Midsize SUV shopping, Requesting Ideas

[IndyGunworks]

I dont know to much about the chevy equinox

Dodge is out just because of brand image, (negative in my mind for some reason)

Will look into the suburu's although i dont know much about them admittadly.

I will also look hard at the chevy traverse.

the bucket seats in the middle and three row seating is what we want for storage, and so when we take the dog on trips with us is will stay on the floor between the seats in the middle keeping the dog hair off the seats and on the floor. which is also why we are going to try for leather seats so we can just wipe the dog hair off instead of being embarrassed when friends get into out vehicles and come out w/ dog hair all over them.

GREAT idea about the car seats. its part of the reason for car shopping, although kids are still around 2 years out.

 

[7urtle]

There is no such thing as too big (says the girl who drives a 350 crew cab as her grocery-getter because the Suburban just wasn't big enough). All joking aside, you will find all too quickly that there is always room for more room. It's kinda like income: we spend what we make. Unless it really will be a passenger car and nothing more, you will find it's not worth it to look at the compact models.

That said, are you speaking of Explorers past or the latest model? I don't know for sure about actual dimensions, passenger volumes, etc, but I do know that the latest model is now built on the Taurus car chassis instead of the Ranger truck chassis and it shows.....horribly. The redesign is just FUGLY in itself, but there is absolutely no resemblance to the previous Explorer models at all. It looks like an over-sized passenger sedan. I'd drive the Edge before I'd climb into the new Explorer.

i make the explorer and cant tell the difference. my cousin loves her 2010 explorer and my coworker likes the edge

 

[WyldeShot]

How much will a CRV tow?
Reason I say, we bought a 2005 Element new. It gets 19-20 in the wife's suburban travels. I think it can handle another 600-700# GVW. Contrast that to my 2003 GMC diesel, steady 18-20 + mpg and I can tow 17,000# and get 11 MPG.

With the QC troubles we have had on the Element, I'd be hard pressed to go for another Honda.

How about the Chevy Equinox? Nice size, built for several years now decent millage. Seem to be rated decent.

Be careful with the Equinox. I had a GM mechanic tell me that they were having a lot of issues with them and that they were loud when you 1st start them. He said to stay away.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I dont know to much about the chevy equinox

Dodge is out just because of brand image, (negative in my mind for some reason)

Will look into the suburu's although i dont know much about them admittadly.

I will also look hard at the chevy traverse.

the bucket seats in the middle and three row seating is what we want for storage, and so when we take the dog on trips with us is will stay on the floor between the seats in the middle keeping the dog hair off the seats and on the floor. which is also why we are going to try for leather seats so we can just wipe the dog hair off instead of being embarrassed when friends get into out vehicles and come out w/ dog hair all over them.

GREAT idea about the car seats. its part of the reason for car shopping, although kids are still around 2 years out.

The Suburus are FANTASTIC vehicles. Both the Outback and the Forester. The former is classified as a car, the latter as an SUV. There's also the Tribeca, a more traditional SUV, but it's SPENDY. You can find a 1-year old Forester with ~15-20k on the clock for $20k or so.

Don't be afraid to look at the newer generation Chevy Equinox & GMC Terrain, either. They both have sliding rear seats. That does impact the rear-most cargo room, but it's one of those "why didn't other folks think of this sooner?" conveniences. I know that an Equinox / Terrain will be on our radar when ever our Altima gives up the Ghost.

I completely & totally understand the trepidation about the Dodge... I'm right there with you. I've had troubles with a personal Chrysler...and issues with more than one Dodge / Jeep work vehicles. I do have high hopes that their quality has improved. Drove a 2010 Journey for a week while on vacation last year. It was a V6 FWD model (SXT?)...drove very car-like and smaller than they are. Guess the brand newest ones are "better" than the new Durango (at least according to Motor Trend).

Your best bargains would be to find a year old Kia or Hyundai that still has the bulk of the factory warranty remaining on it.

Before buying anything, though, go to a dealership's service department and speak to one of the service managers. My conversation with the guy at the Skillman Kia guy convinced me to count out the '08 van we were looking at and go with an '09.

