Greetings! Chris here from Texas. My wife and I have four young kids toddler to elementary age, and our Sienna is getting to be too cramped for us, so I’m looking for something even bigger & better, if it exists!
Ideally our van should be a mobile kid operations room. Often some of the kids need to hang out in the van for a few hours while siblings are at an extracurricular activity. We need cabin space for backpacks, meals, books, so the kids can be productive in the car for a few hours while hanging out or on the road. (but we do not plan to sleep or camp in the car).
On our wishlist:
-room in cabin for the kids stuff. very cramped now when kids all pile in with school backpacks and water bottles, even harder if we bring a boxed dinner along. even worse if grandma joins us for a total of 7 passengers
-less road / wind / ac noise. hard to hear kids in the back row
-easier front to back access. right now if I have to help a kid in back row, i have to contort myself in a feat of acrobatics going from front passenger seat, over the center console, between the middle row, to get to a back row kid and help clean up a mess or serve a meal or what not.
- we love our sliding doors. so an suv with conventional passenger doors would suck
-willing to consider a conversion, if no stock vehicle works.
-obviously care about quality, reliability. safety. nothing with a lousy track record.
-decent cargo space in back is important too. cant fit a costco trip in back of sienna.
while Im not looking to spend a fortune, Im willing to stretch the budget for the right vehicle for the next ten+ years. brand new or low mileage used.
ps i dont give a dang about “luxury” or “prestige” in a vehicle. prefer to avoid leather seats.