I'm 6'9", wife is 5'9" and we have twins on the way! It's an incredibly exciting time, but I'm also spinning a bit trying to figure out what car to get. In pretty much every car I drive I put the seat all the way back to the end of the track, and all the way down as far as the power seat will go. Then we'll need to put 2 rear-facing car seats behind us. Looking at SUVs w 3 rows, likely used w low-ish mileage, maybe CPO.
I've driven an Explorer and Buick Encore as rental cars and both worked for me. I recently went to a couple dealerships and sat in:
'26 Hyundai Palisade: Wanted to love it but hated the shifter design and placement on the steering column in the '26, def hitting my right knee.
GMC Acadia / Chevy Traverse: felt roomy but was eyeballing the 2nd row space.
Honda Pilot: '26 was nice but not sure how different then older models
VW Atlas: Actually loved the '26 but again, curious about '23 - '25 models. Also question VW reliability and maintenance. Dunno if that's a myth from a long time ago or if it runs true.
My requirements / desires: Driver leg room, comfortable seats, leg/thigh extender if possible, 2nd row car seat room, good cargo space (twin stroller, bags etc), good sound system if possible. Reliable and safe.
Wife's desires: Decent to good gas mileage, not breaking the bank.
I didn't have time to actually test drive anything yet, just the initial "do I fit?" test.
Anyone have experience with these models? Any models I'm completely overlooking?
I know I likely can't have everything that I want, but would love options.
Figured I'd reach into the community for help solving this equation. Thanks!