Ps. I can't remember which car seat I have installed with LATCH and which has a 3 pt on it. But for anyone using a 3 pt on a carseat, I HIGHLY recommend a product called the Mighty-Tite or something like that, sold all over online. Costs $15-20, hooks on the seatbelt after you've installed the carseat and you can ratchet it to remove any slack in the belt. I can get the 3pt installed seat MUCH tighter in the car than the one I've got installed with LATCH.
Your 100's as family vehicles
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^^ This! I went from an Odyssey to the 100. NO complaints, but the Odyssey wins hands down for a "family vehicle". Yes, the 100 has 8 seat belts, and I fill them all up regularly with Boy Scouts. Many of them struggle to be over 5' tall, so they cram in the 3rd row no prob. It also depends HUGELY on the size and age of the "family". For me, I'm 6'4", my wife is 6', so the front seats are all the way back, This really cuts into the leg room in the 2nd row. My family is expanding, and we have 2 13 year olds, and 2 16 year olds. One is 5' 10", one is 5' 9" and the other two shorter. Still, that's a lot-o-people in there. Easier entry/egress in a minivan, but I'm OK with the trade-offs. Even a Sequoia would have a lot more room for teenagers.
We have both. Trying to compare the 100 to the Odyssey isn't really a fair fight. The Odyssey is a family vehicle, the doors slide open with the push of a button, it's low to the ground so ingress/egress is super easy, decent fuel milage, plenty of room, easy to drive and see out of. We have 3 kids in car/booster seats still, so it's easy to see why we like the Odyssey so much. The 100 holds the kids/gear just fine when we're "family wheeling"' but if we're traveling all day and not venturing off road, the 100 isn't coming out of the garage.
I agree. I guess to sum up, sure, the 100 can be used as a family vehicle. The compromises that use will generate depends on the size, age, and number of family members you're trying to cram in, as well as the distance, and frequency of entry/exit you're planning on. Fair 'nuf?
Totally agree. I wasn't disagreeing at all with your post, quite the opposite. Your family is much taller than mine, and your kids are older too. It's really hard to beat a Honda/Toyota minivan if you have more than 2 kids.
If I can get away with driving the Hyundai Sonata wherever we are going, I choose that first. The Hundy is actually more comfortable, softer ride and more roomy but it's really hard to stomach 14 mpg vs 30+ of the Hyundai. If I need the people/cargo space or am going off-pavement, then the 100 is the vehicle. So in a manner similar to you folks with the minivans do, the family car gets chosen first unless the 100 is necessary.
I've never heard any adults or kids/cousins/scouts complain about there not being enough room in the 100 even when we've got it full of people. I'm 6'3" but everyone else in my house (wife and 2 kids) are 5'2" or shorter. We'll see how things look in 8 years when the kids are all grown up though. I have sat in the middle row just to test it out and it seemed marginally big enough for me but nobody my size ever sits back there.
I've never heard any adults or kids/cousins/scouts complain about there not being enough room in the 100 even when we've got it full of people. I'm 6'3" but everyone else in my house (wife and 2 kids) are 5'2" or shorter. We'll see how things look in 8 years when the kids are all grown up though. I have sat in the middle row just to test it out and it seemed marginally big enough for me but nobody my size ever sits back there.
Here's our setup and it works out perfectly for our needs. Plenty of room for an adult to sit back there with them, even for long trips. Plus the center is the safest place for the younger child and there is a center LATCH. The empty seat even tumbles forward if need be.
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Re: LATCH, vehicles manufactured on and after 9/2005 have to meet a new standard for LATCH anchor points. My car seats are rated at 80lbs with Super Latch (SL) on 9/05 vehicles, not 35lbs. Some manufacturers post 9/2005 still list lower limits. And in that case, I'd go with the lower limit. But other manufacturers will defer to the carseat manufacturer and in these cases, I'd go with the 65-80lb SL limit.
I prefer the LATCH anchors over standard seat belts because I can usually get a better fit. The spacing of the anchors is standard and closer matches the width of a car seat. Using seatbelts often allows more lateral movement than using LATCH. When LATCH first came out, they were designed for ease of use but
Here is a comparison of Super Latch vs LATCH.
And information on the 2005 LATCH requirements.
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=571.225
I prefer the LATCH anchors over standard seat belts because I can usually get a better fit. The spacing of the anchors is standard and closer matches the width of a car seat. Using seatbelts often allows more lateral movement than using LATCH. When LATCH first came out, they were designed for ease of use but
Here is a comparison of Super Latch vs LATCH.
And information on the 2005 LATCH requirements.
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=571.225
We came from an Odyssey as well... and even though there was more room overall (since we didn't need all 8 seats yet) we still prefered the LC. For us the LC was more comfortable, so we are more than happy to give up some storage & space to move around. Personal preference I guess.
