If you HAD TO buy ana SUV....

[CosmosBlack]

I think the Cayenne is ugly! I would go for the X5 4.6 or Infiniti FX.
If $$$ is a concern, I'd go for the VW Toureg.
I have a Isuzu Axiom now.

 

[Bryan330i]

I like the VW Toureg a lot. I also like the Acura and a number of others. The problem is capacity. I looked over the Toureg at a car show and there is just no way it would ever work. So many of these just don't have the capacity.

I guess the relative term is "need." What do you need it for? Many of these just seem like cars with similar capacity but are sold as an SUV. [???1] I guess if that is the trend and that is what people want then great but I sure don't see the utility in them. I think they are for car people who only have car needs but want an SUV.

I take my Expedition to a full service car wash and notice a number of SUV's there being detailed. I do not think some of them have any more rear storage capacity in square feet (keeping all items in the SUV below the top of the rear seat) than my 330i.

So I guess need would be my point. Shopping at the mall, most any would do. Taking 2 sets of golf clubs, a double stroller, two portable cribs, a couple of pieces of luggage and so on...well forget about most any "SUV" on the market except the Expedition, Suburban, and perhaps the Tahoe provided the rear seat was removed.

 

[Spidey]

Range Rover all the way.[headbang]

 

[LoMo987]

Before our ML we had a Range Rover that gave my parents every problem under the sun, they traded it in for the ML500 and they absolutely love the car and they ride horses. We have it just a year this month and it has been to California twice, Oklahoma once and Florida four times, and it has only been back to the dealership for oil changes. It has a decent amount of room especially for all the stuff they do. I think its an awesome car!! After this car they will not buy anything but the ML.

 

[bahnstormer]

toyota landcruiser is a badass car we had one a year ago now we've got the ml55

 

[Tom]

I saw the Dodge Durango today and its not bad looking. You can get a fully loaded one for about $40k.

 

[frolf]

well, i think first on my list would be a 1975 Toyota Land Cruiser. just an incredible car.

next in line would be tough, i like the new Range Rover a lot, i love the look of the Toureg. And the sensibility of the Honda Pilot is noteworthy.

 

[Bryan330i]

The new Durango does not look too bad. I have not seen one in person yet but from the pics it looks like it has some good features. I like that plastic in the back cargo area, or I think I do from the pics. I have carpet and despite my efforts to keep it clean it looks bad. I think a good idea for an SUV would be to have a 1 piece cover for the back, something like a tarp type of material but made to fit the exact back of the SUV. This would be nice when buying a lot of plants, trees and so on in the spring and other such tasks because if it were tailor made for the back it would offer a lot more protection than what some of us do to haphazardly protect the back.

 

[coyotefreek]

For those of you that said the MDX didnt have enough space, did you mean cargo space? We own a MDX and it is plenty big, it always has enough room. When I say always I mean always, we have hauled large items on several occasions and we never had trouble getting it to fit. Sutch as today, we had to haul an item from Costco, huge item, we didnt think it would fit. It also weighed over 500 pounds. As you can see in the pic below, it fit perfectly, didnt even notice the extra weight when driving home.

The MDX truley has been a terefic SUV for us. I personaly however think it is lacking in power. The newer MDX's are better in that department as well as many others but I still feel that for 2004, the Cadillac SRX is number one and the Infinity FX is number two. Please read my post on the link I posted earlyer, I talk all about the differences between the units.

 

[coyotefreek]

Its hard to tell in the picture above but it went all the way from the back to the front with the seats folded down. Like I said it fit perfectly, the hatch shut (however on other occasions we were not that lucky, helps to have a bundgie cord ready ).

 

[coyotefreek]

In case you were wondering, the item we were bringing home today was a new Tool Chest. Only $650, I swear it has to be worth $1000. The thing is all Stainless Steal, Ball Berrings, the works. The unit next to it in black we purchased at Sears for $500 a few weeks ago, needless to say its going back. The sears one is a top of the line Griplatch, the new unit is bigger, better, not to mention how perrty it is (ps we are in the process of moving, the new garage will not be nearly as messy)

 

[codex57]

I;ve seen the new Durango in person. I like it. Definitely butch. With the Hemi, it could be a good choice for you. I forgot about it somehow (despite all the commercials) or I woulda included it in my original list.

 

[Militant-Grunt]

I'd go take a look at the VW Toureg - looks nice and I've heard good things about it.

Ditto, the toureg is ranked nr 1 as best suv, its basically 70% porshe cayenne, but the VW looks soo much better and its waay cheaper

 

[Average Jae]

durango looks more like a minivan then the ml in its day. well a butch minivan, for those butchy soccer moms. hemi is sweet tho

cayenne looks sweet up front but the back is soo blah. but yea, 450!!
srx and fx aren't as ugly as the alien looking isuzu (sp) or the aztek but i'll be damned if anyone calls them good looking.

my parents just got the 04 x5 and i love it!! i like it way more then their previous lx470. lexus build quality didn't live upto the reputation..

 

[Dave8812]

ahhhh yeah!!!porsche cayanne< somewhere around five hundred hp!!! but the cayanne is more powereful than the vw< and not to mention its a porsche!! sorry for the messed up typing> theres something wrong with my keyboard>

 

[coyotefreek]

The porsche cayanne with the big motor is somewhere in the $70,000 range and most people who have driven them say that the VW is performs just as well in every department except the motor so you are paying $25,000 extra for a bigger engine, does that make sence? The Porsche Cayannes arent selling because you are paying for the name, others sutch as the VW and the SRX perform just as well if not better. If you can sacrifice the huge engine with the huge price tag, get either a SRX, VW, or FX.

 

[Spidey]

I just had a friend buy a new Dodge Durango fully loaded with every option available. Needless to say he traded the truck in 2 weeks later with total and udder disgust for the vehicle. He said it rode like total shit, and I can't argue either. I was impressed with all the options & price tag. However it was by far the WORST SUV I've ever driven. Not to mention a disgrace to the "Hemi" name. Anyway, he coughed up a little more cash and got a pimpin Esclade which he loves.

 

[slats]

Saab 9-7X looks appealing just from the one promo pic that was released the other day.

Probably an X5 or an RX300/330 though. Maybe the Touareg though, VW builds nice cars.

 

[epj3]

Unimog all the way!!

 

[carcus]

Would never get a Mercedes M class again as owning that was a FRIGGIN NIGHTMARE!!!! With a SUV, if money was a matter, would get a Navigator used....pretty cheap on the market used and decent engine and tons of room.....if money was no matter, the Porsche Cayenne turbo....

After driving Hummers.....real ones, not civilian glitzed ones.....I would not want one. BTW....on a real Military Hummer note, the GI ones have not keys....just a start button, we use a friggin chain with a padlock to the pedal so people do not take them. Also, from what the trans guys tell me, the first thing they do is take the screw limiter off the gas pedal.