Anyone want to share their experiences/thoughts on midsize SUVs?

[MickeyShow]

Aimee, my DH drives an 09 Murano and I used to drive an 07 CX-7 until I upgraded to a CX-9. The Murano is a "nicer" car but the Mazda is a better drive. The CX-7 is smaller than the Murano but the CX-9 is bigger than it. I like both cars. The Murano is more plush but we find it on the smaller side in terms of actually being able to fit things in if the backseat is also in use. The CX-7 that I had required premium gas which is also something to consider. Let me know if you want more specifics. Hope this helps!

 

[erincon23]

We have a 2006 Santa Fe, and I really like it. We haven't had one problem with it (except someone else hit us, don't think that counts). It's pretty noisy, and the center console isn't long enough - -I'm short and since I pull teh seat fairly far forward, it's not terribly comfortable to rest my right arm on the console. Our family of four (including two not too tall teens) drove from Chicago to NC and back in it, and it wasn't horrible, but we could have used something bigger. The cargo area is great, and we really like the stereo. I don't think I'll ever go back to a smaller car, and I think my next one will be a little bigger, but the Santa Fe is definitely a nice vehicle.

Erin

 

[mackeysmom]

I'm on my second Nissan Murano and I LOVE it

 

[2DisPrincesses]

We have a Ford Edge and love it! We had a Ford Explorer prior and the Edge it far better. There is so much room in the back seat, ample storage in the back, and very easy for my DD(4) to get in and out of herself. It is a very comfortable ride and my husband, who is just over 6'3" is comfortable in it too (and he's picky).

 

[jenrose66]

I LOVE the Chevy Equinox. I had a 2005 model and drove it for 3 years. I was dumb at the time and did a smart buy instead of buying it outright so last year I either had to finance 14K to keep the car (which it wasn't worth) or trade it in. I traded it in and got a mini van which I hate. I mean it's convenient for the kids but I don't like the way it handles in the winter and it just feels heavy.

Anyway back to why I love the Equinox. It had AWD which was important to me with the winter. I thought it was stylish. It was very easy to drive. I liked that I was high off the ground, yet the car was small enough that I was comfortable backing it out of parking places. I went from driving a Ford Escort to this Equinox and it was seamless. Also I really didn't feel like it had any bad maintenence issues...then again DH is a mechanic so he did most of the work. It had good gas mileage....I really miss my Equinox

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

I have a 2007 Ford Escape and I love it. I've had it for over 2 years, and not one problem. I bought it used, and it has been great so far. My biggest thought would be to TEST DRIVE! I bought my car as a newly out of college single 24 year old, so I was looking for a small SUV (I teach music and always have to lug instruments around). Anyways, I test drove a bunch of smaller SUVs, the Ford Escape was barely on my radar, but it won hands down vs. the other smaller SUVs I drove. The others were soooooooooooo bumpy! If you're looking for something bigger, maybe others can give you some ideas, but definitely test drive a bunch before you buy!

 

[Silent1CB]

Love my Subaru Forester. Can't believe its already almost 8 yrs old. wow. We've only ever done regular routine maintanence & tires. Never had any major repairs. Knock on wood.
My very short elderly mom has one also.

In terms of repair records & road handling, especially in winter, it is the best car I've ever owned.

 

[RooRach0906]

I had an 03 GMC Envoy and LOVED it... the only reason I got rid of it was I needed an extra row, so we got a 05Trailblazer Ext I like it too... we told the dealership we wanted a Envoy XL or Trailblazer Ext because they are made my the same company (GM) and just prefer there cars... plus FIL is a mechanic and he says they have less issues.. and he works for Ford.

 

[Bareacuda]

Another Ford Edge owner... and LOVE IT !!!

Love the sync program... hands free cell phone connection and I can put my laptop in the center console for travel. I can put my OC-2 on top with ease, the Ford Expedition was way too tall for me and a 24' racing outrigger on top.
There is nothing I dont like about the Edge.

Ann

 

[Alice28]

Can't go wrong with a Subaru! We've had two (Outback and Tribeca). Uber-reliable cars, and they will run forever with proper maintainence. I think we will always try to have a Subaru as one of our two cars.

 

[Inigo]

I have an 08 Equinox, and I love it. There's lots of room for everything, and I can fit three grownups side by side in the back seat with no problem. We went on a long cross-country camping trip last year, and it had no problem pulling my little pop-up and holding everything in the back. I like how the back seat adjusts for more or less leg room, or more or less storage room. My 6'3" son has no problem with space in it.

When I do home visits at work, I drive either an 07 Ford Escape or an 05 Escape. I like the 07 better, as the 05 isn't as comfortable. Neither one has much storage space in the back, and neither one is even half as nice as my 'Nox.

When I bought the 'Nox, I was very tempted by the Ford Edge. It had sooooo much room inside, and I loved the sync option. The deciding factor for me is that it seemed too big, and kinda wide to me. I thought the 'Nox would be a lot easier to manuver (sp?) and was a better fit for me. The Edge just seemed so much bigger. One of the ladies who works downstairs from me has an Edge, and when we park side by side, her Edge doesn't seem nearly as big as it did when I was test driving them.

