4 kids: Minivan -> X...?

[Uncle Paul]

Some may add additional luggage storage by installing a lightweight cargo hauler on the hitch. Not as secure as keeping the luggage inside, but gets the job done. Just don't overload it.

When picking up the kids, they always want to ride in my "Space Ship". Going places in an X is an event. Just opening a door is cause for celebration.

Driving a mini van is kinda like driving a pick up truck. Some need the capability often, but most usually tool around in a vehicle most of the time not using that capability. They like to have it for those "what if" circumstances.

Mini vans are mostly slugs. When loaded up they are under powered, underbraked and ill handling.

People tend to carry all sorts of un-necessary stuff. When they have lots of space they tend to bring more than they need. Ask yourself if you really need all that luggage, or if the trip would be more pleasant without all the stuff.

 

[gangzoom]

Mini vans are mostly slugs.

Love that description!! Sadly we had a hire a minivan for a up and coming holiday due to in laws coming (fly and than rental).

Not only is it going to be a shocker compared to driving the X with doors I have to open my self, but its also diesel with no sat nav and has a manual gear box....Its the first time in my life I've not looked fowards to driving .

 

[ammulder]

Yeah, I'm definitely here because nobody wants to drive the minivan any more. When I was at work yesterday, I got a text from my wife:

"Who said you got to drive the Tesla today?"

I read this as: R.I.P. Odyssey. It's just a question of when.

Thanks for the pics of the duffels and the idea of the hitch tray. I would like to limit ourselves to what we can fit inside, if at all possible. (If for no other reason than to use the hitch for the bike rack.) But the reality is, four kids away from home and friends are at loose ends a lot, so we'll have to see how far we can go.

 

[Mewtwo]

who doesn't realize this? everyone who owns an X knows about that compartment. and the storage back there when i have 7 ppl in the X still sucks even with that compartment.

Of course the owners know this! I was referring to the general public who may think the trunk space is limited given how the roof line goes.

If you need to carry 7 people with their cargo, get a minivan. For 4 adult and 2 kids, the X could work.

 

[OBX John]

Elon, if you're listening... please give us a basic people / stuff mover! I know it's not sexy, but it's so needed. EVs will not reign until we kill the ICE minivan.

I still love the layout of my 04 Sienna - I've never had a more functional vehicle including Suburbans. Could an electric one be done for under $70k with a 300 mile range?

 

[jboy210]

Elon, if you're listening... please give us a basic people / stuff mover! I know it's not sexy, but it's so needed. EVs will not reign until we kill the ICE minivan.

I still love the layout of my 04 Sienna - I've never had a more functional vehicle including Suburbans. Could an electric one be done for under $70k with a 300 mile range?

You can always get one of the Mercedes Sprinter EVs they are building. Tesla is going has a reputation for sexy high performance vehicles. I do not see that changing in the future.

 

[Yinn]

Elon, if you're listening... please give us a basic people / stuff mover! I know it's not sexy, but it's so needed. EVs will not reign until we kill the ICE minivan.

I still love the layout of my 04 Sienna - I've never had a more functional vehicle including Suburbans. Could an electric one be done for under $70k with a 300 mile range?

So coming from a Sienna myself. I find the front and middle seats to be about equivalent. Although the Sienna is a lot more comfortable. I also find the space behind the 3rd row to be comparable with the drop in well. Where I find it lacking is the 3rd row itself and the ability for that third row to fold into the well providing a tall and open cabin area. Otherwise, I think as a SUV/CUV/SAV sloped roof vehicle I think they did a pretty darn good job.

What I would LOVE instead, is a Dodge Caravan/Town & Country Layout. So while the Sienna had the folding 3rd row, the 2nd row was a pain to be removable. But in the Dodge it was hideaway 2nd rows and third rows (at the loss of AWD) If that could be done in the Tesla it would absolutely destroy minivans, even with the loss of the height in the rear cargo area. It would also provide a good option to sit in the 3rd row and stretch out the legs. Not sure how you would do that with a skateboard battery pack though.

 

[MXWing]

Elon, if you're listening... please give us a basic people / stuff mover! I know it's not sexy, but it's so needed. EVs will not reign until we kill the ICE minivan.

