IFCAR Comparison: 7-passenger family cars

[ifcar]

Some of you may remember the most recent IFCAR comparison that I posted here (small SUVs), and here is an examination of 7-passenger family vehicles:

http://ifcar.net/reviews.comparisons.7pass.htm

The comparison itself should be complete, let me know if you find errors either in content or with the site. If you see dead or misdirected links, formatting or spelling errors, or inaccurate statements, please let me know immediately. The web site as a whole is in the middle of a half-completed redesign, and some information on other pages may be out of date.

If you have questions, please ask. If you disagree with anything, please bring it up for an INTELLIGENT debate (IE not "Well, I thought this should have been in first place, so you're wrong" or "this is unusual, so it's wrong", and please, no personal insults). The ranking order isn't everything, please read the explanations (the first and last paragraphs of each review page) if you'd like to say anything pertinent.


One thing that I probably can't make clear enough: the point of the comparison is not to say necessarily that one vehicle is better than another. It only ranks how they fulfill a specific role. Sometimes that is because the car was designed poorly, and other times it's because the car wasn't designed to fit that role. In the latter case, that is not an indictment of the car, just a recommendation against buying it for use as a family car.

For those who made it through all of that text, here's the link again:
http://ifcar.net/reviews.comparisons.7pass.htm

If this is the first time you've come across an IFCAR comparison, you can check out the others http://ifcar.net/.

That should cover everything, so enjoy!

[eurohazard]

Pretty good write up, as usual. I haven't reviewed many of the crossovers personally except the horrible Journey.

But I got some stuff to say about the full size competition. I seriously can not believe the Durango is the best full-sizer. The Durango wanders more on the freeway than Armada and Tahoe.

The 2-step folding 3rd row seat is lame too.....and I very surprised not to see it mentioned in a "7 passenger family car comparison". You have to manually flip the bottom cushion up and forward, then you're able to fold the seatbacks....it takes considerably more time than the Armada, Expedition, and Sequoia. Plus the 3 aforementioned SUV's offer power folding 3 rd row seats for even more ease. The silly Tahoe still rocks the removable, non-flat folding 3rd row seats.

The 4.7 V8 is an absolute slug (it's hard to believe you guys called it "powerful") compared to the Armada too, and yet it tied for the worst gas mileage. At least with the Hemi option, you can keep up with Armada/Sequoia in acceleration.....and because of the MDS cylinder deactivation, better gas mileage would be likely.

Did you notice the annoying glare/reflection of the round dash speaker grills on the windshield while driving the Durango? I did.

[ifcar]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

Pretty good write up, as usual. I haven't reviewed many of the crossovers personally except the horrible Journey.

But I got some stuff to say about the full size competition. I seriously can not believe the Durango is the best full-sizer. The Durango wanders more on the freeway than Armada and Tahoe.

The 2-step folding 3rd row seat is lame too.....and I very surprised not to see it mentioned in a "7 passenger family car comparison". You have to manually flip the bottom cushion up and forward, then you're able to fold the seatbacks....it takes considerably more time than the Armada, Expedition, and Sequoia. Plus the 3 aforementioned SUV's offer power folding 3 rd row seats for even more ease. The silly Tahoe still rocks the removable, non-flat folding 3rd row seats.

The 4.7 V8 is an absolute slug (it's hard to believe you guys called it "powerful") compared to the Armada too, and yet it tied for the worst gas mileage. At least with the Hemi option, you can keep up with Armada/Sequoia in acceleration.....and because of the MDS cylinder deactivation, better gas mileage would be likely.

Did you notice the annoying glare/reflection of the round dash speaker grills on the windshield while driving the Durango? I did.

I can't say I noticed a serious wander problem in any of the three. The seat-folding method probably could deserve a mention, but it's still fairly easy. A breeze compared to something like the Tahoe. The power-folding options are overpriced, so I didn't have them on the vehicles I reviewed.

The Durango's 4.7-liter was recently overhauled. What year was the "slug" you drove?

A lot of cars have glare on the windshield now. It's gotten to the point where it's not even worth mentioning unless it's particularly bad.

[Buick61]

How did you manage to drive 31 vehicles? And within in a time frame compact enough so that direct comparisons are not based on long term memory recollections?

[eurohazard]

I drove a 2008 model...is it the '09's that have the new high output 4.7? Some of the difference might be gearing too. My Armada has the tow package, and I doubt the Durango I drove had it's version of a tow package (lower gears etc).

[ifcar]

Originally Posted by Buick61

How did you manage to drive 31 vehicles? And within in a time frame compact enough so that direct comparisons are not based on long term memory recollections?

Easy enough. Most dealers have more than one of the vehicles (Toyota had five of the 31, for example), and most of the dealers in my area are along one short stretch of highway. You can do a lot at once.

Plus, I take detailed notes, so I can look back over what I'd noted in the past to look for this time around.

[ifcar]

Originally Posted by eurohazard

I drove a 2008 model...is it the '09's that have the new high output 4.7? Some of the difference might be gearing too. My Armada has the tow package, and I doubt the Durango I drove had it's version of a tow package (lower gears etc).

2008 had the upgrade. It's definitely not at Armada or Sequoia level, but certainly strong by the standards of a mostly V6 group.

[Ttple]

I've always enjoyed the layout of your website and the thorough details.

[ifcar]

Originally Posted by Ttple

I've always enjoyed the layout of your website and the thorough details.

Thanks.

[King Riffle]

Under the section titled Inside the Pathfinder, you have a sentence that reads: "The gauges are they're clear and easy to read..."

Other than that, I couldn't read all of it. It's long, and I'm not in the market. I'm not suggesting that you shorten your reviews, as I'm sure for someone in the market they're great.

I'm not at all surprised at the type of vehicle the top three are. As much as people like to hate them, they're still the best family cars.