Tell me what you love/dislike about your SUV

[dez1978]

I liked it. It was a 2003 that we bought used in 2006. I thought the cargo space was fantastic—deep well behind the 3rd row that held endless amounts of stuff. Comfortable ride and handling. Sliding doors were great with young kids (bought it due to an unexpected 3rd child). BUT, issues with the sliding doors not working—usually when I was out somewhere with 3 kids and couldn’t close them or several times an announcement was made while I was inside somewhere about an odyssey in the parking lot with the door open (I think it would start to close and then stop). I also, and people have disagreed with me here on the Dis about this before, thought it was horrible in the snow. Or even on a steep hill with a lot of rain. That was probably the #1 reason I didn’t want another one. We live in hilly western PA and my girls play club volleyball December—June which means a lot of weekend trips of anywhere from 3-7 hours away. We had several harrowing trips home and I was done. I still hate driving in a lot of snow, but the highlander is much better.

Oh yes.. I forgot about that with the doors. Even my 2018 did that so whatever the issue is, they hadn't fixed it. It would irritate the heck out of me. 100% agree with you on the snow. I disagree about the room tho. With the 3rd row up I couldn't even fit the sit and stand stroller in there. Nothing larger than a carry on suitcase width/height wise. Like I could fit 4 of them if I put them in just right. But If I put a large suitcase in there I had to put it in a direction that no other cases could go in. I couldn't put a large cooler back there. Heck its not even a large cooler, I think it's a 30 qt wheeled cooler. Between the angle of the seats and the slope of the inside of the trunk door it wouldn't shut. My dog couldn't fit comfortably back there. And she's only 65-70 lbs.

 

[canadianjovigirl]

I love my Lexus NX 300, its a smaller one but great for my needs and they do make larger ones. Have had it 3 years and no issues other then my regular service appointments. Have drove it on long trips and super comfy for everyone and great as my daily commuter as well.

 

[mmbrad02]

I have a 2017 Ford Escape Titanium; its the most bells and whistles I've never had I LOVE it for my daily work commute - about 25 minutes each way. We are in a more rural area and it is a fun one to drive on curvy backroads. I drop DD off at school, etc. I will say, when DH, myself, and DD11 travel with a lot of luggage (I am an extreme overpacker) it starts to feel snug. But picture DD in the back seat, with a bag or two or three she brought for herself, a cooler, and a large bag of snacks. Then the trunk area completely full. We could probably lay down the seat next to her and utilize things better, but we've made do the way it is to keep her happy and content for roadtrips.

We bought it used but certified, and have had zero issues out of it mechanically speaking.

 

[mefordis]

Hyundai Palisade, Calligraphy edition. I love it. Better than any luxury car I've been in. It has every bell and whistle and very comfortable and roomy for long drives. It was about 53k.

 

[Kennywood]

1) Reliability

We have 2 Chevy SUVs - 2010 Equinox LTX & 2016 Traverse LTZ. Neither has given us a moment of trouble since we purchased them.

2) Room

I'm a tall, big guy. I drove a 1998 Toyota Camry until it finally wore out at 269,000 miles. Also, I'm getting older and it's more and more difficult to climb in and out of cars nowadays.

While the Equinox gives me enough room, my Traverse seems like it was built just for me. I am SOOOOOOOO enjoying the extra room I now have. I can simply step out of it, rather than having to duck my head and use my arms to climb out of it.

When we were first looking at an SUV for my wife, we first considered Ford. The Explorer was okay but it just didn't seem to be built well. (Also, it actually was designed to not have a gas cap! I'm old school and I want a gas cap!) Then, to be thorough, we looked at Chevys. I was amazed at how well the Equinox was built. And I was impressed by all the little things that the engineers actually considered and included in the vehicle. (Oh, and it had a gas cap! Lol)

Based upon my 12 years of experience in owning Chevy SUVs, I would buy another one in a heartbeat (no pun intended).

 

[Sandiz08]

Q7, love the build quality of German cars and handling of such a large vehicle. Hate the gas mileage of the car, but I guess you can say that for most. My car is also AWD so you are replacing all four tires most of the time one goes bad.

 

[mrodgers]

We have a 2017 Tiguan which has been our daily driver. My only nit is the extreme amount of wind buffeting with the windows rolled down. I'd like to drive with at least the drivers window down, but this aerodynamic issue inhibits that. Maybe this is addressed in newer models - check it out if you do a test drive.

