3-4 Year Old SUV opinions

[911boost]

Older Land Cruiser 200 or Lexus LXwhatever with the 5.7 V8. Might be tough at that budget but I love mine for what it is.

I decided long ago with my BMW GS that vehicles trying to be too much just don’t work, want an SUV get one, same with a sports car.

If you are up north anytime you can drive my 200 series to see if you like them.

[HobieMarty]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I am partial to the V6 Cayennes as wife and I each have one as daily drivers. Also like the Tundras as we have one of those for pulling the boat etc. I hate daily driving pickups as they are just a pain parking when going out for lunch or a store and they typically burn more gas. Our 6 cylinder Cayennes are very nice/comfortable driving machines that can pull up to 7500 IIRC and they do fine in snow also.



Always thought the KIA Tellurides look interesting.



F@#% Audi!!! Never again.

I was going to suggest the Kia Telluride also because, well, I drive them every day at work.
With a 3.8-liter V6, a nicely equipped one is a pretty sweet ride.

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[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by 911boost

Older Land Cruiser 200 or Lexus LXwhatever with the 5.7 V8. Might be tough at that budget but I love mine for what it is.

I decided long ago with my BMW GS that vehicles trying to be too much just don’t work, want an SUV get one, same with a sports car.

If you are up north anytime you can drive my 200 series to see if you like them.

This would be my personal logic. If I am buying an SUV I want ground clearance, capability, rock solid reliability, and the ability to haul a bunch of crap. If I want sport, comfort, and fun I’ll buy a sports car or sedan. The real Land Cruiser is great at being a real SUV. Not the platform engineered new one that is basically a 4Runner. Personally I have evolved from the SUV to a crew cab 1/2 ton truck with a bed cover or topper, because it’s way easier to haul lumber or wet life jackets in a lined truck bed than a carpeted cargo area. My Ram 1500 Limited drives as good as most luxury SUVs, has a beautiful interior, and I can throw whatever I want in the back.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by aschen

Highlander

The end.

[HobieMarty]

I like the Toyota 4 Runner.

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[OK-944]

Subaru Outback...Wilderness Edition. Extremely thoughtful/practical/versatile. Surprisingly good pickup w/turbo. Very decent handling and firm road feel, especially in light of its 9.5" clearance. Trans. tweaks for this model actually make CVT feel more than OK - a pleasant surprise indeed!

[bob deluke]

Volvo XC60. Best seats, good ride, quality build. Plenty of room for people, dogs, groceries,trips to the lumber yard. I’ve had 6 of them, dependable,pretty much maintenance free.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

The end.

My parents have a nearly new Highlander Limited hybrid. It is the most boring, soulless, vanilla vehicle I have perhaps ever driven. Which is how I would describe most modern Toyotas I have experienced.

[SamC.]

Am I missing something here? Full size SUVs (Suburban/Yukon XL or Tahoe /Yukon) not on the list ? They are all solid SUV contenders. Suburban seats eight or nine comfortably. A quiet cruiser with gobs of power, 2WD or 4WD. Drop the seats and slide in a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Towing capacity 10K lbs. Fuel consumption is reasonable - 16 - 20 mpg.

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by 911boost

Older Land Cruiser 200 or Lexus LXwhatever with the 5.7 V8. Might be tough at that budget but I love mine for what it is.

I decided long ago with my BMW GS that vehicles trying to be too much just don’t work, want an SUV get one, same with a sports car.

If you are up north anytime you can drive my 200 series to see if you like them.

After buying a 5th Gen 4Runner brand new in 2016 and putting 80k miles on it, I replaced it with a 2-year-old LX570 (it was the final year V8 model a 2021, before Lexus transitioned to the LX600 with the Twin Turbo 3.4L). I've owned it now for 2 years, for the price and what it is I would say it is an average truck..maybe I had high expectations.

On these LX Trucks, Toyota stopped at the 75% mark..had they continued to develop (evolve) them to 100%, they would be brilliant.
Where they fall short:
1) 13-15 mp/g and Premium fuel is recommended
2) Entertainment and NAV is extremely dated esp. when you look at the competition. No Apple Car Play in a $100k vehicle?
3) The 5.7L is lazy and very low on power. On paper it reads well with 4 cams, 32 valves and the big displacement but in the real world it needs way more time in the gym.
4) The driving experience is insulated and in my opinion not every engaging
5) The chassis rust terribly if you live in an area with winter or salted roads. In 2021 Toyota still cannot figure out how to galvanize their chassis and related components, disappointing in a $100k vehicle.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I always felt like my 4th generation 4Runner was a higher quality vehicle than subsequent generations. In my opinion Toyota was making vastly superior trucks in the early 2000s and then they got lazy.

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by SamC.

Am I missing something here? Full size SUVs (Suburban/Yukon XL or Tahoe /Yukon) not on the list ? They are all solid SUV contenders. Suburban seats eight or nine comfortably. A quiet cruiser with gobs of power, 2WD or 4WD. Drop the seats and slide in a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Towing capacity 10K lbs. Fuel consumption is reasonable - 16 - 20 mpg.

You're not wrong but i want something I can park in the garage and I live in one of those places where everyone's driving the widest biggest most spotless truck they can find and then they put huge con-trac-tor brodozer positive offset wheels on them and yeah anyway parking

And I'm getting a little older and the last time I needed a sheet of 4x8 I needed 10 of them so I got em driven over here for free.

