My wife had the same demands last month, wanted the captains chairs in the middle, 3rd row. She also wanted a smooth ride, leather and refused to have a mini van. We ended up with the GMC Acadia and she absolutely loves it. I must admit, I drive it to work when I get a chance to steal it and I have taken a liking to it as well.
Speaking of the Mercedes Sprinter, a few friends of mine rented a decked out one (similar to the above but with black interior and 3 rows of massaging chairs, small bed in the back, flat screens facing both ways with an xbox and all kinds of ****. It was the extended one or the longest one they make so it was a bit bigger than the above. We drove that thing from Houston to NOLA to Tuscaloosa for the Bama game and then to Nashville. That was one hell of a fun trip. Not what the OP was looking for though so back to the topic.
Doesn't Dodge/Chrysler make terrible cars? I had a 2001 Chrysler from 2004-2010 and had to take it to the shop all the time. I once took it to a shop at a Chrysler dealership, where the manager of the service department told me that I should just consider myself lucky that I made it to 125,000 miles, that typically those cars didn't even make it that far. That's just one car obviously, but I don't recall ever hearing a good experience about owning a Chrysler.
Have you looked into a Mazda CX9? Mazda's nowadays, to me, look a ton better than previous generations and their consumer reports have been good as well.
I'm surprised people think the flex looks much if any better than any other mini van or suv. Different, but not particularly good style imo. I think I'd rather have a transit too, if it had to be a minivan or small suv. This is also just one example, but must be something to it. only a few years ago the police department in my small town transitioned from crown Vic's to dodge sedans, strati I think, and they hated them. constant problems. In a very short time, all the dodges were gone, and they have only explorers now. Failed experiment. I also see more rusty tailgates on dodge trucks, with fewer older models still on the road, than any other make. Also not scientific, but I'm certain the difference would be significant if there were stats.
This thread went way too long without this reference. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PI_Jl5WFQkA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Fiat Chrysler made cars do look better, inside and outside. But pre-Fiat Chrysler was absolute $hit. Terrible quality and reliability. Even with new ownership, I still wouldn't jump to buy a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram/Plymouth/Eagle. Does anyone not remember the LeBaron? Stratus? Intrepid? Avenger? Neon? Sebring?
Audi q7. The new one coming out is going to be pretty sporty. http://www.cnet.com/products/2017-audi-q7/
