Requesting some SUV feedback.

[R J]

My wife has been wanting an SUV instead of a car since early fall last year.

Told her and the daughter to go look and led Dad know what models they came up with.

My plans was to go to various websites of the ones she thought she wanted and have a look see.

Well, she hurried it up on the way to work today. 

Kid in a Company Van ran a stop sign, took her in the front wheel all the way to the rear.     Judging from what I have seen on other vehicles at the dealer where I used to work, it is totalled.   Her, 2 bruises.    Wait till morning however, I'll bet she is a hurtin.   After she was done at the scene, I took her to Urgent Care, they checked her over and gave her a thumbs up,  so she wanted to go to work.........     Damn, I guess she really don't like to spend time with me no more.     LOL.

Told her all she had to do was ask, as I had promised her a new car.    Let me tell ya, that firkin skillet point of impact still hurts 12 hours later.

OKAY THE LIST IS:

Toyota Highlander Limited
Acura MDX
Infiniti FX35 AWD
Volkswagon Tourag
Lincoln MKT

They are in no sequence.   Just listed as written on the paper the daughter gave me.....

Thanks for you comments in advance.  Appreciate it...   I got to do something in 10 days if it is totaled. 

[Jabba]

I have no experience with any of those RJ.  Sorry.  I think the toureg is cool though.  And it's tought to beat the reliability of the Toyota.

Jabba

[Tundra]

PM sent

[Daniel Meyer]

Good to hear the wife's not seriously hurt...as long as she can still swing that skillet! 

[R J]

Thanks Daniel, I needed that.............   She is a tough old bird, and red headed to top it off.

[solo1]

RJ, I bought a used 2005 Toyota Highlander two years ago.  It has been completely trouble free.  It has some of the features of the Limited but not all.

Things to like
Quiet, safety plus (all kinds of air bags, stability control, etc,etc) the V6 engine at 230 hp is excellent ( the new Highlander has a V6 285 hp I think), lots of room, lots of comfort, lots of conveniences, excellent JBL radio with CD, etc with 8 speakers.

Things to dislike

Gas mileage not exceptional (15-18 mpg in town, highway about 22 ) sloppy handling but safe (used to Miata so maybe that's a prejudice)not able to turn the 4WD off (affects the gas mileage, this is a big dislike for  me), traction control (also not able to turn off) that's about it.

I'm glad that Red is ok.  Aside from my dislikes, the Highlander is a good car and able to tow 3500 pounds with a towing pkg and the V6(mine doesn't have the towing package so it's 2,000 pounds).

wayne

[six2go #152]

I would cross the Tourag off the list quickly. Volkswagon has some reliability issues and according to owner feedback in Consumer Reports, the Tourag is the worst Volkswagon. Oh yeah, they might drive & feel nice on a "Demo Drive", but ya gotta look farther down the road.

[Joe Hummer]

I would like to confuse matter a bit by adding my favorite into the mix. 

The Nissan Murano AWD.  It is a direct competitor of the bunch and has definitely captured my heart.  The CVT transmission is SUPER SMOOTH!!!  I have plenty of power from the 3.5L 6 Cylinder to do whatever I want and still get low-mid 20s on the highway.  (I have heard of folks getting low 30s from them, but that isn't my way of driving.  )  Very comfortable interior with plenty of room in the back for long legged passengers.  The rear seats even recline! 

This is mine...



2007 Nissan Murano S AWD.

Joe

[eric in md]

  cant go wrong with a honda, acura , or the toyota .. mean it more miles less headaches .. good luck

[Dogg]

RJ, stay American. the Ford Flex is by far the nicest SUV to come out of the Ford plants. Fuel management system to match no other. even better than the gm system in their trucks. 98% owner satisfaction rating. 17 safety rating. seats 7 if needed, 5 very very comfortably and fuel mielage is in the 20's no matter what kinda load you have in it. think about it. and by the way, yes the toureg has had issues but.....VW has gone out of their way to fix the minor issues with the toureg. The toureg has finally become part of the legendary V-dub lineup as far as dependibility and owner satisfaction. comnsumers reports can be misleading. If 1 person has a window switch go bad, then the trim is falling off and the headliner sags. I have seen it too many times in the dealer situation and I can tell you, most people complain just because they can, what issues they had werent any differnet than the crap gm went thru with the duramax or ford is going thru with the triton motors....the toureg is a sloid piece of engineering perfection...you chose. those would be my choices...

