Recommend me a family SUV

McCracken

McCracken

Logan Can't See This
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Location
With your mom at a nice seafood dinner
Something around a 2008 model with 4WD.

I've looked around and I know what the Mrs. wants and we aren't on the same page. I want something more gas friendly but she's got this one picked out that she thinks is the "one". Unfortuantely, I can build one to tackle the elements but when it comes to picking one out I'm drawing a blank. Most times I think to myself, "that thing needs a 9" and a 44 and bigger tires" but the reality is that ain't happening.

So please enlighten me with your suggestions and maybe some personal stories as what not to buy. Thanks.
 
Love my 2nd gen Xterra... not the best on mpg though 18-21....

Second choice for family SUV would be H1 Hummer!
 
My wife has a 2010 Mazda CX9 and we love it. It is AWD and is built on the Ford Edge platform. V6, 6 speed auto. Im not sure on the MPGs but I think it is around 18. Seating for 7.
 
If you want MPG, decent space and quality, consider a VW Touareg TDI (particularly the 03-07 with the V10 TDI :D) .
 
Or Diesel Grand Cherokee. You just can't beat the mileage of a diesel in those platforms.
 
How far is she driving?

Lots of times folks focus on MPG. Do the math and see how much difference it really makes.

How many kids?

How many miles?

Why an SUV?

Is she carrying lots of cargo?

How much are you willing to spend?
 
Around town. A few trips to Asheville (30-60 miles).

1 kid

See first statement

SUV because we hate minivans and like the space

She's a mom with a 3yo and helps my mom with rich bitch garden club stuff

I'm shooting mid to upper teens
 
not a ford guy somuch but my wife has an '05 freestyle and loves it its AWD 7 passenger seating and knocked down 26 mpg last month round trip to disney, anyway my wife loves the newer ford stuff, she was looking at the Escape but it seems a little small, but a couple of her friends have them and claim 22-26 mpg with the 4wd so that may not be a bad option, and the Explorers have really came a long ways, i'm kinda in the same boat, our freestyle has 150k on it an has had absoulutely no problems so i figure its time to upgrade but she cant find anything she likes that matches up to her current ride in room, mpg, and driver asthetics, I'm not against the diesel Grand either but what do i know:)

scared to death!!!!!
 
Guy I work with has a 07 grand diesel awd (alltime) that his wife drives. She gets 20 average with a lead foot (likes the turbo). They drove it to Florida and got 26. He doesn't think the mileage out weights the maintenance and up front cost, but he has a tdi jetta and likes having diesels. If she goes diesel tell her people will holler at her at the pumps. My buddies wife gets it once a week, she says. No indication its a diesel besides the cdi emblems.
 
Infamous1 said:
not a ford guy somuch but my wife has an '05 freestyle and loves it its AWD 7 passenger seating and knocked down 26 mpg last month round trip to disney, anyway my wife loves the newer ford stuff, she was looking at the Escape but it seems a little small, but a couple of her friends have them and claim 22-26 mpg with the 4wd so that may not be a bad option, and the Explorers have really came a long ways, i'm kinda in the same boat, our freestyle has 150k on it an has had absoulutely no problems so i figure its time to upgrade but she cant find anything she likes that matches up to her current ride in room, mpg, and driver asthetics, I'm not against the diesel Grand either but what do i know:)

scared to death!!!!!
Click to expand...

I had a coworker suggest a freestyle. His wife loved it.
 
How about one of those cool, old FSJ Cherokees? :flipoff2:

We have a 2012 Escape as our "travel" and around town car. Over 20 mpg around town, mid 20's on trips, plenty of room for us and a giant dog.
Run far, far away from any Jeep diesel. As the previous Jeep diesel tech at Skyland, just trust me on that one.
 
Small size/reliable/capable/good light tow vehicle=99+ Grand Cherokee

Mid size and 4wd/mod off-road capable(look awesome lifted)/light towing capable/reliable/goes like a tank in the snow=Commander. Fuel mileage isn't the best but my Hemi gets a solid 13 in town and 19 highway.

Large with room to grow into/capable tow vehicle/good 4wd/fairly reliable= Tahoe/Yukon or even a 'Burb if you need lots of room.
 
I just drove my sister & her two kids 500 miles in a 2013 Ford Escape 1.6 ecoboost 4wd & it got 23MPG with less than 200 miles on it starting out. This was with the A/C on too. Not bad I thought. These Direct Injection engines are having some problems with carbon build up on the valves though. Hers is a lease, so she doesn't care. I thought it drove nice. I tried to get her into an explorer, but my BIL wouldn't go for the added cost.
 
I got my wife a 2007 Mercedes R320 CDI. Its AWD, has a third row, the middle row is captains seats (tons of room), the best part is its a diesel. It seats 6 people and averages close to 30 miles a gallon around town. I took a trip to Pigeon Forge a couple weeks ago and got 36.1 miles on the way down. I got it for mid to upper teens.
 
We had an '08 durango and loved the size , space, kid hauling capabilities, road tripping was comfy, BUT the Gas mileage was a KILLER!

My parents have a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. Good Ride, Good gas mileage, comfy, not as big so it's easy to maneuver. Seats 4 adults and 3 kids pretty comfy for around town and day trips where not a lot of luggage is needed. I'd recommend it.
 
Loved our old Tahoes, wish we still had it.

Hated our expedition.
 
McCracken said:
Around town. A few trips to Asheville (30-60 miles).

1 kid

See first statement

SUV because we hate minivans and like the space

She's a mom with a 3yo and helps my mom with rich bitch garden club stuff

I'm shooting mid to upper teens
Click to expand...

A minivan will have more space than most SUV's. I DD a Toyota Sienna due to having a 2.5 yr old, and being his chauffeur. You can't beat the sliding rear doors. I don't understand why people hate minivans.

My wife drives a 4WD Toyota Highlander. They get very good reviews. They don't have a TC like the 4Runner, so no low range for wheeling. It is just 4WD for bad weather since my wife's job demands her to be at the hospital no matter what the weather. It is rated at 20-25mpg.
 
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What about a Subaru Forester? The newer ones are pretty big, yet still fun to drive. MPGs will be better than a classic SUV.
 
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