Best SUVs?

[mousefanmichelle]

Go read the Consumers Reports edition for best new and used. Its very helpful and tells you what models to stay away from. I have Subarus and love them BUT we were looking to replace a vechile and we looked at the Ford Flex and someone compared it to driving your sofa lol! They weren't wrong! We loved it - so solid and roomy and heavy. Tons of space, good reviews. We just needed better gas mileage as we drive 80-100 miles R/T each day for work (both DH and I). Ford is going to stop making them, if they haven't already though. I recommend reading Consumers though 100%.

 

[Lady Gaga]

You really can’t beat minivans for babies, car seats, and all the other equipment babies require! I think in your case I’d be looking to trade that thing in! I cannot imagine having four in car seats! We had twins, though, and though I swore I’d never do it, we did go to a minivan then (for a few yrs) and it really was nice to be able to walk down to the back without getting out of the car or take a seat out completely and keep a potty on hand during toilet training, bring the double jogging stroller along, etc. Very comfortable. (I had a Town and Country AWD LXi and it was much like the Jeep Grand Cherokee I had just prior, except the T&C was more luxurious and of course, spacious. I’d actually considered buying another not too long ago but it no longer comes in AWD which I like having as an essential employee who has to drive in everything.)

Well... I paid cash for the Traverse - and I don't really want to pay the $50,000+ for the Toyota minivan that I have fallen in love with. Ha ha
I will just continue to curse and complain every time I have to strap and unstrap the 4 grandkids in their seats.

 

[bluezy]

I completely agree on space. I have a 2009 Acadia we bought new to replace a minivan. I was so disappointed at the lack of space in the back! We bought a Thule roof top carrier that worked great for us. My Acadia just started leaking transmission fluid and acting weird so we took it in, and they want $3500 to rebuild the transmission. So I’m now looking for something new. It was a great car up until now.

I was going to suggest the roof carrier, too. We only used ours once but it made a big difference. I was fortunate to find a nice one at a yard sale. We drove in the rain and everything stayed dry, even. (Ours was a hard shell - read reviews.) But normally, putting one of the second or third row seats down if that is a possibility makes a difference in carrying luggage. That’s what we generally did in our seven seat crossover, but the one time we needed the rooftop carrier we were combining two different types of trips including a regular vacation at the lake followed directly from there by a sports trip so we had a bunch of different stuff with us. DH is a wiz at fitting luggage in the car, too, even w rentals at WDW, so the luggage issue has t been a big one for us w either our crossovers or our SUVs.

Oh believe me, I'd buy a rooftop carrier in a heartbeat if my husband would use it. He's an engineer and trust me, you don't want to see the page of chicken scratch diagrams and equations he created to show me why roof top carriers are the devil. Not worth arguing -- I'm never going to win that battle. I, however, am far better at packing the cargo space than he is. I have way more experience with Tetris and it really pays off when we're loading up for a road trip.

I have a 2015 7 Passenger Chevy Traverse LTZ that I purchased brand new in 2015. It currently has 52,000 miles on it.
I really like how it drives - the AWD is amazing in the snow, ice and rain. I like sitting up higher than I did in my Pontiac G6 GT.
I like the Onstar Navigation System, the Rear Back-up Camera, the Bluetooth hands free calling and the grandkids love the DVD entertainment package.

But - and here's the big but - had I known then what I know now - I would have gone with a MINIVAN!
When you have the 3rd row of seating up - (and I have to because I have 4 grandkids ages 7, 5, 3 and 1 and ALL are still in car seats) - there is no storage room in the trunk area.
It's also a pain in the keister to try and navigate between the 2nd and 3rd rows. The leg room in the 3rd row seating is just mere inches because we have to have the 2rd row seats pushed way back to accommodate the car seat that is required by law to still be rear facing.
The 3rd row bench seat is narrow and with 2 of the car seats back there, you better be a skinny mini to have to ride back there comfortably.

