Advice on a new vehicle? (to augment or replace the LR3)

[toddjb122]

The baby is arriving any day now and with two kids and a dog (chocolate lab) I see my LR3 getting very crowded. Everyone gave me some fantastic gear hauling tips in THIS thread, but I think I just have more toys than the rest of you.

So yes, the wife is making noise about getting a minivan (she currently drives a Highlander).

Here is my dilemma...while I don't truly mind if we were to buy a minivan I don't see us taking it on family vacations, thus I don't see the point. It'd help on inland trips to visit relatives, but for the longer trips that really matter we're going to the beach or mountains and I'm going to want 4WD.

The dog is too big to fit between two baby seats in the LR3 so I'd need to put her in the back and/or keep part of the seat folded flat. That's fine but then I lose most of my luggage space and also have to protect the dog from gear falling on her. I already have a big storage box on the roof which is spoken for so the mountains of other gear has to go somewhere else. Short of getting a trailer or some long bag that can sit on the roof next to my box, I'm at a loss. I need a bigger vehicle. What do you recommend?

I'd love to get a Range Rover, but while they are wider, won't I lose cargo capacity?
A Yukon/Tahoe is a possibility as they're big rides.
I haven't looked at the new Expeditions, but they could work as well.
However...I'd really like something that can fit in my garage.

This weekend I was out on the beach with a guy who had an all wheel drive Chevy van. This wasn't a Quigley, but a stock Chevy and it drove GREAT on the beach. I was really surprised this was stock. He drops the pressure down like I do on the rover and it does great in some very soft sand. Problem is, yeah, I have become spoiled by the nice interior of the LR3 and when I looked at those Chevy's online it really feels like a shuttle bus. I'd also still like the torque to be able to pull someone else out if needed.

I'm not going rock crawling- I need something for sand, snow, and some light towing.
If I make the wife happy with a minivan, I'm still in a pickle for vacation travel.
If I buy myself something new I'll miss owning a land rover.
Could always pass the LR to her and me pick up something bigger.

How would you solve this pickle? Trailer?

 

[toddjb122]

...this post of mine prompted me to take the first serious look at other vehicles since I bought the LR and I came to the same depressing result. Nobody else has tailgates. ?

***? Doesn't anyone realize the convenience of opening a tailgate in a fully packed car?
Used to just be a nice place to sit, now it has become a great place to change a diaper!!

Ugh...I just don't like a lot of the other options out there.

 

[morrisdl]

stick with the lr3. get a trailer, roof rack, or hitch hauler. I too have change many diapers and frank many beers on the tailgate.

 

[jpljpl]

I've got a ~3yr old, 6 week old, and a 5yr old black lab. She's 91lbs of pup... And we faced the same dilemma.

We spend a decent amount of time driving on the beach, and like to head up to the mountains at least once a winter.

We're actually leaving in 2 weeks for our summer vacation, and I'm already trying to mentally calculate how I'm going to pack everything.

I've got an expedition rack, and the biggest Thule bag they make (Tahoe). I also use a hitch rack that slides into the factory reciever.

For the couple of trips a year, we load up the LR3 to the gills and just make it work. Everything outside gets ratchet strapped down, and we try and pack everything to seat height.

Curious to see what type of move you make. We're not ready for a suburban, but I think thats the next step for us. Probably not for another couple years though.

 

[nashvegas]

Idea

About the only thing bigger are the Nissan Armada, and maybe those huge Toyota Sequoias... but then again, my sister has a Sequoia and I marvel at how much more room I think my "narrower" LR3 has.

I don't really know. Maybe you could do what my father in law did, which is send the wife and kids in the car and fly everywhere and meet them. Seriously. ha

 

[nwoods]

The Armada is a pretty good contender, very large interior, outside dims about the same as LR3, though they LOOK much bigger. Interior is also pretty nice, though more plasticky than the LR3, and the captains chairs are overpadded. Still, it's an excellent long distance adventure mobile. But, I'd love a SportMobile....

 

[Trynian]

I kept the rover and my wife decided on a honda minivan for our triplets. The rover worked great but she always had trouble loading the babies because of the height. At first she tried to commandeer my rover so I gave her the choice of taking my rover in which case I would get another, or she could get what ever she wanted to drive and I sent her out on a solo test drive day. She made the decission and is happy with the minivan now.

 

[StevenJ_AK]

the day i bought my LR3 my best friend bought the armada, so let me just put my two cents in. LR3 looks smaller by a little bit on the outside but the true test, sit in the armada's third row. As an adult guy, 190lbs, 5'11 i can COMFORTABLY sit in my third row, plenty of head room, legs in a nice spot. Now sit in an armada's third row....welcome to the roof and a crooked neck. My head is ON the ceiling and my legs where in my chin. While it did have a small advantage to cargo area when the third row was up to the cargo area behind the third row his seats DO NOT fold flat into the floor. I dunno, it just wasnt and isnt for me. I have three kids and a 60lb Vizsla and we fit pretty good. The dog hardly rides along though lol.

This past month we took a trip from North Carolina to Texas (about 1250miles straight thru) and what we did was one kid behind the driver, one behind the passenger. Middle second row seat folded flat and pushed down into the floor. Then third child in one of the third row seats and one seat folded down. two small suitcases behind the third row and then a larger one next to the seat that was up along with the blankets and pillow for the kiddos. Then their book bags and play stuff and my laptop bag somewhat stacked up on that middle second row seat. My kids are 5,7, and 9. We were very comfy and i have to say it was my first long trip in the LR3 and i was very impressed at the quality of the drive. Especially the climate control, set the temp and it was a perfect 68 degrease the whole way lol. I need a roof rack sooooo bad but cant seem to find cross bars for one unless i get them from the stealership for 400 bucks, i know someone out there has to have a set sitting on top of their LR3 or RRS they dont like so im holding out for a craigslist deal.

Just my 2 pennies.

Steve

 

[StevenJ_AK]

I kept the rover and my wife decided on a honda minivan for our triplets. The rover worked great but she always had trouble loading the babies because of the height. At first she tried to commandeer my rover so I gave her the choice of taking my rover in which case I would get another, or she could get what ever she wanted to drive and I sent her out on a solo test drive day. She made the decission and is happy with the minivan now.

Haha, my wife does the same thing and she is 5 months pregnant with our number 4 right now too....but she is 100% content with me getting a Range Rover Sport and her taking over MY LR3.

 

[dantheman1]

but she is 100% content with me getting a Range Rover Sport and her taking over MY LR3.

Ha, that's probably what I'll be doing in the next few months, except selling the LR3. The sports have everything I like about the LR3 in a nicer package. I've heard that the 08+ have great build quality and the prices on the RR sport supercharged models have come down quite a bit with the '08 lease returns coming in.

To the original poster though, wanting something bigger, I'd recommend either a yukon/XL denali, Z71 tahoe/suburban or LR4 with roof rack. The GM trucks have very impressive build quality (start of GM's "turning around point") and big V8's. While the FFRR is nice, the rear seat is definitely more comfortable in the LR3, especially with 3 people in the back. The raised ceiling and stadium seating of the LR3/4 makes trips more enjoyable for the 2nd and 3rd rows. Either way, you can't go wrong with any of those and whatever you do, DON'T GET A MINIVAN!!