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Originally Posted by Mako
so I am guessing people interested in this have 3+ kids? I have a 4 and 6 year old and can't see needing more space than the X3 provides. I guess if I had 3-4 kids the X5 would be a little cramped (little trunk space when using all seats).
If you have 2 or less kids, why would you need something this size?
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This is very short sighted.
When your kids are older you will figure things out. Do you have a daughter ? Just wait til you start hosting sleepovers for birthdays and suddenly you and your spouse are trying to fit eight kids along with you and your spouse into two vehicles to go to dinner or to a movie. Sure.. you could make two trips (perhaps Three trips with your X3?) but who's gonna watch the kids at the house and at the theater at the same time? Apparently you also should take a trip to a local park and check out all the minivans and SUVs and watch mothers and fathers carpooling kids and equipment to soccer, football, or baseball practice. My god... why would these people actually need something bigger than an X3 ?
When I was married I had ONE child and I can't tell you how many times I ended up shuttling around more than my spouse , daughter and two additional kids. We even took a week long trip once with another family. 3 kids and 4 adults.. 350 miles each way to Branson Mo from Dallas TX with all the gear for everyone *inside* the vehicle. No F-ing way that can be done with an X5.
I've owned two expeditions ( gen 1 and gen 2), both with a 3rd row seat and they have both been invaluable, particularly the second with the power folding rear seats which i keep DOWN when not in use so as not to affect rear visibility.
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Originally Posted by Alfisti
Minivans are a much, much better solution though, and yes I have kids. 3 row SUV's are asinine at best, they make zero sense over a decent minivan.
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Asinine.. wow! Sure a minivan has a good amount of flexibility for passengers (in truth it's certainly better for every day ingress/egress for passsengers ) and you might be able to tow a light boat... but sorry.. an SUV trumps a minivan when it comes to towing. A 4 dr pickup is great for towing and carrying 2-5 people but can never seat 7 legally, and certainly not store luggage for more than 1 or two people without having to use the bed.
Show me a minivan that will tow a BMW race car on an trailer ... until then... you resemble your accusation..
While I may not have needed to fit 6 people on my way to the track... (I could have).. even if I just towed my car to the track, and then dropped the trailer and unloaded all my gear... guess what happens when 7 guys want to go leave the track for some dinner or night life? My seven seat SUV ends up being the first vehicle to be claimed!
Pretty amazing that you folks
can't imagine/totally discount scenarios other than your own (current) household..
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Originally Posted by chrisny
All comes back to the sacrifices we're willing to make, or not make. As such, the X7 has a place, same as the GL, Q7, same as the suburbans, sequioa's, etc. Whether it be that stigma you mentioned or simply a preference for something that either drives better, looks better, or both, the plethora of other options for large families works well for far too many people to consider them anything less than valid options. At one point, I would have added snow performance to that list, but I think modern minivans have gotten better in that area, at least those available with AWD, I am assuming. I'm sure there are plenty of families that would add towing capabilities and ground clearance as reasons to go with a big SUV over a minivan too… So I come back to, if you need or want an SUV, but need one bigger than an X5 and still favor driving dynamics, why not an X7…..
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