Another What Car Thread: Big-ish SUV's (or Minivan?)

[toast2266]

The slope of the rear roofline goes against what she's looking for, which is more of a box shaped back.

Sounds like she wants a minivan.

[AK47bp]

I Or it'll come down to which will take a bigger load in the rear.

My advice, on your test drive stop at the HD (or closest highway rest stop) and see how much wood you can cram in.




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[Ted Striker]

My advice, on your test drive stop at the HD (or closest highway rest stop) and see how much wood you can cram in.

[Ted Striker]

Sounds like she wants a minivan.

I tried to convince her that the sienna checked every box, but that fell on deaf ears.

[AK47bp]

I think we celebrate the same movie catalogs.

“The bathhouses of the 90’s”

https://youtu.be/TlsgKlLkrUg


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[AKbruin]

And AKB - so why not another Tundra or a Sequoia?

To be honest, I'd be stoked to have either. But it'll ultimately be the wife's car (with frequently borrowing by me) and those two are too big and too expensive. The missus doesn't want a 4Runner either, which I'd personally love. That said, I'd like to replace my CR-V, which is a great if uninspiring mountain commuter vehicle for me, with something like a Cybertruck or e-truck in a half decade when they're available and maybe affordable.

[toast2266]

I tried to convince her that the sienna checked every box, but that fell on deaf ears.

Deafness is a frequent side effect of driving subarus. Those things are noisy.

(Our Sienna replaced a Crosstrek. I hated that fucking car. Still do, actually - I have to go home and fix shit on it so we can finally sell it).

[Falcon3]

Considering how many times I’ve pulled up to a backcountry trailhead off a very rough road and come upon a Prius sitting there, I’d say ground clearance isn’t the big deal most people make it out to be.

There’s always a fucking Prius.

[MarcusBrody]

Considering how many times I’ve pulled up to a backcountry trailhead off a very rough road and come upon a Prius sitting there, I’d say ground clearance isn’t the big deal most people make it out to be.

There’s always a fucking Prius.

I feel like that a lot. I live in a place with tons of bro dozers and GOTOS vehicles, but when I get to actual trailheads, it's vans, Priuses, and - to be fair - a few 4runners.

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[El Chupacabra]

To be honest, I'd be stoked to have either. But it'll ultimately be the wife's car (with frequently borrowing by me) and those two are too big and too expensive. The missus doesn't want a 4Runner either, which I'd personally love. That said, I'd like to replace my CR-V, which is a great if uninspiring mountain commuter vehicle for me, with something like a Cybertruck or e-truck in a half decade when they're available and maybe affordable.

And she doesn't want to take over the CRV?

Hmm. For your stated use, body on frame vehicle is probably a good idea. All those backroads TRs you post pics of involve a lot of dirt road use, and real frame vehicles do hold up better to pounding.

Tacoma? I was looking into one for a friend, and the base SR, V6, crew cab , 4WD, has MSRP at about $33K. Add a shell on the back for holding kid gear and/or camp + ski gear.

[AKbruin]

And she doesn't want to take over the CRV?

Hmm. For your stated use, body on frame vehicle is probably a good idea. All those backroads TRs you post pics of involve a lot of dirt road use, and real frame vehicles do hold up better to pounding.

Tacoma? I was looking into one for a friend, and the base SR, V6, crew cab , 4WD, has MSRP at about $33K. Add a shell on the back for holding kid gear and/or camp + ski gear.

You're really tempting me to be a bad husband. I agree with everything you've said and I've been tempted by everything you've suggested, but the missus is driving a 2008 Forester with 250k+ miles. It's had several bears inside it (with commensurate damage to its upholstery), its engine was replaced like 100k miles ago, and, worst of all, its had about 13 years of my kids fucking it up. I'm already kind of a dick for not getting her a new car sooner. Anyhow, she deserves a new car, so I gotta take one for the team here.

[bodywhomper]

Tahoe black bears LOVE the smell of new leather upholstery.

