We too have been looking at getting a larger vehicle. With an active family of 4 we need the space. In some instances it's for cargo, in others it's for people. As such we're looking at vehicles with a third row seat. We have many friends with vans and sure they are nice but I don't really want a van. After driving a few around my wife thinks they are too big, thank goodness, and we've focused on crossover type vehicles.

We've driven a bunch and looked at more. I kind of had a mental list going in. Some stayed on the list while others didn't. There were a few that also got added to the list. I'm really liking the Honda Pilot. Like a lot of 3rd gens they keep their value. One that is 1-3 years old isn't that far off from new, so we might go that route.

We have a friend with the newest Pathfinder. It's pretty big and far from the Pathfinder I liked growing up. In the end it will be the car my wife drives and if it's anything like now I'll only drive it to the gas station and maybe on the weekends. She's coming from a 5 speed turbo Subaru so she wants something with some pep. Pretty much everything we've driven is bigger than my 3rd gen but surprisingly they don't seem like dogs.

The Pathfinder, Mazda CX9 and the Highlander are ones that are still on the to drive list. My wife doesn't care much for the Highlander, especially for it's new price and we both have yet to even sit in a Mazda. Thankfully both our vehicles are working well and we like them. That's better than being forced into a new car without having time to research.