Shopping list of potential SUV's

[nigel]

So I am finally in the market for a new ( to me ) SUV but I need help with my list. 4Runner is definitely my #1 choice but I have some concerns, mainly the on road handling because despite intention to the contrary I will probably never take it off road.

So anyhow here is my list of potentials.


2005--2009 4Runner.

Pros
Toyota Reliability-- a huge plus
Great capability in snow
This forum for support and help with mods
Nice Styling

Cons
Body on frame -- rougher ride?
Possibly a little cramped for shoulder / headroom, uncomfortable front seat.

2009 Chevrolet Tahoe

Pros
More room
A little smoother ride than 4Runner

Cons
No Toyota reliability
Higher Price
Generic / bland interior styling

2006 -- 2009 Lexus GX470

Pros
Everything mentioned about 4Runner
More headroom than 4Runner
Supposedly better on road manners than 4Runner

Cons
Price
Cost of repairs -- this is a big one to me. I am planning on keeping this vehicle for atleast 7 or 8 years. I am a little concerned about dealing with the fancy suspension and all of the other electronics failing over the years.

2009-2010 GMC Acadia

Pros
Better on road handling
Newer, so warranty
More cargo / passenger room

Cons
No Toyota Reliability
Kind of like a minivan
Bland GM interior

2008 -- 2009 Toyota Highlander

Pros
Better on road handling
Toyota Reliability
Nice looking interior

Cons
In my eyes it comes across as somewhat of a chicks car and looks a touch like a minivan.


So any thoughts / ideas / recommendations / or even jokes about the list?

I really want the 4Runner obviously, I just need some convincing that I would be making the right choice for my situation. Unfortunately in reality all I will be doing is using it to haul my golf clubs and other crap around and get groceries.:repuke: Hey atleast I will be driving it in the snow.

Very likely to be either the 4Runner of GX470.

Anyhow, sorry for the stupidly long post. Every idea or opinion is certainly welcome and very much appreciated.

 

[bbauters]

Sounds like the Highlander would suit you best. Personally I think the Acadia looks more like a chic car than anything else on the list. The highlander will still do well in the snow. Can you get an '09 certified GX? That would give you a decent warranty period depending on how many miles are already on the vehicle and how much you drive.

 

[nigel]

Sounds like the Highlander would suit you best. Personally I think the Acadia looks more like a chic car than anything else on the list. The highlander will still do well in the snow. Can you get an '09 certified GX? That would give you a decent warranty period depending on how many miles are already on the vehicle and how much you drive.

Unfortunately unless the gas prices really spike the 09 GX CPO might be a tad over what I was hoping to spend. Though I really like the idea of the GX, with all of the benefits of a 4Runner and a little luxury thrown in. The only thing besides the initial price that concerns me is the possibility of higher maintenance costs, though I would do a lot of the work myself.

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[vvs75]

Body on frame -- rougher ride? 4th gen stock ride softer then all the trucks I've been, Honda Pilot included.

Possibly a little cramped for shoulder / headroom, uncomfortable front seat. If you 6"2 like me just buy the truck without sunroof.

 

[nigel]

stock ride softer then all the trucks I've been, Honda Pilot included.[/COLOR]

That is nice to hear.

Possibly a little cramped for shoulder / headroom, uncomfortable front seat. If you 6"2 like me just buy the truck without sunroof.

Actually I am 6'1" but would definitely do like you said and lose the sunroof, though from my searching they do seem a little harder to find for some reason.

Above posted list aside, in all reality it is really down to the 4Runner or the GX470. I am probably even leaning a little towards the GX470 if I can get past the idea of the questionable reliability of the extra electronics and adjustable ride suspension.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[nigel]

Oh, and one more Con for the 4Runner -- all of the freakin money I would spend in mods and upgrades that I found on this forum.

 

[StevieT4R]

T4r & Lexus are basically the same, but for some of the differences you mention. I actually found the road manners far more "car-like" compared to the 3rd gen I owned. If you drive one you will feel this. The T4R frame is the basis for the Lexus & FJC. I actually wanted the Highlander (08+) to replace my 3rd gen. I really like the looks and since it's built on a Camry frame; it would really be "car-like". But, I could not find one for a good price (plus I was looking for a 4WD one). My wife actually said, "Why don't you get another 4R...". I drove the 4th gen and loved that the suspension that I was used too didn't ride like a "old beater truck" (as I'm not getting any younger). Personally, I say f...k the US cheap trucks (on your list) and get the ONLY one that makes sense...T4R. You will get the best of all worlds! (of course, you can lots of greats mods too)...

 

[rockwall]

My 4Runner has been the best vehicle I have ever had (I have owned 11 cars). My ONLY issue is that I am 6'4" and have virtually no headroom.

 

[EDness]

Highlander is the best choice for you. But this since is a 4runner forum i'd have to say get the 4runner!

If i have to get a crossover, the new Highlander is my choice.

But i have my eyes set on the older land cruiser for the longest time, too bad most of them are close to 200k miles.

 

[bigwebb83]

I say get a limited 4runner. It looks better than the gx imho and you still get the leather and nav and all that. I'm 6'3 and 300lbs and I'm not cramped in it so I doubt you would be.

 

[Husker Z]

I regularly detail an Acadia and it's loaded up with every option and I wouldn't trade my 4R for it for anything. It's just jam packed with hard, plastic crap everywhere, plus the middle seats slid in a track that's wide open and it gathers a TON of crap and just looks terrible. Just a bland, plastic GM vehicle, no matter what options you load it up with.

Tahoe is going to be similar as well, plus terrible gas mileage.

