Surviving Twins

Since your family will (or already has) increase by 2 members, it might be time to find a car to suit all your family’s needs. What is your best option? Well, keep in mind that you will need room for at least 2 car seats, possibly more. So forget about that 5-seating sedan if you ever want to take an extra person in the car with you. (No one wants to climb over and sit between 2 car seats). My recommendation is anything with 3-row seating. More specifically, though, even something with bucket seating. Unfortunately, your options are basically limited to SUV’s, Wagons, and Minivans. Check out all these vehicles and any others at Edmunds.com. It will give you complete critic and consumer reviews, safety ratings, comparisons, and much more.

SUV’s

Your large, SUV vehicle options are the Chevy Tahoe, Nissan Armada, Dodge Durango, Ford Expedition, and Toyota Sequoia. These are your most expensive options, starting from about $32000 (Expedition) to $35000 (Durango). They are spacious, easy to put car seats into because they are higher up, and all have an accessible 3rd row, including trunk space for a stroller. However, they are very large, so they drive more like a truck than a car, they are more expensive, and with gas prices, these are your least fuel efficient. Also note that only the Tahoe and Armada come with a bucket seating 2nd row, and optional on the Limited Edition of the Sequoia.

Mid-size SUV’s

These are a step down in size and price from the large SUV’s. Your best options are the Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, and Toyota Highlander, starting at $25000 for the Highlander, and the Pilot at $29000. These drive more like cars (specifically the Pilot) than trucks, and generally have better safety ratings. But the 3rd row seating isn’t nearly as roomy as the larger SUV’s, nor is the trunk space. In this category, only the Explorer comes with 2nd row bucket seats.

Wagons

A wagon will be a comparable price to the smaller SUV, which includes the Chrysler Pacifica, the Ford Freestyle, the Volvo XC70. The Freestyle and Pacifica start around $25000, and the Volvo at $35000. The Pacifica and Freestyle have 2nd row bucket seating. The wagon is said, by some consumers to drive much more like a sports car. However, if you have a weak back, bending down to reach out car seats multiple times a day can be wearing.

Minivans

Lastly, the best options and top recommendations for minivans are the Dodge Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Mazda MAZDA5, and Toyota Sienna. These range from $17000 (Mazda) to $32000 (Honda). All come with bucket seating or a shorter 2nd row bench seat, and because they are vans, there is no bending down to reach car seats in and out. They won’t drive like a car, but they also won’t drive like a truck. Another benefit of minivans is the floor space.

So, after reviewing all of these vehicles, what do I drive? Well, like many people I know, I refused to buy, and quite frankly, despised, a minivan. My twins are my first, so I didn’t have the concern of finding room for 3 car seats. But, I did (and do) intend on having another child while my girls are still in car seats. So after much research, website reviews, consumer reports, and personal opinion…. I bought a minivan… a Dodge Caravan. After about 3 days of driving it, I couldn’t live without it. Car seats are very managable to get in and out, there is plenty of room for passengers to climb around the car seats, as well as room for a 3rd and 4th car seat. There is storage room for my double stroller, and I feel very safe driving it. So, if you can’t get over saying the words, “I drive a minivan,” maybe it’s not for you. But you do have other options. Remember to check out editor’s reviews, consumer reports, safety ratings, and don’t forget to ask around. You’ll get the honest truth from the people you know.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 8th, 2006 at 7:17 am and is filed under Products, Reviews. You can follow responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your site.