What's The Best SUV?

[FrantzM]

I must quickly say that the Range Rovers are to me the best lokking SUV ( Whatever that means) ... Keep in in mind that the original design dates as far back as 1971 !!!! Reliability-wise they are a pain.. Workhorse, yes, when they work,,, they fail often .. but they look soooo good ... A freind whose a Rahe Rover owner .. told me that you love the Range when you just acquire it and when you are selling it , in the meantime ... well ... you suffer like in a bad amrriage ... I know it for a fact I had one for a test drive and one day after I got it from the dealer, a new car, btw, the hydraulic suspension had the car down too low , no way it will raise to normal driving height.. I was given another and for that one the windshield wipers gave up after 2 days. new car also .. I went toward a japanese SUV after that .... quickly ...

 

[amirm]

I must quickly say that the Range Rovers are to me the best lokking SUV ( Whatever that means) ..

That's absolutely true. The fact that they have managed to get that boxy design to perform is just amazing. You would think it would have a ton of wind noise, but it is quiet -- even more quiet than the GL-450 and ML that I drove yesterday.

Reliability-wise they are a pain.. Workhorse, yes, when they work,,, they fail often .. but they look soooo good ... A freind whose a Rahe Rover owner .. told me that you love the Range when you just acquire it and when you are selling it , in the meantime ... well ... you suffer like in a bad amrriage ...

My solution was to lease my LR3 (first time ever) for the duration of the Warranty. When the lease was over, they renewed it for 2 more years. I still can't believe how reliable it has been -- almost matching our MDX. I have no explanation as I am sure others are having terrible problems with it to get such low reliability scores. I think the LR3 in general benefited more from Ford ownership using common engines with them (and Jag). I recently drove a loaner Jag while my LR3 was getting routine maintenance and the transmission broke, would not shift out of gear so I couldn't even start it. And it got stuck in the middle of traffic (but nicely, in a parking lot). So I can appreciate how bad reliability issues can be.

As I look at an LR4, I am leaning toward leasing again. I drove the Mercedes GL-450, the GL Diesel and ML Diesel yesterday. I just can't give up the open airy cabin of LR4, good looks, and huge space in the back to store things. It is almost like a mini-truck that is covered (nice thing when you live some place that rains a lot ). I wish I didn't have to buy a car with poor reliability rating. I wish I didn't have to deal with the local dealership who has really lousy service department and salespeople (although I was surprised how inexperienced the Mercedes salesperson was). But I am getting pushed toward the LR4....

 

[es347]

I have a 740iL and it is the biggest POS I have ever owned.

The 740iL had big problems well documented. Fortunately the rest of the lineup hasn't had similar problems. I have owned at least 10 BMWs...3s and 6 series and only had a problem with a 2000 328Ci...an early production month and was, as Steve so eloquently put it, a POS. Aside from that abberation I love bimmers. Nothing handles like one.

We currently own a Lexus RX-330 and granted being on a Camry chassis, it's more car than SUV but it has been a refrigerator car....it just runs and runs without needing much attention...lousy at keeping beer cold however.

 

[amirm]

OK, just came one with the new Land Rover LR4. So far so good! Report at 10:00.

 

[Steve Williams]

(tongue in cheek).....how come no one mentioned Hummer.

A wise man once said "never have so many gotten so little for so much."

 

[amirm]

I think GM shut down the factory late last year or early this year. The planet is able to breath a bit better now .

 

[Steve Williams]

I think GM shut down the factory late last year or early this year. The planet is able to breath a bit better now .

Isn't that the truth

 

[RBFC]

Congratulations, Amir. That's a great vehicle you got!

