[allamumof4]

Hi everyone, We are expecting Baby Number 4 in December. We have a bit of a dilemma deciding what car to upgrade to. My Husband really would like to buy a Landrover Discovery but I am not convinced that it will be that practical or spacious. I am more thinking along the lines of a Toyota Tarago or Chrysler Voyager.

The problem I have is that I think there wont be enough room in any sort of 4WD, for when we go away on Holidays or even just the weekend. We are going to need to take the Pram for a long while yet and if we go away overnight we need the portacot as well. We tend to go away 2-3 times a year and I just don;t want us all to be sqashed in with bags and stuff at our feet.

Any input would be great, from families that actually drive a Landrover or people mover. Thanks so much

[*Lena*]

How many anchor points will you need? If you need 4 make sure that the car has them. I don't think taragos have 4 anchor point.

[allamumof4]

Thanks for that, I will only need 2 anchor points

[InsertAwesomeHer...]

We are expecting 4 in march and will be getting a Nissan elgrand

[coopersmamma]

Hi! We have a Subaru Tribeca We bought it because soon we will be a family of 4!!! I love how it is a 7 seater without feeling like I am driving a daggy bus...or driving a bus!

We have the kids in slim-fitting car seats/boosters because of the seat contours but find that we all have plenty of room Recommend it for a test drive!

[FoxyRetro*Gal]

For 4 kids I think a people mover is the more practical. We had a 4wd and just found it too small and ended up switching to a Tarago. It's not the sexiest car but I don't feel like I am driving a daggy bus either. Nice and spacious for all the gear that goes with having four kids, plus spare seats for friends (or #5?)

[MamaMoi]

We have just ordered a Volvo XC90. Have you looked at them? We were tossing up between a few cars, the Discovery 4 being one of them.

The Volvo won in the end for various reasons but the main ones being safety and the boot space you have with the third row seats in use.

I was able to fit my Baby Jogger City Mini Double GT pram behind the third row of seats. When I tried this in the Landrover there was no chance. I was able to fit my Mountain Buggy Urban (single) in the Landrover but only with the rear wheels removed. Having to remove wheels to fit the pram in would drive me bananas, as would having to use a pram I didn't like only because it fit in the tiny boot.

We haven't got the Volvo yet as it's not due to arrive until the end of November but today I was thinking whether I had made the right decision. In light of #4 not working out, I started thinking maybe we should look at the Discovery again. The middle row of seats is great in the Discovery, but to have that space there, you lose the boot space. Plus, the Volvo rates much better in terms of safety and really, I feel that is the most important thing for us at this stage. Who knows, we might try again and have a 4th at some stage and I honestly think the Discovery is not an option if you have 4 kids and still need to cart around a pram.

Good luck!

This post has been edited by MamaMoi: 11/09/2012, 06:24 PM

[lilybet]

Depends on the age of your children.

Little kids are fine in a 4WD. We had 5 in a Landcruiser until a year ago.

Teenagers need more room though. We now drive a VW Multivan. It has oodles of room. But very big to drive...much bigger than the cruiser.

[MamaMoi]

Depends on the age of your children.

This is a good point. Some of the third rows in 4WDs have a height limit. Make sure you check that out (read the manual as a lot of the car sales people have no idea about these details and will tell you what you want to hear to make the sale!). For example, 3rd row in the Volvo is for people up to 160cm. It's to do with the head room and safety requirements. The Discovery third row are full sized seats designed for adults so I suspect wont have the same limitations that other cars do.


Also think about how long you intend to keep this car for and how old/big your kids are going to get during that period.

[beljane]

If you want a 4wd get one with a split fold 3rd row so you have the option of folding one seat up when you need the extra space. Also, a roof top storage bag/capsule is very very helpful. We go away a lot as well (been away 5 times already this year ) and are having #4 tomorrow . For us 4wd was the only option because we actually go 4wding so we had to really think about the storage options.

This post has been edited by beljane: 13/09/2012, 08:54 AM