[AKbruin]

Assuming the wife is on board, I'm thinking a Passport, but swapping out the stupid stock 20" wheels and low-profile tires with some 18" wheels (e.g., Ridgeline OEMs) and higher profile tires. From what I've read, that'll soften the ride a bit and raise the clearance a little, without affecting performance or its MPG too much. The change in tires may ultimately save money in the long term because 20" low-profile tires are expensive and easily prone to damage. Seems like a reasonable compromise. For everything else, I have friends with Toyotas.

[AKbruin]

Tahoe black bears LOVE the smell of new leather upholstery.

They also love all the food scraps my kids littered our backseat with when the kids were younger. One could have fed a refuge family with all the organic matter found between the seat cushions alone.

[El Chupacabra]

Assuming the wife is on board, I'm thinking a Passport, but swapping out the stupid stock 20" wheels and low-profile tires with some 18" wheels (e.g., Ridgeline OEMs) and higher profile tires. From what I've read, that'll soften the ride a bit and raise the clearance a little, without affecting performance or its MPG too much. The change in tires may ultimately save money in the long term because 20" low-profile tires are expensive and easily prone to damage. Seems like a reasonable compromise. For everything else, I have friends with Toyotas.

Passport is a nice choice. Really big inside. IIRC supposedly same suspension as a Ridgeline, which is a little taller and a little firmer than the Pilot. Same SH-AWD torque vectoring AWD system on all three, which is a *really* nice AWD system.

Do none of the Passport models come with 18" wheels? If not... be sure 18s will clear the brakes.

As weird as it may sound, I always look at replacement tire costs when picking a vehicle. 20" tires are stupidly expensive.

[El Chupacabra]

Are your kids approaching driving age? That 2008 Forester might be worth holding onto for them. Unless it's totally just used up... in which case hand down the fairly new CRV and go shopping for yourself then!

[AK47bp]

Assuming the wife is on board, I'm thinking a Passport, but swapping out the stupid stock 20" wheels and low-profile tires with some 18" wheels (e.g., Ridgeline OEMs) and higher profile tires. From what I've read, that'll soften the ride a bit and raise the clearance a little, without affecting performance or its MPG too much. The change in tires may ultimately save money in the long term because 20" low-profile tires are expensive and easily prone to damage. Seems like a reasonable compromise. For everything else, I have friends with Toyotas.

Wise. The wifey and the low profile get in fights with curbs a bunch, all of them look like this.




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[AKbruin]

Are your kids approaching driving age? That 2008 Forester might be worth holding onto for them. Unless it's totally just used up... in which case hand down the fairly new CRV and go shopping for yourself then!

Sadly, the Subaru is not long for this world. I like your thinking.

Wise. The wifey and the low profile get in fights with curbs a bunch, all of them look like this.

Haha. No curbs where I live, but big rims and low-profile tires in a city requiring constant parallel parking like San Francisco would be a nightmare.

[Ted Striker]

Do none of the Passport models come with 18" wheels? If not... be sure 18s will clear the brakes.

As weird as it may sound, I always look at replacement tire costs when picking a vehicle. 20" tires are stupidly expensive.

Yeah, 20s are really indicative of the target audience: mall shoppers.

The 18s from the Ridgeline and Pilot fit, and have the same offset. There's some chatter on the internet that aftermarket 17s clear the brakes as well.

[XXX-er]

bigger tire costs mo money at tire time

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Bump.

Our 2007 XC70 is still mechanically sound, but plastic bits are crumbling. The end is near, even though it isn't a daily driver at this point. I was hoping to hold out until an electric family truckster was viable for us, but it looks like it'll be a few more years at least. Maybe some of you can go all electric now, but I have some frequent drives that would be hassle without more range AND charging stations.

We have 2 kids and dog. We would use a third row for hauling extra people (mostly kids) on day trips, not road trips with lots of stuff. I use the ample trunk space in the Volvo frequently, but seldom when I have more than the five of us (including the dog) in the car. I think a smaller three row car would suit us well.

I'm leaning toward a used CX-9 as it looks to be the best combo of price, quality and reliability. I'm also interested in the new CX-90, but think I'd rather save the money than buy a new car that will be quickly marred by kids and a dog (and me).

