Opinions on SUV's with 3rd row

[s1lv3r]

None of those, but our expedition el has been a huge plus for us.

x2 on this. We didn't have the EL. The rear seats fold flat and it we could put all kinds of shit in that thing. The third row was actually useful for adult sized people or growing kids. Damn I miss that thing.

[black2002ls]

We have been looking at Explorers for some time. I believe second row captains chairs are standard on the sport, and optional on some of the lower trim levels.

We took a trip to Galveston a couple of weeks ago in our Edge and we were really wishing we had that extra cargo space after the trip was over. I'm hoping to see some nice discounts on the '17's once the 18's hit the lot.

[HaMMuH]

I did a lot of research on this scenario last year and ended up with a Buick Enclave with leather. Tons of room (More than a Tahoe) my sister has a GM Denali and they come with captains chairs.

I'm wanted to stay ford as we had a Ford Flex before which was awesome, but the woman wanted something else and the Enclave and GM Acadia's have the captains chairs and a bunch of room behind the 3rd row without going to a large vehicle like the Suburban and Expedition EL. We travel a lot for baseball and needed the space behind the 3rd row while still having good room in the 3rd row.

Also, we looked at the new Honda Pilots which are nice, but were brand new and deals just weren't out there at the time.

Hope that helps!

[Baron Von Crowder]

We went to the fair and climbed in a bunch of them, the durango was the most spacious in the third row IIRC. That may have changed in the last couple of years.

[Sgt Beavis]

The real question here is, what are you willing to spend?

[black2002ls]

I did a lot of research on this scenario last year and ended up with a Buick Enclave with leather. Tons of room (More than a Tahoe) my sister has a GM Denali and they come with captains chairs.

I'm wanted to stay ford as we had a Ford Flex before which was awesome, but the woman wanted something else and the Enclave and GM Acadia's have the captains chairs and a bunch of room behind the 3rd row without going to a large vehicle like the Suburban and Expedition EL. We travel a lot for baseball and needed the space behind the 3rd row while still having good room in the 3rd row.

Also, we looked at the new Honda Pilots which are nice, but were brand new and deals just weren't out there at the time.

Hope that helps!

Good information here! We liked the old body style Acadia's but the new ones appear to have gotten smaller, and we just don't like they styling of those. I haven't really looked at the Enclave.

For us, 3rd row won't be a daily necessity, as we only have the one kid. However, when we take the occasional vacation trip, or weekend trip, a lot of times it is with my older brother and his family. They have a lot of kids, and we end up hauling one or two people to or from our destination.

For those with an Explorer, what drive train do you have? Anyone with the I-4 ecoboost? I've seen mostly less than stellar reviews of the older smaller displacement 4 cyl. Though it seems the newer (2017) larger displacement 4 cyl has stepped it up a bit.

[DamonH]

We have a 2012 Explorer Limited for the wife. 2nd row buckets & center console, and 3rd row folding seats. We have the 3.5 V6, which is NOT fast, but it'll do the job. We've owned it since new and haven't really had any major issues, other then the carbon monoxide leaking in when you nail it. I don't think the later models had this problem, but Ford so far hasn't been able to fix it or just outright claims it has no issues. My wife drives slow, so it's not even noticed unless I drive. I replaced the shifter myself to fix a problem where it kept saying, "Not in Park" even though it was. Only other complaints are it sits too low (drag the front valence in parking spots) and gas mileage isn't quite what it's rated for. Overall my wife & kids really like it. It's really roomy, but still drives like a car. I'd buy one again, but probably get the sport (it came out the following year).

[black2002ls]

We have a 2012 Explorer Limited for the wife. 2nd row buckets & center console, and 3rd row folding seats. We have the 3.5 V6, which is NOT fast, but it'll do the job. We've owned it since new and haven't really had any major issues, other then the carbon monoxide leaking in when you nail it. I don't think the later models had this problem, but Ford so far hasn't been able to fix it or just outright claims it has no issues. My wife drives slow, so it's not even noticed unless I drive. I replaced the shifter myself to fix a problem where it kept saying, "Not in Park" even though it was. Only other complaints are it sits too low (drag the front valence in parking spots) and gas mileage isn't quite what it's rated for. Overall my wife & kids really like it. It's really roomy, but still drives like a car. I'd buy one again, but probably get the sport (it came out the following year).

We really want a sport, however, just can't stomach the price tag!

What kind of fuel mileage are you seeing?

[DamonH]

What kind of fuel mileage are you seeing?

Looks like the average is 18.5 for a mix of 75% city / 25 % highway. It sticker'd with 19/25 so I'm not real far off I suppose.

[A_A_G]

We went to the fair and climbed in a bunch of them, the durango was the most spacious in the third row IIRC. That may have changed in the last couple of years.

The Durango has been unchanged for the most part since 2011. I had one for a rental back then and it was great for 6 adults on vacation + luggage. None of the other ones on the list will come close in terms of 3rd row leg room and cargo space while using the 3rd row.

OP, not sure if you're planning on going new or used, but a Durango R/T with the 8 speed auto would be a great all around vehicle.

[Wicked98Snake]

My wife has a ford flex and loves it, tons of room even the 3rd row is not too bad. I think it's as close to a minivan as you can get without it being a minivan. Never had any issues with it and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

[cobrajet69]

We have been looking at Explorers for some time. I believe second row captains chairs are standard on the sport, and optional on some of the lower trim levels.

We took a trip to Galveston a couple of weeks ago in our Edge and we were really wishing we had that extra cargo space after the trip was over. I'm hoping to see some nice discounts on the '17's once the 18's hit the lot.

We've been looking at them as well and the best deals we have found have been a five star ford in North Richland Hills and Plano. You can get a $65,000 vehicle for the low 50s upper 40s with all of the discounts. Supplies are getting low though so you have to act quick because the 18s will be coming in soon



David

[bonnie&clyde]

im in the same boat as you, we recently drove the Durango on a trip and i didn't like the way it drove, its too big and for me it had some bad blind spots, we are leaning towards the Explore here at the end of the year

[Baron Von Crowder]

My wife has a ford flex and loves it, tons of room even the 3rd row is not too bad. I think it's as close to a minivan as you can get without it being a minivan. Never had any issues with it and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

I tried like hell to get my wife to go look at the flex, she just didnt like the boxyness of it. They were doing 0% for 72 months to move them a while back when the new year models were hitting. I wanted the ecoboost.

[SS Junk]

Drove a 2015 Acadia a few weeks back with captain's chairs and it seemed like a nice ride. Captain's chairs were comfortable. Third row I DGAF because that's where you stuff the kids.