 

[nigel]

I am guessing that the Highlander is probably the most suited to me but I will be darned if I am not always pulled back to the 4Runner. The GX470 just seems like it might not be worth the extra money to me over the limited 4Runner. If I would just base the decision on what forum I spend most of my time on it would definitely be the 4Runner. I have read probably 80% of the posts on this site over the past year. I know it is said all of the time but this place is awesome.

 

[ThreeFiveO]

I like both the GX and 4Runner.

The GX is more plush and for you would probably be great with the taller roof-line. The one thing on the GX I can't get over (outside of the wood which I'm not a fan of) is the ugly tape deck, it drives me nuts that a late model lexus would have a tape deck right smack in the middle of the dash.

The other turn off for me is the climate controls are integrated into the navigation so you can't swap in an aftermarket head unit and if the touch screen goes out, your looking at an expensive fix. Unless of course you find a GX without Navi, but in my area (northwest) they are few and far between.

For me, I ended up with a 4Runner Sport with dealer installed charcoal leather and heated seats, I have added an eclipse navi and the steering wheel bluetooth buttons and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

 

[chaz]

besides the 4r i also have a highlander awd, its no 4r offroad but its good in all weather, has a decent list of options u can get & theres alot of room for stuff inside . the power is 50/50 split & the 6 is plenty powerful . it may be worth a look , at least u would get toyota quality & dependability. AWD/Offroad use? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums Bigger Highlander may still not be big enough - USATODAY.com

 

[klennop]

I had a Tahoe before my 4runner, the only thing it has over the 4runner is room. Once it gets older or higher mileage, you will be dumping cash into it like nobody's business. I will never buy another GM again, have owned 3 of them and I am done.

I also think you will be very happy with the highlander, it will be a great fit for your needs.

 

[gm350reratliff]

When I bought my 4runner in '08, my wife and I looked at Acadias, Highlanders, Tahoes, Suburbans, even at a Rav4. I could get a killer deal on a new Acadia fully loaded at the time. One of the things that drove me away from the Acadia was the fact that it only has a space-saver spare tire with no room to put a full-size spare in its place. Also, per the Acadia owners manual if I recall, in the event that you do have a flat or blowout you have to store the damaged tire and wheel inside the vehicle. They even have this ridiculous strap system for it so it won't fly around if you crash. If I recall the Highlander does have a fullsize spare and obviously the 4runner does too along with the Tahoe, suburban. We travel a lot. Sometimes to remote places. The likely hood of finding an open tire shop on a Sunday is slim to none in some parts as well as finding the odd size that the Acadia comes with. I don't want to be stuck traveling with a dinky spare on @55 forever much less in the snow. They wanted too much for the Tahoes and suburbans compared to how much they depriciate once you drive them off the lot. Also reliability was a factor too. In the end the 4runner has been perfect for us. Just my $0.02

 

[DaveS]

I drove an early AWD HIghlander before I had my 4th Gen - 4Runner does feel more solid in snow but a set of winter tires makes a bigger difference than the difference between trucks. Highlander has a solid reliability record as well though I did hear from my service manager that they suffer from frozen calipers as much as the 4Runners.

 

[chaz]

forgot to say that toyota changed the highlander to a better awd/4wd system in 08, much better than previous years, just in case u check em out.

 

[webby]

We had a 2004 Highlander for almost 4 years before we bought our used 2009 T4R. It was a great vehicle, extremely reliable. Nothing ever broke, and it handled very well for an SUV. I often drove it 80-85 mph on the interstates, and it handled very safely and solidly. Very impressive, quality-built SUV. This was the smaller body style before the upgrade to the next gen larger Highlander in 2008.

We wanted a bigger SUV, it had to be a Toyota, so we really considered the new gen of Highlander, but a couple of things I hated. One, you can NOT get them sans the frigging third seat. Yes, I know they fold into the floor, but I still hate them. Our 2004 had no third seat, which gave it a huge under floor storage accessible from the cargo floor, which I had to give up when we upgraded to the T4R, but we wanted a bigger vehicle, and nothing but a Toyota.

The other thing I hated about the newer Highlander is that when you folded down the second seat, there was a gap in the floor where the armrest was. That was absurd and unacceptable to me. The engineer should have been shot.

The last difference we noticed between the new gen of Highlander and the T4R is that the 4Runner seats, while not awesome or anything, are definitely wider and more comfortable than either the older gen or new gen of Highlander. To me, the difference was really significant.

The 4th Gen 4Runner definitely rides better than the last gen of Highlander, but to be fair, the runner is longer wheelbase and heavier. But I can't speak for the ride quality of the 2008 and later Highlander, as I haven't driven them.

Good luck.

Note: Personally, I never had frozen calipers in that Highlander (nor yet in the runner)

 

[jlmilligan]

Here is something I like to do when I am looking at a different auto. Go try out every vehicle on your list. BUT make sure they all have over 80k miles. That way you will know what it rides like with some miles behind it. And also look at resale. If it cost $30k and you can sell it for $18k, you lost $12, but if it costs $25k (ya its cheaper) and you can only sell it for $10k, you lost $15k. Cost of TOTAL ownership is something a lot of people miss.

I would vote for the GX. Get a CPO. The Lexus CPO program gives you (IIRC) 3 years and up to 100k miles of B2B warranty from the date of YOUR purchase. If it is 4 years old and has 55k miles, you effectively have a 3 year 45k mile warranty. That is better than buying a new GM with 3 year, 36k miles. And they give you the same financing rates of the new ones.

The maintenance costs shouldn't be that much more on a GX than on a 4R. Go try one out, they do have some VERY nice touches. My 97 LX (lexus landcruiser) still rides nicer than most GM's with less than 50k miles. And I have 184k on it.