Looking for Reviews on Large Sized SUVs (tahoe, yukon, etc)

[dis-happy]

I love my Landcruiser. You can't get stuck in it, it has super 4 wd and a gear that lets you change the axle settings if you are in a snow bank or trying to cross a river or something. All leather, heated seats, room for 8, reliable beyond belief, V-8 power means it never ever struggles a bit climbing to 6,000feet while fully loaded with people and gear. Plus, mine is 10 years old and looks brand new. Someone tried to buy if off my dh last week. Easy enough to park and see out the windows...I'm never nervous about hitting someone when backing up.

 

[MAH4546]

Check out the Mercedes GL - which is avialable in diesel - and the brand new Lexus GX. That way you won't sacrifice quality for size.

We have a Denali XL... love it, but it's not truly a 4wd - in fact, most of the larger SUV's you mentioned are AWD, not 4wd.

They are almost universally 4WD. Very few are AWD. The Denali is AWD, but that is the exception. In fact, I'm pretty sure the Denali is the only AWD large SUV. The Yukon, which the Denali is based on, is 4WD.

AWD is common on small crossovers and mid-size sedans; not large SUVs and luxury cars.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus offer no AWD systems at all - even their sedans, coupes and wagons are 4WD.

 

[kmvand1]

I love mine, too! Mine is pushing 200,000 miles and is ten years old and I have yet to have any major problem. I just love my SUV!!!

Me three! Love, love, love my Expedition. I bought a 2003 in 2005, have almost 140k miles on it and have barely done anything to it other than routine mainenance. When this one dies on me, I will get another one.

 

[tinatark]

A denali xl...... which denali Envoy or Yukon both can be a denali xl and majority of them have the option of getting them in 4 wheel drive. Otherwise they come the way you stated.

My last Envoy which is a smaller SUV unless its the XL model had 4 wheel drive and my new Chevy Trailblazer XL does to. Both are GM.

I just wanted to let you know b/c you seemed unsure about that.

Yukon XL Denali... I forget that the Envoy is also available as a Denali!

FWIW, today my friend has a photo of her Range Rover - she slid off the road, a barbed-wire fence stopped it. She put the transmission control into "snow".

 

[Disneysun]

We had a Nissan Armada and loved it! They also have an Infinity version that is a little more luxury, but overall the same car. What I liked about it was that although it was a large car, when you drove it you didn't feel like you were driving such a large vehicle.

We had to sell it when we moved to the city and didn't have a parking space large enough to park it in.

Good luck with your search!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus offer no AWD systems at all - even their sedans, coupes and wagons are 4WD.

BMW's are AWD. Not 4 WD . Not going to speak for the others since I don't own one. I have a BMW 330XI and it is AWD. As the OP stated the BMW X5 is AWD . I have looked into buying one extensively so I know this to be the truth. Plus the OP owns one and she already stated it AWD.

 

[bokolo]

We have a Yukon Denali XL and love it. We bought new it in early 2005. It's very good in snow. I would highly recommend the XL which gives you a huge trunk space. We debated between the regular length Yukon and the XL and are so glad we bought the one we did. Yes, it's large, but it's perfect for our family and hauling my sons' hockey bags all around town with lots of room to spare in the trunk! I would definitely buy one again.

 

[flowerboy]

I love my GX 470 but the new GX 460 price got jacked up to 10,0000 dollars, but the car is great goes thru anything

 

[eeyore81]

We have a suburban and wouldn't have anything else. We always say we can't imagine not having one. Like one of the previous posters said it has auto 4wd, 4wd high, 4wd low and 2wd. We live a little out of town. The drive home is very hilly and the roads do not get treated or plowed. We have never had any problem getting around in the snow. In fact last year on the way home we saw many other vehicles sliding around and not being able to get up the hill. The suburban went up without any problems. I hate driving in the snow but the suburban has put my nerves at ease. I would recommend it to anyone.

 

[marycaym]

Op: I'm unsure why you think you need a 4 wd vs an AWD?

