What...SUV should I buy?

[Nathanael]

Been a one car family for many years now...13 to be exact. Finally getting to a point where we'll be able to afford a second car. I'm looking at SUV's because it seems to be the best vehicle to fit a bunch of needs we have. This new car will primarily be my wife's. I'm asking here though (among other places) because of some wants I would like that the moto crowd might be more attuned to.

Highest priority is it needs to seat at least 6, as that is how big our family is.

Second priority would be decent gas mileage (this priority has already ruled out the Suburban). This is going to be my wife's car primarily, so she will be using it to run errands, which with 4 kids there can be a lot of those.

After those two are met I'd like something that can pull an enclosed trailer (for hauling bikes) without gasping for breath (nor losing it's decent mileage, or at least not all of it). Something that I can put a cargo rack on the roof for extra storage for long road trips. And something that won't be worthless driving off-road (nothing serious - just getting to staging areas, or going "car camping" up forest roads and the like.

I've been looking mostly at the Ford Explorer with the EcoBoost engine, but I've heard those aren't the best at towing.

What says Thumpertalk?

[Fade]

Your welcome ?

[WWalker]

Your welcome ?

? he said six people....not six doors!!!?

I am not sure there is a fuel efficient vehicle that will work for six people....

[buick_gn]

Ford Excursion Diesel

[rpt50]

Now, no one laugh, but have you looked into minivans or whatever they call vehicles like the Hyundai Santa Fe? I say this as a recovering F 250 SuperDuty owner. I sold my SD and I have been using a 4 cylinder sedan to tow an open trailer to with two bikes to races and trail riding areas now for over 4 years and I love it. Great gas mileage, and it's so nice to sit in a comfortable sedan and drive home after a long race. With today's gas prices, the difference in gas mileage pays my race entry fee and then some. Plenty of power for towing even in the hill/mts of NC, GA, Tenn.

I would guess that most minivans and Santa Fe type vehicles, properly equipped, would have a tow capacity of 3500lbs--is that enough for an enclosed trailer? Many of these vehicles have AWD for the car camping thing.

BTW, this thread should be moved to the tow section.

[doug_74]

Will GM be offering in the US the diesel-version Chevy Trailblazer 2.8 VCDi sold in heaps globally today? Engine comes from VM Motori Italia stock-rated at 180 metric hp with peak 470 Nm of torque (347 ft-lbs) beginning 2000 rpm. Engine is equipped with a variable-geometry turbocharger. Transmission options are 6-speed auto and 5-speed manual-tranny option. Maximum towing capacity at 3.5 tonnes (7700 lbs). The vehicle's emission compliance is between Euro 4 to 5, depending on which continent it is issued at. It is sold in Australia by Chevrolet as Holden Colorado 7.

It is heaps cheaper than the Ford Explorer 2.2 EcoBoost or its 3.5 V6 version, Mitsubishi Pajero 3.2 Di-D, and much moreso than the Toyota Prado 3.0 D-4D and 4.0 V6 and any Volkswagen and BMW 7-seater SUV's out there, but gives out more, if not the same, amount of pulling-force/or torque and towing rate.

It may be rebadged as GM Trailblazer in the US one day.

Cheers!

[79yamdt]

Idk I wouldn't hate on suburbans for fuel economy. For what they are they really get decent milage. You can get low 20's cruising on the highway with them. If your driving in the city I wouldn't expect those numbers but if your towing an enclosed trailer I'd want a bigger suv with a decent powerplant, which that exploder does not have. The new explorers are really quite poor. The ecoboost engines barely have enough guts to move the suv let along an enclosed trailer. And you need to understand now that nothing will get decent milage towing an enclosed trailer. Our explorer w/ 5.0l will get 21-22 on the highway but when the trailers behind it I'm pretty happy with 12 mpg.

Really for what you wanna do the suburban is a good choice. There's more then enough space inside for long trips and it won't struggle towing an enclosed trailer. Idk there is no vehicle that can do it all. Your going to have to make a compromise. But with 6 people I'd want something with decent rear leg room which the suburban has. A lot of these crossover's have really small 3rd row seats only fit for little kids.

And with the gas milage thing... Most frame based SUV's don't top low 20's and that's really pushing it. Like I said our v8 explorer gets basically the same fuel economy as a suburban on the highway.

Edit.

I didn't know they started putting the 3.5l ecoboost engine in the explorer. I thought they just put the 2.0l ecoboost in it which is a complete dog in the explorer. The mpg ratings are almost the same for the explorer with this engine and the suburban.