[PAVALKER]

Glad the bride is ok.  

No experience with any of those brands in SUV form.... but I had Toyota trucks and they were reliable, safe and great runners.... even when I took it up to Iceland with me.

I notice you have no Government Motors SUVs in your list.....    

[sandy]

I wouldn't have any SUV. They roll over too easily in a wreck. If you buy a vehicle that has "stability control", There must be a reason why it was installed at the factory. A Ford Crown Vic doesn't have it because it doesn't need it. Some friends of mine were in a roll over in an Explorer. It almost killed 3 of his family members. I've raced a sports car and driven several SUV's that belong to friends. I can feel the steering issues right away. Get a big car.

[cyclepilot]

We own a 2004 MDX.  My wife absolutely loves it.  It is comfy-cushy-smooth rolling down the road, 3rd row seat (for the little ones), yet still small enough to fit most anywhere.  Mileage is around 17/23 with the V6.  We use it to pull a utility trailer (with bike total weight around 1200 lbs) and hardly know it is back there.  It's got the goodies like heated seats, 2-position memory on the seat- mirrors-tilt wheel, etc.

The only problems we've had is that the heated seats are now only working intermittently and there is a small spot of rust on the rear door the size of a pencil eraser.  Other than that, 90k miles and running strong.

[Robert]

Toyota Highlander Limited
Acura MDX
Infiniti FX35 AWD
lexus rx10
All good choices and will be nice to drive hold up well and handle well. The Lexus and the acura or Infinity handle like a car and have more of a car feel. Forget American suvs although they have been getting better on quality still dont handle like these others and service really hasn't been all that good.

[Jabba]

I wouldn't have any SUV. They roll over too easily in a wreck. If you buy a vehicle that has "stability control", There must be a reason why it was installed at the factory. A Ford Crown Vic doesn't have it because it doesn't need it. Some friends of mine were in a roll over in an Explorer. It almost killed 3 of his family members. I've raced a sports car and driven several SUV's that belong to friends. I can feel the steering issues right away. Get a big car.

My Dodge Magnum RT has stability control, and you couldn't roll that one over with a fork lift.  Well... OK with a forklift... but with 350 HP, Chrysler thinks I need stability control to "help" me drive it. 

It IS pretty nice in the winter.  Without it, it'd be helpless in the snow.

Jabba

[Kaiser]

My Dad's got a Highlander and loves it.  I drove it and it is pretty peppy, too.

He drove it from Dallas, TX to Billings, MT and loved how it "took the mountains".  Also, he has back problems and was able to to drive back-to-back long days without his back bothering him.

Can't speak about the other models - but I would take a long look at the Highlander were I in those shoes.

Last thought about this topic - if gas mileage is an issue, you can also get a Highlander Hybrid.

[MCRIDER]

Just make sure that your purchase helps the japanese economy and not the American economy.  Then you can join all the others complaining about their money woes.

[RoadKill]

Just make sure that your purchase helps the japanese economy and not the American economy.  Then you can join all the others complaining about their money woes.

And just how would someone go about making sure what countries economy their money helped? ?  ?  ? ???

[Highlander]

I'm partial to the Highlander, but I am not sure why??

[gregc]

  I would not even consider the VW Tourag, there is a class action law suit against VW for random side air bag deployment.  And they are very expensive to repair anything on them.

[R J]

Just make sure that your purchase helps the Japanese economy and not the American economy.  Then you can join all the others complaining about their money woes.

