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Thread: Three Row Car Based SUV/Crossover

  1. #1
    Hammertime
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Desert Southwest

    Three Row Car Based SUV/Crossover

    We are in the market for a new vehicle. It’s for my wife to generally do errands and to have one lower mileage car for big trips. It has to get up our big hill in snow and she wants AWD.

    While we know that another minivan is the right answer, this dear lady has put in her time with them and wants something...different. We have narrowed it down to unibody SUVs specifically a Toyota Highlander AWD.

    Are there any strong contenders we should also be considering? We already drove an Explorer and new Traverse and a 4Runner just for completeness to rule out more truck based SUVs. Going to drive a Pilot this next week. The car mags love the CX9, but I think it would be smaller than we want.

    It kind of comes down to Highlander versus Pilot right now and I’m not sure either is a bad choice.

    Any input appreciated.

  2. #2
    Member JHC's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    North Georgia
    This would be my choice. But I am a Subaru homer if for no other reason their reknown AWD system. When I was considering an Highlander before getting an Outback ultimately, I read some pretty "meh" reviews of the Highlander's "token" AWD. It didn't impress me much in test drive so I didn't look very deeply.


    “Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais

  3. #3
    Site Supporter rob_s's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    SE FL
    Wife has had a Pilot for the last 3 or 4 years (it's the "current" model that was brand new when we bought). She's been happy with it, and I have too when I drive it. My only complaint is that I'd have preferred the AWD, and the auto-shut-off at stoplights annoys me. We also had a rat in the garage eating the wires, but I understand that's a common issue on modern cars with vegetable-based insulation, so not a Honda/Pilot-specific problem?

    the third row has been fine for the kids when they get "bumped" back a row so that we can carry adults in the middle row, otherwise the 3rd row stays folded/collapsed.

  4. #4
    Tactical Nobody Guerrero's Avatar
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    Jun 2017
    Location
    Milwaukee
    Have you looked at the Honda Pilot? Our family has been very happy with Hondas, and I've been looking at a Pilot for when my Odyssey minivan finally dies.
    Last edited by Guerrero; 06-18-2019 at 09:59 AM.

  5. #5
    Hammertime
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Desert Southwest
    Quote Originally Posted by rob_s View Post
    We also had a rat in the garage eating the wires, but I understand that's a common issue on modern cars with vegetable-based insulation, so not a Honda/Pilot-specific problem?
    It seems to be a common Honda V-6 problem and is about the only issue I have had (three times) with my 265,000 mile Odyssey. They love to chew that knock sensor in the valley of the V6.

  6. #6
    I've had good luck with Subarus (Well, except for the time my WRX got rear-ended and totaled by a U-Haul. But even then the integrity was impressive; doors still opened, and we walked away). Currently have a Forester, and am thinking it's a bit small. Looked at and test drove the Ascent. It's pretty impressive, and the 2.4 turbo, while sounding small, seemed to be pretty peppy. Subaru is putting it in the Outback and Legacy for 2020. Seemed about the size of my old Explorer. I'm still pondering. Has mid row option of two captain's chairs or bench, for seating capacity of 7 or 8, respectively. And Consumer's Reports, if you like their ratings, gave it a 96. Might consider it.

  7. #7
    Site Supporter Kanye Wyoming's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    A little too close to New Jersey
    I’ve had a CX-9 for a little over a year now and I absolutely love it. I haven’t looked up the specs versus the Highlander but basically it’s yuuuuuge. Very comfortable, solid acceleration and 21.5 MPG. IMHO it’s a slightly better value than the Highlander. Nothing against the Highlander, I had one of those a few years ago, and you can’t go wrong with either one. But if I had to choose I’d choose the CX-9.

  8. #8
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    My wife's new ride. 2019 Toyota Highlander SE.

    She had bought a new 2002 Highlander when they first came out. She drove it for 14 years and put 250,000 miles on it. In 2016 it needed some relatively minor repairs that would have been more than the book value and she traded it for a 2016 Subaru Legacy. She liked the Subaru but missed the size of the Highlander. Now we have a teenager that will drive the Legacy and Susan needs a new car. She first drove an Outback and an Ascent. She liked the Ascent until she drove the Highlander. Toyota has been making dependable Highlanders for over 15 years. The Ascent is a new vehicle. The Highlander has a V-6 with 295 HP. The Ascent is a new engine, a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder with a turbocharger. The Toyota easily has more stuff when you step on the gas. We'll let you know how it does after she drives this one for 14 years.

  9. #9
    Hokey / Ancient JAD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Kansas City
    Quote Originally Posted by Doc_Glock View Post
    We are in the market for a new vehicle. It’s for my wife to generally do errands and to have one lower mileage car for big trips. It has to get up our big hill in snow and she wants AWD.

    While we know that another minivan is the right answer, this dear lady has put in her time with them and wants something...different. We have narrowed it down to unibody SUVs specifically a Toyota Highlander AWD.

    Are there any strong contenders we should also be considering? We already drove an Explorer and new Traverse and a 4Runner just for completeness to rule out more truck based SUVs. Going to drive a Pilot this next week. The car mags love the CX9, but I think it would be smaller than we want.

    It kind of comes down to Highlander versus Pilot right now and I’m not sure either is a bad choice.

    Any input appreciated.
    I've had AWD cars of a lot of stripes, and I think Subaru's approach is quantitatively better. Not losing your ass in snow is a pretty big safety feature, and I think in that sense rubies are a little safer than other cars.

    I looked at the Ascent -- my wife is obsessed with having a third row, for no actual practical reason -- and I didn't think it was that much bigger inside than my Outback. Unless I need a place to put a fourth and fifth little, I think the Outback is a little more comfortable in size. The 2.5i is bullshit, but the 3.6R is a nice power plant.

  10. #10
    I understand the new design, 2020 Ford Explorer, starts shipping in July. We are looking at an ST, with the 400 horsepower engine, to replace a boring current year 4Runner.
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

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