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Alright, XC60 it is, but now I am thinking for $30K I can get a mid sized suv brand new, maybe add a bit more to go over the base model. Since 5 seats are enough for me, all city driving, I am looking at Ford Edge, Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango... etc. Which one give the best for the buck? Thanks.
Best bang for the buck? An Outback that is ordered rather than in dealer inventory. Many places in the country, you can buy them for a couple percent below invoice. $25K to $26K will get you a premium trim level with the Eyesight adaptive cruise control as the only option. That's by far the best value proposition. $30K-ish should get you the Limited trim level 4-cylinder with the option package that gives you Eyesight, sunroof, keyless entry/pushbutton start, the better head unit with NAV, and power liftgate. The 6-cylinder is somewhat more. $34K to $35K fully loaded.
Most Subaru dealerships won't have a 6-cylinder in inventory. Subaru limits production to keep their fleet CAFE fuel economy numbers down. I had to borrow one from a neighbor. It totally changes the personality of the car. I doubt you could get a 6-cylinder with option package 23 for less than $34K but that's the smoothest driving Subaru.
By the time you put any options on a Grand Cherokee, they are really expensive.
The Korean cars keep getting better. I still have a big brand stigma problem but that's also going to have really good bang for the buck.
Thanks GeoffD. I am driving outback now. Everything is good except for the hight/head room. I am a little short (less that 6 feet) and rather have a real SUV with more headroom.
Thanks GeoffD. I am driving outback now. Everything is good except for the hight/head room. I am a little short (less that 6 feet) and rather have a real SUV with more headroom.
What generation of Outback? The 3rd generation Outback up through the 2009 model year is only suitable for elves, dwarves, and midgets. The 4th generation got much bigger. The 5th generation from 2015 onwards is even a bit bigger. I'm 6'2". A 5th generation Outback is spacious.
If you want a taller seating position, delete the sunroof and you get about 2" more headroom. You can crank the seat up all the way. I have the sunroof and I have the seat all the way down. I have plenty of headroom. With the camera-based Eyesight adaptive cruise control system, they can't tint a stripe at the top of the windshield. That creates even more perception of headroom if you have the seat cranked up.
At least on the 6-cylinder, if you want Eyesight, you have to order option package 23 which includes the sunroof. My next door neighbors have a 4-cylinder premium trim with Eyesight and nothing else. I'm not sure what's possible on the 4-cylinder limited trim level. I've kind of gotten used to all the gadgets on the option package 23 limited trim level. Who knew that keyless entry/pushbutton start, remote power liftgate, and adaptive cruise control would become must-haves for me?
If you want to tower over everything, get a Denali/Suburban. Anything on a full size pickup chassis towers over a crossover. Of course, you only want to pay $30K. That's not how full size SUVs are priced.
I try to stay away from Japanese cars now as they feel so "thin". I once read a post here that a Mazda cx-5 got a door dent because of a dog tail swing. I can feel and hear the bent of the surface metal when leaning on the door of my outback... Anyhow, most of cars these days do this to cut the weight and save MPG, sign...
Alright, XC60 it is, but now I am thinking for $30K I can get a mid sized suv brand new, maybe add a bit more to go over the base model. Since 5 seats are enough for me, all city driving, I am looking at Ford Edge, Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango... etc. Which one give the best for the buck? Thanks.
The Edge might be more reliable longer term than the Durango and Cherokee. I'd actually look at a GM, though, before the Durango or Cherokee, such as the Buick Enclave or Chevrolet Equinox, which are decent mid-sized vehicles and have good reliability ratings, on par with the Edge, whereas the Durango and Grand Cherokee tend to be average to below average.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
The Edge might be more reliable longer term than the Durango and Cherokee. I'd actually look at a GM, though, before the Durango or Cherokee, such as the Buick Enclave or Chevrolet Equinox, which are decent mid-sized vehicles and have good reliability ratings, on par with the Edge, whereas the Durango and Grand Cherokee tend to be average to below average.
Since I did not drive the XC60 I cannot express an opinion, however I know enough not to confuse old Swidish Volvo and the new Chinese owned Volvo cars.
I drove a Tuareg TDI in Germany for a week and fell in love it with it (for an SUV). Especially at speeds well over 130MPH the Tuareg still feels like a tank (no vibration and quiet interior). I highly doubt the Outback would provide that type of feeling...
After all the Tuareg is the sibling of the Porsche & Audi larger SUVs, so performance (less stringent of course) is a given.
So here is the update. I was cleaning the car the other day. As I am short, had to climb on the hood to for a spot at the top center of the windshield. Guess what, the push of my knee made a dent on the hood, of my 2013 outback...
Is there any family suv these days, with solid hood, that you can dance on it? Maybe XC60 can do it, not sure about MDX as you guys suggested.
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