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7-seater cargo space with 3rd row folded: equivalent to 5 seater?

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I'm on the fence between the 5 and 7 seater. For those that have a 7-seater, if the 3rd row is folded down, would that yield the equivalent cargo space of a 5-seater? I won't be using the 3rd row, except for rare occasions and wondering if it will affect my cargo space, which I will be using all the time.
 
It doesn’t have the second, somewhat hard to reach under floor storage because the seats use that. Besides that there’s no difference. They fold completely flat. I’m happy with the 7 even though I’ll use infrequently. Will also help with resale value given the rarity. This is the only 7 seat EV that’s not an X
 
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The cargo space is fantastic with the 7 seater, I just returned home from a 4.5 hour road trip with:
  1. my wife
  2. 9 month old daughter in her car seat
  3. stroller
  4. 2 suitcases
  5. 2 duffle bags
  6. 2 laptop bags
  7. 2 purses
  8. 1 cooler backpack
  9. 1 diaper bag
  10. multiple jackets/blankets
  11. Everyday car things
    1. charger bag
    2. auto cleaning bag
    3. stupid homelink box I'm getting installed next week
    4. a travel shovel
    5. snow scraper
    6. first aid kit
And we picked up my another person with a bag along the route, It is pretty amazing how much stuff you can fit in here while staying comfortable.

Do be careful when opening the hatch back when in a parking garage, mine smacked a low pole pealing back the PPF wrap leaving a small yet taunting mark.
 
I don't either but I was at the local SC to test drive one last week and I was able to compare a 7 seater and a 5 seater. Here are my observations

1. As noted above, you lose the less shallow storage compartment with the 7 seater as the seats takes up that space

2. This was probably my biggest gripe with the 7 seater... The folded down 3rd row isn't flush with the rest of the floor in the hatch. I don't like this aspect at all. I would usually have my dog in a soft crate in the back and that would not work very well because of this.

3. On the 5 seater, the lid for the deeper storage compartment under the hatch floor can be lifted up with 1 hand and can stay propped up. This is really nice. On the 7-seater, the lid feels flimsier and cannot stay propped up so you have to move it aside before putting things in and then place it back on.

4. I could be wrong because I didn't pay too much attention as I'd already made up my mind by then, but the hatch section seemed deeper by a few inches for the 5 seater compared to the 7 seater when I measured with my tape measure.

5. Again, not sure about this one as I didn't mess around with adjusting seats but the 2nd row seemed to have more leg space with the 5 seater vs 7 seater (with the back row folded for the 7 seater). Perhaps they can both achieve parity with adjusting the seats but it might be worth checking.

For me, the 5 seater seemed the better option because the 7 seater feels rather compromised and very uncomfortable for anyone but small kids. In my case, my other car will still be an ICE minivan so I have a fallback for if I need a 7 seater.

I'd highly recommend trying to get to a SC that can let you look at both versions. In person, I much preferred the 5 seater even though from my online searches, I was 50-50 between them.
 
I would say it’s slightly smaller only due to the fact the seats aren’t 100% flat with the rear hatch area. I
saw this video yesterday and noticed the rear hatch liner can flip over so it is flat but it seems you lose an inch or two of height. About 3 minutes in to the video.

Huh, that's neat! I did not know that. That does resolve one of my largest complaints with the 7 seater as I really didn't like having the non-flush floor for the hatch. The reversible cover is very clever!
 
Can anyone with a 7 seat Model Y who's had it for a few months say at this point whether the 7 seat option was "worth it" or otherwise useful? At this point I'm thinking about switching from a Model 3 to a Y or get a minivan instead (maybe a brand new Pacifica, possibly hybrid but maybe the non hybrid AWD model).
 
Can anyone with a 7 seat Model Y who's had it for a few months say at this point whether the 7 seat option was "worth it" or otherwise useful? At this point I'm thinking about switching from a Model 3 to a Y or get a minivan instead (maybe a brand new Pacifica, possibly hybrid but maybe the non hybrid AWD model).
I don't own a 7-seat MY (I have checked it out in-person at a local SC), but I have owned a 2008 Toyota Sienna for many years now and I can give you one point-of-view. We usually only use the 2 rows in our minivan with the back-row down so we can have a crate for our dog and plenty of space for other stuff. If you envision 95% of your usage as a 5-seater, then the Model Y could be a great option as a family car. But it isn't really a minivan replacement in my mind for the following reasons:

1. Sliding doors. These are so nice to have especially when young kids are involved. You don't have to worry about clearance with cars parked next to you or your kids opening doors into other cars. Entry and exit is really easy an convenient. Reaching across to help kids buckle/unbuckle or grab things out is really easy.

