When shopping for the best vehicles for twins a good rule of thumb is always plan for more room then you think you need. While any midsized sedan with a good sized trunk can make a serviceable nursery shuttle, the tighter confines, lower ceiling, and lack of flexible space keep them from being the top or preferred choice. For the best, compare these minivan and non-minivan options.
Comparison for (future) Minivan Moms
With so many people having such strong feelings about never driving a minivan, why is it you still see so many at schools, sporting events, and shopping malls? Because despite the lack of sexiness they flat out work. And since with twins everything it seems needs to be done twice, whatever makes life easier just doubled in value. You can compare minivans using our vehicle comparison tool but below we look at available cargo space.
Minivan
Trunk Space 3rd Row Up
Trunk Space 3rd Row Down
2012 Honda Odyssey $28,375 starting MSRP
2012 Toyota Sienna $25,060 starting MSRP
2012 Chrysler Town & Country $29,995 starting MSRP
38.4 (ft3)
39.1 (ft3)
32.3 (ft3)
93.1 (ft3)
87.1 (ft3)
83.7 (ft3)
So why a minivan? In comparison to an SUV mini vans have larger rear passenger entry thanks to sliding doors, lower right heights, and vastly more configurable seating arrangements meaning you can arrange your car to fit your needs. The Honda minivan in particular is a mommy to be favorite.
SUV Options for People who Hate Minivans
For those who are anti-minivan, or just want more choices before they decide for or against here are the top five affordable alternatives. All these SUVs can seat seven or eight passengers which make them great choices if your newborn twins are joining an already expanded family.
SUV
Trunk Space 3rd Row Up
Trunk Space 3rd Row Down
2012 Honda Pilot $28,620 starting MSRP
2012 Kia Sorento $21,250 Starting MSRP
2012 Toyota RAV4 $22,650 starting MSRP
2012 Chevy Traverse $29,660 Starting MSRP
2012 Ford Flex $29,465 starting MSRP
18.0 (ft3)
9.1 (ft3)
12.3 (ft3)
24.4 (ft3)
20.0 (ft3)
47.7 (ft3)
37.0(ft3)
36.4 (ft3)
68.8 (ft3)
43.2 (ft3)
In the cheap SUV category, both the RAV4 and Sorento provide fold flat 3rd row seating options for well below $25,000 as well as being the best options for gas mileage. In fact the Kia Sorento is the best third row seat SUV for mpg on the market though there is a trade off. When in use, the third row seating is both very small and cuts significantly into your available trunk space as you can see above.
For more room at around $30,000 the Honda Pilot, Chevy Traverse / GMC Acadia, and Ford Flex are all excellent choices though both the Traverse and Flex resemble SUV-Minivan crossovers. Meaning if you hate minivans, need space/seating, and don't want to shell out $40,000 for a Suburban, Sequoia, or Expedition then the Pilot is your ride hands down. And it seats 8 with lots of latch systems, not a bad choice at all especially if your twins turn out to be more then expected.