I have three children — 7, 4, 2 — and a wife who needs to drive them around; any recommendations of seven-passenger vehicles? We want to avoid the humdrum minivan and the guzzling SUV.
Eric, you’re part of the growing number of consumers who want to ditch the minivan image for SUV looks, but also don’t want to get 11 mpg. Automakers have responded to this demand and answered with crossover utility vehicles, which ride on car-based (rather than truck-based) platforms. They offer minivan-like function and ride with SUV-like appearance.
As far as seven-passenger vehicles, the Mazda CX-9, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Hyundai Veracruz all fit the bill. In a recent Cars.com Faceoff of three-row crossover SUVs, we picked the Mazda CX-9 over the Acadia and Veracruz based on its sporty appeal. But one vehicle may appeal to you more than the other based on your needs and budget, so to narrow down your choices we can provide you with some car-shopping tools such as our Vehicle Recommender and Photo Compare features.
Also, you and your wife should check out our partner site, MotherProof.com, as it provides car reviews oriented toward women and mothers and can tell you what it’s like to carry around multiple kids in today’s newest vehicles. They have a section just for crossover utility vehicles, linked below.
Learn more
Diane -- We published this post before the Flex was available, but, yes, the Flex is part of this group of crossover SUVs. You can find our expert review of the Flex here: http://www.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?section=reviews&crpPage=reviews.jsp&makeid=14&modelid=9291&year=2009&myid=&acode=&mode=&aff=national
And also more content on the Flex at our KickingTires blog, found here: http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/flex/
I would like to recommend the honda pilot. Using the honda accord's platform, it's quite fuel efficient for an 8 passenger midsize crossover with no compromise in power.
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