i went wit full size suv cause it looks nicer and it has more luxury features. i would never buy a minivan. also, once i fold down my seats, i can put in a xl metal cage for my two pitties and also still have room for 2 adults to sit comfortably in the back.

i own a gas guzzling qx56. higher up, you do see a better view and also parallel parking i find easy, as i do have my rear view camera/parking sensors to assist me and you gotta love the 4wd ridin on bigger rims. i also like muscle roaring v8 sound, so i think it would be pretty weird to put a intake/exhaust on a minivan...

some how this comes to mind right away when threads asking for advice comes up

Why do two kids need 5 seats? Why isn't a sedan enough? 3 kids I understand cause the fights over the window seats are worth avoiding

That has crossed my mind... but with 2 children, and childseats installed in the back seat that would eliminate any seating for the rear, leaving with just 2 seats for yourself and the wife. Leaves no space or room to take the grandparents to family outings or vacation. Or even space to take a friend or another child to the mall, parks, etc.
With a 7 passenger seating, 1 car seat can go the rear, and 1 to the second row leaving seating for another 2 passengers.
Reading what people have said in this thread, it comes down to if you will sacrifice praticality for the negative image that is portrayed with a minivan.

What hillmar said. Child seats have become so big, especially rear facing seats, that there is very little room for anyone else (or anything else for that matter) in a 5 passenger sedan. Once they are in booster seats or out of seats in general, a sedan is more than adequate.

I don't get the image thing though...when I see someone struggling to fit an infant or baby into their SUV at the mall, I don't think they're cool. I have a few friends who are onto their second child now and they all moved from their CUV/SUVs to a minivan or at the smallest, a Mazda5. You're raising a family, not trolling down Robson.

Have you looked at the Kia Sorento? Comes available with 3rd row.

Buy the minivan rent the 4wd SUV when u need it. Or you could be nig rich buy the suv and some 30 inch rims and feed your kids off the 99 cent menu. Just so you can have your "looks".

So the roar of the v8 reminds you of how much gas your sucking down pushing your sofa on wheels around? Or do you really think your fooling anyone into thinking your suv sounds like it's "FAST"

have an uncle that just bought a 06 quest. came with a rear dvd player for kids.

Toyota Sienna would be my choice. SUV is a pain in the ass with the kids. Sliding doors are the best, especially knowing that the kids won't ding anyone else's door by opening them. I would feel safer trotting kids around in a Van than in a Car. I also find some people tend to back off a little bit when driving around a Van as well, because they often know there are kids in them. My observations anyway.

That's what I bought this year, after pouring over the data of every quality minivan on the market, and test driving a couple of the smaller 6-7 passenger SUV's on the lots. In the end, we stuck with the van. I have three kids between 6-8 years old and the minivan fits our lifestyle well.

You sir, have keen observational skills.
I have my 20g STi, 2010 modded Tundra and 67' Beaumont to get my performance rocks off. When I'm driving the Odyssey, it's right lane, A/C on, easy cruising with XM satellite radio and drinks in the "cool box".
:cool:

Hmm... this thread is an eye-opener. Most of the pros/cons have been covered already.

I have 1 kid (with plans to have 1 more), and a 2005 Honda Pilot. I always thought it was "cooler" to drive a SUV as opposed to a minivan, but eliminating the risk of my kids dinging other people's doors is an attractive feature. :)

Some day down the road, I predict that I will switch over to an Odyssey...

http://www.hiwtc.com/photo/products/3/08/98/89824.jpg
hiace anyone?

Seriously, if I were to by a brand new family hauler, it would be the mercedes e350 wagon. awd, seats 5 like the sedan and has 2 rear facing seats for 7 people total.

http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezfl...cd_gallery.jpg

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/image...ior_design.jpg

The new Sienna SE is pretty good looking IMO.

3.5L 266hp, with optional 4wd.

Minivans are notoriously unsafe.

^

y is that

As others have mentioned already, a minivan is a far superior vehicle for hauling kids, espeically when compared to an SUV. Yes, both types of vehicles have stigmas and stereotypes attached to them, but once you have kids and realize the benefits of a van, you'll start to care less about what other people may think of a van. Apart from the ease of loading kids that are in baby seats, they're far easier when you're trying to load strollers and bags of crap (er, I mean kids toys). Plus while you may think that because you and your SO only have one or two kids that you don't need a third row... well, what happens when your kids want to hang out with their friends and maybe go to Chucky Cheese or Castle Fun Park? Suddenly that five seater doesn't work.

:facepalm:

Noise control and you don't want your kids' friends parents finding out how hard mom can throw a shoe from the front seat....wait a sec....

:okay:

Just get both! I have a Toyota Sienna (wife's) and a Toyota Highlander (mine) with same engines ~268HP 3.5L V6.

We use the Minivan for most family trips (Camping, Road Trips South/East). The Minivan is much more roomy and practical for my two daughters (4yo and 2yo), plus it can load gear like crazy and there is room for Grandparents/Cousins.

I drive the SUV (mid-size) as my daily-driver and also around town. I like the 4WD too. Third-row goes up & down when necessary but definitely does not hold cargo like the Minivan.

This?

I was in the same situation last summer.
I have 2 kids and I opted to get an MDX.
First a van wasn't an option for me as the wife did not want a van.
I looked at the cx-9, highlander, mdx and venza.
my top choices were cx-9 and mdx. In the end I felt the MDX was bit of higher quality than the CX-9.
The CX-9 had great seating arrangement though as you can slide the 2nd row and get in from either side.
btw, if you are looking for car seats, I highly suggest you look at the Sunshine kids seats. they are a bit more compact and you can use them both backward and rearward facing. I switched from a Graco Nautilus to a Sunshine kids car seat. It is a bit more expensive but that extra hip room is worth it.

Nobodys wife wants to be seen in a minivan these days like theyre too good for it.

I personally would have no problem rolling around in an odyssey touring, they are really nice minivans, and pretty damn FAST too.

have you considered volvo xc60?

dodge journey? can probably get some good discounts and they're not expensive to begin with. A little old though