-J-

 

[IndyGunworks]

The biggest thing for me is the three row seating with bucket seats in the middle.
that counts out the CR-V and i didnt see any of the subaru's with that option, but it might just be improper search's on my part. i have spent a TON of time in an acadia and really like it, but my wife says its to "mini vannie" for her, but it seems that most of the midsized suv's that have the middle row bucket seats are all mini van like.

does kia or hundai offer an SUV w/ three row seating and bucket seats in the middle?

towing shouldnt be an issue, it just needs to be able to pull my bass tracker whish is pretty light and pulls VERY well.

 

[IndyGunworks]

We will probably be purchasing next fall. thats should be about 6 months of saving after paying off her current car which is a saturn vue that we both HATE HATE HATE. the car still has probably 5 years of life in it, but we settled for it at the beggining getting a good deal off my parents for it and paying them intrest free installments, but in the end its been a PITA from day one, noisy, bumpy uncomforitable, not dog friendly and its due to be replace as soon as we can afford it. I want to replace it BEFORE we have kids and that time is coming sooner than later so i would rather get into it quickly and try to pay it off before we have kids so we are payment free once the first little one pops out.

 

[Brownie]

Honda crv would have my vote as well
great vehicles just get used to the blind spot.

 

[pjcalla]

)
Will look into the suburu's although i dont know much about them admittadly.

We didn't either. We were going to skip right over them because we thought they were really expensive. The only reason we went to look at them was because they were the only manufacturer that offered heated seats with cloth interior. My wife has some back pain, and uses the heated seats year-round. We initially wanted cloth, but ended up with leather.

Their CVT (continuously variable transmission, I think) is top notch. They sell their OLD generations to Audi, Nissan, etc. It takes some time to get used to (car doesn't "shift"), but it is actually really nice.

The Outback is made in Lafayette.

You get a ton for what you pay. A similarly equipped Edge, Murano, etc. would be $5,000 - $10,000 more than we paid, seriously.

I'm assuming you are in the Indy area, so if you decide to look at Subarus, go to Falcone. They are great.

Subaru Dealer Indianapolis | Falcone Subaru | New & Used Cars in the Zionsville Plainfield Brownsburgh & Danville Area

Here is a thread about them that I started when we purchased our Outback:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break_room/111012-big_1_for_falcone_vw_subaru_saab.html

 

[IndyGunworks]

Honda crv would have my vote as well
great vehicles just get used to the blind spot.

does the crv offer three row seating w/ middle bucket seats? seems like there are alot of happy crv owners out there, i just couldnt find what i was looking for.

 

[pjcalla]

The biggest thing for me is the three row seating with bucket seats in the middle.
that counts out the CR-V and i didnt see any of the subaru's with that option, but it might just be improper search's on my part. i have spent a TON of time in an acadia and really like it, but my wife says its to "mini vannie" for her, but it seems that most of the midsized suv's that have the middle row bucket seats are all mini van like.

does kia or hundai offer an SUV w/ three row seating and bucket seats in the middle?

towing shouldnt be an issue, it just needs to be able to pull my bass tracker whish is pretty light and pulls VERY well.

The Tribeca has a "3rd row." I don't know if an average sized person can sit back there. They do not have buckets in the 2nd row, however.

You could always put the dog in the back, and kids in the 2nd row. That is what we are planning on doing in our Outback. If you are going to tow, you would have to go to the 3.5, which would decrease your mpg.

Good luck.

 

[AuntieBellum]

I have a Suzuki Grand Vitara which I absolutely LOVE.

It looks a lot like the CR-V. 4wd, towing capability, 18-19 mpg city, 25ish interstate. But again, no buckets seats in the middle.

It's my super-reliable, all-weather, goes through over a foot of snow at the range Appleseed vehicle. That said, it's a little too small for most anything I want to put in it. With the back seats folded all the way forward, you can't slide a hard rifle case straight in. Your only real option is across the backseat, or fold the seats forward but not flipped up against the front seats and use something to prop the cases up on the back-end so they don't slide out the back when you open the door.

Also, little ones have zero foot space when you put a car seat in so my nephew gets a bit squished in back. Something to consider as you look around. If you need some space, the little SUVs are not the way to go. If I could do it over again, I'd get the larger version they used to make.

