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Old 03-23-2013, 05:11 PM
 
14,337 posts, read 14,147,685 times
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The title says just about everything. My old Ford Explorer was totaled one month ago in a crash. Which of the SUV's above would you buy and can you supply reasons for your position. I'm trying to decide and I'm pretty torn up. I don't want to spend above 35K. Please don't respond with just a vehicle name. I want to know WHY you feel the way you do.

I'm interested getting three rows of seating, back up camera, 4 wheel drive (all wheel drive might be acceptable).

I'm perfectly happy with cloth as opposed to leather seats and I skip most other options.
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Old 03-23-2013, 05:23 PM
 
Location: South Park, San Diego
6,109 posts, read 10,827,231 times
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All of those new vehicles are effectively cross-overs, not traditional SUVs (body on frame, low range 4-wheel drive available) and I don't think one is available with 4WD as opposed to AWD. Of those I'd pick the Mazda just because of good packaging and best drivability.
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Old 03-23-2013, 05:31 PM
 
16,235 posts, read 25,111,084 times
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Our Kia has push button 4 wheel drive. I i a lot of research...Pilot has a good rep. But when we bought our, 2011' Kia had beat out all the others in road tests. It has 3 seats, but the back two people better be kids. We wanted and got a V6 for the power to pull things. And, we liked the warranty. We spent around 24,000 with rebates and got all the bells and whistles....most of which we don't use...lol
But, I still think the pilot would be a goo purchase because I'm a die hard Honda gal. I just didn't want to spend 30+ on a vehicle.
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Old 03-23-2013, 07:37 PM
 
3,602 posts, read 7,869,009 times
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Almost bought a Rav-4 to replace an older one, has all you want AND a button to lock all 4 wheels (in some option packages). But the salesman wouldn't give me a good price right away, wanted to play "the game," so I went elsewhere.
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Old 03-23-2013, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Floribama
18,938 posts, read 43,319,739 times
Reputation: 18732
My grandmother has a '12 Traverse LTZ and it is very nice. Rides super quiet and the 3.6 V6 has plenty of pep.

Have you looked at the '13 Hyundai Santa Fe? I looked at a copper colored one on the showroom floor a couple of weeks ago while I was waiting for my oil to be changed, very impressive! It looked just like the one in this article... 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport First Drive
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Old 03-23-2013, 09:50 PM
 
Location: Texas
5,717 posts, read 18,809,109 times
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The Exploder I would rule out. Far too expensive for package content and the EcoBust has not proven to be reliable. The dealerships are loaded with EBs they can't make run and the factory has zero clue how to fix them. The Traverse is a pig on wheels especially town fuel mileage and is subject to tons of electrical gremlins. The 3.6 V6 has not proven itself yet and GM has replaced far too many engines in these units. If looks mean anything, the Pilot is appropriately named, it should be piled somewhere. If ho-hum is the goal, the Pilot is yer car. The Sorento, have they really fixed the screwed up trannys in these things- I don't think so. If resale means anything at another dealership, avoid any Kia. That leaves the Mazda. This is the one I would drive straight to and drive away with one. But I'm not buying anything like it so ultimately it's up to the OP to figure out what his needs are and what makes him happy to get into at the mall. Frankly, all of the 2013 cars, SUVs, and trucks are boring. While build quality has gone up a lot, engineering quality has dropped like a rock. None are worth the asking price and all are going to have issues far too soon. I'd be looking for a low mileage used.
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Old 03-23-2013, 10:01 PM
 
Location: Cincinnati, OH
1,716 posts, read 3,564,283 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markg91359 View Post
The title says just about everything. My old Ford Explorer was totaled one month ago in a crash. Which of the SUV's above would you buy and can you supply reasons for your position. I'm trying to decide and I'm pretty torn up. I don't want to spend above 35K. Please don't respond with just a vehicle name. I want to know WHY you feel the way you do.

I'm interested getting three rows of seating, back up camera, 4 wheel drive (all wheel drive might be acceptable).

I'm perfectly happy with cloth as opposed to leather seats and I skip most other options.

I would go with the Explorer. First off the poster above is being ridiculous. You don't have to get the 2.0 Ecoboost. It's not a bad engine, just not enough power for the Explorer. The Duratec 35 of the other hand is an exceptional engine. It gets 16/24 MPG with 4WD models. My friend's dad bought one last year and loves it, if that means anything to you.

The next one I would go with is the Traverse. I can't really tell you much about it, but I really like the refresh they gave it earlier this year. I do know that the 3.6 engine issued has been fixed. It was a problem with letting people go too long with out an oil change.
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Old 03-24-2013, 10:00 AM
 
Location: Eastern NC
20,868 posts, read 23,433,514 times
Reputation: 18813
I would also check out the Highlander, 4Runner, and Nissan Pathfinder if I were you. I would pick one of those before any that you listed.
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Old 03-24-2013, 10:04 AM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX USA
5,251 posts, read 14,157,886 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trlhiker View Post
I would also check out the Highlander, 4Runner, and Nissan Pathfinder if I were you. I would pick one of those before any that you listed.
Highlander and 4runner do not have the 3rd row.
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Old 03-24-2013, 10:24 AM
 
Location: Twin Lakes /Taconic / Salisbury
2,256 posts, read 4,474,931 times
Reputation: 1869
Quote:
Originally Posted by Me007gold View Post
Highlander and 4runner do not have the 3rd row.

Wrong. Its standard in the highlander for quite a few years now. Ive done a couple hours in the 3rd row no problem. (5'10" 190lbs.) Its an option as well in the 4runner. Strictly kid sized though. I can barely get myself in it. The highlander is bigger on the inside than the 4runner even though the 4runer is bigger on exterior dimensions. Mostly because of the differenceing in packaging with the 4runner being body on frame and a more complex multi link rear suspension more suited to hard core offroading compared to the unibody fulltime awd highlander. New Pathfinder is awfully nice too, as well as expensive.
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