When we moved to Dublin, we sold Hubby’s car and put mine in storage. When we knew we were moving back we started looking for a replacement for his car. We knew we wanted more kids and would probably need a car with 3 rows eventually. We looked at the options and I didn’t like any of the options. I wanted a car with 3 rows, good gas mileage, ease of use with the kids in car seats and a manual transmission (and not a minivan!) I couldn’t find anything that met all 4 criteria. I didn’t even find anything that met 2 or 3 of the criteria so we decided to wait.
We got hubby a Volkswagen Passat TDI (diesel engine) and have been super pleased with it. Due to hubby’s long commute, the 40+ miles per gallon has saved us tons of money. And I’m especially glad we waited because the extra time gave the car makers more time to make my ideal family car.
This weekend we went out and bought a new Nissan Pathfinder. The Pathfinder was completely redesigned for 2013 and meets every criteria other than my wish for a manual transmission (which I had long given up on). We had been looking at the Pathfinder for a while and even rented one in August when we went up to Disney with my sister (in order to avoid having to take 2 cars) and really liked the car.
I like that it’s got one of the best gas mileage ratings of mid-size SUVS with a 3rd row and even though I don’t drive too much, it’s really important to me to get decent gas mileage. Only a few other cars with 3rd rows get better gas mileage and those that do have pretty much useless 3rd rows, no stowage space or were insanely out of our price range.
It’s by no means a fancy car, though it could be. We got a great, no FANTASTIC deal on the base model (S class) that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles but I don’t need all the fancy pantsy stuff, I need a car that will get me from here to there and keep my kids safe. Plus, if I can write an entire post on what my family could do with $25 (see “A Matter of Principle (and Pennies)”) then just imagine the post I could write on what a few thousand dollars means to my family. I’ve lived without the top-class features up to now, I can easily do without them into the future!
But what really sold me on the Pathfinder was how great it is for car seats. I really wanted a car where I could have all 3 kids in the middle row and use it as a standard 5 seater car except when we had the occasional additional passengers. I did not want captain’s chairs where one of the kids would have to be alone in the back or where I’d have to climb in the back to fasten car seats (one of my beefs with minivans). I also didn’t want to have to move a car seat to the back or take it in and out to get to the 3rd row.
The Pathfinder has a nice roomy 2nd row which easily accommodates 3 car seats. The 2nd row is also adjustable front to back to give extra leg room for the 3rd row and when pushed all the way back, gives tons of leg (or rear-facing car seat) room.
While the 3rd row is not terribly roomy, there is plenty of space for two adults to sit next to each other and with the 2nd row pushed forward, even my 6 foot tall sister didn’t complain about sitting back there.
It also has an actual cargo area behind the 3rd row. It’s not huge but roomy enough for my stroller and if I need extra stowage space there is a “hidden” compartment under the floor of the cargo area or I can fold one or both on the 3rd row seats flat to create lots of space (and I can’t even imagine how much if I slide the 2nd row seats forward).
The 2014 Pathfinder has lower LATCH anchors in each 2nd row outboard seat and top tether anchors on all 3 2nd row seats and on the passenger side 3rd row seat. This means I can have 4 forward facing car seats all SAFELY installed at the same time! Most minivans don’t even have that!
And the highlight is the “LATCH and Glide” system which allows you to access the 3rd row by moving the 2nd row passenger seat forward while a forward facing seat or infant base is installed (as long as it is installed with LATCH and not the seatbelt). I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how cool this feature is! I mean, seriously…you can have 3 car seats installed for your family of 5 and then when you have extra people you can just slide the seat forward without having to adjust or remove any of your car seats.
It means I can go to the airport to get my parents without having to leave a child behind or take out a car seat. It means we can all drive to dinner together and not have to worry about parking for two cars. It means so much convenience when we have extra people around and it means no disruption to our regular lives! I am (so far…2 days in) in LOVE with this car!
