's design.
Plus, GMC people refuse to buy Chevy's.
They look pretty much the same to me (feature wise). So people pay more money (couple grand) for a GMC just for the GMC branding and slightly different look? I can understand wanting a slightly different look/style, but I'm surprised they have another brand just for that, instead of making it a package/upgrade.
They are pretty much the same feature wise between the Traverse and Acadia. The Acadia does have a few features standard compared to the Traverse( hence the pricing difference).
There are also some small differences as well. Take the new Silverado and Sierra for example. The Silverado uses fake aluminum trim in the interior. The Sierra uses real aluminum. GMC also has the Denali line too that has been successful.
But, yeah people will pay more for a different look. Design sells. And it makes GM a ton of money. The government back in 2009 during bankruptcy wanted to kill GMC... until GM showed them the books.
And like I stated, people loyal to GMC will not buy a Chevy despite the Chevy being exactly the same as the GMC aside from a few differences.
Skip the Yukon XL or Suburban. Their third row seats are flat on the floor meaning your knees are raised way up in the air. It is VERY uncomfortable and makes you feel like you have no leg room.
If you want the roomiest third row, I would go with the Acadia, Traverse or Pilot. All three of those can fit three in the third row and the second row slides forward for more leg room. The Acadia and Traverse are however a lot longer than the Pilot which means there is more trunk space when the third row is up. The Acadia and Traverse also come with captains chairs which reduces seating to 7, while the Pilot is only available with a bench in the second row. The Acadia/Traverse will end up being a lot more expensive than the Pilot which tops out at only $42,000 compared to their $50,000+. I know two people with Pilots, a 2012 and a 2013 and they both love them; I can't speak for the GM twins.
Pilot
Acadia/Traverse
If you want the roomiest third row, I would go with the Acadia, Traverse or Pilot. All three of those can fit three in the third row and the second row slides forward for more leg room. The Acadia and Traverse are however a lot longer than the Pilot which means there is more trunk space when the third row is up. The Acadia and Traverse also come with captains chairs which reduces seating to 7, while the Pilot is only available with a bench in the second row. The Acadia/Traverse will end up being a lot more expensive than the Pilot which tops out at only $42,000 compared to their $50,000+. I know two people with Pilots, a 2012 and a 2013 and they both love them; I can't speak for the GM twins.
Pilot
Acadia/Traverse
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Like Quagmire said, it's a great way to add different flavors without completely reengineering each car.
Nearly every brand does it now to some extent. There's a huge array of clones in the auto industry. Some cars simply share platforms (eg the Chevy Cruze, Buick Verano, Cadillac ATS) which is more like being cousins. You see the same things with Lexus and Toyota.
Funny thing is, GM got a lot of criticism in the late 90s and early 2000s for badge engineering, which is slapping a different marque on the same car. I find that amusing because Acura basically only exists as rebadged Hondas, yet Honda is not so heavily criticized.
I guess because they aren't as identical as the GM clones. I don't really see the Acura/Honda and Lexus/Toyota models so closely cloned to each other. Not to say that I haven't seen a few (take the Civic and CSX) for example, but I haven't seen nearly as many. For example, I've heard the ES300/350 is to a Camry - but I don't really see as much similarity as an Acadia to a Traverse. But really, I would say because those brands advertise their cars differently. As in, I'm not really sure what GMC is, as in, is it a luxury line as Lexus is to Toyota? That's the only thing that confuses me.
The Cruze/Verano ride on the FWD Delta II platform. The Cadillac ATS rides on the RWD Alpha platform( the 2014 CTS and 2016 Camaro ride on Alpha as well).
What saves Honda/Acura from heavy criticism is that most of the Honda's they rebadge into Acura's are sold in Europe and not in the US. Though Lexus escapes harm with the GX and LX(basically rebadged Sequoia and Land Cruiser).
Acura does a lot to the interior of their cars, but they are still mostly rebadged.
Acura ILX = Honda Civic (The ILX gets a hugely improved interior, but sadly is still based on one of the worst Civics in recent memory)
Acura TL = US Honda Accord (The TL is really nice, but the exterior styling is quite polarizing)
Acura TSX = European Honda Accord (Sounds like it's going the way of the RSX next year)
Also I stand corrected regarding the ATS.
I own a 2004 Chevy Suburban 2500. Seats 8 very comfortably and have done it many times. Plus I still have room for cargo in the back. Best ride of all trucks in this category. Darn close to a luxury car ride. Yukon is GMC equal. Back seat does not sit on floor, so knees are not in the air. My oldest son is 6' and 200 pounds and rides back there just fine. Other nice thing about it is, that back seat can be removed and second row of seats fold down should you require room to haul a big load, such as a fridge. Have owned it since new and has held up real well. Only reason I would get rid of it would be to get a new one. Don't be fooled by smaller crossovers that claim they can seat 8. They may seat eight, but some of those 8 people will have to be pretty small. Have looked over most of them through the last couple of years and only other vehicle that came close was the Ford Excursion. Please remember this is only my opinion.
Thanks again for the advice and the list.most of those cars are available here I think so I will check them out one by one later at "work".
It's incorrect to say they are flat on the floor. Yes, they are not "raised" like the middle row, but if you notice below the seat the floor is actually raised. That height gives the rear seat the same type of lift you get in the middle seats with the mount below them. The passenger's feet and knees know no difference from middle seat to rear seat. I own a Suburban in that configuration and it's no different to the passenger whichever row they choose, plus the leg room inside is quite spacious compared to any other vehicle on the road.
My sons could hardly get their feet in a Pilot and their knees pushed on the back of the seats and we still had little room for luggage behind the rear seat.
My wife drives a Ford Flex, it has a pretty roomy third row and TONS of head and leg room throughout.
The ILX and TL are based off the same platform as their Honda counterparts but are at least different cars. I saw a Honda Accord in London last week and it was identical to my TSX (even happened to be the same color) - save for the steering wheel being on the wrong side obviously. Doesn't really bother me too much, maybe it bugs me a little that while the car is considered luxury here, it's not in other parts of the world, but I doubt NSX owners felt that way. Then again, I'm not a prick who goes around saying "I drive an Acura!" as if I'm looking to impress people. I'm well aware of the fact that on the list of cars to impress people, the till-last-year cheapest Acura is on the bottom
The ILX and TL are based off the same platform as their Honda counterparts but are at least different cars. I saw a Honda Accord in London last week and it was identical to my TSX (even happened to be the same color) - save for the steering wheel being on the wrong side obviously. Doesn't really bother me too much, maybe it bugs me a little that while the car is considered luxury here, it's not in other parts of the world, but I doubt NSX owners felt that way. Then again, I'm not a prick who goes around saying "I drive an Acura!" as if I'm looking to impress people. I'm well aware of the fact that on the list of cars to impress people, the till-last-year cheapest Acura is on the bottom
I'm not that person either, but the TSX is a hell of a car. Acura is certainly more "premium" than "luxury". Regardless, Acura is certainly not as bad as pre 2009 Pontiac G5 (a Cobalt) or the B7 Audi A4 (a Volkswagen Passat)