My ex-wife insisted on a mini van.... EX wife.

 

Acura MDX. We have that with the 3rd row. Great car!!

 

I think a way to top a cayenne is.... Audi Q7 diesel. I mean if you have to force yourself to use logic and bring the wife in on it, yeah.

 

Haha.

If you have 3 kids in car seats, you will think differently.

 

Haha! Awesome!

 

I don't think a Q7 is actually big enough, just the way it is shaped. My neighbor has one and they use their Durango when the whole families with them because the Q7 isn't large enough. I think the AMG 63 GL is the best best for size and fun. A mini van or SUV from Acura or Toyota/Lexus would be so far from the 'norm to you' CTTS that it would be painful. The X5 seems a big snug to me as well, about the size of the CTTS (I'd think) or the Q7 and RR.

As much as I hate them!, as many have mentioned a Suburban/Tahoe or Escalade may be the best bet as they are HUGE. Or a Navigator.

 

Suburban : total POS
Sequoia / QX56 : they are a BOF truck and drive like them, and get truck gas mileage. Put 800 miles on a QX56 last year averaged 14 MPG, almost all highway.
X5, Q7, MDX: third row too small for kids over 8 on a regular basis. Plus, MDX has gotten soft and Q7 is long in tooth.
Durango: could work
GL: best of the bunch

 

Funniest thing I have read on this board in a while..

 

I leased a loaded 2011 GL450 and it was great. The new model is even better. Great for kids and cargo and drove really smooth for a 7 passenger SUV.

 

Well, this may not be a popular recommendation given the upscale bent of this board, but how about an long wheel base Escalade. We have had one for a couple of years and it has served our family of 5 quite well. One of the reasons for moving from an X5 to the Escalade was my nearly 6' son. The land-yacht as I call it seats 7 adults comfortably and has room for an enormous amount of luggage. While it may scream old Detroit loudly, it is roomier than a van and not nearly as embarrassing to drive.

 

I'm kicking myself for not getting a vehicle with 3rd row seating. I made that sacrifice when I bought the GTS because it was just that much better that I figured the few times I would need it, I could get by. Well... wishing I had a Q7 or GL right now. lol

(On the rare occasion we have all the kids, we need seating for 6... whoopsie).