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I am surprised no one has mentioned the Accord V6. You get Hondas quality, reliable, gas milage, long life. resale.
The V6 Accord coupe 6 speed stick is a hot rod.
I'll bet. I did not want a stick shift though and Hondas don't seem to have the most comfortable seats, something they refuse to change about their design. Actually the Camry's seats pale in comparison to 2014 and newer Chevy Impala's seats. If you have the cash to get a 2014+ Chevy Impala with the Flexfuel V6 in 2LT or 2LTZ I'd recommend them. Heads and tails above my Camry in fit, finish, interior comfort, and road-feel, though the engine is not as powerful. They'll depreciate faster so pick one up that's a 2014 if you like to buy lightly used.
You can look at any of the Ford non-EcoBoost V6s and know there isn't a better made engine anywhere. The NA 3.5 has been on Wards Ten Best List since it came out. There's also an NA 3.7 which is the same basic engine with a longer stroke. This is the same engine block assembly that wears the twin turbos of EcoBoost fame which some are well past 600HP now in the premium performance cars. The engine is a long life power plant. They have proven to be stingy on the gas which can't be said of the Toyotas. My F150 4 door Supercrew with the 300HP 3.7 will get better gas mileage than a Tacoma with the V6, as an example. My F150 gets 19-21 mpgs town driving and 26-27 hiway at 75 mph. The 3.7 still comes in the Lincoln cars and the 3.5 comes in most of the Ford cars and light trucks. The Honda V6, I would suggest you research oil usage issues with the Hondas. They are having major issues with them consuming oil while in the Displacement On Demand feature which is cylinder deactivation. It's been an ongoing situation that Honda can't fix with the current engine design. If you want to wait a few years, Honda has an engine with variable displacement coming out that is proving to set the bar pretty high. The engine actually alters the stroke of the engine to provide more power and more compression. The compression is variable from 8:1 in turbo mode to 14:1 NA.
Besides a V6 engine, what else do you need this vehicle to do or be?
There are not as many V6's around, but it is not like you are overly limited either. V6 engines can be had in various vehicles from most major manufacturers.
The Outback itself is a solid choice, but if your buying used be sure your not getting one with excessive oil consumption. Subaru Boxers are very sensitive to proper break-in when new. If not properly broken in, they will go thru oil. However, does the vehicle itself meet your needs and wants?
I'd also direct you towards looking at the new GMC Acadia. GM has downsized it to a medium sized CUV. I have driven it, and it has a terrific ride and drive. Amazing handling and ease of placement on the road. Very impressive. Sure, some would say "run" from a GM product, but if your out looking, at least drive it. Use it as a basis to compare. Next to the Outback, it rides smoother, it's far more comfortable, and it's interfaces and technology is more polished.
All of the V6 engines perform well. If I wanted to buy one I'd be sure it has a timing chain, not a timing belt. A belt needs to be replaced at about 100K miles. That repair will cost about $1K. A chain should last the 200K miles that you need.
I think that the Toyota and Honda engines use belts. I'm not sure of the rest.
All of the V6 engines perform well. If I wanted to buy one I'd be sure it has a timing chain, not a timing belt. A belt needs to be replaced at about 100K miles. That repair will cost about $1K. A chain should last the 200K miles that you need.
I think that the Toyota and Honda engines use belts. I'm not sure of the rest.
My 2014 Toyota Avalon has a chain. I believe they started using chains instead of belts around 2006.
Yeah I'm not fan of these tiny turbo 4's that are replacing n/a 6 cylinder engines myself. Especially in large vehicles and trucks. The power delivery in v6 engines is just so much more linear and smooth. These small turbo 4's feel as if they're straining and being pushed to the absolute max every time you push it hard.
Personally I dont see these forced induction 4cyl being as reliable long term as a n/a 6 cylinder. I've driven lexus's with 200k miles on the clock that still feel as if they had just 20k miles. My brother in law had an 07 v6 Camry with 170k miles on it and that thing still pulled very hard with no issues whatsoever!
Remember, manufacturers aren't switching to turbo 4's because they're "better" or "more reliable" engines. They're doing so to abide by CAFE standards. Same for CVT transmissions.
Give me a Toyota 3.5 V6 over any buzzy 1.5, 2.0, 2.3 4cyl turbo anyway and twice on Sunday!
I need vehicles with relatively good idle engine power (for generating electricity through the alternator and need the A/C compressor running) and it seems most cars these days are going to the 4 cylinder or 4 cylinder with turbo. Every year, more and more cars are ditching the 6 cylinder and going to a turbo 4 cylinder instead.
I keep cars til over 200k miles and definitely over 10 years. I've owned mostly 6 cylinders that have no problem doing this. It seems my choices of getting a naturally aspirated 6 cylinder for a SEDAN or WAGON/CROSSOVER are getting very limited. In my head, I'm thinking that a 6 cylinder with more idling and power usage will last longer than a 4 cylinder or 4 with turbo. But the naturally aspirated 6 cylinder is dying. BMW made the best 6 cylinder engines and they're all gone now.
My friend recently pointed me toward the Subaru Outback with the 3.6 Boxer engine. It's nice they still offer that, but is that going to the graveyard as well? What about people with 4 cylinder or 4 with turbos? Have you guys made it to 250k miles or maybe even 13 -15 years of heavy use life with minimal issues? Lexus offers naturally aspirated 6 cylinders still, but I don't necessarily need luxury cars with those high price tags. I drive 70 miles a day so rack up the miles fairly quickly and need something very reliable. I guess the all wheel drive would be an added benefit.
I realize transmissions are a big limiting factor these days, but most manufacturers have made decent transmissions that last over 200k miles. I never considered Subaru before, but seems like they have a lot of fans and the Outback and other Subaru cars are selling quickly.
The size of an engine has absolutely nothing to do with it's ability to generate electricity at idle with the A/C running, or it's reliability while doing so. I'm not sure where you heard such misinformation. Alternator size and amperage is what affects that. Some alternators generate more amps at idle than others do. If you need more power at idle, get a smaller pulley to increase the rotational speed of the alternator at idle. Are you trying to run sustained 3000+ watt loads at idle or something? In that case, I'd suggest a work truck like a 1500 series or higher because they typically already come with high amp alternators.
As far as the V6 engines, they are far from dying, they are in fact thriving. Most notably, is Nissans VQ35 and other VQ series engines like the VQ37. They make 300+HP and have a very flat torque curve all the while being known as a "bulletproof" engine. The VQ series engine won Ward's 10 best engines over and over again. Nissan puts it in nearly everything for a reason. That's just one manufacturer. There are plenty of V6s around....
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I did not want a stick shift though and Hondas don't seem to have the most comfortable seats, something they refuse to change about their design. Actually the Camry's seats pale in comparison to 2014 and newer Chevy Impala's seats. If you have the cash to get a 2014+ Chevy Impala with the Flexfuel V6 in 2LT or 2LTZ I'd recommend them. Heads and tails above my Camry in fit, finish, interior comfort, and road-feel, though the engine is not as powerful. They'll depreciate faster so pick one up that's a 2014 if you like to buy lightly used.
