When we found out we were pregnant again, we knew the Ford Edge would not accommodate our growing family especially since all three kiddos would be in car seats. We researched several different types of cars.. SUV's that had the 3rd row seat didn't have any cargo space and P would have to climb over the middle seat to get to the third row, bigger SUV's that had cargo space and more leg room between seats were pricey with horrible gas mileage.. so it seemed our only option was a minivan. The dreaded minivan, ha! I personally think they've come a LONG way since their first appearance and what other car is going to suit all of our needs better of a family of five. Then we started comparing the different options and brands out there.. the Honda Odyssey is definitely the sharpest of all of them but way out of our price range and I also liked the Volkswagen Routan which is quite similar to the Grand Caravan. All in all, we decided on the Dodge because it offered all of our "must haves" in a price we could comfortably afford... in fact our car payment did not vary from what we were use to. The options I deemed a must have can be found in most (if not all) of the vans out there on the market today. The two top priorities for us (more importantly me) were Captain's chairs and power doors (all 3 of them). Captain's chairs were important because it allows the third row seat to be accessible by anyone whether it be Peighton or my mom which was important since Henry and the baby would dominate the two captain's chairs with their car seats. Power doors were also a must because this is the luxury item only minivans are equipped with and with 3 kiddos in tow who wouldn't want to be able to push a button and the rear doors open up with ease. And the back hatch is also power which I got spoiled with when I had the Ford Edge.. it's also a huge convenience factor I wasn't willing to part with. The Dodge Grand Caravan "Crew" which is the model we purchases also comes with a touch screen radio display including Satellite Radio which has been a bonus as well as a back up camera which is a HUGE safety feature. Also Dodge minivans are notorious for their stow n' go storage and seating capabilities. We've owned ours for over a month now and are still quite pleased with it especially me as the main driver of it as well as transporter of munchkins it works really well for our family. And another big positive of the minivan that you cannot get with any SUV that seats at least seven (unless maybe it's a hybrid) would be the amazing gas mileage. The Grand Caravan has an "econ mode" button that helps get even better MPG's. We average about 18 around town which I deem sufficient but on our recent trip to SC and back we were averaging around 26 on the interstate enabling to get over 400 miles on one tank of gas even Brandon was thrilled about that! All in all, we are quite pleased with our purchase and even if you never though of yourself as a minivan kind of family it works for us and our needs!!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sunday Review
It has been awhile since I did a blog on this subject but today I am reviewing the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. Why you might ask?!? Because due to our recent news and expanding of our family it is our new car! 
When we found out we were pregnant again, we knew the Ford Edge would not accommodate our growing family especially since all three kiddos would be in car seats. We researched several different types of cars.. SUV's that had the 3rd row seat didn't have any cargo space and P would have to climb over the middle seat to get to the third row, bigger SUV's that had cargo space and more leg room between seats were pricey with horrible gas mileage.. so it seemed our only option was a minivan. The dreaded minivan, ha! I personally think they've come a LONG way since their first appearance and what other car is going to suit all of our needs better of a family of five. Then we started comparing the different options and brands out there.. the Honda Odyssey is definitely the sharpest of all of them but way out of our price range and I also liked the Volkswagen Routan which is quite similar to the Grand Caravan. All in all, we decided on the Dodge because it offered all of our "must haves" in a price we could comfortably afford... in fact our car payment did not vary from what we were use to. The options I deemed a must have can be found in most (if not all) of the vans out there on the market today. The two top priorities for us (more importantly me) were Captain's chairs and power doors (all 3 of them). Captain's chairs were important because it allows the third row seat to be accessible by anyone whether it be Peighton or my mom which was important since Henry and the baby would dominate the two captain's chairs with their car seats. Power doors were also a must because this is the luxury item only minivans are equipped with and with 3 kiddos in tow who wouldn't want to be able to push a button and the rear doors open up with ease. And the back hatch is also power which I got spoiled with when I had the Ford Edge.. it's also a huge convenience factor I wasn't willing to part with. The Dodge Grand Caravan "Crew" which is the model we purchases also comes with a touch screen radio display including Satellite Radio which has been a bonus as well as a back up camera which is a HUGE safety feature. Also Dodge minivans are notorious for their stow n' go storage and seating capabilities. We've owned ours for over a month now and are still quite pleased with it especially me as the main driver of it as well as transporter of munchkins it works really well for our family. And another big positive of the minivan that you cannot get with any SUV that seats at least seven (unless maybe it's a hybrid) would be the amazing gas mileage. The Grand Caravan has an "econ mode" button that helps get even better MPG's. We average about 18 around town which I deem sufficient but on our recent trip to SC and back we were averaging around 26 on the interstate enabling to get over 400 miles on one tank of gas even Brandon was thrilled about that! All in all, we are quite pleased with our purchase and even if you never though of yourself as a minivan kind of family it works for us and our needs!!
When we found out we were pregnant again, we knew the Ford Edge would not accommodate our growing family especially since all three kiddos would be in car seats. We researched several different types of cars.. SUV's that had the 3rd row seat didn't have any cargo space and P would have to climb over the middle seat to get to the third row, bigger SUV's that had cargo space and more leg room between seats were pricey with horrible gas mileage.. so it seemed our only option was a minivan. The dreaded minivan, ha! I personally think they've come a LONG way since their first appearance and what other car is going to suit all of our needs better of a family of five. Then we started comparing the different options and brands out there.. the Honda Odyssey is definitely the sharpest of all of them but way out of our price range and I also liked the Volkswagen Routan which is quite similar to the Grand Caravan. All in all, we decided on the Dodge because it offered all of our "must haves" in a price we could comfortably afford... in fact our car payment did not vary from what we were use to. The options I deemed a must have can be found in most (if not all) of the vans out there on the market today. The two top priorities for us (more importantly me) were Captain's chairs and power doors (all 3 of them). Captain's chairs were important because it allows the third row seat to be accessible by anyone whether it be Peighton or my mom which was important since Henry and the baby would dominate the two captain's chairs with their car seats. Power doors were also a must because this is the luxury item only minivans are equipped with and with 3 kiddos in tow who wouldn't want to be able to push a button and the rear doors open up with ease. And the back hatch is also power which I got spoiled with when I had the Ford Edge.. it's also a huge convenience factor I wasn't willing to part with. The Dodge Grand Caravan "Crew" which is the model we purchases also comes with a touch screen radio display including Satellite Radio which has been a bonus as well as a back up camera which is a HUGE safety feature. Also Dodge minivans are notorious for their stow n' go storage and seating capabilities. We've owned ours for over a month now and are still quite pleased with it especially me as the main driver of it as well as transporter of munchkins it works really well for our family. And another big positive of the minivan that you cannot get with any SUV that seats at least seven (unless maybe it's a hybrid) would be the amazing gas mileage. The Grand Caravan has an "econ mode" button that helps get even better MPG's. We average about 18 around town which I deem sufficient but on our recent trip to SC and back we were averaging around 26 on the interstate enabling to get over 400 miles on one tank of gas even Brandon was thrilled about that! All in all, we are quite pleased with our purchase and even if you never though of yourself as a minivan kind of family it works for us and our needs!!
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