Midsize SUV shopping, Requesting Ideas

[IndyGunworks]

Might be too good to be true, but here is the list of what we are looking for.

4wheel drive or at least all wheel drive (for snow/muddy conditions in the country)
25MPG
4door
split passenger seating w/ full rear seat that folds down for extra storage.

New used, whatever, just having a hard time finding which make/models offer those features at the minimum.

THANKS!!!

 

[IndyGunworks]

GMC acadia
GMC Yukon


would LOVE for it to be a ford if i can since they didnt take bailout money.

 

[mms]

toyota highlander

 

[Sureshot129]

2012 Ford Explorer SUV | Best-in-Class Highway Fuel Economy. Go Do Adventures | Ford.com

Ford has turned a corner BIGTIME I'm not a car guy but my Fusion is great.

 

[Brandon]

bmw x3

 

[IndyGunworks]

2012 Ford Explorer SUV | Best-in-Class Highway Fuel Economy. Go Do Adventures | Ford.com

Ford has turned a corner BIGTIME I'm not a car guy but my Fusion is great.

I personally like the explorer although its a little onthe big side. If i have to error to one side, i would rather buy to big than to small.

Thanks.

 

[Double T]

My mom has an escape, it is tiny. I'm 5'10" and I have no leg room. Her 2007 explored was AMAZING. It was a bit of a fuel hog in town...so use ethanol if you have a station nearby

 

[Titanium Man]

My wife just bought a brand new Honda CRV, and it has all the features you require, plus some. The dealer even switched out the crappy Continental tires for the Bridgestones on another vehicle. Best of all---it's a Honda without all the planned obsolescence crap built into GM and Fords. Which I still own 2 of. Well, one is a VIBE, which fortunately is Toyota built. I don't know why I ever bought anything else. I had a Honda in the eighties, and the only thing I changed out at 190K miles was a timing belt. Oh yeah, most of the 4x4's which my wife's is, get in the 20's city mpg, and we recently got 27 mpg hwy on a hunting trip.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

The newest Motor Trend issue has their SUV of the year in it...

You're going to be hard pressed to find a true mid-sized SUV that'll get 25mpg.

Most all of 'em in that price range are in the small category.

And don't be so sure about Ford... They, too, took Government money. All the domestic makers did.

-J-

 

[eldirector]

I'll throw in a +1 for a CRV. One of the doctors my wife worked for has gone through a couple now. Each went well over 200K+ miles. He swears by them, even though his wife gets a new Mercedes every 2 years. The new ones are actually a little bigger, but still get the same mileage.

A friend's wife has a Ford Escape and LOVES it. Sure, it is smaller, but gets decent mileage and totes them around town just fine.

 

[fire259]

Another +1 for Honda CR-V.

 

[88GT]

I personally like the explorer although its a little onthe big side. If i have to error to one side, i would rather buy to big than to small.

Thanks.

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.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Don't be afraid to look at the newer Koren offerings.

And the Mazda 7 is a SLICK ride.

It pains me a GREAT deal to say this, but the Dodge Journey might also be an option. (I think I just died a little inside when I typed that)...

-J-

 

[pjcalla]

I don't know how big you are looking, but we did this same exact thing about a year ago. We drove everything. We decided on a Subaru Outback. It achieves everything on your list. My wife gets around 26 mpg in the city and 29-30 on long highway trips. AWD. I think it has plenty of room, seats fold down (60/40 iirc). It also has good ground clearance, believe it or not. Subaru also makes the Forrester, which is smaller, and the Tribeca, which is bigger (I think). Oh yea, the Subarus will run forever, just keep the oil changed, which is really easy to do, if you do that kind of thing.

I will not own another Nissan. They screwed me.

 

[manygunsmike]

2012 Ford Explorer SUV | Best-in-Class Highway Fuel Economy. Go Do Adventures | Ford.com

Ford has turned a corner BIGTIME I'm not a car guy but my Fusion is great.

^^^ ^THIS ^ ^^^

manygunsmike

 

[WyldeShot]

We were in the same boat last year. We had a Trailblazer with 120,000 miles and it was giving us all kinds of problems. We started looking and found a 2010 Chevy Traverse that my wife really liked. After test driving it I really like it too. There's enough power and it is rated for 5400 lbs if you get the towing package. The AWD is awesome! It has 3 rows of seating and we chose to have bucket seats for the center row. I had to make it slip on the ice last year. We took the Transverse on 1 vacation and we averaged 20-21 mpg while driving 75-80 mph. Just know that you are going to see 25+ mpg our of this crossover.
After 1 year we are still very happy with our choice. Hopefully this helps.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Also... If you're thinking about kids any time in the relatively near future (perhaps that's the prompt for car shopping?!?!? hehe)

Then you really owe it to yourselves to borrow some car seats and take them shopping with you.

Both infant carriers and the convertible car seats take up a LOT of room. I know that you're not nearly as tall as I am, and I know your wife isn't nearly as tall as my wife & I are, but it doesn't take much at all for even a mid-sized vehicle's passenger seat to be rendered useless by anyone but midgets when there's a car seat in the back.

Seriously... Take car seats shopping with you if you're going to have this next vehicle if/when you start a family. You'll thank me later.

-J-

 

[WyldeShot]

Also... If you're thinking about kids any time in the relatively near future (perhaps that's the prompt for car shopping?!?!? hehe)

Then you really owe it to yourselves to borrow some car seats and take them shopping with you.

Both infant carriers and the convertible car seats take up a LOT of room. I know that you're not nearly as tall as I am, and I know your wife isn't nearly as tall as my wife & I are, but it doesn't take much at all for even a mid-sized vehicle's passenger seat to be rendered useless by anyone but midgets when there's a car seat in the back.

Seriously... Take car seats shopping with you if you're going to have this next vehicle if/when you start a family. You'll thank me later.

-J-

Very good point!! We have 2 kids and that car seats are always a concerning when looking at space.

 

[Clay]

Nevermind.......... I didnt understand you wanted 3 rows of seats.

 

[Boiled Owl]

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.