Very common in so-cal with kids involved in team sports. Almost every family i know in club soccer has some sort of 7 seater. Carpool, gear, and long road trips make it a necessity. The 3rd row in the Telluride is also great...the back area seems good too even with the 3rd row. We personally have an Odyssey which is rolling living room so space has never been an issue.

 

I don’t really have any criticism of a minivan with three rows. Been in them many times.

 

We still have a cx-9 (now relegated to "kid's" car status). Few years ago, I drove 6 people - 2 adults/4 teenagers from chitown to Colorado for skiing. No, we wouldn't have fit all the skis/boots/clothes/etc without the help of rooftop carrier, but we managed the 2400 mile trip just fine.

 

So, in Canada, you don't know anyone with kids in a hockey carpool???

 

None of my friends who have kids old enough I have ever seen. My family always just went as one back in the day. So did most poeple I knew. Maybe it's just different in different areas. Small town Canada might be different.

I have a hard time believing my brothers Santa Fe could possibly load up all three rows, and then add hockey equipment bags and hockey sticks.

 

That, for one, occurs when two siblings simply cannot get along together in the second row, and you have to physically separate them LOL.

 

I know three families of 5. One has a van, one has a Yukon XL and one has a Expedition. It's just interesting to hear what people think the need (rightly or wrongly).

 

so how often do you fill up with more than ONE person? just to go 5 miles every day...for what reasons?

so maybe it's a joke or a hoax to have more than one seat.

 

I guess you took offence to my post. It wasn't to be offensive, it was to honestly ask how often.

Ps. I did not start this thread.

 

Wait, there's 2 LexsCTJill's?

[moderator comment: no, and LexsCTJill originally posted the first post in this thread on the end of a 7 year old thread about the Santa Fe, which seemed not relevant so the post was moved to its own thread]

 

I bought a 3-row even though I have a family of four. I didn't want a 2-row compact (or even 2-row mid-size). A 3-row SUV/crossover has proper proportions vs the the often stubby looks of a compact. I wanted the extra space and knew a 3rd row would be useful.

My kids are young and fit very comfortably in the 3rd row, in fact, prefer to ride back there as it is more fun for them. When we go out with a set of grandparents, we gather in it for the ride. Works out great. So instead of using two cars and using twice the gas, the family can socialize on the way somewhere thereby expanding the time spent with family.

Our biggest use of this is when we took my parents to Disney World last year (we go every year and do it with different family members each time). The 4 of us drove from MA - FL and back and my parents flew as they had less time off. Once we were down there, it was great going everywhere together - from resort to each park everyday without using the no fun public transit. We brought 2 full size strollers to the parks everyday which fit behind the 3rd row in the CX-9. I'm not lying. We've suffered on past trips wasting tons of time taking the buses, standing room only, holding all you stuff. Never again. Bring your own car (or rent) and ride in luxury!

 

When I first saw the new "longer" RX, I had to laugh. Didn't even try to get into the third row. But I guess for little kids it would be okay.

Twenty years ago we had a Mercury Sable (Ford Taurus) wagon. Two rows, and you lift up a floor panel to get seating in the very back to two kids. Worked okay.

My sister with five kids in Phoenix drove around a giant Chevy Suburban. No issues, just lousy gas mileage. And it was a Chevy. But they just loved that "Truckster." T-boned by a drunk driver going 40mph, left side caved in about a foot. My sister spent a couple of days in the hospital, but no permanent injury. So I guess it's heavy but built like a tank.

You need length to get three rows. Can't change geometry.

 

Interesting story and comments. Thanks.

 

not at all. while that old santa fe may not be a large 3 row (probably more like the CX9), the palisade has 18cu. ft of cargo space behind the THIRD ROW. now that's bigger than the huge trunk of my g90, plus the space is more vertical, so 4 rollaboard suitcases would fit easy, or 2 and a large suitcase and probable some soft bags as well.

if, as you say, 3 row crossovers could really hold 'nothing' behind the third row, then how do you explain their popularity?

the santa fe '3 row' and as bad or worse, the original sorrento '3 row' were definitely not great, hence the palisade and telluride coming out now.

the Lexus RX-L was also a build job done on the cheap. same wheelbase as reg. RX, just square off the back some, extend it a bit and jam in a tiny 3rd row that i wouldln't want my enemies to have to sit in for more than 5 minutes. lexus could and should have done a lot better, but obviously felt it could make more profit with this 'token' 3 row without spending hardly anything.

 

This is a no-brainer. For the 1-2 times a year that someone needs to "max out" all cargo space, then, well, they just deal with it. All other times, it's fine. There's just a general destain for minivans, so this is the alternative.