Replacement SUV
 

My Wife’s car (2000 Suburban) is looking pretty battered. It’s going to need some service work & tires. It’s been a school & bus grocery getter for 13 years 135,000 Miles. It has taken some real abuse from the family and most likely saved our lives (catastrophic tire failure) with eight aboard. It’s been a great car with little spent more than standard service I would highly recommend the Suburban.

A car is a tool for her not much more that minimal washes lots of dings, gravel roads zero pride of ownership except scheduled oil changes. I need to replace this truck, however with our kids soon to be grown. We do not need a full size SUV. We will use it for around town and 10 hour road trips 1-2 times a year. She likes 4 wheel / AWD and a higher stance, so I am looking for a 6 cylinder, the ones that come to mind are.

Honda Pilot
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Forerunner
GMC Acadia
Nissan Pathfinder
Volvo
She Likes the Subaru Outback (pretty popular here)
Whatever else?

I’m going to buy used with 40,000 +/- Miles on the clock I have plenty of time to look. We will keep it for a long time so price is not critical. No BMW’s or Range Rovers.

Priorities in order are
1. Safety
2. Reliability
3. Gas Mileage
4. Road Comfort Interior
5. Cost of ownership
6. Looks

What do I look at and why? what years? 2008- 2012 would be the range age wise.

Enlighten me.

You can't go wrong with any on the list. Outback doesn't sit as high off the ground as the others. All of them get with in the same range on MPG.

We bought a Toyota Highlander new 5 months or so ago. It replaced a 2003 4Runner I bought used from Whippedpuppy years ago.

The 4Runner was our family ride so now I get the 4Runner and the Highlander (the same size now as the older 4Runner) is now our prime people mover.

The Highlander is nice but based on a car platform. If you are looking for a stout SUV look elsewhere. It is a nice, tall car, one I can very much recommend if I was staying on highway in weather. It will carry the family well in all kinds of circumstances.

The new 4Runners are huge and ugly.

YMMV

I was shockingly impressed by the GMC Acadia. Rented one for a week-long golf trip in Myrtle Beach. Roomy, comfy for extended road trips, plenty of power (though didn't try to/need to tow anything), and had some features I really liked (heated seats, backup camera in rearview mirror, etc.).

Liked it so much we almost bought one. Went with the Q5 instead, but as close as I've come to buying an American car in nearly 20 years.

Another Suburban. Or an Escalade. You will be enjoy your road trips. And take more of them.

Pathfinder

Subaru Outback has the best traction of any AWD and has good gnd. clearance. All Subes are tough (I beat the eff out of my MY 2000 Outback) are good in crashes (mine was T-boned by a red light running, speeding idiot girl who was likely on a cell phone).

Check, but IIRC new Subes are highest rated for safety - be sure to check both the govt. website AND IIHS as the latter runs more tests.

SUVs with real 4wd will beat it.

You need to check each year vehicle for your concerns - e.g. Outbacks have more gnd. clearance in recent years.

But, I'd cross the Volvo off the list based on reliability & repairability concerns.

I had 2 Honda Pilot leases and it gets a solid B+ in every way, gets an A in nothing - so it is versatile, nice interior, space-efficient, will handle most conditions decently (not as good as a Sube) - it's the all-arounder.

I also had a 4Runner (1990s version) - it was the more serious bad road alternative to a Sube - easy to tip over tho. No idea what the newer ones are like.

Beyond the passenger and cargo space differences, it really depends on what the exact use will be AND if you are willing to trade off those last 5 or 10 miles of two-track road use for nicer hwy manners, comfort & safe speed.

Isuzu Trooper.

I've had 2 4-Runner's both of them bullet proof.
Currently have an 01 Highlander Limited with 161K on it. Other than routine maintenance I've replaced all four wheel bearings and one O2 sensor and that's it. Fuel mileage is not one of its best attributes. The all wheel drive is adequate but not great.

'08+ Land Rover LR3. Mine has been fantastic.

But don't buy a Range Rover. Heck don't even sit in one!