I've also looked at:

Highlander- good car, but too expensive for what you get.
Highlander Hybrid - even more too expensive
Pilot- not bad, but the main advantage over the CX-9 is that it is bigger, which I don't think I need. And what is with all the recalls?
Telluride/Pallisade- Very nice car but, similar to the Pilot, I would be paying more for things I don't need (bigger, fancier)
Sorento- bad reliability ratings, the hybrid is lowered and no fucking spare.
Traverse- buying a chevy that isn't a truck seems... dumb
Ascent- like the Traverse, this seems too far from what Subaru does well.
Atlas- slow, poor mileage, will cost more to fix.
Nissan, Dodge, Jeep- Nah
AWD Sienna with a lift kit- Would be awesome, but surprisingly expensive and I don't really sleep in my car anymore.

What am I getting wrong? What am I missing? My kids are 4 and 9. Am I underestimating the amount of space we'll need in two years? Should I consider the previous generation Highlander? I've driven Highlanders, Pilots and CX-9's. The Mazda is the best to drive. The Honda is also quite good for how big it is. The Toyota is nondescript but has a pretty spotless history of being reliable generation after generation. Another Mazda advantage is that lower trims have leatherette seats, which my kids and dog will destroy more slowly. I want durable seats, but I don't want to pay for a bunch of pointless "features." Toyota especially seems to save the leatherette for fancier trim levels. I don't give a damn how big my infotainment screen is.

Anyway, I'm not psyched to spend a lot of money on this car as I see it as a box for hauling kids and stuff. It will deal with wet dogs, kids, waders and ski boots. Cheap and reliable is good. I'll drive to the middle of nowhere to go skiing, running, biking and fishing and on long fmaily road trips where a breakdown would really suck. But would the future resale of the Highlander (or Pilot?) make it worth spending the extra cash now? Am I underestimating one of these cars? What would you do?

Thanks

[El Chupacabra]

I think the CX-9 might be the smallest 3 row crossover. Is there enough space for luggage if you've got kids in the 3rd row? Or would you use a roof box?

Toyota has the hybrids dialed, so I'd tend to lean that direction, despite the blandness.

The large Honda / Acura crossovers are big inside. Would a gently used MDX fit the budget? Nicer than the Pilot, and after a couple of years of depreciation, might be a good bang for the buck? It's counter to what you said about getting it dirty with kids and dogs etc.

You didn't mention any truck based SUVs (Tahoe, Yukon, Armada, etc) so I assume towing isn't a priority, and fuel economy matters at least a little.

[Eastside]

I just bought a 23 Chrysler Pacifica AWD. I have a truck so if it gets awful, I can take that. The Pacifica it the greatest minivan ever. There is a lift for them also so you can get a couple more inches of clearance for the big storms. I chose it it over Tahoes, Palisades/Telluride, Pilot, 4Runner. It’s has so much space with the seats hidden, it’s crazy. The doggos dig it.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I think the CX-9 might be the smallest 3 row crossover. Is there enough space for luggage if you've got kids in the 3rd row? Or would you use a roof box?

Toyota has the hybrids dialed, so I'd tend to lean that direction, despite the blandness.

The large Honda / Acura crossovers are big inside. Would a gently used MDX fit the budget? Nicer than the Pilot, and after a couple of years of depreciation, might be a good bang for the buck? It's counter to what you said about getting it dirty with kids and dogs etc.

You didn't mention any truck based SUVs (Tahoe, Yukon, Armada, etc) so I assume towing isn't a priority, and fuel economy matters at least a little.

Yeah, I do care about fuel economy, don't plan on towing, and won't often need to carry much luggage AND more than 4 people.

MDX is a good call. Used ones cost about the same as a Pilot.

[SB]

I just bought a 23 Chrysler Pacifica AWD. I have a truck so if it gets awful, I can take that. The Pacifica it the greatest minivan ever. There is a lift for them also so you can get a couple more inches of clearance for the big storms. I chose it it over Tahoes, Palisades/Telluride, Pilot, 4Runner. It’s has so much space with the seats hidden, it’s crazy. The doggos dig it.

Win. Win