Edited February 3, 2013 by 79yamdt

[doug_74]

Idk I wouldn't hate on suburbans for fuel economy. For what they are they really get decent milage. You can get low 20's cruising on the highway with them. If your driving in the city I wouldn't expect those numbers but if your towing an enclosed trailer I'd want a bigger suv with a decent powerplant, which that exploder does not have. The new explorers are really quite poor. The ecoboost engines barely have enough guts to move the suv let along an enclosed trailer. And you need to understand now that nothing will get decent milage towing an enclosed trailer. Our explorer w/ 5.0l will get 21-22 on the highway but when the trailers behind it I'm pretty happy with 12 mpg.

21-22 miles per US gallon for an unloaded ride is way too low by our standards and compared to what we get from our diesel utility pickups and SUVs mate, moreso 12 mpg, wow! I know you're talking of petrol or gasoline-fed SUVs here.

We can tow a one-tonne boat (more than 1-short ton) behind our 3.0-litre 4-cylinder midsize diesel producing a decent 380 Nm or around 400 Nm of torque (280 to 300 ft lbs) starting at low revs, say 1800 rpm, and still returning a fuel mileage anywhere between 10-12.7 km per litre (24-30 miles per US gallon).

Cheers!

[mped220]

Been a one car family for many years now...13 to be exact. Finally getting to a point where we'll be able to afford a second car. I'm looking at SUV's because it seems to be the best vehicle to fit a bunch of needs we have. This new car will primarily be my wife's. I'm asking here though (among other places) because of some wants I would like that the moto crowd might be more attuned to.

Highest priority is it needs to seat at least 6, as that is how big our family is.

Second priority would be decent gas mileage (this priority has already ruled out the Suburban). This is going to be my wife's car primarily, so she will be using it to run errands, which with 4 kids there can be a lot of those.

After those two are met I'd like something that can pull an enclosed trailer (for hauling bikes) without gasping for breath (nor losing it's decent mileage, or at least not all of it). Something that I can put a cargo rack on the roof for extra storage for long road trips. And something that won't be worthless driving off-road (nothing serious - just getting to staging areas, or going "car camping" up forest roads and the like.

I've been looking mostly at the Ford Explorer with the EcoBoost engine, but I've heard those aren't the best at towing.

What says Thumpertalk?

Unless you get the sport the explorer only has the small ecoboost (2.0) 4 cylinder. It wasn't one of your requirements but you cannot get awd with the small ecoboost.

There's a couple vehicles that will fit your needs as long as your not towing a big enclosed.

Explorer sport

Toyota highlander or Sequoia

Mazda cx9

Honda pilot

[DMC707]

Sell off whatever you have right now, Get the wife a mini van, Then get a crew cab truck for yourself

[mbogosia]

Honda Pilot might be your answer.

[79yamdt]

21-22 miles per US gallon for an unloaded ride is way too low by our standards and compared to what we get from our diesel utility pickups and SUVs mate, moreso 12 mpg, wow! I know you're talking of petrol or gasoline-fed SUVs here.

We can tow a one-tonne boat (more than 1-short ton) behind our 3.0-litre 4-cylinder midsize diesel producing a decent 380 Nm or around 400 Nm of torque (280 to 300 ft lbs) starting at low revs, say 1800 rpm, and still returning a fuel mileage anywhere between 10-12.7 km per litre (24-30 miles per US gallon).

Cheers!

We don't have anything like that here in the states unfortunately. All we have is gas, only diesel trucks we have are 3/4 and 1 ton trucks which are really overkill for towing anything less then 3 tons or so. Boats are pretty easy to tow compared to enclosed trailers too. I kinda doubt you could pull those numbers with an enclosed trailer.

[79yamdt]

Honda Pilot might be your answer.

Yeah I kinda thought about that but the 3rd row seats suck and leave you with very little room in the back to put stuff in. An awd model pilot only returns 22-24mpg on the highway anyways.

[Jess6369]

Suburbon / Yukon xl are the best your gonna get. Only lose a couple mpg to crossover teeny suv but they actually have room inside them and a great drivetrain for you towing needs.

[doug_74]

We don't have anything like that here in the states unfortunately. All we have is gas, only diesel trucks we have are 3/4 and 1 ton trucks which are really overkill for towing anything less then 3 tons or so. Boats are pretty easy to tow compared to enclosed trailers too. I kinda doubt you could pull those numbers with an enclosed trailer.