Mazda CX9 - wife wants one badly to augment our F150. Interior that seems like it came out of a much more expensive car, well packaged, really nice to drive, seats 8 if needed, better MPG than most of your list.

Ford Edge - nice mid size SUV.

Ford Explorer - new body style only, very spacious, nice to drive, and good mpg.

Audi Q7 - beautiful inside and out, fantastic mpg with the TDI. Less reliable than the domestics.

Cayenne - somebody had to suggest it......:)

Toyota Venza - nice looking crossover, typical Toyota.

Regarding the Acadia, don't forget the Buick Enclave and Chevy Traverse twins. My favorite of the three is the Buick.

Dodge Durango - new bodystyle only, hugely improved.

Nissan Murano - a bit smaller but sporty.

Acura MDX- a nicer Pilot.

Of them all I would (and likely will) take a hard look at the CX9. You can get a nice low mileage used one for $20k. Go to fueleconomy.gov and look at some of your choices, some V6 unibody crossovers get really crappy mpg.

Touareg 6-cylinder TDI baby!!!

A fantastic SUV. Very much enjoying it. Great fuel mileage.
Drove it from FLA up here to MD. Very comfortable for an endowed man such as I.

Regrets? It just ain't like my 911s. But it can hold a lot more.

Subscribing. I will buy an SUV in the next two mos. Can't stand hauling band gear in the 993 or 328i anymore. My latest Mesa 4x12 cab is almost too big for less than a full size SUV.

Some excellent advise !

Some of the higher end stuff I would like her to have but there is absolutely no pride of ownership. Cars are simply tools. No Audi's, Porsche, BMW, Rovers, Premium Japanese brands, I don't think VW's are durable enough.


Our Suburban looks like a Kabul taxi. I bought it brand new and was appalled with things I found for the first few years. It's just rolling stock now.

I asked her what she would like she said "the Outback or Forester Would be great I rented them in the Midwest last summer I think they are durable and cute"

What ever it is it's going to treated like a rented mule. I hate to see something nice treated with out regard, I spend my time taking care of my cars, I just want something that that will be safe, reliable, durable, cost effective. I will drive it on trips only.

Am I missing anything The Ford Escape ?? maybe to small?

The Toyota Sequoias I like, but I would hate to see it get trashed. I don't think they get good mileage either & $$.

Venza?

Escape is nice, especially the new one. But compared to a Surbuban it is pretty small. The Sequoia is nice but a V8 body on frame full sized SUV with crappy mpg. If you go that route take a look at the Nissan Armada, we had one and it was a fantastic people and stuff hauler.

Acura MDX?

I have had a bunch of Toyotas (trucks, SUVs and cars included)and they have been great cars and when they did break, it was always my fault for abusing them off road. Since you are in Montana, low range 4wd must be important. I own a last gen. 4 runner now and am complete happy with it with the exception of the tranny. It likes to shift to highest gear ASAP no matter what speed. Thank goodness for tip, so I shift. Fuel mileage is not great but it is what it is. It has low range gears which I like when driving to the mall to get my new man-bag in our Socal drizzle, three weeks out of the year. I also hear great things about the Pathfinder, but am not sure about the latest gen. Its a uni-body car, so I suspect no low range? Keep in mind that they will feel very small because you are used to the full size monster. I drive my dodge diesel sometimes, so when I get into a smaller truck, I feel cramped.

The limited 4 runner has the X-REAR suspension. For on road use, it handles well, very well. Not that you would do that with a 4 Runner but its there if you need to make a quick move to avoid an accident. I have taken it to some light duty off road and stream crossing with stock tires, and it did OK. so, I suspect it will be fine in the snow. CAn't wait for ski season.

the ford flex is pretty nice and its the buzz word around parents at our school. If you can wait for a couple of years, used ones will drop like a big stone.

Oh, a friend just bought an Arcadia. It is a very nice vehicle. No low range gear, so he will have a bit of tough time getting up the steep driveway to the cabin this winter, even with chains.

Low range has nothing to do with getting up a steep driveway in winter.