Mid-Size SUV?

[MGW]

So the wife's mini-van is long in the tooth. A teacher friend of hers needs a vehicle, we priced it, and now it's going away. We don't want another mini-van. More correctly I want to stay married and another mini-van would seriously jeopardize that. So I've been told.

I hate spending money on cars but I think I'm going to have to pony up this time. That being said something in the $40k or less range would be ideal. We still need/want third-row seats preferably with captains seats in the middle. Decent gas mileage would be nice. I'm leaning toward 2wd for that reason but will not rule out AWD. I don't want to go full-size Suburban/Expedition territory. This will be a daily driver and in and around vehicle so midsize is as big as we want to go. It will also be used for longer trips, vacations, and hauling around baseball gear from tournament to tournament. (to tournament to tournament etc.)

So far I'm leaning toward a Toyota Highlander. It seems to check all the boxes. I'm unsure of its final price range and reliability though.

Any input and first-hand experiences would be appreciated.

[ubervic]

So the wife's mini-van is long in the tooth. A teacher friend of hers needs a vehicle, we priced it, and now it's going away. We don't want another mini-van. More correctly I want to stay married and another mini-van would seriously jeopardize that. So I've been told.

I hate spending money on cars but I think I'm going to have to pony up this time. That being said something in the $40k or less range would be ideal. We still need/want third-row seats preferably with captains seats in the middle. Decent gas mileage would be nice. I'm leaning toward 2wd for that reason but will not rule out AWD. I don't want to go full-size Suburban/Expedition territory. This will be a daily driver and in and around vehicle so midsize is as big as we want to go. It will also be used for longer trips, vacations, and hauling around baseball gear from tournament to tournament. (to tournament to tournament etc.)

So far I'm leaning toward a Toyota Highlander. It seems to check all the boxes. I'm unsure of its final price range and reliability though.

Any input and first-hand experiences would be appreciated.

Are you certain that you won't consider full size? I bought a used Chevy Tahoe two years ago to help tote teens and gear for soccer games/tournaments, and it's my daily driver. It's been a godsend for family trips, the aforementioned team sports, and also for the bunch of times that my pre-driving teen needs a lift to an event with 6 of her best friends. It's easy to drive and park, and I love all the room and all the features----much more than I had even hoped or imagined. Yes, the fuel economy sucks, but there's no perfect vehicle, and I knew the fuel economy was going to be the sore spot going into it. So be it!

[BN]

My wife put 250,000 miles on her 2002 Highlander and hated to give it up, but parts became hard and expensive to get. She ended up with a Subaru Legacy, but that's a car.

I'm driving a Toyota Sienna AWD with 3rd row seats and captains in the middle. It's a van but it's a sporty van.

I'm a big Toyota fan. I've been driving them since 1977.

A Highlander is probably going to be a touch over $40k.

[Sigfan26]

I've been very happy with my '17 Ford Explorer Sport (it is a bit over the price cap). The other one I drove that I liked was the Mazda CX9. I will say, the 3rd row in these is next to useless for anything but small children (I bought my Explorer for the extra cargo room with the 3rd row folded).

[LOKNLOD]

We recently had a similar thought process, and ended up in another minivan.

How many kids, how big are they, and what’s the frequency of hauling them?

With three kids, we felt the third row in a lot of the midsize suvs was too tight for everyday climbing in and out. Really wanted to head towards the Highlander with captains in the middle and the third row, but it’s pretty tight back there and there’s not a ton of room behind the third row when it’s up.

We ended up replacing an Odyssey with a new Sienna. I don’t say that to push you towards the van - my wife still likes the vans and appreciates the utility in kid taxi duty - but to say we tried to reason out the same deal and it didn’t work for us.

Now, If you’re at two kids and just want the option of the third row occasionally.... we’d have been in a Highlander probably. I think I could have gotten into an XLE under $40k based on my research.

[Earlymonk]

Ditto on the 3rd row being pretty micro, certainly compared to vans.

There's nothing wrong with the Highlander for a unibody vehicle that will stay on paved roads or well maintained gravel. If you want a truly capable body-on-frame SUV, I'd chose the 4Runner over it in a heartbeat--it's one of the last of its type. If you're not going to subject it to harder use though, the Highlander will be fine.

[BN]

One thing I like about the Sienna is the sliding doors on both sides. No danger of bumping the car beside you in the parking lot, plus it's easy in, easy out. I often have 3 adult sized teenagers in the third row with plenty of room.

[Doc_Glock]

You need another minivan. Sorry.

Barring that: Ford Explorer or Highlander seem to rule the roost. Or if you want a cheaper driving appliance, just get the Kia or Hyundai version. New cars are painful and they all pretty much get the job done.

[mmc45414]

Are you certain that you won't consider full size? I bought a used Chevy Tahoe two years ago... It's been a godsend... It's easy to drive and park, and I love all the room and all the features----much more than I had even hoped or imagined. Yes, the fuel economy sucks

We put 235k on a Suburban (our third) and I was going to suggest the same thing. The Tahoe is probably not that much harder to drive around, and would be nice on the road. It just seems like once you get to a certain size vehicle (anything with a third row) you give up a lot of room to gain just a little fuel savings and a little maneuverability.

[MGW]

Thanks for the input all. I owned a Tahoe at one point and it was a nice vehicle. I've put lots of miles on newer Suburbans for work and it is out. I'm just not a fan of anything that is Chevrolet. I don't like how they are laid out, the seats aren't comfortable for me, and I just am not a GMC fan. Call me shallow if you want but it is what it is.

We are giving up an Oddesy that has been a really good vehicle. We are down to two kids and a dog at home and will be down to one kid at home soon. The third row is for occasional use but with everything the kids are involved in it is definitely needed from time to time.

I love 4runners but they are just to small for what we need right now. The wife made sure that I understood that we will not be buying another minivan. Sounds like a Highlander is probably the going to be the best choice.