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Family of 6...too small?

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#21 ·
TheLex said:
I wish they’d bring back the quadravan - lifted 4x4 van with sliding doors and 3 rows would be awesome.
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Absolutely... with the 3rd row folding down into a bed, and including a mini-fridge :) Once upon a time, my Dad had a full size van, brown, with a custom paint job of a white stallion and a bright star over his head. In the back (the way-back, where I used to make out with my girlfriends) was the 3rd row bench seat/bed, and it had a mini-fridge on one side and a small sink with a clean water tank on the other, captain's chairs in the 2nd row with a little table with cupholders (before cupholders were a thing) that could be removed when needed, and a CB radio mounted on the roofline above the windshield. I want one like that, with 4wd/awd and 9+ inches of ground clearance.
 
#22 ·
packout said:
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a.../news/a21053359/jeep-planning-at-least-three-vehicles-with-three-rows-of-seats/
Jeep has a three row coming out that might possibly compete with the Ascent. I doubt you would get the same value though and reliability.
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It's also nearly two years out for the 3 row JGC which replaces the Durango when the new platform debuts. I have thought about waiting for that, but my current JGC is coming up on 7 years and has 108K miles, so I'm likely opting for an Ascent this summer after MY20 comes online. I'm extremely happy with my JGC, but my needs have changed and I no longer need the higher towing capacity I have now vs the Ascent nor do I have off-road needs.
 
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Discussion starter · #23 ·
Thank you all for your feedback! I think I have the answer I didn't want to hear but kinda knew would be coming! Looks like I will have to suck it up and get another minivan.
And yes, I know there is nothing wrong with a minivan, it's just after 11+ years of driving one, I sort of want something a little sportier and more fun to drive. But, I'll have to wait a little longer on that.
Thanks so much for your help!
 
#25 ·
Karix4 said:
Thank you all for your feedback! I think I have the answer I didn't want to hear but kinda knew would be coming! Looks like I will have to suck it up and get another minivan.
And yes, I know there is nothing wrong with a minivan, it's just after 11+ years of driving one, I sort of want something a little sportier and more fun to drive. But, I'll have to wait a little longer on that.
Thanks so much for your help!
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Trust me, I feel your pain. We had minivans from 2007 until 2019.
 
#26 ·
Karix4 said:
I am looking to replace my 11 yr old Toyota Sienna and have been looking at the Ascent.
We are a family of 6- (kids are: a 13 yr old and 11 yr old triplets) plus a dog.
I am ready to move past the minivan, but am not sure we will fit comfortably in the Ascent.
I previously drove a Forrester before the Sienna, so I love the Subaru brand. My husband drives a WRX, but we don't all fit in there. The Ascent would replace the minivan as our only family car.
We would need to use the 3rd row all the time. Short trips to school and back don't seem like a problem but longer road trips might be cramped.
Any experience, thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
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I have a family of four (9 year old and 3 year old). Our family car is a 2016 OB Limited 2.5 so I can't relate to the large family issue. However, I can say for long trips, the Ascent has the towing capacity to haul a nice size trailer full of stuff. An alternative to that is a hitch carrier (we have one and it is great for adding additional luggage to our trips). We also have a Yakima Skybox 18 that mounts to the roof of the car. I would imagine a hitch carrier, sky box paired with the Ascent...could easily haul your family 6 + dog and a lot of other gear.

Just some thoughts, with our setup, we can take a ridiculous amount of stuff for our weeklong beach vacation to the Oregon Coast which is about 7 hours drive.
 
#29 ·
We took my Ascent for a road trip to Buffalo NY, a 6 hour drive from where I live. We went on day trips to Niagara Falls and other places , using the third row. I have the captains seats in the second row as I have the Touring. It was very comfortable, especially with the sun shade back so it was open and airy feeling. We could put one foot into the aisle space between the captains chairs. I bring my dog in my Ascent, I bought a bolster from Orvis that fills the space in front of the captains chair so the dog can lay down.
 
#30 ·
Karix4 said:
I am looking to replace my 11 yr old Toyota Sienna and have been looking at the Ascent.
We are a family of 6- (kids are: a 13 yr old and 11 yr old triplets) plus a dog.
I am ready to move past the minivan, but am not sure we will fit comfortably in the Ascent.
I previously drove a Forrester before the Sienna, so I love the Subaru brand. My husband drives a WRX, but we don't all fit in there. The Ascent would replace the minivan as our only family car.
We would need to use the 3rd row all the time. Short trips to school and back don't seem like a problem but longer road trips might be cramped.
Any experience, thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
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Okay, we have the tungsten limited with the bench seat (seats 8 - allegedly). Only two of us retired, so we keep the 3rd row down all the time, and use the space for cargo. Having owned a Sienna for 4 years, and with an adult daughter that owns a 2018 Sienna, I can unequivocally say - the minivans have far more room in them. If you take a trip in the Ascent and you have people in the 3rd row, you have almost no room for cargo for the trip. I did read on this forum that if you get the captains chairs, the two people in the 3rd row can get more comfortable by stretching out one (1) leg between the two captains chairs. Occupants in the 3rd row had better be darned small. We love our Ascent, but it is not real spacious. And the seats do not lay down flat or disappear lower like the seats in the Sienna. We have the 3 rows for the couple of times a year we have grandkids in with us. Just took our first 5 day trip and Ascent was loaded..... We carry a small scooter inside though. But, Oh Boy, what a fun car to drive........ Look around and be patient!
 