Another issue of concern is the mechanical problems that have cropped up in the past 2 years - the first is the A/C, which I Googled and it's an ongoing problem that Chevrolet will not address. There are hundreds and hundreds of complaints online. To fix the A/C, the entire rear end has to be torn out. Of course my car warranty expired 2 months prior to having the A/C go. Cost? I think it was around $5,000.

This past November, my power steering pump went out - and the odometer still had less than 50,000 miles on it. Again, I Googled and this is yet another ongoing problem with the Traverse. It cost me over $1,000 to fix.
It's a pain in the butt to change the oil, too.

A friend of mine has a Toyota minivan and the interior is so spacious. It's pricey - but sooooo fine!

If you have more than 2 kids or grandkids and they are in carseats, I would not recommend a Traverse.

I also long to have a minivan again some days. You really can't beat them for cargo space, gas mileage (for that size vehicle), ability to access the 3rd row seating, and the sliding doors make getting kids in and out of car seats (or getting anything in and out of the back seats) so much easier. I miss that some days. I drove minivans for 20 years while my kids were young but I wanted to move on (the youngest is 15 now) and I really like the Acadia -- much better in snow because of the AWD and the weight of the vehicle. But on those days when we're traveling or transporting a bunch of adults, I want my minivan back. Ideally, I would have bought a minivan with AWD but a slightly used minivan with AWD is much more challenging to find than a slightly used SUV with AWD. I needed to find a car within about 2 weeks, so I just didn't have the luxury of doing an extensive search. And realistically, mentally I was ready to leave my minivan days behind me so I really only looked at SUVs during my search. But hindsight is 20/20. <sigh>

 

[HeatherC]

The Kia Telluride won car of the year I believe.

 

[Hikergirl]

Going by your list, I'd get the Honda Pilot

 

[dish rag]

I would be looking at Toyota.

 

[tvguy]

Go read the Consumers Reports edition for best new and used. Its very helpful and tells you what models to stay away from. I have Subarus and love them BUT we were looking to replace a vechile and we looked at the Ford Flex and someone compared it to driving your sofa lol! They weren't wrong! We loved it - so solid and roomy and heavy. Tons of space, good reviews. We just needed better gas mileage as we drive 80-100 miles R/T each day for work (both DH and I). Ford is going to stop making them, if they haven't already though. I recommend reading Consumers though 100%.

I always read Consumer Reports, but then I always go check a car out and see for myself. I say that because my wife and I bought a car that CR marked down because they didn't like the height of the center armrest and didn't like part of the dash. We had that car 15 years and both those were things we really liked and wished other cars offered.
I've been getting 25 to 28 mph on the freeway with my Flex. But around town it does drop to about 15. But I traded in a Suburban that got 9 mph in town, on the freeway, going uphill, pulling a trailer. Going down the Grapevine on Interstate 5 in southern California at 55 mph I did get 12.7 mpg with it once.

 

[Klayfish]

Consumer Reports needs to stick to washing machines....clueless when it comes to cars.

 

[CO2CA]

Not an SUV fan to say the least, minivans are far more useful for carrying people and their stuff, but it's an image thing. Cars are my life, so....as SUVs go...

Top of the pile in the size you're looking at is going to be Pilot, Highlander, Mazda CX series, Sorrento, Santa Fe. Highest quality, best ride, somewhat decent room (though again, they aren't space efficient no matter what). The new Palasaide/Telluride is worth a look, but they're a bit bigger. Bottom of the barrel is going to be Pathfinder, Durango, Mitsubishi. Nissan product line is a mess and the Pathfinder is no exception (sorry PP, glad you like yours, but they are what they are). Durango is ancient, Mitsubishi is circling the drain in the US market. Everything else, such as Traverse, Exploder, is in the middle.

RUN from the Nissan. Especially used. Just Google Nissan transmission problems to find out why.

I'd test drive a Ford Flex. Funny looking, but we bought a new 2018 and it is amazing. Most comfortable vehicle I have ever driven. Once you drive it, you'll buy it.

That's good to know about the Nissan, since that was probably my #1 choice. I like the look of them and we rented one that I enjoyed driving. But I want to stay far away from issues.