2. Headroom and general spaciousness - The MY needs to be a lot more aerodynamic and while legroom is quite good for the 2nd row (not great at all for the 3rd row), you are going to generally be way more comfortable in a minivan on long trips. I've driven with 5 adults and 2 kids (2 adults in the 3rd row of the Minivan) on very long trips with no one getting too cramped or uncomfortable. For the MY 3rd row, I would hesitate to put adults back there because it feels really cramped. I'd view it as either a spot for young kids, or generally a row to use in a pinch for shorter trips where you need the extra seating capacity

3. Storage - I think the MY has a lot of storage, but you can cram a lot more stuff into a minivan when you are going camping, etc, if you also need the 3rd row up. I think the 5 seater configuration does provide a lot of storage, especially when factoring in the frunk and potentially using a roof-rack.

In general, I think the MY is a great option if you don't need the 3rd row at all times and only want it for some added flexibility in a few situations when you need it. If you need the 3rd row most of the time, a minivan would be a much more comfortable option imo. For me personally, because we usually only ever use the 2 rows, with the dog in the back, the 5-seater MY is looking like a great fit for 90% of our needs and I will be trading in my old sedan for one within the next year or so. We'll still hold onto our minivan for a while longer. I am still curious to see what other 7-seater owners have to say about their experiences.
 
I am still waiting for my 7 seater but I decided I like the flexibility of having the option for the 3rd row. Now for the cargo space, in my observation is the 5 seater 2nd row is fixed, the 7 seater you can actually adjust it forward. So to me, that gives me a tiny bit more space at the back if I move that 2nd row forward and drop the 3rd row down so its all flat at the cargo..
 
Resale value and additional seating if/when needed was the biggest selling points for getting our 7 seater.

(A stretch but still a plus) If you needed to compartmentalize storage to make a smaller space in the trunk area, having the seats up would accomplish that.
 
RIght now I have 1 kid who is 13 months old and will remain in a rear facing car seat for maybe another 6-12 months. I might have another in a few years. I was more thinking of the minivan for the fact that you can put so much cargo in the back for camping and you can get a "luxurious" trim level so it doesn't feel like a downgrade. Every year I do at least one 1000 mile (500 mile each way) road trip to see my parents where I stay for a good 10 days. We bring a lot of stuff on that trip. It would also be nice to be able to load two bikes and some kind of pull behind wagon into a vehicle into a safe and clean interior without having to bother with a roof rack or hitch mounted bike carrier.

As for adults in the 3rd row, well my inlaws come once a year for a couple weeks from Germany. It'd be nice to have a usable 3rd row then, but it's not a primary use for seating. I am moving to a new house and can see some cargo usage being helpful at times. I do feel like if I'm going for usability... why not go all out and get the minivan when the other cars in the household are a 2002 Miata and a 2019 Mustang.

Watching Youtube videos about the 7 seat Model Y it does look like it has a pretty narrow use case for being a $3k option.
 
RIght now I have 1 kid who is 13 months old and will remain in a rear facing car seat for maybe another 6-12 months. I might have another in a few years. I was more thinking of the minivan for the fact that you can put so much cargo in the back for camping and you can get a "luxurious" trim level so it doesn't feel like a downgrade. Every year I do at least one 1000 mile (500 mile each way) road trip to see my parents where I stay for a good 10 days. We bring a lot of stuff on that trip. It would also be nice to be able to load two bikes and some kind of pull behind wagon into a vehicle into a safe and clean interior without having to bother with a roof rack or hitch mounted bike carrier.

As for adults in the 3rd row, well my inlaws come once a year for a couple weeks from Germany. It'd be nice to have a usable 3rd row then, but it's not a primary use for seating. I am moving to a new house and can see some cargo usage being helpful at times. I do feel like if I'm going for usability... why not go all out and get the minivan when the other cars in the household are a 2002 Miata and a 2019 Mustang.

Watching Youtube videos about the 7 seat Model Y it does look like it has a pretty narrow use case for being a $3k option.
If I were you, I'd definitely get a minivan and maybe in the future swap out one of your sedans for a MY or something like it when you have another kid and/or they are older. I absolutely love my minivan and it has been extremely useful since when I got it just prior to my twins being born. They are almost 8 now and I'm not getting rid of it until I drive it into the ground or they leave for college! Like you, I've taken several long trips annually in the minivan and it has always been extremely comfortable and easy. It is liberating to not have to worry about optimizing packing your car so you can fit everything you need for long trips, especially when kids and all the assorted paraphernalia is involved. The reason I am looking at a MY and I'd recommend something like it to you in the future is that it is a great minivan-lite for when you are just shuttling family around without a ton of luggage, etc.
 