As for the carrier that plugs into the towing reciever... That won't work for us until I beef up the rear suspension. With sticking the extra weight out back it makes the ride terrible. Maybe it's having all the seats full or maybe it's just my mad LC packing skills
, either way using a rack I can distribute the weight to be more centered and retain a nice ride. 
As for the carrier that plugs into the towing reciever... That won't work for us until I beef up the rear suspension. With sticking the extra weight out back it makes the ride terrible. Maybe it's having all the seats full or maybe it's just my mad LC packing skills
, either way using a rack I can distribute the weight to be more centered and retain a nice ride.
Airbags, dude!We came from an Odyssey as well... and even though there was more room overall (since we didn't need all 8 seats yet) we still prefered the LC. For us the LC was more comfortable, so we are more than happy to give up some storage & space to move around. Personal preference I guess.
As for the carrier that plugs into the towing reciever... That won't work for us until I beef up the rear suspension. With sticking the extra weight out back it makes the ride terrible. Maybe it's having all the seats full or maybe it's just my mad LC packing skills
I'll come help you install them. I need a trip up north anyways...
My LX470 use to be the 3rd car weekend family hauler, but has been relegated to be the utility, vacation, and when family is in town vehicle.
I have two small kids, and on the weekends, we now use a RAV4 EV. Even though we never commuted with the LX470, we were finding that it surprisingly was using the most gas of all our 3 cars, even though it only got used 3 days of the week.
That said, we still love the LX, and I won't be giving it up anytime soon. No car in my mind, matches it's unique mix of capability, utility, luxury, and safety. I wholly agree with much of everything that has been said about the interior accommodations, especially with multiple car seats.
One feature that has been huge for the family's enjoyment of the LX, has to be the AHC system. It allows me the clearance and lift that I want, with 33's. Yet, the family doesn't have to deal with my somewhat selfish desires of a lifted car in terms of the ingress/egress challenges. It's important to my 3 yr old daughter, my wife's back dealing with the newborn, and especially for my 99 and 96 yr old grandparents because getting into a lifted SUV would be a non-starter.
And it doesn't hurt that this large of an SUV can still corner when set to sport.
I have two small kids, and on the weekends, we now use a RAV4 EV. Even though we never commuted with the LX470, we were finding that it surprisingly was using the most gas of all our 3 cars, even though it only got used 3 days of the week.
That said, we still love the LX, and I won't be giving it up anytime soon. No car in my mind, matches it's unique mix of capability, utility, luxury, and safety. I wholly agree with much of everything that has been said about the interior accommodations, especially with multiple car seats.
One feature that has been huge for the family's enjoyment of the LX, has to be the AHC system. It allows me the clearance and lift that I want, with 33's. Yet, the family doesn't have to deal with my somewhat selfish desires of a lifted car in terms of the ingress/egress challenges. It's important to my 3 yr old daughter, my wife's back dealing with the newborn, and especially for my 99 and 96 yr old grandparents because getting into a lifted SUV would be a non-starter.
And it doesn't hurt that this large of an SUV can still corner when set to sport.
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Not surprisingly, it seems I hear the common theme on this thread is the ability to take larger groups of people on distances that just aren't worth flying. In a vehicle more dedicated to the task. Lets admit it, flying commercial sucks pretty bad these days. The commitment to buy a used land cruiser to ferry a family on a ride that might take five hours driving, easily beats the commercial airline experience.
Southwest Airlines is as good as it gets, but that's not exactly as cheap as one might think. And I don't trust a minivan for safety. I've just seen too many wrecks. Sorry. The cruiser reputation is built on dependeability. That's not appreciated enough and I will never cease to be amazed at the people plunking down excess of 85k for the electrical nightmare that is a Range Rover.
Bottom line, you still need wheels when you get to your destination, and the comfy seats of ANY land cruiser are preferable to the commercial airline experience.
Southwest Airlines is as good as it gets, but that's not exactly as cheap as one might think. And I don't trust a minivan for safety. I've just seen too many wrecks. Sorry. The cruiser reputation is built on dependeability. That's not appreciated enough and I will never cease to be amazed at the people plunking down excess of 85k for the electrical nightmare that is a Range Rover.
Bottom line, you still need wheels when you get to your destination, and the comfy seats of ANY land cruiser are preferable to the commercial airline experience.
If they need more cargo room, go buy a 4x4 excursion with the 7.3 diesel.
our toyota min van has severed the wife well , and is the better family around town car.... But the wife is starting to really like my 100s.. and now wants to drive it all over town when not commuting. I think she is going thru an identity thing soccer mom to 4x4 queen , what better truck to want to drive then the 100s.
Really? I've rented one and didn't feel the same.
He's right in some respects and I was pleasantly surprised by it as well. The RAV4 middle row is fore and aft adjustable (wish the hundy had this) for an optional 3rd row . It has way more legroom in its rearmost position. Though the Hundy is quite a bit wider such that 3 across is more comfortable and has nicer seats. I'd almost give the edge when seating 2 across to the RAV.
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100 looks spacious to me.