I still love the layout of my 04 Sienna - I've never had a more functional vehicle including Suburbans. Could an electric one be done for under $70k with a 300 mile range?

A full on Tesla Suburban would have people lining up to buy it at over 100K.

I am thinking it will probably consume too many batteries, be possibly too heavy, too inefficient and other issues preventing it from happening.

 

[Dazex]

We're a family of 5 and went from a 2013 Honda Odyssey to a 7 seater Model X and do not miss the Odyssey at all. The X is more comfortable on road trips for us. Long drives that I used to dread or fall asleep at the wheel suddenly became a pleasure and not tiring at all. Odd how much autopilot aides in that respect.

I think for a family of 7, the 6 seater option would make sense. Amazing how absent the middle seat really opens up the third row. Even for adults. And when really needed, the middle aisle can be used to stack some things.

That said, the ability of the 7 seat to all fold down does make for an easier van replacement for hauling cargo. But I strongly believe for a family who needs to access the 3rd row often, it will be a a chore.

 

[Zaxxon]

We're in a somewhat similar situation, only our 2nd car is currently a Volvo XC90 rather than a minivan. The X is very similar to the XC90 (both 2/3/2 3-row seating, both with limited space in back when all three rows are in use), but the X adds the frunk and a lower floor behind the third row. So not quite the same packaging dilemma as you, OP, as our current road-trip vehicle isn't any more capable than an X from a cargo capacity perspective. But I would say a few things since you're a relatively new Tesla owner.

• Don't underestimate the frunk. We've taken multiple road trips in our 3 with four people (me, my wife, and 2 kids in their car seats). In the 3, we managed to fit multiple midsize suitcases, a hiking backpack, 2 kids backpacks, a small cooler, and various odds/ends. Along with four people and two car seats. That's in the 3. The frunk adds more space than you might think if you use it effectively, and the X has a bigger frunk than the 3.
• As others have mentioned, if you use the rear cargo floor well, you can fit more back there than it looks at first glance, too.
• You mentioned not really wanting to add a hitch-mounted cargo hauler. I'm in the same boat, but in the event we really need to carry more, my plan is to get an X-Rack or something similar. For a relatively small sum, you can add quite a bit of capacity back there. It's not as simple as the cavernous interior of a minivan, but you can get the X to have just as much capacity if you go this route.

We haven't ordered an X yet, but I am hoping to move the wife from 99% on board to 100% this week.

 

[jrico59]

I have a 6 year-old, a 3 year-old, and 3rd child on the way. We recently moved from a Dodge Grand Caravan (with stow-n-go 2nd row seats) to a 2017 Model X 6-seater as our family car. Someone mentioned saving the Model X for when the kids are older and to that I say "no way!" My kids absolutely love the Model X. Everything from pushing the door handles to the doors to the silly easter eggs and the acceleration. My 6 year-old chooses to sit in the back row in her booster seat. Her friends ooh and aah at the car pretty much every day when I drop her off at school and pick her up. Driving the X brings a smile to my face and to the kids', which makes mine extra wide!

 

[mickeyme123]

I love this thread. I’m also an odyssey driver. It works fine for hauling kids but I’d eventually like to get into an EV and the infotainment system is eventually going to push me over the edge.

Here is my situation: we have 4 kids of our own, so we need at least a 6 seater. Ideally with some cargo room.

My youngest are 4 (twins). Still in car seats. They need to be able to get out with minimal assistance in carline at preschool. Let’s assume this purchase waits until they can unstrap independently, but how do car seats fit and how do the doors work for carline like this?

The next scenario is carline for my middle schooler. I need to haul 4 teens AND the twins, and the teens need to be able to get in and out without the twins getting out.

Is this even possible with an X?

 

[commasign]

I love this thread. I’m also an odyssey driver. It works fine for hauling kids but I’d eventually like to get into an EV and the infotainment system is eventually going to push me over the edge.

Here is my situation: we have 4 kids of our own, so we need at least a 6 seater. Ideally with some cargo room.

My youngest are 4 (twins). Still in car seats. They need to be able to get out with minimal assistance in carline at preschool. Let’s assume this purchase waits until they can unstrap independently, but how do car seats fit and how do the doors work for carline like this?

The next scenario is carline for my middle schooler. I need to haul 4 teens AND the twins, and the teens need to be able to get in and out without the twins getting out.

