Crew Cab pick-up as a family vehicle?

[The Critic]

My wife and I may be growing our family in the next 1-2 years. We have two sedans, both of which are aging, and a new crew cab pick-up.

From a passenger space standpoint, my pick-up is the largest but we are curious if it is a viable family vehicle when there are infants. We are thinking about replacing one vehicle in our fleet to be better suited for family duties.

For those of you with experience, do you think we need to get a real family vehicle (aka minivan or larger crossover) or can we manage with a pick-up and sedans?

Cost is always a consideration, but isn't a top priority.

Edit: Truck has a tonneau cover and running boards. Step-in height is reasonable for adults.

 

[eljefino]

The biggest hassle is fitting your kids into car seats. You need head and shoulder room above the seat, so vans are great for this.

That said my wife and I did fine with a saturn s-series. One kid faced forward while the other was in a rear-facing infant seat.

Not all car seats are shaped the same, and there are huge websites like car-seat.org that rank the things.

It may make logistical sense to have the "kid car" the both of you drive. Easier to trade adults than the kids and all their stuff.

Of course there will probably be extra car seats for babysitters, grandparents, the other adult. Every family logistics is different. These car seats need to be easy to install and remove over and over.

 

[supton]

Ditto on car seats. We made do with a Jetta and a Civic, early 2000's, but I think the rear facing seats are even larger. I don't know if dealerships have a stack of seats to show the room, but I'd try to borrow one and make sure you can put the seat back--in my Jetta, the rear facing seat had to go behind me, as I set more forward than the wife, that car was on the verge of not working.

Next up: when they are 3 or so, they want to get in by themselves, but a truck is a bit of a tall hop! I am not sure I would ever own a pickup now without running boards, great place to knock the snow off my shoes too, and I use 'em too for entry. But be careful, they are slip points. Didn't have the truck when they were real little, so no idea on lifting up and putting into the vehicle.

We made do just fine with a sedan, trained the kids to watch what they are doing when opening the doors. But if we had 3 kids instead of 2, a minivan would have been nice. That said, more than a few times we wished for one; if you have two kids and find yourself needing to move 2 of their friends, then you find out how wide booster seats are. I remember measuring cars and making sure they could handle 3 boosters across the rear seat, and realizing some cars were automatically off the list.

Oh! my Jetta had the seat belt latch things, but the leather seats made them hard to reach and use. Not impossible mind you, just more work than I would have guessed.

 

[MrHorspwer]

Two kids is fine with a crew cab truck, as long as you also have a sedan, suv, or minivan as a second vehicle.

What stinks about a truck and a family: Grocery shopping. Better go shopping alone. If you bring the whole family, groceries are going in the bed (and that's a pain). Even if you just bring just the kids, it better be a small trip because you only have the passenger seat and some Tetris room in the back for groceries before they end up in the bed.

What else stinks about a truck and a family: Vacations. Where's all that luggage go when people fill up the cab? In the bed. Not so bad if you have a cover or cap that keeps it out of sight, though still not as secure as if it were inside the vehicle. Also, cold luggage isn't much fun if you travel through northern climates in the winter. Again, better have a cover over the bed or else your luggage is cold and covered in snow.

What is fine with a truck and a family: Car seat space. In the rear, my midsize truck (Colorado) has been fine for rear-facing seats, forward-facing seats, and boosters. No issues at all fitting them in with the driver seat in my normal position.

Other things to think about: Climb-in height. If you expect your kids to climb in themselves, you'll need side steps. I have a set on my truck, not because I particularly like or need them, but because it allowed my kids to get themselves up and seated.

As for vans and large crossovers/SUVs: Nice (I guess), but not necessary. That's like a couple moving out of a 2,000 sq. ft. 3-bedroom to a 3,000 sq. ft. 4-bedroom after you've had your first kid because "you need the extra room". A single kid fits fine in a sedan or small SUV. Even two kids fit fine in a sedan or small SUV. Add a dog to that mix and it gets cramped, but two kids doesn't make three rows a must.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

In California, older cars aren't a problem, since you don't have to deal with rust

2011 shouldn't be too old, so get a 4-cylinder Sienna if you can find one. If you do consider it too old, the Mazda 5 was sold in the US until 2015. That said, your Accord should be able to handle 2 infants with no problem. I see a surprising number of 2-door Civics with car seats in the back.

If you want something brand new or almost new, get a Volvo V60 or V90, or a TourX

And of course, there are parts of the country where a crew cab is the standard car and are basically used as sedans with a huge trunk, so lots of people do it.

 

[cb_13]

How many kids you looking to have? I currently put 3 in car seats in the back of an extended cab truck. I've got a 9 year old, 2 and 1. So one booster seat and two rear facing.

 

[The Critic]

How many kids you looking to have? I currently put 3 in car seats in the back of an extended cab truck. I've got a 9 year old, 2 and 1. So one booster seat and two rear facing.

2, max.

 

[MacManus99]

I have had my 9 month old in every vehicle in my sig. Yes, she has even been in the backseat of the FRS. The passenger seat has to be all the way forward and is not really usable if the car seat is in there.

My daughter is mainly in my truck or my wife's Escape. My truck is a crew cab, has tons of room inside, and in my family is the preferred vehicle for carting the 3 of us around. My wife loves it because of the room and the extra privacy the height and tinted windows provide for breast feeding. Plus, the bumpier ride of the 3/4 ton seems to put my daughter to sleep quite well.

