SUV for tall husband with second row a/c and good gas mileage

@tdear25 If it’s just the four of you, you may not need a SUV. A wagon or sedan could work and come up much better on gas. But if you are planning for another, here is what worked for us.

I have a 2.5 yo and 2mo twins. We landed on the VW Atlas, which would be plenty big for all of you. It is an awesome car but is not great in the gas mileage department. Luckily my commute is short so it doesn’t hurt too bad. I get about 23 mpg in mixed driving. If you can find a 2019, that is the way to go because VW shortened their warrantee from 2020 onward.

We will also one day have a Kia Carnival. Minivan that looks like a Tahoe from far away if you squint hard enough. However, we put down a $1k deposit in December on a white EX with tan interior and are still waiting on it with no end in sight.

Check out the Car Seat Lady website. It’s a little outdated, but will work if you are looking for used cars. Most thorough possible reviews of cars and car seat configuration but ends in 2019. Also Car Mom on YouTube is a great resource.
 
@tdear25 I am a 6'3" father of 4 children. We have a Honda Pilot that fits me nicely - lots of clearance in the shoulder and head - so it should fit your husband well. When my kids were little we had an Odyssey and I'm going to admit that I miss it a lot. With 4 kids we just fit into the van a lot better. The only reason we got rid of it was because my wife is like you - and hated feeling like a 'soccer mom' in her van - but it really makes so many things easier. Either way - good luck searching for a vehicle.
 
@tdear25 Seconded. If you're looking used I've heard you should stay away from the 2019 models. Bought a 2020 last year and have been very happy with it. I'm 6'2 myself and never feel cramped in the driver/passenger seats. It also has this great feature that allows the 2nd row sweets to swing down with the carseats in them. So people can squeeze into the 3rd row even with huge carseats buckled into the 2nd row. Great warranty, smooth ride.

We're coming from a Ford Escape, which we loved, but we take a lot of roadtrips with our twins and dog and 2 rows just wasn't feasible.
 
@tdear25 Admittedly having all of those may be tough and I can’t say I’ve spent much time cross referencing all of your points with the vehicles I’m about to suggest, but here goes.

I know they’re big, but something like a Tahoe or Danali would likely solve all of those issues. If you’re looking for smaller options with three rows, I’d suggest the Kia Telluride, Subaru Ascent, Ford Explorer, Audi Q7 ($$). As for two row vehicles, I bought a Toyota 4Runner. I’m 6’1 and have plenty of front head and leg room. That’s our “family” vehicle for when we go places together. Her smaller car is relegated to her solo trips or with the babies, as it’s not real comfortable for me to drive or sit in. I love the 4Runner, gas mileage is not good though.
 
@katrina2017
Toyota 4Runner. I’m 6’1 and have plenty of front head and leg room. That’s our “family” vehicle for when we go places together. Her smaller car is relegated to her solo trips or with the babies, as it’s no
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Have a Telluride with twins, it's great, but a pain when someone needs to get in third row, and third row is usually just down for more cargo space 90% of the time. I would say Denali/Tahoe if dead set on a SUV, we are actually in the market for a van though, as sliding doors, and space are so much nicer.
 
@whitehorse I’m really impressed with the Telluride. We have a narrow driveway that prohibits wider cars or else my wife would be driving one!

I’m kind of with OP though. My brain knows a van is best, but as a car enthusiast I couldn’t come to terms with driving a van every day lol.
 
@katrina2017 You’re right. I thought it was an easier ask until I actually wrote down my list. I’ll probably have to give up on one or two items. Thanks for your suggestions, I’ll look into them. I did look at 4Runners already but the gas mileage is disappointing, I commute over 100 miles a day. My husband drives a truck with awful gas mileage so we’re trying to find a family vehicle that we can do road trips in with the pup and also work for my daily commuter. Probably a unicorn lol.
 
@tdear25 Yeah, it’s tough. We also have a large dog. Two infant seats, large dog, double stroller, all the gear you might need for a trip. We haven’t done one yet, but I have a cargo box. Gas mileage kind of came last on my list in comparison to something roomy, reliable, and kinda cool. But if you’re commuting that much, especially in these days, yeah that’s a huge expense.

I’m not sure of your budget, but Volvo makes larger EUVS - I’d also suggest a hybrid Toyota Highlander. Depending on logistics, you could look at sometime efficient for your commute and whenever you’re doing family trips, take the husbands car. Very rarely will I drive my wife’s car - if we go somewhere together, we take mine out of comfort.

Another thing to note - if you need this car ASAP, I’d decide quickly. Anything decent, especially in the EV or Hybrid world, are in high demand. I waited 5 months for my 4Runner. Good luck!
 
@katrina2017 Yep, we have a large dog as well! And I love camping trips so all that gear.

I hadn’t considered Volvo yet, thanks! My budget is pretty open, I don’t want to be needlessly pricey but want as many boxes checked as possible.

Unfortunately my husband has to have a truck for his work and side job. It does fit him, but I feel very uncomfortable driving it, it’s way too big for me, and the gas mileage is awful. I’d love a couple or sedan but we really need a good family vehicle.

Wow, 5 months! I’m expecting a waitlist but wasn’t thinking it’d be that long!
 
@tdear25 Yeah, unfortunately the market is wild. You likely won’t find something in your parameters that’s suuuuper fuel efficient. There aren’t many very large EV’s and any that are bigger tend to be super expensive.

I think a Telluride or similar may be the sweet spot. Pick up a cargo box to through on the roof for camping trips that way you’ll have room for lots of gear and the dog. Volvo XC90 is a good option, pricey and not the most reliable, in my opinion. Ford Explorer is large enough, but not Tahoe large.

From a car buying perspective, buying new right now is probably best. Used prices are super high and new vehicle interest rates will be better. I’d find dealers that sell at MSRP with no gimmicks - lots of vehicles now are sold $10k over asking. Any vehicle you’ll be looking for is probably in high demand sadly. Hopefully you get something to cover your needs, good luck on the hunt!
 
@tdear25 You have a cx5 so why not upgrade to the cx9?? Is that too small? We have a 2019 CX5 that has been great for us and are looking to upgrading to the CX9 when the hybrid comes out later this year, right before our twins come.
 
@frankcostarica WAIT!!! Just did this myself… turned in my CX5 for a CX9 and didn’t pre test drive it with car seats and in my opinion the passenger seat sits too far up with rear facing car seat behind it. Also note I got the CX9 with the captains chairs so this is even with the 2nd row seats pushed all the way back. I do absolutely LOVE the CX9 in every other way though. Favorite Mazda I’ve had (we’ve had 4 different ones since 2015). I’m hoping the front passenger will have more room once we front face the car seats. Luckily it’s more the car I drive with nobody in front so it’ll work for us.

My husband did get a Tahoe at the same time as me and it’s perfect. SO much room for the car seats.

(We’re expecting our twins in July - so this is purely based on how the car seats fit and comfort of being I’m the front seat.)

Edit to add : we are using the Graco Slimfit 3 in 1 Car Seat if that helps with any seat sizing
 
@frankcostarica Per a mazda website (Riley mazda), the front and second row space is basically the same between the CX-5 and CX-9, the different is that the CX-9 has a third row. So unfortunately upgrading would not help.
 
@tdear25 I wouldn't rely on any dealer website for factual information. I don't know if the CX9 is bigger or not but check third-party reviews or forums. Dealers suck at everything they do.
 
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