Suv

[eastont]

I hope this post doesn't get bounced like my past couple, but here gos.

I'm looking towards replacing my Sierra 2500 with a SUV and I am absolutely confused with all the jargon about cross over, platform, awd,4wd,cvt transmissions....

What is the general feelings among the members here in regard to whether a North American vs. Import might be the best vehicle. The most important thing is the ease of entry and comfort of the driver. I have a very "bad" back and getting in some vehicles is such a pain, which is why I'm looking at SUV's

Thanks for all comments & opinions

 

[JRJ]

Re: Suv

I'll let someone else explain all the technical differences. I absolutely agree with the comfort thing. At the risk of starting a riot, I would look at foreign and domestic and for grins and giggles, I would see what Toyota would do on their stuff that interested me. Good luck and have fun with the process.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Suv

wrong forum, moving you.

 

[JB]

Re: Suv

By faaaar the most comfortable, AWD, etc. SUVs I have driven are the Mercedes Benz MLs, the BMW X5, The Toyota Land Cruiser and the Lexus 570.

They are all pretty expensive, but come down a lot after a few years.

On the other hand, I gave my '99 ML430 to my daughter and leased a Subaru Forester. Love it!

The difference, of course, is that the ML is a luxury truck. . .2 speed transfer case, 9" clearance, 5,000lb tow rating but still a luxury vehicle.

My Forester, on the other hand, is much more car-like to ride in and to drive. She broke trail in 13" of snow for a couple of miles to a highway without a whimper. She has all the safe driving features as the ML but delivers 26-28mpg (regular) on the highway, 22mpg in town.

Home country for the maker is immaterial. Most Toyotas, Hondas, Subarus etc are made in USA with mostly USA supplied parts.

When I got the Subaru (selected because we already have two bulletproof Subies in the family) my second choice was a Ford Escape Limited. Great little SUV, but Ford couldn't supply the vehicle I wanted when I wanted it.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Suv

Cross over usually means large SUV/Station Wagon mix built on a sedans unibody.
Most all these types of vehicles can be had AWD as many sedans can be had as AWD's this day and age.

If you drive a 3/4 ton truck do you need to be able to pull something heavy or would a little tiny suv be fine as well ? If all you need is something comfy to get in and out of you have many choices, if you need to be able to tow a 5000 pound boat too well than that changes things a bit.
Off the top of my head your driving a Sierra I would say look at a Tahoe, Suburban, Escalade, Denali or other like full size GM truck based SUV.
Exactly what you have now only with an SUV back, surely the Sierra is easy to get in and out of with a bad back ?

 

[aspeck]

Re: Suv

I have a GMC Denali ... didn't want anything that big, but my dad ordered it and then died before taking delivery, so it became a sentimental purchase for me. Now I wouldn't have anything but a full size SUV because of the comfort (and I got a bigger, heavier, boat, so I need the towing capabilities).

Wife is looking for a new to her vehicle and I can not get her away from the GMC Acadia. Tried to get her to try a few others, but she says that one fits her the best (and I think it is pretty darn comfy myself). Will soon be picking up a current model used one (off lease vehicle) letting GM and the leasor take the depreciation while we get a new vehicle with less than 10K miles on it.

SUV - Vehicle is on a truck frame.
XUV - Vehicle is on a car frame.
4WD - Can manually put it in and out of 4WD ... generally a high and low range.
AWD - "full time" 4WD ... that is said loosely. There are different types of AWD, but most have a speed where they "automatically" kick out of AWD and become 2WD.
Traction Control ... same concept as the old "posi-traction" or locking differential ... both wheels become drive wheels and one will not spin without the other.

 

[eastont]

Re: Suv

I don't need to pull anything bigger than a log splitter, so that is not a concern. What is though is the gas mileage, reliability, maintenance costs and of course comfort.
My brother had a Subaru and loved it, the only issue with it was highway noise. My issue is there is not a dealer within an hour's drive.

I had a Yukon before the Sierra and liked it but it liked the guys at the gas stations better than me.

What about Equinox???? I've read they are an Uplander platform, just a different body. And Uplander's not GM's best vehicle to say the least.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Suv

We test drove an Equinox (previous style) and I found it to be WAY to utilitarian for my tastes. It drove nicely though and the AWD worked well. We drove it on a rainy day and you could stomp on it to pull out. Good power and traction. We ended up buying a Pacifica which we LOVED but had to get rid of it due to the really poor fuel economy. We will be getting another one at some point though but not have it as our daily commuting vehicle. Check out the Mazda CX9. Those look sweet. Ford Edges look real nice too.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Suv

IMO the new Equinox is a bit better than the last very boring edition but as mentioned the GMC Acadia looks great and being that it is a GM product it comes in several badge engineered flavors. A plain Chevy Traverse and my personal favorite of the 3 the Buick Enclave.