 

[CO2CA]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!!

The Flex sounds nice, but I can't get over the look of them Same with minivans... I promise I'm not vain, I'm just not ready for something that screams "children" when I'm only in grad school lol

 

[kirstenb1]

We have a 2014 Ford Explorer. Never had a single problem, but agree with the Acadia poster about the 3rd row eating up cargo space. We only have 2 kids, so we generally leave the 3rd row folded down for extra space. However, we use it when taking a bunch of kids on a day trip, like Busch Gardens. Would buy another Explorer.

 

[Klayfish]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!!

The Flex sounds nice, but I can't get over the look of them Same with minivans... I promise I'm not vain, I'm just not ready for something that screams "children" when I'm only in grad school lol

If you're in grad school, then why go with an SUV? They don't do anything well and aren't anywhere near as safe as people think they are (trust me on that one). Get a hatchback if you want extra space. Think Honda FIt, Kia Soul, Mazda3 hatch, etc....

 

[CO2CA]

If you're in grad school, then why go with an SUV? They don't do anything well and aren't anywhere near as safe as people think they are (trust me on that one). Get a hatchback if you want extra space. Think Honda FIt, Kia Soul, Mazda3 hatch, etc....

My family and I do a lot of road trips and usually bring extra people with us (anywhere from 2-6 people at a time), so I want that extra space. Otherwise, we're having to rent an SUV 2-3 times per year for the seating and luggage. The extra space would definitely get used.

 

[billlaurie]

We love Kias and have 3, the oldest a 2013 Sorento with 120,000 miles and have never had any issues. We also have a Sedona and a Soul. Kias are a great value, with lots of features and long warranties.

 

[Turn the Page]

I'd call the Flex more of a wagon than an SUV, but I would wholeheartedly agree with you. I love the Flex, nearly bought one a few times. 2019 was the final year for it, but if you don't mind lightly used or can find a leftover, it's a great option.

I have a Flex and was very happy with it until it started disintegrating on me. I got it used and I think the people that had it before me took really lousy care of it....in addition to it doing a lot of sitting. I had my mechanic check it out (my brother so he wasn't trying to steer me into a lemon to make more money on repairs) and he said it was great but I have had to dump thousands of dollars into it. I bought it 3 years ago so it was a bit older but only had 40,000 miles on it. I always thought the mileage was more important than the year. Guess not.

 

[Turn the Page]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!!

The Flex sounds nice, but I can't get over the look of them Same with minivans... I promise I'm not vain, I'm just not ready for something that screams "children" when I'm only in grad school lol

I have found you can't see how ugly it is when you're sitting in that incredibly comfortable drivers seat.

 

[Immadismom]

Thank you for asking this question! I am planning to purchase an SUV before summer myself. Currently my #1 is a Toyota Highlander. I considered a Subaru Ascent, but reviews show there have been a lot of transmission issues under 5,000 miles with them. I haven’t really researched the Honda Pilot yet, because I don’t like the looks of it much. But, I will entertain it. I LOVE the looks of the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, but I’m hesitant ti purchase any vehicle in it‘s first model year. So, looking forward to all of the answers!

 

[tvguy]

That's good to know about the Nissan, since that was probably my #1 choice. I like the look of them and we rented one that I enjoyed driving. But I want to stay far away from issues.

I have rented a couple of Nissans and they were very nice driving cars.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I drive a 2013 KIA Sorento. We bought it new in June 2012. It's been a really solid car. I use it for my short commute, and we use it on weekends and for family trips. We can easily fit our two tall adult boys in back seat, as well as everyone's luggage for trips. The mileage is decent for an SUV. I've only had to do routine maintenance (new tires, oil changes, etc.). It only has 57,000 miles on it, so I will be keeping it for several more years. I would not hesitate to buy another KIA in the future.

 

[superdiz]

We have A Chevy Traverse. The “Minnie Vans” turned us on to this. It’s the first vehicle that I loved. The AWD is awesome in snow and it has a great butt warmer feature