Is this even possible with an X?

The 6-seater is the perfect kid limo. You can control the falcon wing doors and also slide the 2nd row seats forward and back from the touchscreen. The space between the 2nd row seats also allows for easy access to the 3rd row without having to move the 2nd row seats. Older kids (such as my 8yo) have no problem controlling the seats or opening and closing the falcon wing doors. I put together some additional info that might be helpful...

Car seats
https://www.teslaadviceblog.com/blo...s-diono-radian-rxt-convertible-child-car-seat

Boosters
https://www.teslaadviceblog.com/blog/model-s-x-and-3-tips-a-cheap-child-booster-that-fits

More generally, regarding 6-seat vs 7-seat
https://www.teslaadviceblog.com/blog/model-x-5-6-or-7-seats

And regarding cargo
https://www.teslaadviceblog.com/blo...gers-and-4-5-large-suitcases-worth-of-luggage

 

[commasign]

I think for a family of 7, the 6 seater option would make sense.

Wait, how does that work? Who has to sit in the frunk?

 

[ammulder]

The next scenario is carline for my middle schooler. I need to haul 4 teens AND the twins, and the teens need to be able to get in and out without the twins getting out.

Is this even possible with an X?

If you get the 7 seater, then I think you could have the driver and 1 teen in front, 3 teens in the middle row, and twins in the back row. Then the teens exit one through the passenger door and the rest out of the middle row through one or both falcon-wing doors, leaving only the driver plus the twins in the back.

That assumes you're OK having a teen in the front passenger seat and getting the twins in and out of the 3rd row, of course.

 

[losangeles]

i absolutely love this thread. in essence it's a bunch of family people trying to reason out a way to get an X. i am in the same boat myself. being honest with myself, a lot of the time i am trying to tease out good enough reasons for me to justify the cost and smaller space with the x. realistically the odyssey serves as a better people/stuff mover. is it "cool"? nope. is it fun to drive? nope. it is cheaper? definitely. the x though, it just invokes that feeling that i can haul my family and gear around and still feel a bit more alive.

 

[Zaxxon]

There's also the whole not burning hydrocarbons thing, too.

 

[commasign]

Also, during the California wildfires last year, the Model X Bioweapon Defense Mode was a life saver. The HEPA filter is awesome and something to keep in mind if any of your family have allergies/asthma.

 

[Mrcook4590]

So it's like this. We got a Model 3 to replace my old sedan. The "family car" is an Odyssey minivan.

It's taken less than a week for my wife and I to repeatedly say to each other, "if only the Tesla could fit six..."

Our main concern is that we take 1-2 road trips a year to spend 1-2 weeks with grandparents. No worries on range (if you think we stop less often than once every 2 hours with 4 kids, I'd like some of what you're smoking!). The real concern is cargo.

With seats in use (either 6/7 for the 7-seater or all for the 6-seater), how much can you really fit? We normally take a bunch of carry-on size suitcases, a ton of random crap, and a hitch-mounted bicycle rack. We can surely cut down on the random crap, if that's the only way this is going to work. But can we fit 4-6 carry-on suitcases behind the 3rd row? Does the bike rack work OK?

This isn't a near-term thing on account of we just bought the model 3 and the minivan isn't worth that much as a trade. But I'm wondering whether it's even realistic at all. Even with all seats up the Odyssey has a LOT of room for cargo.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I have not read the previous posts, but I will tell you my experience. We have five kids, so have a seven seater X. I can fit more stuff in my X than I did in our extended navigator. In the frunk alone, I can fit 5 sets of kids golf clubs (my kids are age 8-14) and stuff some other things there as well. It is bigger than the 3's frunk. In the rear, I can fit tennis stuff for the four kids who play as well as my tennis things as well as pool supplies (a HUGE tote and usually 6-12 towels depending on if they have a swim meet that day or not. I use a grate thing on the back to haul larger items (like my super tall husband's golf clubs or a cooler, that kind of thing). We also have a Bri-mar dump trailer to haul trash and stuff around. Hope this helps with your decision! I love my X, and I would have a hard time trading it for anything else.

 

[ysquared2]

For us safety is the top consideration. After our Chrysler Pacifica experience PAWL issue we traded it in immediately.