Quote:
Originally Posted by svt1998gt
with our first born the stroller took over thw entire trunk. you had to pack groceries around it.
also with the rear facing seat you had to put in the middle if you wanted some leg room.
with a newborn they take up much more space than older kids.
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I also have 3 kids (and a vasectomy), our current fleet includes a raptor, and an Escalade (the long bus).
My wife drives the Escalade, it has captains chairs in the second row, which are essential, you cant flip the 2nd row seats with car seats installed, and the older kids in the back can buckle themselves. We got the long version (ESV?) for 2 reasons, we didn't really want to need the long one, but we do. With the 3rd row up you can't put a stroller or anything useful behind the seat, and there there is no crash structure behind the 3rd row of other vehicles and we were spending a lot of time on the highway.
I have a Raptor, that I have not been driving much, but it is also great for 3 kids in the back seat, is some ways better, you can get to them for whatever, I personally think the Raptor seats are more comfortable. If you had a bed cover or shell on the raptor and you kids didn't fight/pick on each other it could be perfect for the job.
If you spend a lot of time in the vehicle I, sadly, must recommend the Escalade with the rear seat entertainment, the kids have their own space and can't reach each other and they can watch their movies on road trips. As time goes on, you'll also find yourself with 'friends' in the car too.
Personally I much prefer the Raptor, if I had to drive from CA to Florida in one of those 2 vehicles right now I would jump into the Raptor, if I had to take the whole family on that same trip, it would be the Escalade.