buying advice for a 7 passenger type vehicle

[rfuerst911sc]

Here is the scenario: I am planning on retiring Jan. of 2018 so my wife and I started talking about purchasing one more " family " type vehicle while I'm still working . All our kids are grown up and long gone but my wife wants the ability to move people for gatherings and get togethers. So primarily will be driven with one to two people ( wife and I ) . Comfort , safety and decent fuel economy are primary concerns. She currently is driving a 2007 Toyota RAV4 with a V6.
Plan is not to purchase new but that could change but we would prefer a one to two year CPO vehicle. So I did some quick web searching just to see what is available and have narrowed the search down to these vehicles : Toyota Highlander , Honda Pilot , Ford Flex , Mazda CX9 . So of those four what are the pro's and con's ? Would you go 4 cylinder or V6 ? My wife has her mind made up on three row seating but she isn't interested in a van . Are there vehicles you would add to my initial list ? We will probably trade in the RAV4. Any advice is appreciated as I will probably start looking seriously in the next month or so .

[Alan A]

Buy a car.
Rent a minivan for $50 a day on the two occasions a year you have to move more than 4.

[rfuerst911sc]

We also can use some of the extra space a 7 passenger vehicle affords because we have three dogs. A passenger car not gonna happen . Also might use it to tow our 17 ' center console boat .

[Seahawk]

I owned a Highlander, a 2012, V6, two wheel drive without a lot of options.

Like a lot of cars these days, it was remarkable for it's complete absence of "remarkableness".

It did everything right without a hitch. We did use the third row seating a number of times when my son asked to bring classmates home for three day weekends, etc.

I got an offer on my old F-150 I couldn't turn down so I needed a farm truck. I traded it in on a Tundra.

[berettafan]

As the owner of a suburban and an odyssey I can tell you every vehicle that is not a minivan is just a compromise when it comes to moving people. Full size vans excepted of course.

Beyond that I'd suggest 2nd row captains seats make it easier to access third row.

[berettafan]

I personally like the now prior design of the pilot and think the newly designed cx9 looks nice.

[aschen]

Odyssey for sure

Tell her it's a lowered pilot

[devodave]

My wife drives a Toyota Sienna minivan and she rarely let's me drive it! Plenty of room for 7, comfortable driving (I would have picked an Odyssey for its more sporting handling), and reliable. Steady 24 mpg. The only question would be the towing capacity, but we also have a pickem up truck for that.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by aschen

Odyssey for sure

Tell her it's a lowered pilot

Inside its almost identical in materials switches etc

[aschen]

But it has alot more usable space I think

[rfuerst911sc]

Our oldest son and his wife have a Sienna van.......nice vehicle......my wife is not interested. Thanks for the feedback so far .

[Steve Carlton]

Consider a 2016 or 2017 (recommended) XC90 T6. As mentioned before, not as practical as a minivan, but nice and the safest car in the world right now. Seats designed by Swedish orthopedic surgeons, exterior designed by former VW/Audi designer, interior designed by former Bentley designer. No smoking deals, but I might be able hook you up, especially if you pick it up in Europe. Two round trip airline tickets included...

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by berettafan

As the owner of a suburban and an odyssey I can tell you every vehicle that is not a minivan is just a compromise when it comes to moving people. Full size vans excepted of course.

Beyond that I'd suggest 2nd row captains seats make it easier to access third row.

This. None of the vehicles listed will comfortably haul 7 adults for any period of time. All are mid sized SUVs which means a decent back seat and a very small 3rd row. If you really are more likely to carry 4 rather than 7, all are good choices with my favorite being the Mazda for its upscale interior and fun to drive nature. But if you only need to haul 4 you could also consider a mid to large sedan which would get better MPG and be more fun to drive.

[porsche tech]

Odyssey. 50K on my '11 without one problem. Same scenario...was getting ready to retire and needed a hauler to bring stuff to SC from northern VA. Also perfect when all the grand kids are here. 4 men and 4 sets of golf clubs no problem either!--Dave

[Tobra]

If you are thinking about a Honda Pilot, look at the MDX. It is just nicer.

Momma don't dig vans, don't look at vans, even if it is the smart choice.

[jorian]

I'll second the MDX. Fantastic vehicle. Wife has one and it will haul 7. Not comfortably for long distances but for short hauls, no problem. 95% of the time you are only two anyways.

[Nickshu]

Suburban or Tahoe if you want comfort for 7 passengers (vs 3rd row crammed) and also if you plan to tow your boat from time to time. If it weren't for the boat towing I'd say go minivan.

[SCadaddle]

My neighbor bought a new 2015 Honda Odyssey last year to haul the grandkids around on their many vacations as retirees. I think they put almost 30k on it in the first year.

It's got a rattle in the right rear corner when driving over anything but absolutely smooth pavement. Took it to the dealership. Service writer says "there are 2 things we can do here at the dealership: 1) Re-flash firmware and 2) Replace parts. Unfortunately, they ALL make that noise. Nothing we can do for you."

So the neighbor requests a meeting at the dealership with the Regional Rep. who a few weeks later also states "They all make that noise. Even the 2016's. But what we WILL do is take note of your issue and get it to the engineers so that they can implement changes in future vehicles."

Needless to say, he's no longer impressed with Honda.

[95avblm3]

How about a Hyundai Santa Fe... The larger version (non-Sport) is 7-passenger. They look nice and can be had pretty stripped or really nicely equipped.

[TheMentat]

I'd second the MDX... a fantastic driver for its size.

My wife went with the Infiniti QX60 (or the Pathfinder... same thing). More of a plush ride, but it has TONS of room for 7.