If you take road trips with big dogs, what kind of vehicle?

Lexus GX is what we downsized to from an Expedition and have not regretted it. Not too big, but holds big dogs easily. The 3rd row is down 99% of the time in mine, but it's there if/when I do need it. Newer models offer the 2nd row captain's chairs which might work well for you. According to DH, it also tows better than any vehicle he's towed with before - very smooth.

When the kids were living at home, we had a mini van and a kennel that completely collapsed into itself a huge 2" thick rectangle. We've also traveled with a 2 piece kennel that is nested inside of itself and piled things inside of that. The dog then traveled on a bed between the two captains chairs in the middle row.

Now that the kids are grown and flown, we have a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's the model with more cargo room and it's a good size for us. Emma rides on the seat and there's plenty of cargo space in the back for a few roller boards and her flat kennel (which we only use if we leave her in the hotel room alone and the hotel requires it's usage. Lots of military lodging requires that.)

We have a seat cover and if one of the kids happens to be home for the trip, we just uncover half the seat for the (adult) kid. DD, Emma, and I took the train down to Bavaria last summer to meet DH (who had driven down alone), and then rode back with DH. It's about 8 hours and DD and Emma did fine. There have been a few times when we've had both kids in the back and Emma usually rides half on one of their laps, but that's always only been for a quick trip of less than an hour.

I have an MDX with the third row. But, if that third row is up…you still have very minimal cargo space. You would still probably need a rooftop carrier for luggage. You can get a couple of carry on size bags in the back when the third row is up.

ETA when we traveled with our 40lb dog, we could do so with the third row up.

When we really needed a functional 3rd row and more cargo space, we had a navigator. It's big, but the 3rd row is actually usable for someone bigger than a toddler. I was happy to downsize when my carpool days were over as it's a pita to park in our nearby city as the parking spaces are small.

Our dogs have been in the 40-50 lb range. We used to have a Honda Pilot and now we have an Odyssey (mini van). The van has SOOO much space. We always travel with a kennel and still have plenty of room for our stuff and the 4 of us. We drive 9+ hrs to stay in Tahoe for a week every year and bring most of our food with us.

We had a Dodge Grand Caravan with Tucker.

I travel a lot with my two GSDs by myself. So they fit easily in the back of my Lexus RX350 with the back seats folded down. They have enough room to move around and change position some which helps because I do a seven hour drive with them every month or so. My luggage goes in the passenger seat.

When my husband and I both go somewhere with them, we take his four-door Chevy Silverado and lay the back seats down for an area for the dogs. In that case, luggage goes all the way in the back under the tonneau cover.

Neither of those options will work for you of course with three of you! A third row vehicle of substantial size is probably your best best. I'd lean toward toward a Suburban. Your dog is big!

Is that Tucker in your avatar?  He's CUTE!!

4-door pick up truck with canopy. Dog can go in back, preferably in a crate. Or in the backseat with one other person.

When we lived in Houston, we traveled w/ our two dogs back and forth from our lake house frequently, which was an eight hour drive. We usually had our two kids with us as well. We made that drive in just about every type of vehicle. My GMC XL was the best vehicle for two adults, two teens and two dogs. However, my husband's BMW X5 worked pretty well too. The X5 had a roomy back seat and a decent amount of cargo space.

I also have an RDX, and while I love the vehicle, we were shocked at how much it would cost to add luggage rack to the top as we had done with other vehicles. We added a tow hitch to ours for the bike rack, but you could also use it for a cargo carrier for your luggage.