What many people don’t know about me is that I LOVE CARS.

Seriously. I love cars. I grew up riding motorcycles, I currently own two dirt bikes and loved riding in the desert in CA. Every car I’ve ever owned (other than two and I’ve owned quite a few since I began driving) I have loved.

Cars have always been a top priority for me.

Of actually loving and enjoying what I drive. Feeling not only safe but also their handling and aesthetic. I’ve done a lot of research recently on family cars as Betty the Burb is beginning to not fit for our family anymore (I don’t have 300lbs worth of dogs, we don’t go to the desert anymore, her interior is seriously falling apart, and she’s a gas whore: can you say 14 mpg, ouch).

So I have been looking at larger SUV’s with 3 rows that are a little more gas friendly but still big enough for me to sleep in at a long birth. My other requirements have been a large enough space in the back for groceries with the third row up, more tech at base models, as well as comfortable seating (for those long car rides after long births where my body is just screaming at me). And a big enough space between seats for my large camera bag and doula bag to fit in (I prefer captain’s chairs in the 2nd row instead of a bench seat).

These are my favorite (so far) top 5 family vehicles. I’m not a big minivan person, even though you’ll see one minivan on my list.

So with that in mind here are my top 5 choices for family vehicles for us:

1. Jeep Wagoneer Series III (My favorite 😍😍😍)

   HOLY FUCK. This thing is seriously fucking sexy. It’s a 3 row SUV with 3 trim levels for the Wagoneer (they also have the Grand Wagoneer which is like ridiculously fucking nice). If you want captains chairs (which is a must for me) they of course typically come standard in the Series III, but you can also get them/order them in Series I and Series II.

   I test drove one, and was BLOWN away the moment I sat in the drivers seat. It just exuded elegance and quality. So many bells and whistles. So much sexiness. Seriously no joke, I was totally turned on 😂

   The demand for these right now is ridiculous so there’s up to a $10,000 mark up on them. The last time I saw a mark up this high was/is with the Ford Raptor. Fucking ridiculous. If we do decide to purchase this vehicle, we’re definitely waiting for the demand to die down, and/or waiting for more used ones to show up on the market cuz this shit is crazy.

2. VW Atlas

   VW’s new redesign with the 2021 Atlas makes it look so beefy and aggressive and I LOVE IT. This was originally my top choice for my family after I test drove it and fell in love. Upon more research though, I found out that the second row doesn’t have overhead AC. The AC comes out from behind the center console and if baby #2 is anything like my first born, they’re going to run hot (we all do) so not having AC that can directly blow on them was a no go for us (as crazy as that sounds). I just remember as a kid not being able to have cold air blowing on my face made car rides suck even worse, especially when I got car sick. So unfortunately we had to rule this one out, although it’s still a favorite. Best bang for your buck in my opinion.

3. Kia Carnival

   OMG I ACTUALLY LOVE THIS MINIVAN. Their SX Prestige version is seriously to die for. They have lounge seating, LIKE WHAT!? I can just imagine sleeping in it at a long birth with second row seats that are essentially power recliners. This biggest issue with this version though, is that you only have two options for seat colors: cream and orange (both of which I hate). Umm y’all realize that kids are going to be in this right? Why isn’t black an option Kia!? *Update March 2022: They do come in brown and black now. Thank you Kia!

   I’m so torn on this because I love it and minivan’s I will admit are seriously convenient for families with little kids, HOWEVER, it’s still a minivan 😒😂 This replaces the Sedona and they styled this around an SUV so it definitely has sleeker lines (which is why I like it, because it doesn’t necessarily look like a minivan). I will say though that it is definitely the sexiest minivan on the market.

4. Audi Q7

   This was niiiiiiice. Like, seriously nice. However, it’s expensive because it’s an Audi. As much as I loved it, I just couldn’t over the price: about $72,00 for a new one 😳 Like I know my husband has rubbed off on me with expensive things, but damn.

   HOWEVER, it’s still nice AF. A little small for our family though unfortunately. Even though it has a third row, behind the third row wasn’t large enough. And with the third row down, it just felt cramped in there if I were to sleep in it at a birth. BUT if I were to find one at an amazing deal I could potentially be talked into it.

5. Ford Explorer

   We test drove both the Limited and Sport edition of the Explorer and were actually really let down by them. Both my husband and I are Ford fans. We’ve previously had two Ford Rangers and an F-150 (remember when I said we’ve had lots of cars 😂) and LOVED them. They were all beasts. But the Explorer, it just felt like there were things missing for us, especially with the price points of each of those trims.

   The Limited was fully loaded (even had back massagers in the front seats 😱 which I will say was pretty fucking epic) but when driving it, it was lacking in power. And then when we were driving the Sport, it definitely had more power, but it was lacking in the luxury feeling. Now when I say “luxury” I’m not talking like Range Rover luxury, it’s still a Ford, but the ride was WAY rougher and noisier than the Limited was and that was a no go for us.

   You’re definitely paying a premium for the Ford name, but for the price and what you get, I just don’t think it’s worth it. However I still put it on the list, because if we find one at an amazing price (emphasis on amazing price), it’d still be a good option (for my husband 😂).

Update march 16, 2022:

This was originally written in November of 2021. We DID end up buying a car, but it was NOTHING that we were originally looking at, and not on this list 😂

We bought a minivan. Yep, you read that correctly, we bought a minivan. A 2019 Chrysler Pacifica with less than 17,000 miles on it, and let me tell you, it was slim pickings when we were looking thanks to the super high gas prices. I held off as long as I could and just couldn’t deny the fact that they are perfect for families. I am beyond happy with our purchase and so excited to have a car that not only drives amazing and is safer for us, but also is not falling apart and gets good gas mileage for it’s size.

So cheers to the #minivanmom life now! 💕