Travelall 3 Row

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I was one of 8 kids in my home growing up.
We used the following vehicles for carting all of us around:

  • Flatbed 2-ton Chevy C-60. The kids rode on the flatbed. Yes, fully flat, no sidewalls.
  • Chevy Suburban
  • Two Scout IIs. Converted the rear cargo areas to seats.
  • Two Chevy Chevettes. Yeah, we crammed everyone into two of those dinky little things.
  • A Chevy Nova Stationwagon. Converted the rear to a rear-facing bench seat.
  • Multiple two drivers configurations among a lot of pickups, sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, etc.
  • One of those Chevy vans without windows on the sides.

This was back in the dark ages when kid safety was an afterthought at best. I don’t recommend it.
Back in the days when you could ride in the back of a pickup too and no one batted an eye.
 
I’m gonna guess that I hold a minority viewpoint, then. I think of SUVs as the cooler alternative to minivans and station wagons, which I’m realizing is outdated thinking after doing some quick reading. Those were the family cars when I was growing up. It was maybe only like 20 years ago that I started hearing about people getting SUVs as family cars and I thought that was nuts because SUVs are more prone to rollovers and were no way better family cars. That, and having road tripped as a passenger in a minivan, I’d choose to do that again. They’re fun. They look lame, but they’re fun.

That said, I need to consider parking in garages and city streets a lot. I don’t want to sideswipe someone when I’m trying to parallel park and I don’t want to total someone else’s car at the expense of saving my bumper because I get to ride up a bit higher if I get into a collision. That’s why I don’t want a land yacht. I like SUVs, just not ginormous ones. There’s a Suburban that parks catty-corner to my driveway and blocks my view of the road when I back out of the driveway. For this reason, I don’t park in the driveway. It’s terrifying. I live on a road with a bus route. I’m not going to blindly back out into a bus that I can’t see because someone wanted to feel cool and safe with tinted windows. It’s inconsiderate to other drivers on the road. Where I live, it’s impractical. In another, less densely populated part of the country, this probably isn’t an issue.
Mini-vans hands down win for practicality. We currently have a 2020 Honda Odyssey that my wife traded her 2011 GX460 in for. She loves it and its got about 100k miles on it now. It makes total sense for running around town with a lot of people and stuffing with groceries. It is surpisingly not the best for road trips though. The cargo space in the back fills up fast with a few suitcases and a stroller.

Also a big fan of station wagons! I loved my VW TDI Sportwagen and I hated to give it up after our family outgrew it. 47-50mpg all day and it had a lot of torque after a tune. It was one of my all time favorite cars. It will be easier to find her a new ride once the youngest learns how to buckle himself in. She traded the Lexus in because she was tired of reaching up so high when she was loading him in the carseat and the van made that a breeze.

We also have wild weather here and she has had to take my Lexus GX470 (Basically a 4Runner with a V8 and full time AWD) when conditions are really bad sometimes. We rescued people on multiple occasions in our SUVs during freezes. There are also flash floods and roads can get pretty sketchy in lower vehicles. She is leaning towards a Rivian R1S to replace her van in a few years if we can pay cash for the Scout and just have one car note.

We drive on rural roads daily that beat the crap out of cars and vans. She missed the offroad suspension on the Lexus after a while because it soaked up the bumps and potholes. The Honda will need new struts soon.

In areas with poor infrastructure SUVs really do shine.

If you live in an urban area I can understand the apprehension of owning a land yacht. Sounds like it would really take the joy out of driving it where you currently live.

There is also the offroading and boondocking aspect. I had a really bad time in the military and do my best to avoid crowded places. We opt for more remote camping areas and experiences and 4x4 is required at several of them (some even have signs saying it is). A large 4x4 SUV has the space and capability we need to get to those places.

The bench seat in a Traveler and its capability put it at the top of our list. It will be cramped but its one of the best options we have. A Travelall would be the best fit.. But we can make a Traveler work until the kids are in their teens and outgrow it.


When the kids are grown and gone I would be all over a 2 door model though!
 
1749084425196.jpeg
I’ll also add if Canoo didn’t go t—-s up and offered a lifted 4WD version I would be all over it, and my wife would be driving the much cooler Scout. 😂


But I guess nobody wanted an EV shaped like a suppository so my heart must go on…
 
View attachment 6942I’ll also add if Canoo didn’t go t—-s up and offered a lifted 4WD version I would be all over it, and my wife would be driving the much cooler Scout. 😂


But I guess nobody wanted an EV shaped like a suppository so my heart must go on…
There was always a touch of curiosity on my end for that concept. Proportionally it is good but visually I struggled.
 
