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Hi. We have a 2010 Lexus RX 350. We currently have one toddler, and another on the way. We love the car but there isn't enough room between the car seat and the front seats. The passenger cannot have the seat in a comfy position and has to sit straight upright. The second child will be behind driver's seat which will just be impossible.
We lease our cars, and I can trade my car in now if I want a bigger Lexus, such as the GX.
Any suggestions? The Lexus GX, LX. Acura MDX. My hubby has a BMW, and we hate it, so no BMW.
Funny you say it is too small. I agree with you. The RX is our small car. Our other car is a minivan which will be replaced with another minivan or a Pilot or 4Runner. My SIL got an RX with one kid and my wife and I always comment that it won't be big enough when kid number 2 comes. This isn't even considering the small trunk.
I have not idea about the size of the GX. I am just assuming it is big (also assuming the 4runner is big). The LX same thing. One car we talk about is the new Infiniti JX. Or if that doesn't work then a Infiniti QX56. Also, look at the GL class Mercedes. A friend had 2 R class Mercedes and loved them. I am assuming you don't have a budget since you are considering the Lexus LX.
The Lexus LX is a very good vehicle, and I would consider it over the GX, though the GX is also good in its current form. The reason I prefer the LX is that I find the GX to be much tighter when using the rear row of seats, which could be an issue with passengers and the children. The MDX is an excellent choice as well, but only if the third row would not be used too often, or only by children. The MDX is also not too much larger than your current RX, so if that's a consideration for your garage, parking in tight places, parallel parking, etc., it might be a good selection.
Mercedes is in the process of dropping the R-Class, so you would have to find a 2012 if you wanted the Mercedes minivan. The new GL is Motor Trend's SUV of the year, which hopefully bodes well for the redesign, and that it will not be the kiss of death as with some other cars/trucks/SUVs of the year when looked at in a few years. It's not a bad consideration, especially in the diesel configuration, if you didn't want the V8s. Since you lease, maintenance is a non-issue, and reliability of Mercedes has improved, so a first model year might not be the risk that it was a few years ago as you don't need that hassle with children.
Another vehicle to cross-shop is the Cadillac Escalade, when considering the GL and the LX. It has a good amount of interior room, and can be had in hybrid form as well as regular gas V8. Styling is the main issue with the Escalade, as it's love or hate.
If I were in the same situation, I would heavily favor the LX, since you are a current Lexus owner and the vehicle is very much up to Lexus standards for reliability and quality. The extra room over the GX will likely come in handy, not just for passengers, but for the things you need to transport on a daily basis with children. The MDX would be a choice if you live in a dense area, and have parking concerns as it's not as much of a hassle to park in a commercial garage, for example, as the LX can be in certain garages.
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My 'big car' is my second car, so I went cheaper (4WD 4 Runner) - plenty of room for one car seat and 2 passengers to ride comfortably (cuz the car seat is in the middle), but also plenty of room for two car seats (one on each side) if need be. The GX will be similar for space. The LX will give you a better 3rd row option - if you do that with 4Runner base, you lose a lot of cargo space (vertically and horizontally).
I love the Escalade, but for how big it is on the outside, it doesn't have that much room on the inside. Also, there are no wells for feet to go in the third row. Also, car seats a beeyowtch once the car gets that high up in the air.
Of course, my friends have 3 car seats in a Toyota RAV4, so maybe the rest of us are too picky...lol!
Since the issue is fitting the carseats and still leaving room for the driver and front passengers legs, then I am afraid that this process will actually be much harder then just buying a large SUV. The second row dimensions of many fullsized SUV's are not all that different from what you have in your RX. They tend to be a little wider, but most of the extra length goes to a third row seat and storage space. For example, a Cadillac Escalade EXL (about as big a SUV as you are going to find) has similar fore and aft space (aka legroom) in the second row as your Lexus RX does.
IMO, if you want to go SUV then you need to look for examples that offer a sliding second row bench. GM introduced this feature on the Malibu Maxx wagon and the Equinox around 7 or 8 years ago and the concept has now spread. For instance, an Equinox's second row bench can slide fore and aft almost a foot, meaning you can maximize cargo space or passenger space. For this reason an Equinox with the seat all the way back has more legroom in the second row then a Cadillac Escalade. Thankfully this feature has found its way into many of the SUV's on the market both large and small and has become almost ubiquitous in the luxury ones as of the past year or two.
I know off-hand that the Infiniti JX, Audi Q5/7, Lexus GX/LX, the Mazda CX-9 and the GM Lambda triplets all have them. Moral of the story though is that you don't need to buy a supersized SUV to solve this problem. I think the new Lexus RX350 may have them as well.
After that the question becomes, how many people do you need to haul regularly? Once you add a second childseat, that pretty much kills putting an adult in the second row. So, if you are regularly going places with the grandparents or taking someone else along, that means you need three rows, or will have to take two cars which is a pain. The issue then is getting to the third row with carseats in place. Most vehicles use a tilt and slide feature, which pretty much doesn't work with a carseat installed in the second row. So, getting a vehicle with captains chairs becomes a good idea to give easy third row access.
Assuming that space, passenger capability and storage are all a priority then it becomes worthwhile to at least consider one of the minivan options that are out there.
Hi. We have a 2010 Lexus RX 350. We currently have one toddler, and another on the way. We love the car but there isn't enough room between the car seat and the front seats. The passenger cannot have the seat in a comfy position and has to sit straight upright. The second child will be behind driver's seat which will just be impossible.
We lease our cars, and I can trade my car in now if I want a bigger Lexus, such as the GX.
Any suggestions? The Lexus GX, LX. Acura MDX. My hubby has a BMW, and we hate it, so no BMW.
Thanks!
If you want a larger SUV with luxury amenities, I'd have to recommend either undisputed king of SUV's- the Cadillac Escalade- or a more understated SUV like the GMC Yukon Denali.
I owned both a 2008 Yukon Denali and a 2010 Escalade. Both are EXCELLENT vehicles in terms of features, comfort, and quality. I really can't say a bad word about either of them. I'm eyeing another Yukon Denali to replace my 2010 F-150. Just a great vehicle to drive on a daily basis.
My parents have a 2012 Cadillac SRX and they love it! It's the same size as the RX350 though so I doubt you'd want to go that route.
I have fit 1 car seat and 2 booster seats in the back seat of my wife's CRV at the same time with no problem. I wonder what families did before the 3rd row came into existance?
Get yourself a 4runner or a GX or go with the Infinity JX. There is no reason to go bigger with a small family.
It might be cheaper to shop around for smaller carseats.
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