New SUV - thoughts?

[BeachesMD]

I had this question about 3 years ago when I needed to upgrade my 03' Accord.  As much as I tried, I could not fit 5 car seats in it. But I was also very cost-conscious - so I ended up getting a ford flex.  Nobody seems to like it - so I got a great deal on an off-lease with super low miles (5000.  It has tons of space for 7 (5 car seats), drives very well, all the latest safety features (side-curtain airbags, blind-spot, cross-traffic detection etc) and all the tech stuff (car play, android auto, keyless entry etc). Very low entry height is great for the kids. But this may be an extreme example.  It cost about 70% of a similarly equipped/age/milage Pilot/CX-9. I figure the exterior styling is everyone else's problem - I'm inside.

The highlander was too small.

[adventure]

MountainMD wrote:

We take a fair amount of road trips and I found that the CX-5 filled up rather quickly. We also have parents in town that are usually tagging along for family outings, a dog that we like to take everywhere we can, and we enjoy doing outdoorsy stuff too.  Also, it’s just personal preference…absent the financial aspects that come with a larger vehicle, I just enjoy driving them more than sedans. As practical and with all the amenities that come with vans these days, I just can’t – again personal preference.

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Get over it, and buy a minivan.

[SLC OB]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a Sequoia yet... I love mine.  I had a 2003 and then upgraded to a 2015. Have kids plus all their friends...

I am partial to Toyotas... it is bigger than a 4Runner and therefore the third row is more useful. I can put the third row down flat when not in use (and to keep the large dog crate in back) and flip up quickly when needed. Even can put up one, two or three seats, if you want some luggage or dog crate in it while still using a few seats. Even with whole third row up, you still have some (not a ton) of storage space in the back. For big trips (especially skiing trips) we put a roof box on top, which can be tricky with parking garages.

I also live in snow... easy to get in/out of 4 wheel drive but I always put on studded tires too (we have DEEP snow) which for me is key.

 

[Dont_know_mind]

CX9

[Lordosis]

If you are hauling people then a minivan is the way to go.  If you need the ability to tow then a large SUV.  I am always surprised how many Large 7 passenger SUVs I see with no cargo and just a driver.

 

[EntrepreneurMD]

Cullinan. Just kidding to all you critics out there

[dataentryspecialist]

I am not a fan of my wife’s 2017 Highlander XLE. Drives pretty badly- sort of sways back and forth on the interstate, and drives like a boat in the curves as another said. The infotainment is atrocious— Toyota has a system called “entune” that is horrible— no Apple CarPlay or android auto support. The non-premium audio on the XLE is one of the poorest sound systems I have heard in any vehicle. And the reach to the controls is long, even for me at 6’4. We are childless, but do a lot of camping, traveling and hauling. In hindsight, a smaller vehicle probably would have sufficed.

On the other hand, she likes it just fine, build quality is great and it ticks the box for features/safety equipment, the materials will probably hold up to years of hard use, and we plan on keeping it for many years to come.

[Dreamgiver]

Swap the radio for a decent aftermarket one (Alpine or Pioneer) with Apple play and the like and swap the speakers with plug and play Infiniti speakers. Even premium audio packages from most manufacturers tend to be expensive and lowish quality.

[legobikes]

dataentryspecialist wrote:

LE. Drives pretty badly- sort of sways back and forth on the interstate, and drives like a boat in the curves as another said. The infotainment is atrocious— Toyota has a system called “entune” that is horrible— no Apple CarPlay or android auto support. The non-premium audio on the XLE is one of the poorest sound systems I have heard in any vehicle. And the reach to the controls is long, even for me at 6’4. We are childless, but do a lot of camping, traveling and hauling. In hindsight, a smaller vehicle probably would have sufficed. On the other hand, she likes it just fine, build quality is great and it ticks the box for features/safety equipment, the materials will probably hold up to years of hard use, and we plan on k

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Ours is a 2013 and has the JBL audio, and it sounds worse than my 15-year old Accord. The climate controls are even worse, I generally have to hit 3-4 buttons each time I want to start the air and adjust it. It doesn't remember any settings so I have to hit 'sync' every time, then move the temperature dial around because otherwise the screen for the climate control settings are shared with other display options, yet it automatically picks whether I want outside air coming in or inside air recirculating. There is a control for turning the rear air on from the front, and it lets you control the temperature, but not the air flow. Incredibly annoying.

[JohnW]

Both are great.  I like how the 4Runner looks, especially compared to the highlander but there’s something about that tank-like quality that makes them seem like they’ll last eons (even more so than highlanders, which may not be right).  I kinda want one.

[Zaphod]

That new Kia looks really nice and has great reviews. Much better value than others, will be looking to see how that holds up in a few years and maybe we snag one off lease.

[Kamban]

Lordosis wrote:

I am always surprised how many Large 7 passenger SUVs I see with no cargo and just a driver.

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Unfortunately we have become a family of one vehicle to one person, with a fourth old beater being used as a standby in case one of the other three breaks down.

The problem is that it except the rare times when we go to visit friends as a family, there is not more than one person in a vehicle. Everyone wants to call one vehicle as their own. One of the vehicles is a 7-8 seater SUV that is only fully occupied when my wife's parents stay with us and we all go out. It is driven solo by me or my wife 99 % of the time.

Our redemption comes from the fact that 2 are hybrids and one is a Tesla, so we do our bit for the environment.

[Zaphod]

Lordosis wrote:

If you are hauling people then a minivan is the way to go.  If you need the ability to tow then a large SUV.  I am always surprised how many Large 7 passenger SUVs I see with no cargo and just a driver.

 

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Shouldnt be, like houses and some other items, cars are bought on annoyance of edge use cases. Most people could get by with a 1 passenger yugo 90% of the time, but that other 10% of the time is going to be very annoying. Likely you see people going to and from work, as you're likely doing, and no reason to have the whole fam who is at school/etc...and a bunch of cargo for that.

I cant wait til I get a truck, it'll probably only be used truck style 15% or so of the time, but ************************ if that isnt just what you need and super useful.

[MPMD]

Disclaimer: I drive a 2011 4Runner SR5 (base model).

I would not buy a 4Runner unless you need true 4wd capabilities. I do for 2 reasons -- hunting and Great Lakes snow. I like mine I don't absolutely love it. They are obviously well made vehicles that go forever and hold value decently much like their cousin the Tacoma.

Reasons I would not buy a 4Runner

• terrible gas mileage, about like a full sized pickup I average 16 mpg w/ mostly city driving


• not built or designed for passenger comfort, it's a relatively comfortable car don't get me wrong but it's loud and the driver's seat is not awesome


• expensive higher end trims really just fill out things like LED screen etc w/o adding much comfort

As others have noted, the 4Runner is among the most truck-like of mid sized SUVs. Again, I like mine, I just have kind of a niche vehicle need and if I didn't have this need I would get something else.

 

[madinat]

is the subaru really that bad for the long run? i thought these were great for winter/all season driving? (i live in chicago area)