devriesb

We have had the V-6 for just about a year with 7 kids and hauling stuff (no trailering) on vacation through the hills/mountains of WV we've not had any issues. The V-6 has gotten good fuel mileage too, and has not shocked us with consumption. Not sure how the V-8 fares, but for general use and no heavy loads etc. I would definitely recommend the V6, no doubt you will get better mileage than the V8. Cheers!

Thanks for the welcome!. We are headed to Hilton Head - we booked the trip thinking that we were done at 6 kids ages 2-12... about a week later we found out we were due with #7! And the due date is the same day as our first week of check-in (we are there 2 weeks)... I told my wife we'll make it, and having the big van in time will make that happen I hope. We love travelling in the US and the kids are excellent on the road even without video games etc., but 14hrs of driving to HH beats 18-20hrs for Florida for our March break. I have heard good things about HH from friends. Usually we vacation in the Canaan Valley area of West Virginia (have a few weeks of a timeshare in July and absolutely love the geography and nature of the area). I think the V6 will be fine too, and I'll post our experience with it for anyone else thinking of taking the leap. Thanks! Bart

Hi, this is my first post to this forum. I used this to figure out what the fuel mileage of these beast was, and in the end ordered a 2016 with the V6. Just got a call yesterday that it is on its way from Canton Mississippi which is great, as we are planning to leave on vacation to SC in 3.5 weeks! We are expecting our 7th child any day so that's why this thread of "big family van owners" caught my attention. Just won't fit in the Sienna anymore, as much as we loved that van. I like to refer to the NV as a Ford Flex on steroids. Initially we selected it because I told my wife, if I'm going to drive around with 7 kids, I want to look good doing it! But then cost made it a logical choice - it is very well equipped for about 5k less than the Chevy and 12K less than the Transit. At least in our Canadian dollars. Bought it in silver because it will look cleaner longer, and that's a lot of sheet metal to clean if it's dirty. The java metallic did peak our curiosity, however. Anyway, looking forward to reading and sharing more on this forum regarding this vehicle. Looking forward to many family fun trips (we vacation in West Virginia a couple of times a year and I hope the V6 can handle the hills - here in Ontario I don't need to worry about that). Cheers. Bart