And just how would someone go about making sure what countries economy their money helped? ?  ?  ? ???

Yeah, I was wondering  that also......    We ride Valkyrie's (Jap Crap) and you talk like that.  Gez Louise......

Today found a GMC Acadia 2010 w/800 miles on it, was an Olympic Used Vehicle, is loaded, window sticker at close to $45,000 and I'm a grand off from buying it. My salesman is going to go twist the Sales Managers arm tonight at the
tavern........   I also told him, it has to fit in my garage with the Ram, cause I know who's would set out otherwise.....

Thanks for all the comments, likes, dislikes, and other suggestions.   I found out I have a cousin working at a VW shop.  He told me to stay away from the Toureg unless I bought the 5 year extended warranty package for it......   He says it has a ton of electrical problems.    Don't want Red bouncing an iron skillet off my head when something don't work and I have to go pick her up at 11:00 PM at work..............    OH dat would be signing my own death certificate.

[asfltdncr]

I would sure look at the Subaru dealer.  They have the Boxer engine as does the Valk.  They invented AWD and just seem to be gaining market share wherever it snows quite a bit.  I see them with as high on miles as you might expect of the major Japanese Automakers.

I'm sure that this isn't the case now but when I was looking at Acuras around 03', their SUV was using an Izusu motor from the Trooper.  That motor has always blown head gaskets, cracked heads and exhaust manifolds.

Lincoln-luxurious, overpriced, troublesome, lousy mileage----I'll take it.

[FLAVALK]

I've been lusting over the Highlander for awhile now and may be getting one this year for my wife  . I really like the new ones and the "SE" model, which I...er, I mean, "we", want can be had for around 29k and 0% financing if your timing is right. The base model with V-6 is about 25k and a base model with 4-cyl is aroun..d $23,500....I've driven the 4-cyl and power is just "adequate".....stick with the V-6.

I have a 07' Toyota Tacoma Double-Cab with the 4.0 V-6 (235-HP) and love it. Just turned 40k miles and not a single issue with the truck....strong motor! It gets a solid 18 mpg in town and 22 on the highway. The new Highlanders with V6 get about the same and the 4-cylinder gets a claimed 20 city/27 hwy.

I pull my 18' bass boat with the Tacoma.....no problem

[FLAVALK]

Just make sure that your purchase helps the japanese economy and not the American economy.  Then you can join all the others complaining about their money woes.

Which do you ride, a Harley or a Victory?.......just curious

[FLAVALK]

I would sure look at the Subaru dealer.  They have the Boxer engine as does the Valk.  They invented AWD and just seem to be gaining market share wherever it snows quite a bit.  I see them with as high on miles as you might expect of the major Japanese Automakers.

I purchased a '79 Subaru two-door coupe with trunk luggage rack, air, and moon-roof, brand new. for $5,600 out the door    It was one of the best cars I have ever owned. Great fuel economy and a bullet proof motor. I loved that car....but one thing hasn't changed, they are still small and are they're a LOT more expensive than they use to be  .

A Subaru Tribeca 3.6 R Premium (SUV) is over 30k...and the V6 gets an estimated 16 mpg in the city....ouch!

[R J]

I would sure look at the Subaru dealer.  They have the Boxer engine as does the Valk.  They invented AWD and just seem to be gaining market share wherever it snows quite a bit.  I see them with as high on miles as you might expect of the major Japanese Automakers.

I purchased a '79 Subaru two-door coupe with trunk luggage rack, air, and moon-roof, brand new. for $5,600 out the door    It was one of the best cars I have ever owned. Great fuel economy and a bullet proof motor. I loved that car....but one this hasn't changed, they are still small and are they're a LOT more expensive than they use to be  .

A Subaru Tribeca 3.6 R Premium (SUV) is over 30k...and the V6 gets an estimated 16 mpg in the city....ouch!

