7 passenger minivan or 7 passenger SUV to transport disassembled ECV scooter?

[Belle5]

We will have 6 passengers most days...

 

[Staren]

SUV definitely. It will be higher to lift the scooter into, but storage is pretty limited in most minivans. Since you need all 3 rows of seats, I would look at the larger SUVs with dedicated rear storage behind the 3rd seat. Some of the mid size SUVs don’t have much more space than a minivan back there.

 

[DisneyOma]

We rented a GMC Yukon once - there's no space to store a french horn in the back, never mind an ECV. So don't get a Yukon!

 

[Belle5]

We rented a GMC Yukon once - there's no space to store a french horn in the back, never mind an ECV. So don't get a Yukon!

Yikes! I am warned!!

 

[Belle5]

SUV definitely. It will be higher to lift the scooter into, but storage is pretty limited in most minivans. Since you need all 3 rows of seats, I would look at the larger SUVs with dedicated rear storage behind the 3rd seat. Some of the mid size SUVs don’t have much more space than a minivan back there.

I'm thinking that on a full-size SUV, if there was a split back seat in the back row we could leave one seat for seating and fold the other down to give room for the scooter. Not sure if mini-vans ever have a split back seat...

 

[lanejudy]

Not sure if mini-vans ever have a split back seat...

My Grand Caravan does - BUT the 3rd row is the row which seats 3 people, middle row only seats 2, and unless they are smallish kids I don't think 2 people would comfortably fit on the split rear seat. My sister has an Explorer, which similarly seats 3 in the back (and it's a tight fit). But depending on the model of the ECV and how it breaks down, I still think we could fit it in either of those vehicles without needing to fold a seat. If there is luggage for all 6 passengers as well as the ECV -- that's a whole different issue!

Unfortunately most vehicles with that seat 6-8 passengers don't have much cargo space. Is your ECV a rental? I'd ask the vendor if they think it would fit in a minivan, or a large SUV, or whatever car options you have.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Staren]

One of the extended Expaditions is where my thoughts went. I wish Ford still made the Excursion. You could just about get a cargo container into one of those.

Edit: Updated the model names to the correct ones. Had them mixed up originally.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

A Pacifica, a Sienna, or an Odessey all have a 60/40 split in the back row.
Unless you get an extra large (Suburban or Yukon XL or Excursion if they still make it), no SUV with a 3rd row will have enough space with the seats up, and maybe not with a seat down either if you are carrying more than just the ECV in the rear. There is limited space between the back of the middle row and the trunk door.

 

[kirstenb1]

An Explorer is where my thoughts went. I wish Ford still made the Expedition. You could just about get a cargo container into one of those.

We have a 2014 Explorer. It does have seating for 7, but the person in the middle of the second row can't be very big. The seat belt across is pretty narrow. And with the 3rd row up, you could possibly fit a scooter back there. I love my Explorer, but I've always heard minivans had more storage once all the seats are up.

 

[tobikaye]

If you will have 6, plus luggage, plus an EVC, you will need an extended vehicle. If you are just transporting people and the EVC, I have done this in a Sienna mini and a Traverse crossover just fine.

I remove the seat, basket and batteries of my sister's Buzzaround XL and then put it in the rear parallel to the third row, then I put it in park so it does not roll. In my Traverse, I put the batteries behind the back wheels and the then the seat is placed on the scooter deck with the handle laying on it. In the Sienna, I do similar, but I sometimes just put the batteries, back into place if I do not have room to the side of the wheels.

 

[Belle5]

If you will have 6, plus luggage, plus an EVC, you will need an extended vehicle. If you are just transporting people and the EVC, I have done this in a Sienna mini and a Traverse crossover just fine.

I remove the seat, basket and batteries of my sister's Buzzaround XL and then put it in the rear parallel to the third row, then I put it in park so it does not roll. In my Traverse, I put the batteries behind the back wheels and the then the seat is placed on the scooter deck with the handle laying on it. In the Sienna, I do similar, but I sometimes just put the batteries, back into place if I do not have room to the side of the wheels.

We will not have luggage at any point that there is a scooter in the vehicle. Sounds like I might be okay with a minivan! Thanks!

 

[starsweeper]

I drive a Chevy Suburbsn which has a full trunk and 7 seats for our 6-person family.

 

[CanucksRock]

We had a Sienna for 7 people and two scooters. The gogo sport so they could be easily disassembled. Wk 2 only 4 people, so we just loaded up the scooters fully assembled with no issue.

 

[Belle5]

FWIW, we ended up prepaying (so no changing) a premium SUV (like a Suburban). I have all adults (or adult sized) people in our group so even with the mobility scooter we should be pretty comfortable! Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me. Even though some minivans seemed like they would have worked, we had no guarantee of which kind of van we would be given! Too much of a gamble even with a smaller SUV (like an Explorer).

 

[5kidsmommy]

Yeah I agree. I dove a Suburban for a long time, it was the only vehicle that could fit my family and all our stuff. We did drive a minivan for a couple years and it was so tiny. The trunk space is small.

 

[Evita_W]

If you get creative, you can fit an ECV in most vehicles, even with the seats up. The biggest challenge is always the seat. But in your case, it sounds like you will have an empty seat that you could out the ECV seat in. Something most people don't consider doing with an ECV is to put the back wheels on top is the main platform, but under the tiller, this frees up a lot more space, then also out the battery on the floor in front of the empty car seat. The basket is normally pretty easy to find space for and the charger can go in the back of the seat or inside the basket. Just a thought

 

[Lswilmot@aol.com]

Just another thought- Make sure that the deck of the cargo area is level with the rear door opening, not sunk into the floor. Otherwise you will need to lift the scooter up a good 2-3 feet to get it out of the vehicle. I drive a Dodge Ram Pro Master City van with 2 scooters in the cargo area, but it only seats 5.

 

[Simba's Mom]

One of the extended Expaditions is where my thoughts went. I wish Ford still made the Excursion. You could just about get a cargo container into one of those.

Edit: Updated the model names to the correct ones. Had them mixed up originally.

Our Ford Edge SUV has the split rear seat, and handles my GoGo Elite Traveler OK.