Full Size (LARGE) Family Adventure Rig - Selection Question

I apologize upfront if this is in the wrong forum - I apologize if it is - I couldn't figure out which vehicle forum would be appropriate.

My wife's mini-van will be paid off shortly, our youngest son is almost six months and I'm looking ahead to the future for some family trips. We have 6 people in our family and while its current TBD - we will certainly top out at 7. I'd like to find a vehicle for some overland/adventure drives that can comfortably carry 7. :Wow1: I know thats a tall order but I have hope/faith/madness that a capable vehicle can be found. This is helped by the fact that all but 2 of the passengers will be children under the age of 8.

To help open the floor - any and all trips will - at least for the foreseeable future - in North America. At that they will most likely be in the United States and Canada. With a large group like this the plan is to be doing a lot of camping out of vehicle. I'd like something extremely capable so more wild trips like Moab is still possible (not sure its thats an option but I'd like it to be).

So seatbelts, storage options, roof rack etc. And um... yeah. So thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Jeep Commander (I'm bias) - I wouldn't say it comfortably seats 7, but it does seat 7, and if they are mostly children it shouldn't be an issue.

It's not huge so you can still run pretty decent trails, but it is defiantly bigger than a wrangler. There isn't a huge after market for them, but you can get whatever you need.

I call mine the yuppy wheeler. If there is any question of capability see video..
[video]https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1891737585334&subj=1598361114[/video]

ok regarding the commander (again just something to look at) is there a particular model i ought to look for? i.e. rubicon, sport, limited etc. That video does look pretty cool. what mods did it have?

I've got a 2.25" spacer lift and 255/75/17 Goodyear Silent Armor A/T's.

There are 3 motor and 3 4WD systems. 3.6 V6 (pass..) 4.7 V8 and 5.7 V8 Hemi with MDS. The 2 V8's get roughly the same mileage mine is a 5.7 and I've averaged 14.7 overall. The v6 gets roughly 17 from what I've seen in real world numbers.

As far as 4wd systems, there is Quadra-Trac 1 (no 4 low and only on V6 I think), Quadra-Trac 2 which is 4 low and brake controlled traction assistance, and then Quadra-Drive 2 (which is what I have) which has electronically controlled limited slips front and rear. It can give 100% power to any single tire.

The way to tell which 4wd system it has is by looking for a t-handle next to the shifter, if it doesn't have one it's QT1, if it does then it's either QT2 or QD2. If it's QD2 there is badging closer to the arm rest by the shifter and the rear diff will have 12 bolts instead of 10 (QT2)

There is lots more info available over at www.xk-forums.com if you are really interested.. or just ask here and I'll try to remember to check :ylsmoke:

I would look at more comfortable vehicles for your passengers (wife and kids) like a diesel Excursion or older 3/4 ton Suburban. I have 6 in my family, 4 are kids, one with special needs and I just traded my suburban for a 1 ton Dodge Cummins Quad cab pick up. I prefer the pickup for hauling and it fits my current needs for interior space and passenger comfort. The Jeep is just too small for that in my opinion.

Diesel excursion or a ujoint conversion van.

-Sam

What about vehicles like the Armada or Sequoia? I hear some of the Land Cruiser 100's had 7 seats. I'll admit I love the Hummers. Would love to add a 3rd row seat. Heh.

Harmgrissom said:

I'd like something extremely capable so more wild trips like Moab is still possible (not sure its thats an option but I'd like it to be).

Click to expand...

This is the part that concerned me with Armada/Sequoia/Expedition/Suburban whatever else.. I looked at them before buying my Commander, and I was worried I'd have bumpers torn off the first time they were offroad. Sure you can put a big lift on them and then maybe be ok, thats why size wise I moved down to the Jeep.

They do make a bracket to install a third row in Wrangler Unlimited also.. but that would be even smaller than the Commander, but probably the most off road capable choice.

That makes a lot of sense thinking about it. Thanks.

X2 on Ford Excursion or a 4x4 fullsize van. 7 seats is not enough. You also need room for 7 people's gear.
Jeep, toyota, etc have nothing large enough. Nobody is going to want to spend days stuck in a commander with 7 people.

Much cheaper to modify for offroad having solid axles, and will handle all that weight with ease.
Have you considered an adventure trailer?

I am in the same boat as you when it comes to kids. Right now we have a Sequoia which is ok but has no room behind the last row of seats for much. On longer trips I have a tent trailer or hitch mounted cargo carrier. The upside is its alot easier in town for parking and stuff. I have owned a Suburban too which has more cargo room. I would say go for a Suburban, Excursion, or fullsize van. Does it have to be 4x4? You can go quite few places with two wheel drive. If I had to do it all over again I would have gone for a van, plenty of room for gear and passengers. Don't bother with a 1/2 ton, go 3/4 ton or 1 ton.

I'm thinking that a 4x4 is not a non-negotiable, but its certainly preferred. Gear wise I'm ok with something that gives us "just" 7 seats as I'm NOT against getting and using an off-road trailer. Which would help with gear. Plus, or rather in its place using a tow-hitch hauler. Also a roof rack would be an additional possibility. I don't go completely nuts with my gear and try and keep it as simple as possible i.e. light but realize that may not always be possible.

What would be awesome would be a trailer, and a spare tire carrier mount on the back a la Jeep/Hummer with a rack above the tire and a roof rack. Also a gear rack on the trailer tongue (light weight of course).

Anyways just some musings.

Everything is a compromise, if you go with a Fullsize rig, you can't run tight trails. If you go with a midsize you lose storage and potentially passenger space.

Again just touching on my personal decision, I did not want to lose rough offroad ability, that was first priority of wants, I did however NEED 7 passenger seating. So I decided on the Jeep.

I would write up a need vs want list. It's different for everyone, and the priority ranging for each want item will vary also..

You could look at 100 series Land Cruiser, but not much room behind the 3rd row. We have an 04 Sequoia and love it. We regularly carry 8 and with a Thule roof carrier can bring a lot of gear along. It is making the transition from the wife's to haul kids to my ride and will hopefully be used more offroad. I am Toyota biased since I have always had good reliability including my 91 LC which I sold with 320k miles 2 years ago and still see running around town.

People who own or have owned the 1st gen Ford Expedition seem to like them. Little bit smaller than a Suburban but still 3 rows and reasonably capable.