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We drive on rural roads daily that beat the crap out of cars and vans. She missed the offroad suspension on the Lexus after a while because it soaked up the bumps and potholes. The Honda will need new struts soon.

In areas with poor infrastructure SUVs really do shine.

If you live in an urban area I can understand the apprehension of owning a land yacht. Sounds like it would really take the joy out of driving it where you currently live.

Oh, that reminded me! I haven’t been there in years, so I forgot that it existed, but there’s a little neighborhood in Boston called the Grove. It’s all private roads near a (now closed) quarry that was built for the workers of said quarry. My sister rented a house there with her first husband and those roads had potholes the size of ponds. Nobody paid to maintain them. The city took care of trash, but as far as I know, there was no neighborhood association or anything who cared about the roads. You 100% need to get a 4X4 to traverse those roads if you live there and don’t want to have a broken axle at some point.

There is also the offroading and boondocking aspect. I had a really bad time in the military and do my best to avoid crowded places. We opt for more remote camping areas and experiences and 4x4 is required at several of them (some even have signs saying it is). A large 4x4 SUV has the space and capability we need to get to those places.

The bench seat in a Traveler and its capability put it at the top of our list. It will be cramped but its one of the best options we have. A Travelall would be the best fit.. But we can make a Traveler work until the kids are in their teens and outgrow it.


When the kids are grown and gone I would be all over a 2 door model though!

Heh, I have a couple of stress disorders and I also do my best to avoid a crowded space (and isolated spaces: I had a real bad date a few years ago, and you do the math there). Driving in a city where there’s a vocal pro-bike contingency who very much wants you to ride a bike or take the T (public transit in my area) or else you’re a fascist because you disagree is not awesome. I have a medical need for avoiding a train. I have perfectly valid reasons for wanting to feel safe. The pro-bike dingleberries around here are positive that they’re right and can turn this and every city into a car-free city and it’s so unrealistic and shitty and self-serving that I want to scream and throw all of their bikes into the river. It’s all these able-bodied self-righteous guys. I’ve got MS and I can’t do anything once it goes above 85 degrees. My cognitive abilities disappear. Unless there’s air conditioning, I’m more or less functionally drunk and my right leg is unreliable. These jackasses are like “well, you can get an e-bike” and I’m like THIS DOESN’T FIX THE LACK OF AIR CONDITIONING, YOU NITWIT and cooling packs aren’t enough. If I’m stationary at the beach, fine, I’m not operating any kind of vehicle. The lack of understanding drives me nuts. Also? It’s nobody’s business to tell me that I need to ride a bike or take the train instead of driving if that makes me feel safer. It pisses me off when people who are supposed to be all socially cool—and ostensibly on the same page as me—tell me how to live a part of my life that I hold sacred. 🖕

FWIW I do own a mountain bike and have owned one in the past and they’re really fun, but I haven’t been able to use it much in the past couple of years. I’m not keen to use it on roads because trail bike. Aaaaaaagh

Tl;dr I think we understand each other. 🫡🇺🇸

It is not for me to say that ginormous SUVs aren’t needed at all. It’s just the car-free people who need to fall into the sea. On this, I think we can all come together. 😍😍😍

In Scout confidimus 🤜
 
Oh, that reminded me! I haven’t been there in years, so I forgot that it existed, but there’s a little neighborhood in Boston called the Grove. It’s all private roads near a (now closed) quarry that was built for the workers of said quarry. My sister rented a house there with her first husband and those roads had potholes the size of ponds. Nobody paid to maintain them. The city took care of trash, but as far as I know, there was no neighborhood association or anything who cared about the roads. You 100% need to get a 4X4 to traverse those roads if you live there and don’t want to have a broken axle at some point.