I am looking to either purchase a BMW X5 or the Lexus GX 470. As others have stated, alot of vehicles have now gone to AWD vs 4 WD.

Do you not think your X5 drove well in the snow?

roliepolieoliefan - i personally think the X5 is horrible in the snow, i slide all over and never really feel like the car "hugs the road" or gets good traction in the snow. After consistently driving other SUVs (highlander, montero and a grand cherokee) this car feels like it has ice skates on!

Even my BMW dealer noted that the only way to get a really good ride in the snow is to use snow tires or studded tires, and I don't want to have use either one.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

We just recently went "car shopping" as our Suburban had 130,000 miles on it. We have LOVED our Suburban. Besides all the room for our three kids, it is safe and handles well on Montana roads. We can pack in A LOT into our Suburban.

SO, back to the car shopping. I wanted to downsize as it can be a pain to park sometimes. I usually park a little far away so I don't get my doors dinged, but honestly I'm pretty used to it now. You won't be able to make a U-turn on a one-lane road either, but again, you get used to it.

SO, we looked at crossovers and almost bought an Acadia. Do you want to know what we ended up getting? Despite my ardent desire to down size, we bought another Suburban!! We just couldn't give up the safety features and all the room the kids had. Trust me, we brought our DL trips into the decision making. We drive all the way from Montana, and I don't think it would work without our "burb" as we call it. By the way, we keep good records of gas mileage and I got 18.7mpg coming back from West Yellowstone so those crossovers don't get all that much better.

Good luck. I didn't read your other posts, but test drive one and put your kids, pets and "stuff" in there, and you'll be surprised. This time we did get quad seating which I love love love with the only downfall that we can't have all 5 of us in with the third row put down.

 

[All American]

Nissan Armada

We bought one over the weekend, and I am looking forward to driving it one of these days (as irony would have it the garage door popped a spring and will no longer open, and now the car is trapped)

I chose this car, specifically, because of driving in the snow (we live in Utah) and the third row seating. It has a knob that allows you to drive in 2WD, 4WD, AUTO, and other stuff. It is set on "Auto" and will automatically go into 4WD if you slip. It also has traction control which my husband has on his Nissan Frontier. He has tried to spin out, but the car won't let him.

We have two daughters and an enormous dog which is why we were interested in the larger car. We looked at the Pathfinders, but the Armada was much roomier. My husband is 6' 0" tall and about 230 pounds and fits pretty comfortably in the third row (his head brushes the ceiling). With the seat down there is plenty of room for the dog and luggage.

It is built along the lines of the Titan. It has a V8 engine so it can move up hills no problem and has plenty of get-up-and-go. As loud as it is when you turn it on, it is an incredibly quiet ride.

It also has a back-up camera which is a bonus to help my adjust to the size. I upgraded from a Focus and need to get used to the dimensions; however, when I drive it, it doesn't feel enormous.

All-in-all, for safety, size, and snow-driving it's worth looking at. Also, it is Flex Fuel, so it runs on gas or ethanol which can help with the gas-guzzling aspect. Good luck with your search. I hope you find the perfect car for you.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I purchased my 2004 Tahoe right off of the showroom floor in April of 2004. I have had no problems with it at all. I purchased new tires at 60K miles and that is the only expense (other than regular maintenance) that I have had. It has extremely comfortable seats. I do not have the "long" version of the Tahoe - just the standard size. There is not a lot of luggage room behind the third row of seats (about 2 large pieces of luggage and a tote bag or two) so I purchased a "hard" carrier that I put on the luggage carrier for my trips to WDW. I am at 65K miles and plan on driving it until about 200K. Not a lot of snow in Alabama so I am no help on that.......

 

[joliesmom]

I had a 2006 Nissan Armada and just bought a 2010 Armada. I love my truck, it comfortably seats 8 adults. I'm a visiting nurse so I drive in all kinds of weather, including snow without a problem. You can get an Armada with all of the bells and whistles or you can get the exact truck by Infiniti.