UPDATE on Mercedes GLS450 vs minivan

UPDATE: I got a Lucid Gravity. Some commenters suggested an EV because of the battery weight creating a lower center of gravity, and they were right. I tried out all the three row EVs I could, and none were even close to the Gravity. I also ended up trying out the carnival and didn’t love the way it handled, and couldn’t get over the poor safety ratings for rear passengers in the minivans.

The Gravity is an absolutely amazing car and I got an insane 24 month lease deal on a fully loaded 2026 Touring. With the trade in incentives they offered I actually did better overall than the lease Kia was offering, which is crazy. The Lucid is maybe the best and fastest car I’ve ever driven. 0-60 in 3 something seconds. It has the adjustable air suspension like the MB, the collapsible third row like the Odyssey, super safe, incredible handling, beautiful leather interior and heated seats (first and second row!), and an awesome amount of cargo space. The range is great and can charge super quickly at any Tesla charging station. The screens are really well thought out and don’t feel intrusive, and the physical buttons work well and make sense to me. And it weirdly feels less ostentatious than the MB, even though the sticker price was more. I wish it had sliding doors like a minivan, but we’ll survive. I went with a lease vs buying since the company and this car are so new, but am very, very happy with my lease deal. Thanks for the help everyone!!!

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Original:

Looking for a safe car that handles well for a family with young children. Interior cargo space is important- I do a lot of gardening and have a bad habit of buying trees, as well as needing space for road trips and everyday schlepping. (the Mazda CX90 is out for this reason). I also really like physical buttons and like less screens in general (but Apple CarPlay is a must). Leather interior and heated front seats are also a nonnegotiable. Remote start would be a plus, since it can get hot here during the summer. I like the idea of the minivan’s sliding doors for young children, but am worried about the safety ratings.

I currently drive a VW golf wagon and love the way it handles, but the passenger space is limited and it’s starting to fail in fun and interesting ways. (Despite how finicky both my VWs have been, I still plan to test drive an Atlas)

My main problem with the large luxury SUVs is how high they seem to float and how they don’t feel like you can zip around a corner (looking at you Genesis). I really like the way the GLS drove and that you could lower the suspension, but am worried about reliability. We can afford the maintenance and would be getting a car under warranty, but I don’t want to deal with the car constantly being in the shop. I also don’t want to draw too much attention. In my opinion the GLS450 doesn’t stick out quite like a G wagon, but I’d love to hear others‘ opinions. And until BMW changes their design and gets rid of those horrendous buck teeth on the front, I can’t consider an X7.

I tried an Odyssey and actually didn’t hate it but the air conditioning in the rear was TERRIBLE. However I loved the passenger and cargo space, and the fact that it still had some physical buttons. I also liked that it drove lower. I didn’t like the interior of the Toyota Sienna. I am planning to test drive a Kia Carnival.

Are there any other cars I should check out? Anyone able to chime in on the GLS450 vs Kia Carnival? Not a lot written online cross shopping those two!