LR4 with 3 kids?

i know it would be big enough for around town, but big enough for 12 hour road trips? they're 15, 12, and 9 so no car seats. I'm just more concerned about cargo with the third row up. We also have a lab. What do you think?

Borderline at best. I drive with the seat almost all the way back and the way the front passenger dashboard is designed is leads to the front passenger typically needing to set his seat back also. Leading to less room in the second row. 12 hour road trips are way too long to begin with. Being 3 across with limited room would drive anyone mad. You need a bus for regular 12 hour road trips....geez...

RBA said:

Borderline at best. I drive with the seat almost all the way back and the way the front passenger dashboard is designed is leads to the front passenger typically needing to set his seat back also. Leading to less room in the second row. 12 hour road trips are way too long to begin with. Being 3 across with limited room would drive anyone mad. You need a bus for regular 12 hour road trips....geez...

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I am not even 5' tall so my seat is all the way up. I would also get the third row seats. We do 12 hour trips often in our Navigator. Do you still think it would be too small?

My wife has taken the kids and her parents (late 70's) from Colorado to California, and they did just fine for comfort, other than the tedium of a two-day trip.
Third row fully down makes it uncomfortable with the second row full, but if you can drop just one of the seats in the third row, it gives everyone a window and some room to stretch out.

If you're adding a dog to the mix, you're on your own.

You will be fine, then. I like the idea of knocking down the passenger side's second row seat and using the third row seat on that same side to give all 3 kids enough elbow and legroom (with the dog as the third passenger in the 2nd row), as long as you can manage cargo in the more limited, leftover luggage space. Still, the Navigator is a full size ute, so it's definitely got a comfort advantage over a midsize SUV such as the LR4 on excruciatingly long trips... Hope you are covered in the in-car entertainment department. And the lab, well... I just came back from a Mexican vacation with my wife and our 3 spunky little girls (11, 6-yo twins) and sitting 5 hours on a plane was... Let's just say we really, really enjoyed the tequilas when we got there.

I would say no.

I have 2 kids + large dog. Two kids are in the second row with the middle seat free which we use for luggage. In the back I put 1 chair up for luggage and the dog lays on the other side.

With one more kid I wouldn't be able to do it. I would get a roof box. There is really no room behind the 3rd row. Maybe 6-8 inches at best.

mattypV50 said:

I would say no.

I have 2 kids + large dog. Two kids are in the second row with the middle seat free which we use for luggage. In the back I put 1 chair up for luggage and the dog lays on the other side.

With one more kid I wouldn't be able to do it. I would get a roof box. There is really no room behind the 3rd row. Maybe 6-8 inches at best.

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Agree with the roof box. My "kids" are 18, 16, and 13, with the 18 year-old heading off to college soon, so it'll be a bit easier for me henceforth. We also have a 100 lb. dog. We drive 4-5 hrs each way more or less every weekend to ski. We keep the middle seat of the middle row down, and one of the 3rd row seats down. My 6'3" 18 year-old likes the third row, so seating back there is fine for just about anybody. We keep some bags in the car with us, either in the space behind the 3rd row, or using part of the flat space created by the down seats. Everyone is very comfortable, dog included. The bulk of our stuff goes in the roof box though. Here's a picture of mine with the roof box. It'd be really difficult without a roof box, but a large roof box looks good on the car.

Creativity is key

We have traveled many long trips with our family in LR3 and now LR4. Recently with 4 adults. 3 over 6 ft for 1500 miles. Effortless. Seats are so flexible. Use one of the rear seats. Hitch mounted tray with extra luggage on it works very well. Little effect on fuel mileage and very inexpensive.

you will need a roof box or a hitch box to carry cargo in. with this the LR4 will be very roomy for your needs.

3 teens and 2 large dogs in our LR3. Totally doable - roof box is a must.