In a Suburban you do. I’ve rented Suburbans in the past and had no trouble fitting a car seat and 2 adults in the 3rd row.
Granted, the two adults were 120lb, 5’6 woman. To won’t fit 2 quarterbacks + a car seat.
@terranea you gotta face that all your requirements scream either “minivan” or Suburban.
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In a pinch yes but as a daily occurrence it would be painful. I agree suburban/yukon xl is best option if OP against a minivan but OP has ruled out GM.
If you like the Armada that much then finance it with an extended warranty
Honestly the Wagoneer is awful. I hated the recon process on those. Everything was on backorder and seemingly every single one had electrical issues. That being said, every time I posted one, they went like hot cakes. I never had issues selling them.
On a lease the GM engine issues are a non factor. I would rather one of those OR the Infiniti over a Wagoneer
That being said, mini-van is the real number one choice! Having an 8 passenger mini van that you can remove the center seat to make captain chairs? Thats awesome
Thanks for your insight. Just to clarify - you and some others have posted that on a lease the lifter issue on gm is a non issue. Are we just saying that the statistical chance of a lifter failure over three years is near zero? I would never want the engine failure on the highway that happened to my friend, and that was a lease. Granted it was a 6.2, not a 5.3.
Yeah… man. I never thought i would drive a minivan but i guess there is always a reason right..
Will look into this option. Wife and I primarily have just leased in the past but are there good resources to look into when it comes to financing 101?
oh no the lifter issue is definitely an issue! My neighbor had his fail at sub 3k miles. That being said, its a lease, its not YOUR car and therefore not YOUR problem. The Caddy store by me has tons of loaner escalades because of these issues. The jeep store? they might have 3 wagoneer loaners
Minivans were mentioned earlier in the post. Check out the Kia Carnival. I purchased one at the end of 2024. Very happy with it. You’ll get the highest trim for $20,000 less than some of the full-sized SUVs you were looking at. Definitely worth test driving if you looked at the Telluride and Palisade.
Doesn’t really look like a classic minivan, and sliding doors for my kids has been great. I have the hybrid model, and get about 35mpg.
It probably doesn’t lease well, so this would likely be a purchase.
i will check out the Kia Carnival. i was taking a look at the website…looks like 2026’s are just around the corner, hopefully that means 2025’s will be going at a great incentive?
on another note…given that I am coming to terms with either a full size SUV or a minivan style…
if we were to get a Chevy Tahoe. 5.3 L. 2025. AWD or 4WD. i would prefer the magneride suspension, so that means at least a premium trim. about how much should I be targeting for the monthly lease? alternatively, how much percentage off MSRP is a “reasonable” goal? i have been looking at marketplace (i really couldn’t find one who specializes in chevy full size) and there is no pre-negotiated deal for a full size SUV other than the infiniti. i know that we were so against GM initially because of the engine failure but that was primarily for the 6.2’s…so hopefully the 5.3’s should be ok…right?
urgh. i appreciate everyone’s insight on this forum truly. you guys have a wealth of experience and it helps car newbies like me.
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Just get the 5.3 or the diesel if your concerned about it. All that said be prepared to pay up especially if you want a high end trim like you mentioned.
I’m confused by why you were surprised by the Armada (but find it too expensive) but you were not impressed by the Infiniti QX80. They’re the same platform and general underpinnings, even if the Infiniti is “nicer” than the Armada. And you can lease a QX80 for less with more tech and style, in my view. There is still decent rebate, aggressive dealer discounts, and low money factor plus ability to use MSDs for significant money factor buy down. The residual is likely BS but you’re not buying it so who cares? That helps you lease them at a “decent” price compared to true comps (and compared to Armada). My wife couldn’t reach the pedals in the Chevy/GMC comps plus the Infinti less costly since the leases on GM stink. If you’re going to buy, that’s a different story, and I question depreciation on the qx80 and its hugh price tag.
Also, you may want to consider a second row bench. Captains seats are nice, yes, and that’s what I wanted with 4 kids, but the flex you get on cargo space with the second row bench and the 60/40 third row is why we went with the qx80 in sensory trim with bench. (We also cannot fit an XL in our driveway the way we have to park, and my wife was afraid she’d clip things if we went suburban or Yukon XL.) The qx80 bench is also available on the sensory trim (unlike some higher trims on other brands), and it’s a manual tilt, so it’s quicker than the power tilt on the captains chairs model and still allows a car seat to stay in there. Interior space (for passengers) is great and light years from our prior three row SUV. Trunk is not huge, to be sure, but it’s usable and square and you can fold down the 40% side and still squeeze one kid back there with a lot of seating room (or two uncomfortably). (I’m still not sold that it’s really 22-23 cubic feet, but with the shelf you can fit a ton of groceries with the third row up.) also keep in mind that the third rows are much larger in the body on frame vehicles (you can’t really compare it to a traditional SUV where the wheel wells are usually cutting in and the seats sit very low).
My two cents. Again, the qx80 is not perfect, by any means, and I would rather have had a Yukon Denali. But this is much more “affordable” and, to me, useful if you’re not looking at the XL versions of the body on frame style, and I like the way it drives. MPG is another story, but it is what is with these guzzlers. If MPG is a motivating factor or a deal breaker, then you really shouldn’t be looking at them in the first place and should consider a traditional SUV or perhaps the diesel (also that gets pricey).
I was able to get a little over 10% off MSRP back in December. Not sure what’s possible now, but there may be some data points in the Marketplace.
My statement about the Carnival not leasing well is relative- if you’re looking at large SUVs at $1000 or more a month, the carnival will likely be several hundred dollars cheaper per month for the top trim
It’s not dissimilar to buying a house. Do your research, negotiate the best price you can and then secure the best terms for the loan, which may be the dealer/captive finance arm or an independent bank/CU
I leased mine 6/1. mf has ticked up a hair with June pricing, and incentives are better because you don’t need conquest to get the $4K in incentives. I had conquest so it’s about $20 or so more this month with my same discount. I got ~12% off pre rebate, $4K in rebates, and max MSDs. MSRP was $104,255 (sensory with bench). 36/10 was $898 pre-tax with zero due at signing (again that was with max MSDs which made a huge difference ($150+ per month)).