Heh, I have a couple of stress disorders and I also do my best to avoid a crowded space (and isolated spaces: I had a real bad date a few years ago, and you do the math there). Driving in a city where there’s a vocal pro-bike contingency who very much wants you to ride a bike or take the T (public transit in my area) or else you’re a fascist because you disagree is not awesome. I have a medical need for avoiding a train. I have perfectly valid reasons for wanting to feel safe. The pro-bike dingleberries around here are positive that they’re right and can turn this and every city into a car-free city and it’s so unrealistic and shitty and self-serving that I want to scream and throw all of their bikes into the river. It’s all these able-bodied self-righteous guys. I’ve got MS and I can’t do anything once it goes above 85 degrees. My cognitive abilities disappear. Unless there’s air conditioning, I’m more or less functionally drunk and my right leg is unreliable. These jackasses are like “well, you can get an e-bike” and I’m like THIS DOESN’T FIX THE LACK OF AIR CONDITIONING, YOU NITWIT and cooling packs aren’t enough. If I’m stationary at the beach, fine, I’m not operating any kind of vehicle. The lack of understanding drives me nuts. Also? It’s nobody’s business to tell me that I need to ride a bike or take the train instead of driving if that makes me feel safer. It pisses me off when people who are supposed to be all socially cool—and ostensibly on the same page as me—tell me how to live a part of my life that I hold sacred. 🖕

FWIW I do own a mountain bike and have owned one in the past and they’re really fun, but I haven’t been able to use it much in the past couple of years. I’m not keen to use it on roads because trail bike. Aaaaaaagh

Tl;dr I think we understand each other. 🫡🇺🇸

It is not for me to say that ginormous SUVs aren’t needed at all. It’s just the car-free people who need to fall into the sea. On this, I think we can all come together. 😍😍😍

In Scout confidimus 🤜
The Grove sounds like a Libertarian paradise lol. I can envision a new cab driver turning down one of those roads and not having their job by the end of the night.



On a more serious note I am sorry you struggle and get poked at for living your best life.

Dealing with MS is no joke either. A friends mother had a pretty severe case and went from riding motorcycles and hiking to being bedridden within a short period of time. It’s a cruel one.

How anyone can shame you for managing your disabilities is just not computing. Definitely a great way to gain opposition for your ideology though.

I have an e-bike but don’t associate with bicycle people. Hanging out with those folks will get me landed on a shorter FBI watchlist. Probably one of the craziest and most militant groups of people I’ve came across.

For what it’s worth there is a lot of overlap of the r/movingtonorthkorea and r/f#ckcars subreddits. I think bicycle commuting is a gateway to becoming a petulant tankie.

But nobody should feel bad for wanting a decent quality of life or feeling safe.

I am sure several of us would be down to help make an artificial reef out of some bikes if they mess with Scoutsie!
 
I would have to agree. I would think an awesome single door Bronco/Wrangler sized vehicle would sell way more than an 8 passenger big boy but Americans love there big cars. I blame Cadillac and Chevy of the yester-year variety of cars from the 50’s 🤣
I don’t think it would actually sell in volume because we have a cultural desire for bigger and better.

But damn if I don’t want a 2 door SUV wide enough for a front bench, with a truck bed that had seats bolted to it like the old K5s
 
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Agree! A 3 row Travelall (Harvester) would be a nice third offering. Consider barn doors as an option. I used to own a 73 Travelall with 3rd row and barn doors, loved that truck!
Barn doors are cool minus the big blind spot but still cool. I would be happy with the same swing out setup on the Traveler. OR a cool rear window that rolls down into the tailgate like the old Suburbans
 
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Barn doors are cool minus the big blind spot but still cool. I would be happy with the same swing out setup on the Traveler. OR a cool rear window that rolls down into the tailgate like the old Suburbans
The Grenadier has 70/30 split doors with a tire carrier on the 70 part and a ladder optional on the 30. I test drove it twice. It’s not ideal for seeing what’s behind you. 😹
 
The little ones don’t sell here. My son complains all the cool hot hatches are overseas. I actually like wagons. The Audi wagon I like starts at $135,000 and the BMW M5 has a wagon and that thing is $150,000. There’s cheaper wagons overseas. We don’t get them here. I’m actually surprised they still sell the 2 door Jeep because they do not sell very many of them compared to the 4 door.

I don’t know why, but everything has to be bigger in America.
I think you’re right, they’re wisely choosing to build for the market. Personally my preference would be something a few inches thinner and shorter (height wise), and I’m hoping that’s on the table eventually, though I’m guessing their third vehicle is more likely to be a 3 row suv. Rivian r2 seems like an attractive form factor, but I want buttons, physical door handles and one pedal braking 😀
 
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