SUV's, what do you have and how do you like it?

[jreed]

Looking at possibly trading in my 09 GMC Acadia that Ive had a lot of trouble with. What do you have and how do you like it. In particular I am looking at the Chvy Traverse (they say the issues have been worked out), Toyota Highlander, and Dodge Durango. Requirements are 3 row seats and AWD.

[Falang_Golfer]

I worked on both the Acadia and new Traverse. What issues did you have? The new ones were updated but honestly 90% of the car is the same. If I had to guess you had electrical issues. For your other choices I like the Highlander. New Tahoe is nice too.

[jreed]

The biggest issues were the water pump and timing chains. Had to drop the engine and do some major repairs...had the car for several days. Other smaller issues were replacement of both rear upper control arms, swaybar links, stearing gear bushings, engine coil(s). And now Im have a check engine light on signifying a bad catalytic converter. it is an 09 with 86K.

[deadsolid...shank]

[sup][size=4]We've had a few Accadias and had a little trouble, not like you had, but some smaller issues. We've only had a couple of Traverses, and as of yet haven't had any problems. That being said, I would highly recommend the Highlander. We have a 09 Limited right now that I put a thousand miles on last weekend. Extremely comfortable and plenty of power to comfortably handle 85 mph on the interstate. Also, first fill up (a bit downhill with a tailwind), 26.5 mpg. Obviously wasn't as good after that but still averaged in the low to mid 20's even with city driving. If you can find one equipped with it (and maybe all have it, I don't know), the smart key feature is terrific. My wife and daughter both absolutely love this feature, they don't have to dig around in their purse to find the keys.[/size][/sup]

[jreed]

The smart key feature was one of the things I like about the durango. Would be very handy and Im sure my wife would love it!

My brother in law has a camry with 172K on it. Do Highlanders have similar reliability? He has done very little work other than maintenance.

[chickenpotpie]

I've been a Dodge guy my whole life and have driven several different Durangos over the years, including the latest one. It's a good SUV, and if I had to buy one now, that would be it.

BUT, I recently just had to buy one for my wife and she prefers GM products (family heritage). We bought a Traverse, and we both love it. It's the first GM product we've owned that I like, and actually want to drive. I wish GM would work on its center console though....it's been a mess on the last few GM products we've owned. It's really irritating looking for door locks on the door, only to realize they are under the radio. WTF?

[highergr0und]

Highlanders are generally pretty good. We had one, but it started eating oil. Not leaking, but eating it to the tune of 5 qts in 1000 miles. At first I thought the oil change place forgot to fill it up, but I put another 5 in myself and the same thing happened. It was an older model, 2004 maybe? Anyways, I did a little research and found that it's a problem that's been known to happen to them and the only real solution is to replace the engine.

So we decided to kick that one to the curb and went shopping. The problem with the new highlanders is that the 3rd row is really worthless. When it's up, there is almost zero storage and zero legroom. We did really like that you could turn the second row into captains chairs, and the styling is pretty nice. When it comes to MPGs, it's probably about the best for that size.

In the end, we went with a Honda Pilot. It's very utilitarian, but it works great as a family vehicle. The extra room over the highlander made the choice easy. We literally took our luggage, pack and play, and stuff that we usually took on road trips to the dealership and loaded the vehicles up. With the new Highlander, we still needed our rooftop bag. With the Pilot, we travel without anything strapped to the roof. The downsides of the Pilot are road noise and gas mileage. But it's the biggest SUV you can get before going up to a Tahoe which really increases price and fuel costs.

[jreed]

I have a 10 year old dakota that is still running and its my second Dakota. There are several Durango's for sale in my area so they are readily available. But, Ive heard people say to stay away from them...not sure what to believe. As far as features go, they are loaded.

The Acadia we have is great....except for the maintenance issues. Im trying to decide if it is foolish to basically go back to the same vehicle in the Traverse.

[Falang_Golfer]

[quote name='jreed' timestamp='1382370596' post='8034377']
I have a 10 year old dakota that is still running and its my second Dakota. There are several Durango's for sale in my area so they are readily available. But, Ive heard people say to stay away from them...not sure what to believe. As far as features go, they are loaded.

The Acadia we have is great....except for the maintenance issues. Im trying to decide if it is foolish to basically go back to the same vehicle in the Traverse.
[/quote]

Yes it is somewhat foolish to go back to the same vehicle. They did improve quite a bit of stuff for 2013 but who knows if you would still have issues. The Durango is notorious for issues also. My vote would be Highlander hybrid but honestly I like the Traverse and it's brethren. One interesting factoid if you look at the body of the new Acadia and '07 Saturn Outlook you'll see they used the same metal.

[jreed]

I thought the Acadia and Traverse were basically the same vehicle?

[Schnee]

My family has a Nissan Armada. TONS of leg room, comfortable ride, reliable. It's got a smart key in it standard. It's great in the snow and poor weather as well.

[Jim Clark]

Need 3 rows of seats and lots of room? Get a friggin' mini-van. They also come in AWD.

[mtgrizinmn]

My wife and I recently got her a 2012 Highlander dealer demo with only 6,000 miles on it and it's been great. We took it to Montana from Minnesota and never heard a complaint from the kids in the back. So far we haven't had any issues. It's been a great car and we've used the third row a lot more than we expected. I can say you wouldn't want an Adult back there for a real long trip, but the third row seat has been nice.

