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Unless you are going off roading, an SUV does not make a lot of sense. With a van you get more room, cargo space, comfort, and a cheaper price (as long as you do not pay the dealer massive mark up on a conversion). You simply cannot beat a full sized van for a large family. For us (7 people, 2 huge English mastiffs and lots of stuff that seems to need to come along), nothing else is even practical. We could cram into a Suburban or Yukon Denali (same vehicle), but why? We would pay more for less usable space, more difficult access, less comfort, fewer amenities, less view . . . I cannot think of one advantage that a Suburban/Denali has over a full sized conversion van.
If you do look for a van, you will probably be looking at Chevy express. Dodge stopped making full sized vans, Ford's is still based on a 1980 design, and the only other full size is an absurdly priced Mercedes.
We always had conversion vans. This year I told my wife that since the kids are older and most are driving, we could consider stepping away form the full sized van and getting something more fun to drive. I told her that she had a free hand to get anything she wanted under $60k. After lots and lots of looking, test drives and thinking, she elected to get a full size conversion van. It is just what she likes best.
Isn't Acadia the same thing as Traverse? If so, they are very small inside. We were suprised by how little room there was, especially int he third row. That is pretty much a children only seat and access is terrible. Then there is very little cargo space. Even a minivan offers more space. However the traverse does propvise four wheel drive if you think you need it (a few vans do too, but they are expensive to own).
Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna is the way to go period. I'd also give Chrysler TownAndCountry a look but they're not as reliable and the resale is not as good.
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