The Ford Edge is a very nice vehicle and the Japanese have several comparable models. Most all of the good brand cars today are equally well built and reliable, a little googling on known problems for something you are interested in buying is always a good idear.

 

[jkust]

Re: Suv

It sounds like you have already lived the V8 lifestyle. Based on your comments you are a candidate for a 6 cylinder which puts you in a crossover, small SUV or even a minivan. My understanding of CVT's is that you really can't tow anything with them. You wouldn't believe if you knew me that my daily driver is a minivan. We have a nice V8 suv with all the bells and whistles that I might drive once a month at most but I like every aspect of the minivan so much I won't be giving it up anytime soon. The ride is smooth, has a pretty decent step in height so wouldn't be difficult with your bad back, gets 26mpg, has heated seats for our cold winters, can fit 7 people and the kids can't swing the doors into our other car or our boat in the garage. Plus it will easily tow 4,000 lbs not that you need it. When I replace the van, I wouldn't be adverse to moving into a Traverse since they are actually a very nice vehicle. The difference is a Traverse is still pretty new but you can get a 6 year old domestic minivan for practically nothing by comparison.

 

[eastont]

Re: Suv

Done the mini-van thing and won't be going there again. I sat in a new Equinox on Friday and it wasn't a very comfortable seat at all. No lumbar support and it felt like it's mad for people with 40" legs. I felt kinda like Gilda Radner on that big rocking chair in SNL.

Then I sat in a Kia Sportage, and it was real nice, fit my butt like a glove. And heated seats, with lumbar control etc. was included in the price of the model I saw, and it was $6500 less than the Equinox, and had 70 more hp. My big concern is dependability and just how long it will last. I don't want to be going through this again in 5 years.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Suv

I think the biggest hit on the Kia is going to be resale value but if your not going to sell the thing thats not going to matter. It does bother some to have a car that loses alot of value rather quickly but I dont think its that big of a deal.
Low end domestic vehicles have had this same perceived problem for a long time as well, trucks not near as much.

I'm pretty sure the lower end asian imports have come a long way in terms of reliability and durability, you will notice a "lower quality" of plastic and fit and finish if that makes any sense ?
Lower grade plastic.........
5 years would be bad but if you would be happy with ten ? I would think thats doable on just about any car sold here today. Wal*Mart is not selling chinese Geely and Chery brand cars here yet but those are sure to be 5 year automobiles.

Thats too bad for Obama Motors you did a little Pepsi challenge there and GM lost the test.

Your buying new right or like new used ?

 

[JB]

Re: Suv

Is it the KIA or the Hyundai that offers a 10 year/100,000mile warranty on their small SUVs? Or is it both?

They must believe they are selling reliable vehicles.

On the other hand Consumer Reports always rates the Subaru Forester as #1 or #2 in quality of small SUVs. The one that they keep swapping with is the Toyota RAV4.

 

[jkust]

Re: Suv

Is it the KIA or the Hyundai that offers a 10 year/100,000mile warranty on their small SUVs? Or is it both?

They must believe they are selling reliable vehicles.

On the other hand Consumer Reports always rates the Subaru Forester as #1 or #2 in quality of small SUVs. The one that they keep swapping with is the Toyota RAV4.

I think it's Hyundai with the warranty. If I recall Chrysler does or did recently have the 10 year/100k mile powertrain warranty too. I don't care for most Chrysler products but I heard an interview with the Chrysler CEO when they first announced it that they know the first owner rarely keeps it for 10 years to get warranty work done in those later years/miles. In other words it is a great marketing tool. The newer generation Korean cars are actually pretty nice. I have rented quite a few of them and I would have no problem buying a used one if it fit the bill. I actually like them then because of their depreciation. Some of them depreciate as fast as American cars which is great. Someone else can buy it new and I will hold on to it for 6 or 7 years after that. I know JB likes his Subarus and sings their praises. I just could never get past their unfortunate stigma and I have rented a few and didn't care for any of them.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Suv

Since what your looking for is comfort for a bad back, the only option is to drive each model to see which ones are even of the list of possibilities. This means different interior packages too, cloth and leather can have very different feel, then there's 6 way power and heat options for them too.

We have two Subarus right now, good solid vehicles, but the older ones did have more road noise, the newer ones are better. I had full sized Chevy PU as a company truck and the seat just didn't fit me, after a long day of driving I could barely walk when I got out of it. Now I have a Trailblazer (third one, put 120,000 miles on each) and the seat is far better for "me", doesn't mean it would fit anybody else though. Consumer report rates the vehicle very low, not sure why, all of mine have been fairly good.