- thing is huge and barely fits in our garage (wife has already scrapped side of garage once in first 6 months) - gas mileage is terrible and my wife commutes 20 miles each way in gridlock - kids rip the doors open and ding other cars - had to pay $3k over list for it it’s fine, but would be near the bottom of my list. We have an Odyssey that is superior in every way for our families needs and cost half of what the Tahoe did.
Luckily I just found out we are taking it on a whole weekend test drive, so I'm sure these little things will help my argument I need stuff with structure, like the doors fall off when you unlock them, you know shit I can show her
1. The drive is remarkably terrible compared to expeditions. 2. The lane keep assist doesn’t work well compared to other manufacturers. 3. Chevy makes you pay a monthly fee for basic features that should come standard on a 70k vehicle. For example, the speed limit in HUD won’t work unless you pay $20/month. 4. There are tons of things that dont work 100% but aren’t technically broken including sound cutting out randomly on CarPlay, automatic fold down seats only work if the spaces are absolutely clear, the trunk only opens partly via remote at times. 5. Despite being a full size SUV, the back row is still cramped and if the seats are up the cargo space isn’t enough for kids. 6. Gas mileage is terrible. We have 2023 premier. I still can’t believe my wife chose it over an expedition, navigator, or Escalade.
Buy. A. Fucking. Minivan. (and a work truck if you need a truck) (and if you live out in the sticks, Toyota is selling a lifted AWD Sienna now) Plus, you'd barf if you knew how much it actually costs to build a full-size SUV Spoiler it's no more than half what you paid
Chevys car play feature blows so much. It’s easily the worst from all the vehicles I’ve either rented or own.
I don't have any issues on Android Auto, so I presume the carplay thing is a bug... my '22 Z71 just got 2 software updates over the last couple weeks. Have her update to see if it fixes Carplay Also NoNatty , I agree their lock down is dumb, but they are all in on subscription revenue like everyone else. A workaround is to use the same speed limit data via Google Maps from Carplay/Android Auto..and bypass the built in maps app. I'm not overly rosy about the direction of vehicles or the Tahoe in general, but I've had no substantive issues with mine in ~18 months of ownership. Also reminder - don't pay market adjustment.
My 2021 chevy 2500 has something that happens with the radio where every now and then it will just freeze then restart itself while I'm driving. I've noticed it mostly seems to be after about and hour to hour and a half of solid driving without turning the truck off. Annoying as hell if I'm using the maps to find my way to where I'm going. Dealer just resets and updates the system, and it keeps returning.
ford doesn’t have a lockdown for anything besides WiFi. I don’t think you can bypass the speed on the HUD or dash with maps on your phone either?
Yeah, if its a true HUD or perhaps on the instrument cluster, it may not be viewable there. On the Tahoe, speed limit is included on Google Maps when you use AA/Carplay, regardless of wheter you subscribe to the chevy/onstar data plans and packages.
I honestly don't trust the speed limit thing on Google maps all that much, see it being incorrect all the time. I really don't think I would trust it on any other service even as much as Google maps, cause they are at least gathering their data from hundreds if not thousands of users for each road daily
Allegedly on my wife’s highlander, the car scans the road for speed limit signs and thats part of how it figures out the speed limit.
For you guys that have mini vans, how many kids do you have? We need to replace our sedan at some point before long. We have a 2 year old and 2 month old. Plan is to have a 3rd in a few years. Thinking the minivan is the move, but maybe a bit premature right now. However I don’t want to buy a car I’ll need to replace in a few years. I’m also 6’ 4” and want to be cautious I’d still fit in whatever we get when there’s a car seat behind me. our other vehicle is an expedition (with captain seats) which is great for the 2 kids rn but I’m a little concerned it won’t be ideal in a few years if/when we need to use the 3rd row.
Getting a minivan this year, third kid comes in sept. I’m 6’3” and there was plenty of space behind me. Even with two kids I think the van would be great. I’m just waiting on waitlists for now.
If you have 3+ kids, the practicality of a mini van cannot be topped. Not sure where we’d be without ours. I know my back would be completely fucked.
my situation was a little different. I had 3 kids 15 months and under in the early days. So multiple kids in the carriers. Much easier to get them in and out of the middle seat of a van versus a higher SUV.
That’s how most do it, which is annoying in neighborhoods like ours that are golf cart communities, so my wife’s car is constantly picking up the golf cart speed limit (that no one pays attention to anyway, so I don’t know why they exist). No, car, the speed limit on this road is not 15mph.
6’3” have 23 month old behind me in the van, 3 month old in other seat behind passenger. His seat is rear facing and ive got enough room and the slide open doors are game changer getting them in and out in tight parking lots. The drivers seat itself can move back maybe 1.5” more inches from the pic. And theres a gab of 3/4” for how I have it reclined between the seats. Will be turning his seat around soon and using the screen for movies for him to watch on road trips this summer instead of hanging his ipad from the headrest. Plus we can control the amazon fire tv from the front screen to put on what he wants to watch.
Thanks that’s helpful. Pretty clutch knowing you still have room with that rear facing seat setup. From a car west perspective I think that’d take up the most room. I can imagine it’s much more convenient with the sliding doors. Curious what model van you have?
2022 Pacifica hybrid limited. Get 35 mpg on roadtrips, normal driving we are all on battery around town as it has ~35 mile range (temperature dependent) Getting 800-1000 miles between each tank of gas.
I don't really even understand this question. There's no SUV that has more room than a current Odyssey/Sienna/Pacifica. They are huge. If you're worried about it feeling small, get one that has a panorama sunroof (I can't remember which has that option). Makes the car feel 100% bigger (our wagon has one).
I'm 6'2'' and have four kids. Two are twins that had car seats directly behind us in a Honda Odyssey. We had no issues with space. Vans are awesome for kids/space.
Automaker propaganda that makes us think SUVs are huge inside just because they’re disgusting tanks on the road.
I remember checking out a Honda Pilot when they first came out and thinking "holy shit how can something this big on the outside be so small on the inside"
I guess my question is if there’s something that would meet my space needs, 3 kids need, and isn’t either a mini van or large suv (e.g., expedition/Tahoe).
Sort of... ;) https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a25167929/2019-mercedes-benz-e-class-wagon-reliability/ (I think hoovie is a mizzou guy)
Merc wagon can seat seven, though. We have six total, and have done the jump seats + roof rack for a three day trip out of town. Works just fine, especially since the air suspension in the rear levels everything out. Spoiler that coin has two sides, I'm probably going to be replacing the air bags this month. All the German wagons have them.
Guess that settles it, time to get a wagon! I thought he was from Kansas… also, good to know everyone on this board is > 6ft
Only caveat with Euro cars is to be meticulous about the maintenance. That said, you don't HAVE to take it to the dealer. Most Euro indy's want business so they'll keep good records and be dramatically cheaper than dealer. Merc is by far most reliable of the German brands, too, especially if you're buying a C/E/S Class.