That is a big issue with me, wanting to put the windows down but can't because of the buffeting. Probably most cars are like that these days as it comes from the windshield being so raked down flat for fuel mileage.

The buffeting and I'd also like to buy a vehicle that I didn't have to run the AC in the afternoons when it's 48° and the car has been sitting in the sun all day. I can run with all 4 windows down and I'm still sitting in a pocket of hot air in the front seats because the air flows in behind the driver, again because of the windshield and no roof line any more.

I am soon in the market for something and the Tiguan is the top contender, but it has no horsepower for the size of vehicle (very few do.) I'm going with the Audi version over a Tiguan with a tune because of the DSG. I'm coming from never having purchased anything other than a manual to forced into an automatic and I must still have control of the transmission. If the Tig had the DSG, I'd buy one new vs. a used Audi as I can fix the engine with a tune to run the way it should run.

 

[bennifer]

I had a Pilot that I loved, but didn't love the gas mileage, so I got a CRV (I lease). I got the same gas mileage. It was ridiculous. So, I went to upgrade back to a Pilot and DH showed me the Passport. I love my Passport. I don't need the 3rd row and I love the extra space. The only reason I may not get another one is that they still don't make a hybrid version. My lease is ending in a few months, so I have to decide what I'm going to do!

 

[jrmasm]

I liked it. It was a 2003 that we bought used in 2006. I thought the cargo space was fantastic—deep well behind the 3rd row that held endless amounts of stuff. Comfortable ride and handling. Sliding doors were great with young kids (bought it due to an unexpected 3rd child). BUT, issues with the sliding doors not working—usually when I was out somewhere with 3 kids and couldn’t close them or several times an announcement was made while I was inside somewhere about an odyssey in the parking lot with the door open (I think it would start to close and then stop). I also, and people have disagreed with me here on the Dis about this before, thought it was horrible in the snow. Or even on a steep hill with a lot of rain. That was probably the #1 reason I didn’t want another one. We live in hilly western PA and my girls play club volleyball December—June which means a lot of weekend trips of anywhere from 3-7 hours away. We had several harrowing trips home and I was done. I still hate driving in a lot of snow, but the highlander is much better.

Anyone who says Odysseys aren’t terrible in weather has never driven an Odyssey in weather.

 

[HerRoyalHighness]

I was thinking of an SUV...so have been renting those on vacations...and none have as much cargo space as my minivan (Honda Odyssey) does when I take out the middle seats. Or have as many cup holders. Also seems the center consoles tend to get in the way on the suvs. However...my van is a 2009 so I don't really know if I'd like the new ones. They're like ALL hybrids now and I'd prefer to not have one because I don't want to replace that hybrid battery down the road. Maybe they'll be cheaper by then but I have almost 200K on this one and I'm not ready to write that check just yet. Would definitely be out for a new battery by that point

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Hyundai Palisade, Calligraphy edition. I love it. Better than any luxury car I've been in. It has every bell and whistle and very comfortable and roomy for long drives. It was about 53k.

I love the Palisade and its sister, the Kia Telluride. Unfortunately, for some reason they both made the puzzling decision to only include four-pin trailer wiring. They advertise the cars as having a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds, but many states have requirements that any trailer over 2,000 pounds be equipped with trailer brakes, which aren't supported by a four-pin wiring harness.

 

[Mle8308]

I love my 2021 BMW X3, it's not too big but can hold a lot. I'm in the city and didn't want a large SUV. Mileage is fine and it has good pickup (I tend to drive too fast - I'm working on that). Great warranty from BMW, so basically no charge for any maintenance for 4 years. I had a BMW sedan before, I definitely like being up just a little higher when driving. Lots of great options available, too. I had thought about a smaller Range Rover, but did some research and decided that was a no. My sister has a Honda Pilot (she has boys and lots of sporting equipment), she loves it if you are looking at something bigger.

 

[Dan Murphy]

My only nit is the extreme amount of wind buffeting with the windows rolled down. I'd like to drive with at least the drivers window down, but this aerodynamic issue inhibits that.