Moral of the story: bring a rifle case when you go car shopping.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Moral of the story: bring a rifle case when you go car shopping.

And car seats!! lol

 

[bobzilla]

i MIss our old Grand Vitara. We had an 01 that was super durable. Went offroading in Arizona, after driving 1800 miles in 30 hours. That thing was a little beast both on and offroad.

 

[GM_Geezer]

Thought hard about a Honda pilot but discounted it as the 4wd disengages over 18 mph. Ended up with a certified 2008 Envoy. That straight 6 is killer and it was the last mid-size platform that had body on frame construction. No 3rd row seats but after looking at alot of 3rd row seats I couldn't see anyone being able to use them as a seat. Get 18.5 average not being light footed.

 

[88GT]

i make the explorer and cant tell the difference. my cousin loves her 2010 explorer and my coworker likes the edge

Between the Edge adn the Explorer or the older vs newer explorer?

I was making a comment about the image of the explore relative to its glory days. Not as a comparison per se between the new explorer and the edge. The edge is designed that way. It's what it's supposed to look fugly. But an explorer that can't be distinguished from a crossover/passenger sedan? That ain't right.

I know it doesn't make sense from the practical standpoint. But it's like calling a Datsun or an El Camino a truck. Technically true, but flawed.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Something else that'll help, Nick: What's your budget?

 

[IndyGunworks]

less than 35,000 perferably around 25 for less typically we like to keep vehicle purchases at 20,000 however this is my wifes second car that we had to "settle" for. the first was an accord that was totaled the week it was paid off in an ice storm. we went shopping and should have gotten something nice then but we werent even married yet and put the money towards paying off debt and bought my parents saturn vue when they bought their new acadia. we bought it for 2k less than what the dealer offered for it as a trade in so we got a good deal. we owe my parents 900 on it, and 5500 left on my truck, both will be paid off by spring.

we want to do this right, my truck is still really nice and i have every intention of driving it into the ground, however w/ kids on the horizon, and my wife getting a full time job, we want a GOOD vehicle.

My dad and i take the acadia on our fishing trips all the time and it is a great traveler. its really exactly what I want but not neccessarily what my wife wants as she doesnt want anything close to a minivan look.

the second row bucket seats to me is a great option. 4 people can be VERY comforitable, storage space for a trash can on long trips. the rear seats pretty much jsut stay folded down for storage space which ends up being used OFTEN.

with the bucket seats and the rear row folded down we can load the back of the car down for trips and the dog can just be in the middle on the floor.

also we took a trip to canada last summer and had 5 people in that car for a majority of the drive. one person having the back all to themselves and EVERYone was very comfy.

the acadia, is just a bit pricey.

 

[IndyGunworks]

also,can someone explain what all this talk is about the frame the explorer is built on? is it no longer a truck frame and a car frame? if so, what does that actually affect?

 

[Titanium Man]

Honda crv would have my vote as well
great vehicles just get used to the blind spot.

Blind spot mirrors are a must. I really enjoy driving the thing. It's like my Vibe on steroids.

I have no idea what it will tow, because I have a big, gas guzzling Ford 4x4 that loves to leave a carbon footprint for that.

 

[88GT]

also,can someone explain what all this talk is about the frame the explorer is built on? is it no longer a truck frame and a car frame? if so, what does that actually affect?

It was built on the truck frame (Ranger). It's now built on the Taurus (I think, but not 100% positive) frame.

It has become a crossover model rather than a truck/SUV model. Crossovers attempts to combine the best features of passenger sedans (comfort, ride, fuel economy, convenience) with the utility of SUVs/trucks (ground clearance, storage/hauling capability, off-roading capability). But as often happens, the attempt to hybridize means sometimes even the desirable features get watered down. Towing without the V8 all-wheel drive model on a new Explorer is just pointless, as is any off-roading capability. So why get one if that's what you want out of a passenger vehicle?

Explorer was solidly in the truck/SUV class on the Ranger chassis. Now it's not. It's a jacked up passenger sedan trying to forget its station wagon roots.

In short, you can sum up the changes this way (new relative to older models):
Front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive (all-wheel option available)
More sport, less utility
Better ride
Better handling
Better fuel economy