Yes agree man. By the way, GM-Chevrolet announced last year when it released the diesel-variant all-new Colorado 2.8 VCDi in Thailand that this midsize pickup will be offered also in the US. The engine comes from VM Motori Italia, a subsidiary of General Motors. At the same time, VM Motori also supplies the diesel powerplants for Chrysler-Jeep being produced these days, and at the current the company is just tweaking its 3.0-litre V6 diesel (250 hp, 550 Nm of torque) for the 2013-2014 Grand Cherokee for compliance with the US air emission standard.

As far as the diesel Colorado is concerned, you guys in the States might be getting the updated A428 VM Motroi engine, which is also 2.8-litre yet it produces 200 hp with 500 Nm of torque, this is better than our version here which is producing 180 hp, 470 Nm of torque. It is also Euro 5 emission standard compliant, so i guess it will comply with the US air emission standards. Once you get this midsize diesel pickup or its SUV version, which is the diesel Trailblazer, there's no doubt people will buy them just as much all the others do.

You may click this to see how midsize diesel pickups or SUVs with variable-geometry turbo these days can save you a lot of money even when towing:

http://maxrun2013.is...RunHistory.aspx

7.9 litres per 100 km is 30 miles per US gallon while towing a boat. The rated towing for any 4x4 midsize diesel ute like these and their SUV variants is anywhere between 3.0-3.5 tonnes (6600 to 7700 lbs).

Quite probably the same ute will sip a bit more fuel when towing an enclosed trailer depending on the weight, plus due also to its higher drag coefficient compared to a boat. Here's an Aussie bloke towing a trailer behind the same previous-model ute mentioned in the link above, just to provide you a background:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa28NajlBFY&list=LLSbutIl2w7MfRYdFDh6SqSA

Don't know though if Ford Motors will bring its Euro-5 compliant all-new 3.2-litre 5-inline diesel Ford Ranger in the States, yet you can be sure Chevrolet will be offering theirs, possibly to be rebadged as GM Colorado.

Cheers!

Edited February 4, 2013 by doug_74

[79yamdt]

It's about time we got stuff like that. It just makes sense. Probably greater then 40mpg unladen and 30mpg while towing is just unheard of here. Gobs of torque at low rpm's good fuel mileage and clean burning. I would think if it's euro 5 compliant it would be legal to sell here.

Plus on top of that it seems pretty common for you guys to get double cabs which is something most people here in the states. Chevy might be on to something....

Edited February 4, 2013 by 79yamdt

[doug_74]

It's about time we got stuff like that. It just makes sense. Gobs of torque at low rpm's good fuel mileage and clean burning. I would think if it's euro 5 compliant it would be legal to sell here.

Plus on top of that it seems pretty common for you guys to get double cabs which is something most people here in the states. Chevy might be on to something....

Worry not mate, you'd be getting the globally-issued Chevy Colorado by 2014 according to this insider news, and you might even receive a better engine than the current RA425 and RA 428.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-colorado-2015.html

Mine's an Isuzu D-max 3.0-litre manual-tranny double cab and i get 20.0 km per litre in freeways at 80-100 kph speed (47 miles per US gallon). In combined city-driving, provincial roads and steep mountainous hillclimbs from 0-2300 metres above sea level, it manages 13.9 km per litre (33 miles per US gallon). Expect the same could also be realistic on the all-new Colorado with the VM Motori Italia engine. General Motors and Isuzu have already parted ways as far as midsize diesel engines are concerned.

The best thing also with common-rail diesel pickups is that you can mate them even with just a plug-and-play diesel EFi tuning kit and a 3-inch downpipe at a minimum as 1st-stage intake-exhaust upgrade to bump-up the horses and torque, and improve further the fuel economy. I'm using the German-made Racechip Pro tuning chip. You also have your own version there i believe.

Cheers!

[WudsRider]

Durango or Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi

[bassjam]

My mom had an 03 Explorer and now an 05 Pathfinder. Those midsize SUV's are great for 4 passengers and the occasional 7, but that back seat is typically pretty tight and only good for small children. (Of the two she loves the Pathfinder way more, even though the Ford was an Eddie Bauer with the V8. It just had a lot of small issues like window motors going out). Even though I'm 30 and have long been out on my own, I'm the family car guy andI went shopping with them quite a bit for these. We also liked the Honda Pilot but the price wasn't worth it over the Pathfinder.

As much as I hate GM, the Suburban or Yukon sounds like a good fit. Another option is the Nissan Armada. I had one in the Rocky Mountains for a week and was really impressed. It drove nice, and somehow managed to get 18mpg driving though the mountains on I-70 at 75-80 mph.

[DirtRider500R]

I like the Durango with a 5.7...