SUV shopping, R3V weigh in

[ALYKZANDYR]

04-09 Range Rover. Nice styling compared to others, Luxurious. plenty of room.

[Wishno87]

Why do you need an SUV anyway? women shouldn't be allowed to drive SUV's.

+2 Inattentive women are dangerous in those tanks.

[mrsleeve]

04-09 Range Rover. Nice styling compared to others, Luxurious. plenty of room.

Ummm I think he said RELIABLE Not in the shop 22 days out of the month

[Emre]

True in theory, SUV are much nicer in practice!

On what planet?

My parents and all their friends are the kind of people who think you need 4WD and 10" of ground clearance to get to the Starbucks, so I've driven tons of them: X3, X5, Cayenne, Merc ML, Cherokee, Blazer, Tahoe, Pathfinder, Range Rover, Land Cruiser, etc. etc.

They suck on the highway; entering high-speed corners is scary. They suck under braking. They don't turn worth a shit. They're loud, get horrible fuel economy, and most of them don't have any more room inside than a touring. They have massive blind spots and are a bitch to park (I work in NYC). The one exception is my dad's old '05 Forester 2.5XT, but that was basically just a WRX STi in drag (not a real truck).

If you're into off-roading or expeditions across Africa, then of course a Land Cruiser, 4-Runner, or Rover with locking diffs and a lift kit is the vehicle of choice. But in the suburbs of SoCal? No f-ing way.

[ALYKZANDYR]

by old X5 had good brakes, pulled up from 60-0 in like 30 feet once.

[leothedrummer]

Also seconding the "Why an SUV?" comments. When you mention space, you'd be surprised as the load carrying capacity is very easily overestimated. I know you can look at the spec-sheet and get a definitive volume out of it, but don't forget that much of that volume comes from the vertical height...which is pretty useless.

Anyway, I suggest look at some mid to large sized station wagons. F11 520d? You know you want to...

[JasonC]

Oh no!!! Big EVIL SUV!!!! Everyone run and hide! Theres no need for them, they suck too much gas, their lights blind me, they dont turn, they sit too high, they're useless ... Jesus, people... Take your tin foil hats off and get a life.


mrsleeve pretty much got it right for the suggestions.

[Beej '86 325es]

If she's commuting 100 miles, an SUV isn't what you should be looking for. None of them get good mileage. I have a Grand Cherokee SRT8 with a 17 mile commute and I spend $260/mo on gas just to commute.

I'd look into tourings. I looked hard at S4 Avants and 535iT. I've started to hear about N52 engine maintenance issues though, so maybe a 528iT.

Or a diesel. My friend drives a diesel "monster truck" and gets 20mpg out of it regardless of where he drives it.

[Pac1373]

lol SRT8 for a commuter.

Honestly I like SUV's not a thing wrong with them, I used mine for Getting to work in the northern Canadian oil patch, frozen, desolate, deep snow, 18' mud, Rain, bog, un maintained roads etc

it was also awesome for going off roading, could not get it planted, 4x4 ing is a fun passtime, also it was usefull for the huge snow dumps in the winter...

if you arent using it for these things, whats the point? the diminished social status makes them almost undesirable now.

it seats 5 just like pretty much any mid sized sedan, and only uses 3 times the fuel.

whats not to love? also, there really are only a handfull of propper SUV's the rest are jacked up commuter car platforms with horrible styling and economy.

(I am presently looking for another Grand Cherokee as a second/3rd car/toy right now)

[M-technik-3]

Also seconding the "Why an SUV?" comments. When you mention space, you'd be surprised as the load carrying capacity is very easily overestimated. I know you can look at the spec-sheet and get a definitive volume out of it, but don't forget that much of that volume comes from the vertical height...which is pretty useless.

Anyway, I suggest look at some mid to large sized station wagons. F11 520d? You know you want to...

We don't get wagons in the states anymore, we get the F11 GT series

[antil33t]

We don't have that shit homie. :hitler:

no X5's? or women driving SUV's?

[sticksdaman]

Interesting thread, what's r3v's opinion on the x5? Ive only seen one or two people mention it so far...

I've been eyeing one for a while now as a family vehicle down the line, anyone have first hand experience with one? (preferably a 4.4)

[antil33t]

My Boss had an E53 X5, 3.0d, all teh options, nav, leather, heated seats ect. 20" Snowflake wheels.

He took it through a river crossing. giving it absolute shit it yielded fucking 10L/100km which is better than what my E30 gets... and it's a fucking big vehicle.

he sold that, then has now bought another E53... more or less the same.

can you not get Diesel X5's or something :S?!

[sticksdaman]

No diesel x5s in the US. We dont get all the cool cars

[CabrioPunk]

Ford Flex used. 2013 Escape.

Keep in mind the size of car seats. I had purchased an 07 Legacy Wagon . It is perfect... for one kid and two ogs and the roof rack..

As we consider our next child it was clear two car seats or even boosters would be very cramped, pushing the front chairs into the dash.

I see the reason big SUVs sell.. with kids, dogs and all our gear... A family trip is impossible without. Think about something with some room to grow. Roof racks and cargo hitch mounts are nice options too.