 

[nwjones18]

I bought my crew cab specifically to be a family vehicle. Nothing has more rear leg room than crew cab trucks and if you're tall and going to have rear facing car seats that is the most important metric on the vehicle.. I was going to suggest tonneau cover, but you already have that. I have a bar type divider I can put across the bed to keep things like groceries from sliding all the way to the front. My wife is still driving her CRV, but we are much more comfortable in the Ram. In her car I have to put the rear facing car seat behind her because it makes the front seat uncomfortable for me. If I have my way when it comes time to replace her CRV we'll be getting a mini-van. Sliding doors would be amazing for putting the car seat in/out of the vehicle in a 2 car garage.. Have to open the doors wide on the truck to get it in there and a lot of times I end up backing the truck out then putting the car seat in.

Also I have a boat and plan on having a camper fairly soon, so CC truck is the only way you're moving the family and the toys at once.

 

[nwjones18]

How many kids you looking to have? I currently put 3 in car seats in the back of an extended cab truck. I've got a 9 year old, 2 and 1. So one booster seat and two rear facing.

I have had a rear facing seat in the middle of the of an 02 Silverado extended cab and that worked surprisingly well because the seat could sort of fit between the two front backrest. I don't have any idea how you have 2 back there and anyone riding in the front passenger seat. haha.

 

[wpod]

I have an F150 super cab and it is very roomy inside. When my kids were munchkins We had a 1992 Toyota truck x- cab and it worked fine . Consider the mpgs,,, rumor has it Gas prices may for some reason will rise like a rocket ship to the Moon.

 

[WylieCoyote]

Crew cab pickups dominate the roads in Texas. People use them for everything here, including family haulers, and going to the grocery store. Not a scratch in the bed of any of them, but they can haul stuff when and if they need to.

 

[cb_13]

I have had a rear facing seat in the middle of the of an 02 Silverado extended cab and that worked surprisingly well because the seat could sort of fit between the two front backrest. I don't have any idea how you have 2 back there and anyone riding in the front passenger seat. haha.

My wife is only 5'2 and we usually take her Explorer if we're all going somewhere together. I'd never fit in the seat in front of the rear facing car seat but selecting the right size of car seat for your available space makes a world of difference.

 

[AutoMechanic]

My sister has 3 kids and they have a minivan but they also have a Mercury Mariner that they drive most and a Toyota Corolla and they are all able to fit in there 2 of them are still in car seats one of them is still rear facing. Even when they had 3 car seats the Mariner was pretty good. Then when I was growing up me and my sister shared the back seat and it was fine and that was in a Jeep Cherokee and 1994 Toyota Corolla and 1996 Toyota Avalon and 1994 Ford Van too which was our favorite. So I think it is definitely doable in a car or even small SUV.

 

[DriveHard]

Our "family car" is my bride's ZR2 - LOVE IT! So much easier getting kids in and out and no concern if we have enough room or not.

I will say I did invest in a quality bed cover, so it acts as a glorified station wagon...

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

It seems you would need some form of bed organizer so stuff under a solid (or rolling) tonneau cover doesn't slide forward.

I have often wondered if a clamshell loadbed (checker-plate aluminum) box, on floor-mounted slides... and set at the back of the loadbed would be good... with tailgate removed and a tonneau that only goes rearward to the point of where the bed-box begins... would be good. The clamshell I mention would have a waterproof hinge at the top, forwardmost... and the closure point would be rear-most, at bed-height. Not sure if such a thing exists. Essentially, having the right bed-box effectively makes it into a back-trunk (like on a sedan).

I know it is polarizing... but a Ridgeline, with an in-bed trunk and a two-way tailgate might be attractive to some folks.

 

[CT Rob]

Crew cab pickups dominate the roads in Texas. People use them for everything here, including family haulers, and going to the grocery store. Not a scratch in the bed of any of them, but they can haul stuff when and if they need to.

That every where including here in the east coast /new england area. I have a Tundra crew max and no one but me is ever in it. Considering buying a reg cab truck ,ill just miss the extra room in the back for extra work cloths etc .I dont know

 

[OVERKILL]

My wife and I may be growing our family in the next 1-2 years. We have two sedans, both of which are aging, and a new crew cab pick-up.

From a passenger space standpoint, my pick-up is the largest but we are curious if it is a viable family vehicle when there are infants. We are thinking about replacing one vehicle in our fleet to be better suited for family duties.

For those of you with experience, do you think we need to get a real family vehicle (aka minivan or larger crossover) or can we manage with a pick-up and sedans?

Cost is always a consideration, but isn't a top priority.

Edit: Truck has a tonneau cover and running boards. Step-in height is reasonable for adults.

We have three kids, the truck works great, lots of storage (in floor RAM bins, under the seat) and leg room in that back seat and the bed to toss all the kid junk into.

 

[02SE]

I have ancestors that traveled across this country in horse or cattle-drawn wagons, where no roads, cities, or services existed. While no doubt a struggle, they made it.

I think a crew cab truck hauling a family of four on paved roads in suburbia, will be ok.

 

[01rangerxl]

I mean, you can also transport kids in a Crown Vic or Geo Metro, but I think he has a valid question here. It's not "is this possible," it's "will getting a different vehicle be worth it from a convenience standpoint."