#33 ·
Peartree said:
Okay, we have the tungsten limited with the bench seat (seats 8 - allegedly). Only two of us retired, so we keep the 3rd row down all the time, and use the space for cargo. Having owned a Sienna for 4 years, and with an adult daughter that owns a 2018 Sienna, I can unequivocally say - the minivans have far more room in them. If you take a trip in the Ascent and you have people in the 3rd row, you have almost no room for cargo for the trip. I did read on this forum that if you get the captains chairs, the two people in the 3rd row can get more comfortable by stretching out one (1) leg between the two captains chairs. Occupants in the 3rd row had better be darned small. We love our Ascent, but it is not real spacious. And the seats do not lay down flat or disappear lower like the seats in the Sienna. We have the 3 rows for the couple of times a year we have grandkids in with us. Just took our first 5 day trip and Ascent was loaded..... We carry a small scooter inside though. But, Oh Boy, what a fun car to drive........ Look around and be patient!
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It seats 8, it actually wasn't as uncomfortable as I was expecting (I sat in the 3rd row). In the 3rd row we had 1 adult and 2 children under 10 and in the 2nd row 1 adult and 2 infants in rear facing car seats. Dealing with the logistics was easier than dealing with 2 cars for us.
 
#34 ·
Peartree said:
Okay, we have the tungsten limited with the bench seat (seats 8 - allegedly). Only two of us retired, so we keep the 3rd row down all the time, and use the space for cargo. ...
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I have driven around with my CIO in the third row of my Ascent. Third row space is pretty good as long as your second row passengers move their seats up so they aren't "wasting space".

One of the youtube reviews had a 6' tall reviewer sit in the driver's seat and adjust it, then in the 2nd row just behind and adjust it, then the third row behind that. Had room in all 3 seats. No, it's not a ton of room, but it's not a sardines can either!

If most of your use is around town with 6 people and a yearly road trip or two where you need a roof/hitch carrier I think you'd be fine.

If you routinely do 4-6 hour trips, maybe you want more space.
 
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#36 ·
Subiesailor said:
Lol
My wife was talking 3rd and I asked her how old would we be when #3 is learning to drive. The response was. Oh... ummm yeah that doesn’t really work for me.. yeah 2 one of each we’re done
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I wanted a 3rd and my wife said "Here is a puppy" (see profile picture)! :tango_face_wink:

So I have a lap dog who is a permanent baby.
 
#37 ·
marmonduke said:
We are a family of six (younger kids under 10) and it seems to work fine for us. You might look into a hitch mount luggage carrier. That's what we plan to do for long trips where the back doesn't hold enough. my 3 y/o and 7 y/o sit in the 3rd row and my 9 y/o and 1 y/o in the second row.
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This is my family situation! How does it work for grocery hauls and a day/night trip that requires a stroller and overnight bags?
 
#38 ·
JennH16 said:
This is my family situation! How does it work for grocery hauls and a day/night trip that requires a stroller and overnight bags?
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My wife and I occupy the front seats, I have one in a full car seat behind the driver seat, then 2 in booster seats and one without that rotate between the 2nd and 3rd rows, usually 2 per row.
If I had anything more than an umbrella stroller I’d be hurting for space, but without a stroller at all there’s plenty of room for luggage for the family, including a couple air mattress for sleeping at relative’s houses. Likewise, a week’s worth of groceries can fit behind the 3rd row.
If you’ve got a bigger stroller or want to take anything else substantial on a trip you’re looking at a roof or hitch cargo carrier, but that shouldn’t be necessary for day to day use. When I had twins who were both in carriers years ago I went with a Ford Expedition EL and usually had enough trunk room, though things still overflowed to the roof periodically even with all that extra space.
 
#39 ·
For everyday, things can likely work out fine. For travel, I agree about using a hitch receiver mounted carrier...there are some good, fully enclosed options available that effectively give you a "trunk". They are easier to deal with than a roof-rack mounted carrier for stuff you need to get to with frequency, such as suitcases, etc. Do understand that some might interfere with raising the rear hatch so plan accordingly. (some can tilt down) You may also need to transfer your license plate to the back of the carrier if it blocks the view of the plate in the normal place...it's required to be visible.
 
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#40 ·
Sigmonster said:
For your future research and just plain car-geek enjoyment, I submit the following:


Sporty Minivans


Cool Minivans


Why drive a minivan?


Best Minivans for 2019


Modern Minivans


tl:dr: The 2019 Toyota Sienna SE can be had with a just-a-hair-shy of 300hp power plant, 19-inch wheels, a sporty body kit, and get this, AWD. Now I'm getting a touch jealous.
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If you read the reviews on the new minivans the sienna was the least "sporty" of the bunch, but it had the looks. The odyssey would be my choice again if we were to take that road again. But I think we are good with the Ascent.
 
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