TBH if your going to have 4 kids I would move beyond the SUV's and wagons; just stick with people movers.
We did extensive research to decide what car we would get and every single time we ended up coming back to a people mover. I tested all the cars out with carseats etc and the SUVs tended to be very squishy, esp with multiple car seats and if you want to fit extra people in there. Make sure you check if there is a weight/height limit on the boot seats in an SUV/4WD (I think there is!). No point buying something like a Territory or an Odyssey if your going to have to sell it for something roomier with 4 teenage kids!
If it was doable we would have gone with a Kluger (the previous car we owned but a 7 seater) but with potentially 4 in some sort of carseat it was pointless.
Our Tarago is awesome. We are big fans of Toyota's and I think the amount of old as the hills Tarago's still on the road are a testament to their durability. I like the fact that we can still comfortably fit adults in the rear seats, I can climb into the car easily to buckle kids in (esp if its raining!). They have good fuel economy, drive like a dream. We loaded the bongo bus up and travelled interstate a few months back and everything fit nicely with no feeling squished (and we cart ALOT of stuff with us when we move interstate with 3 kids!).
ETA - even if #4 is 4 or 5 years off, dont make our mistake and buy for whatever number of kids you currently have. I wanted to buy a people mover to start with but Dh refused so we ended up going:
Focus->Falcon->Kluger->Tarago
We wasted alot of time and money! We also agree now that even if we were only planning on sticking with 3 kids a people mover is still an AWESOME car to have! You can fit extra family and friends easily, allows for extra room and separation of the kids seats (been a godsend to us as we always have family visit and used to have to take two cars, and I love being able to separate whichever kids are currently mortal enemies!)
I have a pic of the bongo bus loaded up with FIVE kids in carseats if you want to look for an idea on space.
Last edited by Freya; September 21st, 2011 at 06:37 PM.
No real advice but wanted to say Taragos are awesome for teenagers! My best friends family car was a Tarago and there is nothing better than being able to pile all your friends comfortably into the one vehicle for trips to the beach etc, good memories
I have a 7 seater Kluger. Unfortunately AFAIK you can't retrofit the Kluger's rear seat to have tethered booster clips. Although I do believe they could be inserted into the roof...
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