At the dealership I used to work for, had Subaru and Mazda.  I would not have either of them, even if it was given to me and included $3,000 & lifetime no cost warranty on everything including bulbs and tires..

If a Subaru starts across the United States from either pond, about 1/2 way, right here in Iowa they blow a head gasket......     This dealership had a tech, that was all he did 5 days a week 49 weeks a year, he had 3 weeks vacation, was replace head gaskets and have the heads surface ground...   Carried a good many of them puppies to the machine shop and picked up the finished ones.  We made a run at 10:00 AM and another run at 2:30 PM to the machine shop everyday.     So, NO, I ain't puttin Red in one of them as my head is getting SOFT in it's old age.

[FLAVALK]

 
Hmmmmm.... I drove mine well over 100k miles with narry a hiccup...guess I was lucky 

[R J]

Hmmmmm.... I drove mine well over 100k miles with narry a hiccup...guess I was lucky 

You apparently never got too far from home..

Steady driving on trips is what did them in.

[R J]

Vell, here is da poor old girl..  We treated her right and then killed her in one bold bash.      >



This is the shot that totalled her.    That door post is about 5" inside the car.    Dash warped and floor board buckled.



This is all of the side.



$14,000 retail car wiped out in 5 seconds or less.

[big d]

yes you were very lucky flavalk. my sister had a subaru legacy gt 5 speed and the gasket blew before it hit 65k. and the tribeca is slow and very loud on acceleration. the best rated suv's right now are the honda pilot and the mozda 7 and the 9 series sportutes. and the best rated all wheel drive systems on the market is audi (big money though). best bang for the buck with reliability is the  honda pilot. good luck. don't discount the ford flex until you drive it and give it a real chance.

[BF]

I've been looking at the Ford Flex.....however, I've heard it's due for some restyling this year.  Might wait to see what a newer one is gonna look like first. 

[Dogg]

  I would not even consider the VW Tourag, there is a class action law suit against VW for random side air bag deployment.  And they are very expensive to repair anything on them.

do you actually realize how many class action suits are brought against ALL manufacturers??it is a sickening number because of the laziness and the underhanded ness of this country. herding cows is what it is...

[Jim Ross]

RJ,
This one is not on your list, but thought I would toss it at ya anyhow.
We were looking for a smaller SUV that would get 25 mpg and after looking and looking, I surprised myself by choosing the new GMC Terrain AWD V6.  I did not think I would like a gov't motors car, but to say the least, I was really impressed by the quality/fit and finish of this one.
We haven't gotten it broken in yet, but it looks like mileage will not quite hit 25, perhaps 24, but that ain't bad for AWD and a V6, IMHO.  For the money, I think we got a lot with this one.  We had to order one to get it without a sun roof.
JR

[Gear Jammer]

I'd go with the Acura MDX, although the Infiniti X35 ( same as Nissan Murano from previous poster's advice)  is a great SUV, but may have "visibility" issues for shorter female drivers seeing around the vehicle.  The Toyota's a famous for reliability despite recent issue, and I wouldn't hesitate to check it out as well.  Good luck on your choice.  glad the Missus is OK as well.

[Master Blaster]

Hey RJ ya old coot.  Hows tricks??   I go along with the Toyota Buddy, the build quality just cant be beat.  Also for a lesser reason, for the smear campaign that Hussien & Co. put on them.  Seriously, I have owned a bunch of Toyotas, and all have been stellar.  Lastest is the SO's Avalon Limited.  Got ass ended the other day at a stoplight by a cell phone talking female in a Yukon.  Just had to replace the bumper facia, even the structure under was good.  Body man was very impressed.  Took a pretty hefty lick too.  Had a couple of Camrys, first one had 250,000 miles when I gave it to my son.  Still driving the second one.  Buddy John has one of the new Tundras, and is very happy with it.  Good luck with it however you choose.  Sure glad the wifey wasnt seriously damaged.  The Big Guy upstaire must of been looking out for her.