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I don't own a 7-seat MY (I have checked it out in-person at a local SC), but I have owned a 2008 Toyota Sienna for many years now and I can give you one point-of-view. We usually only use the 2 rows in our minivan with the back-row down so we can have a crate for our dog and plenty of space for other stuff. If you envision 95% of your usage as a 5-seater, then the Model Y could be a great option as a family car. But it isn't really a minivan replacement in my mind for the following reasons:

1. Sliding doors. These are so nice to have especially when young kids are involved. You don't have to worry about clearance with cars parked next to you or your kids opening doors into other cars. Entry and exit is really easy an convenient. Reaching across to help kids buckle/unbuckle or grab things out is really easy.

2. Headroom and general spaciousness - The MY needs to be a lot more aerodynamic and while legroom is quite good for the 2nd row (not great at all for the 3rd row), you are going to generally be way more comfortable in a minivan on long trips. I've driven with 5 adults and 2 kids (2 adults in the 3rd row of the Minivan) on very long trips with no one getting too cramped or uncomfortable. For the MY 3rd row, I would hesitate to put adults back there because it feels really cramped. I'd view it as either a spot for young kids, or generally a row to use in a pinch for shorter trips where you need the extra seating capacity

3. Storage - I think the MY has a lot of storage, but you can cram a lot more stuff into a minivan when you are going camping, etc, if you also need the 3rd row up. I think the 5 seater configuration does provide a lot of storage, especially when factoring in the frunk and potentially using a roof-rack.

In general, I think the MY is a great option if you don't need the 3rd row at all times and only want it for some added flexibility in a few situations when you need it. If you need the 3rd row most of the time, a minivan would be a much more comfortable option imo. For me personally, because we usually only ever use the 2 rows, with the dog in the back, the 5-seater MY is looking like a great fit for 90% of our needs and I will be trading in my old sedan for one within the next year or so. We'll still hold onto our minivan for a while longer. I am still curious to see what other 7-seater owners have to say about their experiences.

As a MY 7 owner of 1 month with a 9 month old in a rear facing car seat I 100% agree with everything stated above. I have only used the 3rd once so far with me at 6ft sitting in the back, another 6 ft tall person sitting infront my me in the 2nd row and my 5.5 ft tall wife driving we were all comfortable with my daughter in her rear facing child seat and another passenger in the front passenger seat.

Majority of the time the 3rd row will be folded flat, but it's nice to have when needed or even to prevent the need to cram 3 adults in the 2nd row.
 
As a MY 7 owner of 1 month with a 9 month old in a rear facing car seat I 100% agree with everything stated above. I have only used the 3rd once so far with me at 6ft sitting in the back, another 6 ft tall person sitting infront my me in the 2nd row and my 5.5 ft tall wife driving we were all comfortable with my daughter in her rear facing child seat and another passenger in the front passenger seat.

Majority of the time the 3rd row will be folded flat, but it's nice to have when needed or even to prevent the need to cram 3 adults in the 2nd row.

Didn't you find there to be no headroom in the 3rd row? It would have been easier for your wife in the headroom dimension.
 
I was fine back there, had my wife drive for the leg room and to know what it's like, but have since set a 7 seat profile for my self allowing me to drive in these situations sitting a bit closer and more upright then my normal configuration.
 
If I were you, I'd definitely get a minivan and maybe in the future swap out one of your sedans for a MY or something like it when you have another kid and/or they are older. I absolutely love my minivan and it has been extremely useful since when I got it just prior to my twins being born. They are almost 8 now and I'm not getting rid of it until I drive it into the ground or they leave for college! Like you, I've taken several long trips annually in the minivan and it has always been extremely comfortable and easy. It is liberating to not have to worry about optimizing packing your car so you can fit everything you need for long trips, especially when kids and all the assorted paraphernalia is involved. The reason I am looking at a MY and I'd recommend something like it to you in the future is that it is a great minivan-lite for when you are just shuttling family around without a ton of luggage, etc.
From a cargo perspective we just did a 4 hour drive with stroller, 2 suit cases, 2 duffle bags, 2 backpacks, diaper bag, jackets normal car stuff and others I'm forgetting right now without an issue.

I'm loving the MY 7 as a family car
 
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I was on the fence also but went for the 7 seater (delivery next week hopefully) for the extra seats, no real loss of cargo space and the nice extras that the 2nd row seats now move forward and back and with the 2nd row all the way back you get about 1” more 2nd row leg room.
 
I measured the cargo area of the standard Model Y compared to the 3rd row version. The cargo space is slightly reduced vertically & horizontally:
Horizontal: Lose 1.5” due to added 3rd row armrests
Vertical: Lose about 1.5” (not measured precisely) due to the height of the 3rd row seats when folded down.

So you do lose a bit more than just that one small cargo bin.