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We have a 2010 Pilot and a 2007 Sienna. My husband likes the Sienna because he likes that he can put some space between the kids. They don't have to touch which is a good thing. The middle bucket seat can be moved next to each other or removed. He claims it has more storage space behind the seats than the Pilot. I prefer my Pilot. The back row seats are easier to put down and you can fit eight people in it versus seven in the minivan. I have three children, but they have friends and sometimes we need eight seats. I like that the Pilot has ground clearance and doesn't scrape the ground when you pull out from a driveway on an incline to the road. The Sienna gets better gas mileage.
Pilot and Acura MDX (same platform) are not full 7 seaters. The third row has very little legroom and would only work for young kids. Futhermore, with the third row up, there is very little boot space. It really is meant to be a 5 seater that can serve as a 7 seater for the rare case when you need.
What you get in return is an SUV that is literally the best handling 7 seater SUV in the market, and is also only a tad big bigger than many other 5 seater SUVs. You can basically drive it like a car, instead of the handling you get from a body on frame large SUV.
It really looks like you need a full 7 seater and I do think the best option would be a minivan like the Odyssey or the Toyota one.
My teenage daughter is 5'4" or 5'5" tall and has no problem being comfortable in the 3rd row seats of my new Highlander. When test driving the Highlander, and other 3 row SUVs, she rarely felt cramped in the 3rd row of any of them. I think the only one where she didn't go for the test drive was the Ford Explorer.
Any family vehicle needs Captain's chairs in the second row to access the third row. That alone eliminates most SUV's. The third row in most SUV's are pretty much worthless. Adults cannot sit back there. The exceptions are extended models like the Suburban or Escalade ESV. The problem is these SUV's are tanks and can be difficult to drive in large metropolitan cities in my opinion. They can be hard to park, back up, change lanes etc. If you live in a small town or rural area, they are fine.
The minivans are your best options. The problem with the minivans is they all have weak engines and nothing exceeding 300 hp whereas many SUV's have 8 cylinder engineers and 300 + HP engines. The Escalade is 400 hp and drives really smooth. I like the Japanese minivans for reliability but they have really weak engines especially the Sienna in my opinion.
Overall, minivan is your best option in terms of utility. But if you don't mind a little more inconvenience in exchange for a better ride, more power and more prestige, go with an SUV.
With regard to minivans, choose something with stow and go seating. I believe the Pacifica and Kia Sedona offer both. Pulling seats out is archaic. I can't believe Toyota and Honda haven't invented that yet.
The only AWD drive minivan is the Toyota Sienna but the Sienna are also has pretty low horsepower compared to the other minivans so it doesn't have a lot of power.
The Honday Odyssey is being completely redone and new models will come out next spring. From what I read, the engines arent really changing and the change has more to do with cosmetics. The exterior looks a little different and the interior is more modern and contemporary. I believe the Sienna is coming out with a new model in 2018.
All of the statements above are of my opinion only. Do your own research as well.
Last edited by azriverfan.; 08-18-2016 at 11:58 AM..
The problem with the minivans is they all have weak engines and nothing exceeding 300 hp whereas many SUV's have 8 cylinder engineers and 300 + HP engines. The Escalade is 400 hp and drives really smooth. I like the Japanese minivans for reliability but they have really weak engines especially the Sienna in my opinion.
weak engines? Escalade is double or maybe even triple the cost...also its crazy heavy. I driven the Escalade....even at 400 hp its one turd of a vehicle.
weak engines? Escalade is double or maybe even triple the cost...also its crazy heavy. I driven the Escalade....even at 400 hp its one turd of a vehicle.
Yeah weak, just like it sounds. No pick up particularly on freeways in large cities where it matters. The title didn't mention budget. It just asked for best family vehicle so I wanted to present all sides. Regarding the cost it depends. The top of the line minivans approach 50K. The starting level Escalades with entertainment systems are in the low 70's. The Escalade is much faster than any minivan even with it's weight. There is no drag. And for some people, they don't want to be caught dead driving a minivan.
I personally recommend the minivan but for arguments can be made for SUV's.
I had a minivan and it was the most practical vehicle we've ever owned. Plenty of room for us, our two boys (including giving them room to each take one row of seats on trips), friends, teams, helping people move, the works.
People complain about them or the image, but I'm another strong vote for a minivan.
It looks like the MSRP on a base model Odyssey is $30,300. You could probably shop really hard and find an end of model year new one for close to the $25K cutoff. Edmunds is showing a 15% discount on the higher trim level with a $38K MSRP. $26K should be possible on a base trim level one. It doesn't make sense to buy that car as a late model used car. They barely depreciate. I think you're better off with the new one with the full warranty.
You are right, if OP is going to get an Odyssey, buy it new. I think I paid 18% off MSRP on the 2015 EXL I bought last April, I would expect OP would be able to do a bit better for the rest of the year as a new bodystyle is coming out soon.
Having owned a Honda Odyssey and a Toyota Highlander, I would recommend an SUV over a minivan. The handling is much better, IMO. And, my daughter is a teenager (5'4" or 5'5" tall) and her & her friends have no problem fitting into the back row of my Highlander without being cramped. Now, if your kids and their friends are the frontcourt of the local high school basketball team, you might want to get a minivan.
Of course, back when I had my minivan before, 4WD/AWD was not an option. I think you can get minivans with 4WD/AWD now.
I also prefer the Honda Pilot over the Highlander, but one local Toyota dealership gave us way more for our trade-in than any other dealer (7k vs 3,500 to 4,000 for everybody else with the same base price for the Highlander), so we ended up with the Highlander. We checked several Toyota dealers, plus Honda, Volvo, Acura MDX, Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse, Ford Explorer and a few others.
I love the new "lane watch" feature on the Pilot - put on your turn signal and you get a camera of the lane behind you of the direction you're turning (i.e., if you're turning right, you get the video of the right side of the car...)
Have that on my wife's Odyssey for the passenger side and it is a great feature.
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