Midsize SUV comparison

[01cavalier]

I have to agree about the Mitsu...never liked them, the Envoy XUV, unfortunately didnt sell well, so production of it has either stopped or is about to be stopped. Not sure I agree about the seats being uncomfortable. The Grand Cherokee does look like its attempting to be a bit edgy in styling, without going far enough to polarize any opinions. Im surprised that the Ascender did so well, given that its just a Trailblazer. The Rendezvous really is begging for the 5-speed auto....not really that much power. The Explorer doesnt seem to be the class-leader it used to be, too bad. The X3-a midsize SUV? I thought that was the X5, the X3 seems to be a small SUV, maybe their version of the Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix, too bad its ugly. At least the 4Runner looks distinctive, the Endeavor is boring to me, the Pathfinder interior looks nice. The pacifica seems to be a flop for Chrysler, though it seems to be pretty nice, even if a bit bland on the outside. Now the Murano is ugly, anyone Ive heard talk about it mocks its looks. I dont think the Pilot could be more bland looking....same goes for the Highlander. Im surprised to see the Freestyle at #1, though it does look decent, just needs a different steering wheel. I wouldve liked to see where the Equinox would have fit in with this, I believe its the same size as some of these other SUVs. Obviously they really prefer the car based ones, as would be expected, until they really would need to tow and/or go offroad.

[griswold44]

The member ifcar should be able to tell us more.

[Infiniti Z350]

Oddly enough, the X3 is the same size inside (maybe slightly bigger?) than the X5.

[ifcar]

Originally Posted by griswold44

The member ifcar should be able to tell us more.

Glad to.

I find it odd they picked the XUV version of the Envoy. The normal version is better.

Each of the three basic versions of the GM midsize SUVs were included: regular length, extended, and XUV, in the forms of the TrailBlazer, Ascender, and Envoy XUV, respectively.

Read the last paragraph of the Freestar (1st place) review - basically their criteria revolve around how close you can get to minivan status without being a minivan. Put 2 sliding doors on the Freestyle, and you've got a good minivan with a little less cargo room. No wonder it wins. This is really a lets pick the best crossover comparison, and the definition of a crossover is very close to minivan in their opinion.

IMO the Freestyle doesn't do better because it just looks so cheap. The front view is the epitomy of what I'd expect a rental car to look like. Its in for a rude awakening when the GM crossovers hit the market - better engines, and supposidly killer looks.

Also, I just drove an Envoy - I thought the engine was very quiet - and refined...

Freestyle, not Freestar. I would have preferred to see more similarity between the cars than Ford decided to put in (based on the result of this comparison and that in which the Monterey and Freestar placed 10th and 8th of 10 vans, respectively, should clarify which one I would have preferred to see duplicated).

And the comparison looked at SUVs entirely as family vehicles, so those that can best match the minivan (which I consider to be the ideal family car) will do the best in the comparison. Other factors will be factored in of course, but the winners will be family cars. Crossovers/car-based SUVs are the closest SUVs to minivans.

I will, however, almost always recommend a minivan over an SUV. But, as sales figures have shown, many consumers who want minivan qualities buy SUVs instead, for whatever reason.


Also, several of those vehicles are out-of-date. All have different pricing, some have been redesigned (this was current as of March). An update, including current pricing, the latest versions of the cars, and new vehicles in the class such as the Subaru Tribeca will arrive hopefully by November.

[griswold44]

ifcar, I thought it was a pretty fair comparison that showed some problems automakers need to address.

[ifcar]

Originally Posted by griswold44

ifcar, I thought it was a pretty fair comparison that showed some problems automakers need to address.

Thank you.

Some such improvements have been made since then in several of the vehicles (the Explorer's update is the greatest), and that should flip the order around a bit next time through.