[poizster]

I have a 2006 Nissan Xterra that I really like. I live up at the mountain for parts of the year and it's absolutely phenomenal in the snow.

[RJRJRJ]

I have a '12 Cadillac SRX. It doesnt have three rows of seats, but it might share have some parts in common with other cars that youre considering. The engine blew out at 4,000 miles, 100 miles away from my house. They had the car for two weeks while waiting for a new engine. Then the starter died a couple of months later. I still like the car, but would not consider buying another one if it meant keeping it beyond the warranty expiration.\

I also have a Lexus RX330 with 80,000 miles on it and its basically been flawless. With the exception of a rear strut that I had to replace at about 50,000 miles, it hasnt required anything other than basic oil change/maintenance. You cant go wrong with any Toyota product.

[lumberman2462]

I don't have an SUV but I have a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 2-Door and I love that thing. Probably the favorite vehicle that I've ever owned and I've been lucky enough to have some pretty nice cars.

[Latt]

We're awaiting the new upcoming Highlander and was told they should be on the lots in December. The new ones are a big improvement over the current ones size-wise, with a usable 3rd row and room for 8 as well as additional cargo space even with 3rd row up. If you cna wait then it could possibly be an option for you also.

[Flying Dutchman]

Check out the Mazda CX-9. Drives like a sedan and still has 7 full seats when you need them. The Grand Touring version has all the bells and whistles. Several friends of ours ended up with a CX-9 as well and no one experienced any issues.

[80footputt]

You should check out the Ford Explorer. Shopped the others you mentioned and Explorer blew them away. Love it!

[gibbyfan]

We have an MDX and it has been really good as well. It too meets all of the requirements that you mentioned.

[jgolfin]

I have a 4runner that I love. It has a 3rd row but is not adult friendly. Taken many 1000 mile trips to CO and through the mountains with no issues. It is unbelievable in the snow and rough terrain. It is truly a suv and not like some crossovers mentioned.

[jreed]

Gotta say, from researching the explorer that last few days, I like what i see. Gonna definitely have to give it a test drive. Whatsthe reliability like on them?

[scotee]

We have been happy with my wife's Santa Fe. Just turned over the 100K and have only had tires/alignment and routine maint. It has the third row pop up seats and can carry 7 in a pinch. Good solid and quiet ride.

[80footputt]

[quote name='jreed' timestamp='1382463822' post='8040663']
Gotta say, from researching the explorer that last few days, I like what i see. Gonna definitely have to give it a test drive. Whatsthe reliability like on them?
[/quote]

I had some minor issues with the MyFord Touch system early on. Since upgraded, no problems whatsoever and it's a really cool feature. Mechanically I have had no issues from day one.

[MJP22]

[quote name='80footputt' timestamp='1382395386' post='8036637']
You should check out the Ford Explorer. Shopped the others you mentioned and Explorer blew them away. Love it!
[/quote]

Same here, but only have 2 months with it, so can't comment on reliability.

[tuckman]

Id seriously look into an Explorer with the ecoboost engine. Loaded up they are nice.

[spring70]

[quote name='jreed' timestamp='1382359147' post='8033539']
Looking at possibly trading in my 09 GMC Acadia that Ive had a lot of trouble with. What do you have and how do you like it. In particular I am looking at the Chvy Traverse (they say the issues have been worked out), Toyota Highlander, and Dodge Durango. Requirements are 3 row seats and AWD.
[/quote]

I would not buy the Chevy, two buddies have had headaches with theirs. I have a 2013 Highland and we really like it, 3rd row is great for kids, but with it up you do not have any cargo room.

If I were to go bigger, the Sequoia is great, but if someone stole my Highlander right now, I would get another highlander, but I am boring, and it is basically the Camry of Midsize SUV's.

Pilots are nice too, but more truck like.

[stryper]

Just a humble Honda CRV for me....

[drn92]

On our third honda pilot. Very happy with the '03 and '08, and with 17k on our '12 it appears to be just as solid.

I looked at several last year and the honda was the best combination of size, space, and performance. Really wanted to like the highlander but it just was not as nice as the honda. I know several people who have purchased the traverse and Acadia and seem to like it. US cars have improved greatly over the past decade, so if you like them there should be fewer concerns.

Drn92

[Pstar1978]

I have a 2012 highlander V6 base. I upgraded from a 2009 Toyota Camry SE. My last job I worked at was in the city of Buffalo and they have a rep for not plowing as much so I wanted a v6 and 4wd. The Highlander fits the bill for me but I must say that the third row is definitly cramped. I only have a family of three and is more than enough for us. In the early 2000's Toyota was having head gasket and oil consumption issues in the previous v6 so I think in model year 2007 they released the current v6 which has 270 horsepower and better fuel economy. I do city driving the majority of the time and I get around 20 mpg overall in the summer and around 17 mpg overall in the colder months. I also do my own maintenance(tire rotations, oil changes, air filters) and it's pretty easy to work on. The only complaints I have is the air box has small vacumm lines that run to it that can be damaged during an air filter check and the TOYO tires that are on it seem to be on the soft compound side of things. Probably due to the weight of the vehicle and the tire I'm only going to get around 20k miles out of these tires. It's a great solid vehicle and has done well for me.