Lee

 

[Gregadd]

Before gas prices spiked I was looking for an SUV.
A lot depends on whether you intend to go off road. If so the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited remains a beast. Not only will it tackle off road but it was a smooth ride on the interstate. The Porsche Cayenne. and its kissing cousins the VW Tuareg. They double as real sports cars. As a family car The Lexus RX350. It will carry the groceries,bring back the antique furniture, haul the kids and mom will look good in the church parking lot. For snow as I have stated before the ML 350 4matic is your choice. It will handle off road also. It's a Mercedes! I don't know about reliability, but if you are not going off road it's BMW. It is a mystery how something with such a high center of gravity could corner at high speed with no drama at all. X5,X6. Lastly if you live somewhere with no roads at all then the Landrover is for you. Carry a motor scooter with you for the frequent breakdowns.

 

[brianherlihy]

I just bought (actually leased) my first car ever at 36 years old. last 17 years of my working life i have been on a motorcycle (long line of Ducatis) or public transportation. my wife wanted an SUV as we are expecting a child and thought an SUV would be most convenient (both Audi and BMW are cutting down on the import of their estate wagons - they don't sell in the US). i was sorely disappointed with all my choices (maybe b/c i rather a sports car). Jack is right, the center of gravity will always prevent these cars from being a sports car no matter how much HP they get. So that being reality, i set out to buy the best of the lot to my taste. i am not sure who said it above, but Range Rover makes the best looking SUV - i agree - hands down. i didn't go that way as i have a lot of friends with the Range Rover Sport and they have too many problems (from little annoying issues to larger ones). moreover, i had to do a five hour drive in the back seat of a RR Sport - there is no room for your legs - it is a small car. Next i wanted the Cayanne, i drove the 2010 model (not the new one coming out in July) and was sorely disappointed. it is just a Toureg with a different shell on it, supposedly the July release of the 2011 is a better driving vehicle with a much better suspension. i finally went with the X5 - to be honest, with no good reasoning. it drives well (i think on par with the Q7); it has new, more efficient engine this year (which pushed me this way as the Q7 will get replaced during the life of my 3 year lease) and better suspension than the other cars i drove. You might be able to tell, i am not too happy about my 'evolution' to the car world. i take delivery tomorrow, so i will let everyone know how it goes. If anyone has a good justification to tell my wife why the new Porsche Turbo or Ferrari 599 GTO is a good baby car and stroller friendly, i'll pay good money for that story.

 

[Steve Williams]

Congrats Brian

BTW, I didn't think New Yorkers owned cars

 

[brianherlihy]

it is a bit self-defeating, especially when you add the cost of parking and insurance on top - but here i come to join the masses!

 

[rsbeck]

Depends on why you're buying. If you have a family and haul a lot of kids, a dog and...stuff, only one way to go, IMO.

Suburban.

 

[JackD201]

If anyone has a good justification to tell my wife why the new Porsche Turbo or Ferrari 599 GTO is a good baby car and stroller friendly, i'll pay good money for that story.

I'd pay for that story too! Unfortunately, these cars are great for creating opportunities for engaging in the baby making PROCESS but lousy for the output

I went for the X5 diesel too. I got it for the fuel economy, carrying capacity and driving dynamics. No off road play for me. I'd go for a Jeep or a modified Suzuki for that kind of fun. When feeling feisty I still have my e46 M3. Not my Honda CBR of yore, but the high revving six is the closest thing to a bike I've ever experienced.

 

[LesAuber]

Actually the Toureg and Q7 are a Ceyenne in a different shell. Ceyenne came first with Porsche doing the major development work IIRC. Never had a Q7 but my Audi experience has been pretty poor quality wise. Sorta haphazard combined with a pathetic dealer though the last of 4 was an '01 S4 which is a while back. Sweet ride but trouble. When I was shopping last for this I found the Lexus, Infiniti and Acura perfectly inoffensive and car like. The domestic options to a tee drove like the trucks they were based on. Not a bad thing but off road wasn't a concern. Handling on pavement and being able to carry other toys home was. The Ceyenne was too heavy (which is saying a lot) and the reliability at the time was bad. Couple that with the same pathetic dealer made it a no go. The Toureg and Q7 weren't out yet.

