SUV's - what would you recommend?

Tito Tapped said:
In the market for a new family vehicle but I've never really been a car guy so school me on what's good and what to look for. I'm not ready to go full on mini-van just yet but SUV's are all the rage these days.

The only requirement is that it's got to have AWD or 4WD because I live in the country and winters are hell. 3rd row seating is a plus, no tiny crossover shit.
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Lexus GX460. Best truck I've ever owned.
Lexus RX350L. Great vehicle if you don't drive in mud or over 2 feet of snow.

These are the only two I'd consider outside of the Porsche trucks I've owned. My daily is a Macan S right now. If I wasn't a Porsche person I'd rock and RX350 as a daily

The newly designed 4 runner looks good and has more cabin space. I haven't rode in one yet but I would consider.

One of my employees has a fully loaded Kia Telluride. It's a nice truck and I will take one for a test drive next time I'm car shopping.

Also, the Hybrid Hilander is a girly truck but decent and good for road trips.
 
Cherry Brigand said:
Yeah. Look at their mechanical reliability and get back to me. Audi. Bmw. Mercedes. None of them can touch Toyota or Honda. Don't be a fool!
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New Porches are great till 80k miles now. Then they have to go though, lol.

I wouldn't touch a BMW, Audi or Mercedes as a daily driver with a 10ft pole.
 
For a vehicle to take road trips, minivans look more and more appealing despite the soccer mom reputation. The Kia Carnival looks more like an SUV than minivan. I like the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid and would consider one, but what holds me back is they have poor reliability issues.

If you have to get a true SUV, the Kia Telluride has been getting good ratings. They're difficult to get, and the dealers are marking them up.
 
Eric O said:
New Porches are great till 80k miles now. Then they have to go though, lol.

I wouldn't touch a BMW, Audi or Mercedes as a daily driver with a 10ft pole.
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Mercedes reliability is very good. Their 90's cars were legendary, could go a million miles. They had a bad decade in the 2000s (like all other german cars), but have improved greatly.

I'm not sure I trust the reliability of the new Japanese cars, they are riding off the reputation of the 90's and 2000's cars which are mostly all still on the road. But those cars have very little in common mechanically with the new Japanese cars.
 
boingyman said:
I agree with these choices. If you have the budget and want a lot of space then a Sequoia would be a great choice. 4Runner's are also great and also has 4WD options like the Sequoia. If you want more gas efficiency then consider the Highlander Hybrid that has AWD options. Although it has a 3rd row it can get pretty tight IMO. Before I bought my Honda Pilot (which I also recommend) I was highly considering the Highlander Hybrid, but after test driving it my wife didn't like how cramped it was and cheap the interior felt. Now if you are very serious about considering a Sequoia I would also consider the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser. I heard the base model will be in the mid $50k range, however if you know Toyota it will be barebones and basic. I'm guessing a fully loaded Land Cruiser would be $100k+ so expect to pay $75-85k OTD for a decent model.
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I've got a 2015 4Runner 4WD and absolutely love it. It's a fantastic and reliable vehicle. Event the stock SR5 is extremely capable and when they're decked out, nothing matches the look imo. Heavy on the gas though.
 
I think the size you choose should depend on if you're a good driver who can drive with some precision because bigger car means smaller margin for error. Harder to fit in parking stalls, easier to break off side mirrors in narrow lanes with other cars moving fast super close to your car.

Twice in a parking structure, I watched as someone reverse parked and broke off their side mirror against the column. That's why I avoid narrow stalls next to column. I'm not that cocky.
 
SwamiLeoni said:
I've got a 2015 4Runner 4WD and absolutely love it. It's a fantastic and reliable vehicle. Event the stock SR5 is extremely capable and when they're decked out, nothing matches the look imo. Heavy on the gas though.
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I noticed the newer 4Runners' windshields seem more perpendicular to the road and that can't be more aerodynamic.
 
Wife has a 2016 Toyota Highlander. Ours has the extra seating row in the back for kids, that flip up when needed.
You can get them in either 2nd row captains chairs or 2nd row bench seats.
I have driven it on long trips and has a nice and smooth ride.
For families it is a good choice.


 
My picks for a 3-row SUV that is good in the snow:
1st) Subaru Ascent
2nd) Honda Pilot Trailsport

If you can do without the 3rd row then I recommend the Subaru Outback.

I like that the Subaru AWD is always on and not FWD that converts to AWD when slippage is detected. The Outback (been around for a long time) has better proven reliability than the Ascent (relatively new). I'm also worried that Honda has been slipping on reliability. In Honda's favor, I would prefer the Honda's natrually aspirated 6-cylinder to Subaru's turbo 4-cylinder, and I would prefer 10-speed automatic (Honda) to CVT (Subaru).

My main winter concern is icy roads. You may prefer 4WD (like the Toyota Sequoia or Toyota 4Runner) if you are more concerned about deep snow.

Edit: Also, even with AWD or 4WD, you still need to use winter tires. I think FWD with winter tires would be better than AWD without.
 
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Go old school! My first car looked almost identical to this one, except it was all black and had different rims. 1994 Ford Bronco back when trucks actually had truck frames and minimal electrical problems.
M198708010.jpeg
 
Eric O said:
Lexus GX460. Best truck I've ever owned.
Lexus RX350L. Great vehicle if you don't drive in mud or over 2 feet of snow.
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+1 for the Lexus RX

I have 2 friends that have them and they are comfortable as hell, nicely finished good stereo, good headroom (I'm 6'3)

Also I think that is built on the 4 Runner frame, which is one of the most durable longest lasting SUV frames.

Basically (for the most part) the bigger SUV frames are built more like a truck and thus much more durable, last longer (but get less gas mileage)

I was researching them at one point a few years ago. It tends to be about 5-10 grand usd more for the larger body frame suv but if you want to have a vehicle thay lasts that is the way to go.
Conversely if you are leasing or don't want to run it into the ground but rather upgrade, or if gas cost is a major factor to you, you may be better with smaller models.
 
I have a 2022 4Runner, base SR5.

Still a true truck body on frame.

All 4Runners are still made in Japan.

Heavy on the gas though, but I live in a small island and I’d buy it a hundred lifetimes over.

Oh and I’ll never spend my money on some Eurotrash.
 
Rav 4 unless your wife will let you buy a TRD pro Sequoia
 
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