Almost all cars today, because of their efficient design, have the wind buffeting effect. I almost never drive with a window open, but if I do, I always lower a second window a bit, buffeting is then gone.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/634...-makes-and-why-it-happens-in-the-first-place/

 

[jlmarr]

Almost all cars today, because of their efficient design, have the wind buffeting effect. I almost never drive with a window open, but if I do, I always lower a second window a bit, buffeting is then gone.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/634...-makes-and-why-it-happens-in-the-first-place/

I'll try that, but I'm surprised how much worse the 2017 Tiguan is vs my 2013 Odyssey or (now sold) 2003 VW Beetle. YMMV

 

[Tinks]

I have a Honda Passport, and I love it. Great size, lots of space without being too oversized. Drives well. No. issues at all. Uses regular gas as opposed to the higher octane/more expensive gas.

Highly recommend!

 

[DeeBee3]

Subaru Forester here. I am a Subaru fan. Started off with a Legacy which I had for 15 years. Most likely would still have it but I had kids and needed more space for car seats and "stuff." I loved that car. Anyway, went with the Forester since we live in NY and wanted AWD. Mine is a 2014, so it is still "basic" on technology, but has all the USB ports, just no fancy screen.

If it's just you with "stuff" as you mentioned, then it would be fine as you can fold down seats in 2nd row. If you have other people with "stuff" then it would probably be too small. As much as I love Subaru, the Forester would be too small for that.

I would love @CaptainAmerica's Ascent. It won't fit in our garage so that's that.

It's also not that expensive to maintain. My husband does the oil changes and tire rotations. If you need parts for anything, they are not astronomical. German cars (my husband has an older BMW) have expensive parts. Land Rovers are notorious for breaking down (see comments above from PP).

I am biased toward Subaru, but I know the limitations. SLOW being one of them. haha

 

[DeeBee3]

Almost all cars today, because of their efficient design, have the wind buffeting effect. I almost never drive with a window open, but if I do, I always lower a second window a bit, buffeting is then gone.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/634...-makes-and-why-it-happens-in-the-first-place/

I just want to say this ANNOYS me to no end. I love driving with the window open in summer and the noise is terrible. I have also done what you said and play around with other windows. Happy to hear it's not just me.

 

[cvjw]

I was thinking of an SUV...so have been renting those on vacations...and none have as much cargo space as my minivan (Honda Odyssey) does when I take out the middle seats. Or have as many cup holders. Also seems the center consoles tend to get in the way on the suvs. However...my van is a 2009 so I don't really know if I'd like the new ones. They're like ALL hybrids now and I'd prefer to not have one because I don't want to replace that hybrid battery down the road. Maybe they'll be cheaper by then but I have almost 200K on this one and I'm not ready to write that check just yet. Would definitely be out for a new battery by that point

I traded my 2014 Honda odyssey for a 2019 Honda Pilot. Not quite as much cargo space, but pretty darn close. Just as many cup holders and so much easier to drive! The interiors of both are set up very similar. You should look into the Pilot!

 

[Aladora]

I'm on my 3rd SUV, all Ford. Had a 2016 Escape Titanium that I was leasing. When that lease was up in 2020 I was hoping to trade it for one of the new Escape PHEVs but they were not out yet so I bought a 2018 Edge Titanium. In October 2021 I found out that the PHEVs were starting to roll in so I traded my Edge for an Escape Titanium PHEV.

So, pros and cons about my new vehicle.

Pro:
I spend almost nothing on gas. A full charge gets me between 58-68 km, depending on the weather and how I drive. About 99.9% of my driving is on electric alone and even when the gas engine does kick in, the gas mileage is really good. Love it.
It drives really well and is comfortable.
I love how high up I am, I'm pretty short, only 5 ft 1ish so being high up helps me see everything.
As I said, I am short and the seats in the Escape are not as deep as other vehicles so I find it really easy, especially on longer drives.

Con:
Not as much storage room as my Edge, I could pack a TON of stuff into that one! The escape has a smaller trunk but still enough for our needs.
No cooled seat option in the Escape but I really loved it in my Edge.
No front camera option in the Escape but I used it ALL the time in my Edge. That thing was huge so the front camera helped a ton when I was parking.
The automatic beep when backing up is a bit annoying and there is no way to change the sound or volume of it.

Really, I think that is it! I've driven an SUV since 2016 and cannot imagine going back to a car.

 

[rotlex]

Jeep family here. Grand Cherokee is a fantastic vehicle with numerous trim levels to fit a fairly wide price range. We have a Wrangler, Patriot and Grand Cherokee each of which has been very reliable. (I admit the Wrangler is the family favorite for just plain FUN)! We are looking at the 4xE Grand Cherokee that should e out this year, plug in hybrid. Seriously thinking this is our next one.