Ended up with a '04 X5 4.4i with the sport suspension. Other than a ghost that tells me the self leveling suspension is inactive from time to time, it isn't, the thing has been extremely reliable. And made in the US which I like. To say something weighing in at 2.5 tons handles is sort of an oxymoron but you can tell it was tuned by the same guys that did the 3's and 5"s. Having every heavy component in the truck mounted low certainly helps this though isn't the best if off road is a serious desire. Mileage isn't bad if I keep my foot out of it, around 24 mpg highway. Pretty much all I could ask for in an all weather daily driver. A S4 Avant might have been better but running all the time was a requirement.

Not sure about the current X5 but mine falls a little short on the towing requirement that someone mentioned at 6,000 lbs if I remember correctly though it could be 5,000. The new one might be higher. Just wasn't a need for me.

Looks like the latest round of storms is not going to blow the house away. Back to sleep. Hope this was half coherent.

 

[Dimfer]

we got not the best but what we like the most

we looked at numerous candidates, to the point of paying downpayment on a couple of them, but this unit satisfied most of the items on our wishlist. I got it from a US dealer and awaiting delivery.

the only vehicle that both me and my wife agreed on is the Cayenne, she likes the GTS red and Havanna alcantara, I like the panoroof, staggered Modulare wheels, sports exhaust. The only upgrades I will do are Fabspeed cat bypass, GIAC flash, filters upgrades and Techart lowering module.

the actual vehicle is the one in GTS red

I am having a hard time convincing my wife to re-route our flight back from Hawaii to Dallas, pick up the Cayenne in Dallas and do a 3400 km joyride back to our city. Would have been nice, but I guess I have to pay somebody $3300 to bring it here.

 

[JackD201]

we got not the best but what we like the most

That's what counts! VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations Ding!!!!!!!

 

[LesAuber]

+1 on that. What you like best counts more than anything else.

 

[Albertporter]

Depends on why you're buying. If you have a family and haul a lot of kids, a dog and...stuff, only one way to go, IMO.

Suburban.

The last two SUVs I owned before buying my BMW X5 4.4 were GMC Yukon XLTs (shorter version of Suburban from GMC and Chevy). Absolutely incredible vehicles, turn sharper than my BMW in a parking lot, is pretty fast and decent gas mileage. Before anyone laughs at the last two comments, a typical BMW in real driving conditions in the city where most of us live gets about 13 M.P.G. My GMC driven identically was averaging 14.5.

BMW X5 4.4 V8 in quarter mile about 14.9 seconds
GMC Yukon V8 in quarter mile about 15.3

Price difference about double for the BMWs 4/10ts of a second advantage. 5 years with the two GMC Yukons resulted in one single repair, replace the disc brake pads and rotors.

Before I bought the BMW I looked at Acura, Honda Pilot, GMC Yukon, Chevy Tahoe, BMW X5, Toyota Highlander and one of the Subaru models (can't remember the number). GM was making NO deals, price has horrific, about $44K for one loaded like I wanted. The Acura was not to my liking, the Honda was in short supply and no discount except through a friend who lived very far away. The Subaru had ugly interior that would have driven me crazy long term and a very good friend runs a BMW dealership so I wound up buying from him.

BMW I bought was an early lease return (Doctors wife upgrade to 7 series) with 12K miles for about 50% off. It wound up being many thousands less than any of the others mentioned above. All that said, the BMW is not as smooth and quiet as the GMC and not really fast enough for me to forgive it for worse gas mileage, ride and visibility.

Don't know what I'll do when my 4 year "bumper to bumper" warranty expires on the BMW. Likely sell it or trade for something.

 

[Dimfer]

Don't know what I'll do when my 4 year "bumper to bumper" warranty expires on the BMW. Likely sell it or trade for something

you can buy another 2 year aftermarket warranty if you buy before original warranty expires, usually for around $1,800. I think it usually adds 2 years or 100k miles.