Its great to see with a large or small family we all kinda had the same cars. My wife use to have a Lexus RX 330 before the Highlander and that was her baby (you know what I mean haha). Even though she knew it was to small for our growing family she wanted to get the RX 350 until reality set in and we purchased the Highlander. Both great trucks and would highly recommend then to anyone. Glad you guys like your RX 350!

 

Seriously guys...if you have kids you should get the minivan. I'm the last person that would want to buy something that doesn't do it for me as an enthusiast, but when they are young and you have so much crap to take everywhere...the minivan is a godsend. I have said it multiple times...its probably one of the best overall purchases I have ever made. It makes packing and traveling so much easier, getting them in and out so much easier...gotta have it. Its only for a few years, and then once they are ambulatory and can get themselves in and out, you can always go back to an SUV.

Another thing thats good, I kind of like having a family vehicle I don't really care about. The Jeep i loved and was worried about keeping it clean and serviced and well cared for...if my wife told me tomorrow she drug a parking pylon down the side of the van...as long as the sliding door still worked I wouldn't care LOL. Because kids DO destroy a car, it helps.

 

That's why, depending on the details of the Wear-and-Tear clause in the contact and the fact that families sometimes go on long vacations and accumulate mileage, leasing a minivan may not always be a good idea.

 

They can always be brought back into shape pretty easily...

 

No offense, but I've never understood the "kids destroy cars" comments. What do you guys allow your kids to do in your cars???

The worst I ever have to do is clean fingerprints off windows and vacuum up some cracker crumbs.

 

Nobody takes better care of their cars than I do, but the realities of traveling around with a baby or a kid (or in my case, two babies) is that the car is filled with toys, stuff, strollers, carseats, etc. We don't plan on letting ours eat in the car if we can help it. As someone who has always driven a perfectly clean, orderly, vacuumed car day in and day out...its an adjustment for me lets put it that way LOL.

My wife is not that way about cars, but I have always taken care of our car she drives that way. With the van, I can't just take it and get it washed regularly, maintained perfectly, etc without leaving her really without a vehicle to drive the kids around in.

Having the van be more of an appliance to me is a relief, if they were riding around all the time and I was as **** as I am about my car, or I was about her Jeeps before the van it would be a significant drag on my life.

 

^^^ we are exactly the same and similar situation. Wait till your babies gets older, it's even worse...

 

^^^^ Haha I find that funny because I am another one that feels the same as you guys when it comes to our cars. Mine is washed regularly, vacuumed and dusted a the time. I don't really allow anyone to eat in the car and I always have cleaning wipes on hand for any kind of a mess. My wife thinks I'm crazy but hey I'm just that passionate about my cars. Her on the other hand looks like she lives in her car lol.

 

So the wife says she wants to move forward with the Highlander with the captain seats but I feel like she may regret the decision later with the Highlander's space compared to the Sienna. We also looked at the Pilot and MDX but they definitely had less space the the Highlander and the fact that they did not offer captain seats would render the 3rd row useless with 2 baby seats.

 

Do yourself a favor and rent a minivan for a week, and see if she still feels that way...

 

I don't get ppl hating on minivan styling, personally I think minivan looks cool and functional at the same time! And the space, my van has second row captain seats, so it's very easy to just walk to the third row, and last time on our trip to Los Angeles, my wife put a yoga mat on the floor and pillow at the end, she was able to stretch and slept for good 3 hours.

 

I plan on getting a Highlander in the next couple of years. I think it's a very smart buy as I have extensively looked at everything out there carefully. I have two kids and live in the northeast where we have snow to consider. With two kids, the space of the highlander with the 3rd row folded is more than enough for even a cross country trip. Hell, the 4 of us went from MA to FL and back in a Yaris sedan. Week's worth of luggage, full size stroller, large cooler, etc... A Highlander would hold it all without over stuffing.

Question is how much space do you really need. I think a minivan serves those with more than 2 kids. A Highlander could still serve a family of 5 well, but a minivan would certainly make things more comfortable.

Being in a northern climate makes the decision easier. Many of us want AWD. And unfortunately Toyota stopped making AWD Sienna's. For you guys in FL or southern CA, you don't need the AWD.

 

Who told you Toyota stopped making Sienna's with AWD? Still on the website...

It's not just about space, it's about the ease of loading kids with the sliding doors. It's also about space with the third row in place, that's a huge difference between a crossover and a minivan.

 

My bad on the AWD. Toyota.com doesn't say AWD under Sienna models and I thought I had heard Toyota dropped it a couple of years ago.

I don't see how it's that difficult getting kids in the 2nd row of a Highlander. An NBA player would get in with ease. The Highlander's middle row and doors are just like the fronts. Granted the 3rd row is more for the occasional extra passengers. That's why I say if you have only 2 kids I think the Highlander is a great choice. And sometimes that ground clearance can come in handy. Lot's of people just don't want a minivan. A lot of it is the stigma which may be unwarranted but it's there. I'm not a minivan hater but I just think crossovers are a great alternative that gets most people's needs met.

 

Sedona just beat everything on motorweek minivan shootout.