My partner at work has a Mercury Mariner, and she loves it. I think it's really comfy, and I know she's thrilled with it.

 

[smidgy]

hubby had a hyudai Tiburon. loved it. I bought a santa fe. love it., fgot the $1000 hyundai loyalty.then we traded in the tiburon for an elantra.
my son is dating a girl with an elantra. now he just bought a sonata.
no, we have absolutely NO allegiance to the company. but, for the price, you can't beat it.
our santa fe has taken us on 8 trips to florida. hubby does all the driving, and his back gets to hurting. it's SUCH a smooth ride! and really not hard on his back , at all.now, I have a 2003 model. I have friends who bougtht a newer model, on my recomendation, with the double cup holder, and prettier. our gas milage is prretty good for our trips, we ffold the back seat down for luggage (it's just the 2 of us).
I DO love the Tucson, though. a little smaller, better on mileage...
\ I know a lot of people with the santa fe, and for the price, you can't beat it. (gee, I wish I DID work for the company, and got something for the advertising)

of course, all our friends say Disney owes us big time, for all the advertising we do for them!!!

 

[tinatark]

If I were to buy a mid size SUV, it would be either a used Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (you can get an AWESOME deal on a 1 or 2 year old) or Subaru Tribeca. I would also consider a Buick Enclave. I did have an Acura MDX (sister to the Honda Pilot) - they are very nice - a little more of a car/van ride than the Pilot. The body style changed in 2007, so a low mileage 06 or older should be a great price and still a really nice car. I bought an 04, and really liked it, but DH didn't care for it (he's 6-4)... our friends bought it from us, it has over 100k miles and has just had scheduled maintenance. Honda also has the best navigation system out there (we have personally had cars with fact. nav from Honda, Chrysler, and GMC).

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I have an '05 Mercury Mariner. I used to be one to get rid of my car every 2-3 years but I LOVE this thing! I get about 24 mpg (it's a 6 cylinder 4WD) and have power seats, sunroof, heated seats, 6 disc CD changer, and leather seats (and I love the styling of the interior). I haven't had any problems with it at all in 5 years (it has about 85,000 miles on it).

I test drove a Lexus RX300 (I think that's the model, the Lexus mid size SUV) before I bought my car and it was the smoothest driving vehicle I have ever driven (I didn't buy as it was 3 years old and the same cost as a new Mariner). After I run this one until it dies (hopefully not for years!) I plan on getting a Lexus SUV (of course, after lots of research as I don't buy anything without checking out everything).

 

[puffkin]

I have an '03 Escape and I love it. Perfect size for me. Does great in the snow. Just an all around great vehicle. We haven't had a single problem with it....just routine maintenance (brakes, tires, oil). Thats it. I thought by this point I would want a new car, but I don't because I really do love it!

My mom just got an '09 Escape (downsized from an Explorer) and it is really nice too. When I do decide to replace my car I will probably go with another Escape or the Edge. The Edge is really, really nice. LOVE all the features.

We seriously thought about a Rav4 (as we love our Corolla), but my FIL has one and we also had one as a rental and we just weren't that impressed. I can't really put my finger on why....it just wans't very comfortable and felt cramped I guess.

 

[dvcmember]

I had a 2006 chevy equinox and just got a 2010. I love it -no real issues ever. Barb

 

[DMickey28]

We have an 04' Chrysler Pacifica Touring which we love. They stopped making them last year for some reason but you can still find them used. It's got a super comfy ride, the inside is beautiful, the seats are comfy, there is plenty of room in the 2nd row (we have captain seats back there) and the 3rd is do-able for passangers if needed. The only downside is that with the 3rd up there is hardly any storage in the back but we hardly need the 3rd.

That being said, with kid #2 on the way, we are looking to replace that within the next 2 years. With two car seats in the car you can't get to the 3rd row at all. Not a big deal but ....

We haven't had hardly any problems with it until we hit 90K. Then I needed some transmission work, tie rods and radiator work ... total $1200. Other than regular maintance that's all we have had done up to now. It's running awesome again!

It was a hybrid vehicle made with Mercedes and you can tell in some of the appointments inside as well as the drive. I am going to be looking into the larger Chrysler vehicles when we start looking again.

 

[ReneeA]

I bought a Dodge Journey 2 weeks ago and I love it. It's roomy and very comfortable. We purchased it because we have a Chrysler minivan that we bought 10 years ago with 120,000 miles on it that has been a fantastic vehicle - no problems, and only maintenance repairs to it.

Anyway, we were deciding between a Journey and an Equinox. We ended up with the Journey because of the above, and the fact that we got a loaded vehicle with a V6 engine for the same price as a base model 4 cylinder Equinox.

 

[dawson5]

It's not on your list but we have a Volvo XC90. It' seats 7 (has the 3rd row) and an integrated booster on the middle seat of the middle row. We have a neighbor who has the Lexus RX350 (?think that is it) and she still owns her Subaru Outback. She won't give it up, loves it too much. I want to say it's over 10 years old.

Someone mentioned the Edge not having enough headroom, have you ever sat in a Flex? Hubby brought one home for a neighbor, that car had room. It reminds me of a "woody." (jeep wagoneer) The one he brought home had three rows and oodles of space.