[p911dad]

Just based on my personal experience, I think a 4Runner would be an excellent, very versatile choice.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by p911dad

Just based on my personal experience, I think a 4Runner would be an excellent, very versatile choice.

We have had two 4Runners, one a 2003 I bought from OWP in the 2005 time frame and a 2020 we bought new.

The math was simple: My wife loves them.

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by look 171

Well, here's one dumb ass to another

I have been a huge Toyota fan based on my entire driving life of owning them without any real problems so naturally I suggest the Lexus then the pick up. I drive a Duramax truck myself, when needed but I love my 4 runner only because its smaller, with security unlike a pick up. I must say, nothing is going to drive like the Cayenne GTS. They are just fast with sports car like handling. I drove an old Turbo and love its car like character but I can't get my head wrapped around the repair bills and the potential troubles it brings down the road compared to all of my trouble free Toyotas over the years.

I've had a lot of SUVs and my Macan S was fantastic. It was plush, comfy and quiet, but felt more Mercedes like. I had that at the same time as my Alfa, and the Alfa was a much better enthusiast driver. It drove light and nimble, very tossable and the little 4 banger really got up there quickly. I felt the motor was underrated as it did 0-60 in about 5 flat or less.

Toyotas are great for longevity, but as far as driving experience, they leave a lot to be desired. My Tacoma is great for hauling and is very dependable, just not a really enjoyable vehicle to drive. I did add a couploe mods to help the driveability. A Sprint Booster and an intake and they really woke up the engine.

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I always felt like my 4th generation 4Runner was a higher quality vehicle than subsequent generations. In my opinion Toyota was making vastly superior trucks in the early 2000s and then they got lazy.

I agree with this statement.

[911boost]

Originally Posted by slow&rusty

After buying a 5th Gen 4Runner brand new in 2016 and putting 80k miles on it, I replaced it with a 2-year-old LX570 (it was the final year V8 model a 2021, before Lexus transitioned to the LX600 with the Twin Turbo 3.4L). I've owned it now for 2 years, for the price and what it is I would say it is an average truck..maybe I had high expectations.

On these LX Trucks, Toyota stopped at the 75% mark..had they continued to develop (evolve) them to 100%, they would be brilliant.
Where they fall short:
1) 13-15 mp/g and Premium fuel is recommended
2) Entertainment and NAV is extremely dated esp. when you look at the competition. No Apple Car Play in a $100k vehicle?
3) The 5.7L is lazy and very low on power. On paper it reads well with 4 cams, 32 valves and the big displacement but in the real world it needs way more time in the gym.
4) The driving experience is insulated and in my opinion not every engaging
5) The chassis rust terribly if you live in an area with winter or salted roads. In 2021 Toyota still cannot figure out how to galvanize their chassis and related components, disappointing in a $100k vehicle.

Hahaha, no Apple Play was one of the reason I like the NAV etc. Screw Siri, I refuse to turn it on.

My 5.7 runs great and I am at altitude, so not sure what was going on with yours. Plus Toyota produced about a zillion on those V8's so parts are plentiful in the event something goes wrong. Not like the newer engines Toyota has.

Mine does not take premium fuel, I put 87 in mine and get 15-17 on average, 20 on the highway.

It is not a sports car, its a big heavy SUV that drives exactly the same in dry, wet and snow covered roads with the full time 4wd. I have found it to be extremely stable in the worst conditions.

Different strokes for different folks, I would never buy the Lexus, when the Toyota is exactly the same vehicle and cheaper.

On the plus side I could sell my 21 Heritage Edition with 30,000 miles on it for what I paid for it, so yeah they are terrible, stay away.

[Reg]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

Toyota Highlander

I liked our older v6 better than the new turbo4. The turbo is better on fuel though.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Originally Posted by 911boost

Hahaha, no Apple Play was one of the reason I like the NAV etc. Screw Siri, I refuse to turn it on.

My 5.7 runs great and I am at altitude, so not sure what was going on with yours. Plus Toyota produced about a zillion on those V8's so parts are plentiful in the event something goes wrong. Not like the newer engines Toyota has.

Mine does not take premium fuel, I put 87 in mine and get 15-17 on average, 20 on the highway.

It is not a sports car, its a big heavy SUV that drives exactly the same in dry, wet and snow covered roads with the full time 4wd. I have found it to be extremely stable in the worst conditions.

Different strokes for different folks, I would never buy the Lexus, when the Toyota is exactly the same vehicle and cheaper.

On the plus side I could sell my 21 Heritage Edition with 30,000 miles on it for what I paid for it, so yeah they are terrible, stay away.

I have a 77 FJ40 and would love a well used 100 or 200 series as a DD. Their values are so strong, I would guess partially because Toyota moved away from the traditional LC with the 250 and mostly because they are such great rigs. Unfortunately, I tow a medium sized TT about 7,500 miles per year and need a truck for that.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by OK-944

Subaru Outback...Wilderness Edition. Extremely thoughtful/practical/versatile. Surprisingly good pickup w/turbo. Very decent handling and firm road feel, especially in light of its 9.5" clearance. Trans. tweaks for this model actually make CVT feel more than OK - a pleasant surprise indeed!

It feels cheap for what it costs and the cvt makes it awful to drive.