[s300ae]

Hey

Looking for a SUV.
Here are some specs:
2004+
daily driver, must have decent storage space/fold down seats etc
AWD/fully loaded
V6 (decent on gas)
Under 28k taxes in

I've done some research and narrowed it down to Rav4. I am sure I've missed something.
Any other suggestions or personal experiences?


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[kluk]

Proud owner of a 2004 highlander as my winter ride and it's been pretty awesome so far. I live near grouse so an AWD is a must have for me. it's pretty roomy and has TONS of trunk space. Great for summer trips too to whistler etc. However my mileage is going to shits lately but maybe the newer versions are better with fuel economy. IMO I think highlander> rav4 in terms of space and comfort.

[s300ae]

Proud owner of a 2004 highlander as my winter ride and it's been pretty awesome so far. I live near grouse so an AWD is a must have for me. it's pretty roomy and has TONS of trunk space. Great for summer trips too to whistler etc. However my mileage is going to shits lately but maybe the newer versions are better with fuel economy. IMO I think highlander> rav4 in terms of space and comfort.

thanks for the input!
yea its def bigger than rav4 in all aspects.
im not a big fan of anything pre-2008 on the highlander. and any newer than 2008 are more than 30k. is it just me, but i think they really look similar to the honda pilot. ill def do some more research on it.

[!Aznboi128]

Honda pilot? They're not bad, my parents got one we changed the tires on it and improved on handling/braking. It's roomy good on gas and spacious as heck.
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[hk20000]

RAV4 V6 is quite a rocketship for an SUV lol. 268HP is no slouch.

[busdriverman]

second hand MDX? bad on gas but loads of torque

[s300ae]

RAV4 V6 is quite a rocketship for an SUV lol. 268HP is no slouch.
yea its still my #1 choice unless i find something better



second hand MDX? bad on gas but loads of torque

yea gas is concern these days

[TRDood]

Toyota Venza, but I think they are a little over your budget.

http://www.tuningnews.net/news/081021a/toyota-venza-sportlux.jpg

http://cdn3.knowyourmeme.com/system/icons/2252/medium/me-gusta.png?1300420314

[oldsnail]

i picked up an 08 MDX for under 30k not long ago

pretty good so far.. wanted a 7 seater

[dark0821]

i rmbr reading a comparison test in autocar (nov1, 2006 volume250 no5|5714) saying that RAV4 gets a slightly better fuel economy while CRV is a bit faster, another point I want to point out is that even though the CRV seats takes more effort to fold down, the reward is better cargo space. Both model were 2006 model year, haha hope that helps OP xD. Just test pilot a whole lot and see what you like.

[Wetordry]

Toyota or Acura SUV for sure.

Personally i'd import a Lexus RX Hybrid or Toyota Highlander Hybrid from the states since the dollar is @ +par.

[Mancini]

Subaru Forester. $28k new, or used turbo boxer four.

[dinamix]

Why get a toyota when u can get a low km Lexus certified rx330 for around the same price.? I own one and I get Toyota reliability and Lexus luxury. Everything is serviced at toyota
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[s300ae]

thanks for all the input guys.
ive looked at the venza, but the awd fully loaded model is over my budget.

ill start looking at the rx330. i drive a lexus right now, so should stay in the same family.

for some reason my gut is telling me to steer clear of nissans and acuras due to trannys.
although my 00 exterra hasnt had any, know ppl that had tranny issues with their acuras and recalls on nissans as well. anyone have more info on that

[lilaznviper]

did you try out the new rvr

[jpark]

^^the honda pilot/MDX AT tranny with the j35 v6 motor was a pita until the 2006 era, where it got revised

my mom drives a 2006 pilot 5AT with pretty high mileage and the tranny shows no symptoms of 'bad'

but i say u should stick to a rx330 to add to your IS collection :)

[baggdis300]

acura rdx turbo?

the lexus rx330 is pretty goood as well, my mom loves hers..

[sunnyCh]

Im selling my FX35 in the for sale section, should fit into your budget and requirements.

[s300ae]

did you try out the new rvr

funny you mention that, i actually went to check them out.
the rvr is nice but once u get the 4wd fully loaded its above my budget.
only the base 4cyl 2.slow 170hp is 19,999.


@jpark looking at some rxs right now

[baggdis300]

Im selling my FX35 in the for sale section, should fit into your budget and requirements.

i'd stay far away from this...

those suv's weren't good....

buddy of mine parents bought one brand new in 08 and well, nothing but problems...

[double0seven]

acura rdx turbo?

the lexus rx330 is pretty goood as well, my mom loves hers..

RDX is terrible on gas! But aside from that, its pretty good since my parents have one lol

[flagella]

i'd stay far away from this...

those suv's weren't good....

buddy of mine parents bought one brand new in 08 and well, nothing but problems...

and doesn't seem like it's as practical as other candidates.

[AWDTurboLuvr]

My friend really likes his 2009 Hyundai Sante Fe. Gets decent mileage for a V6, it's reliable and the cabin is pretty big.

[s300ae]

^^ never been a fan of korean cars. and seems like the acura suvs are pretty bad on gas.
that being said, im sticking to toyo/lex family.
now have to decide which one.
seems much easier to find a AWD rav4 with decent km rather than the rx330

[double0seven]

^^ never been a fan of korean cars. and seems like the acura suvs are pretty bad on gas.
that being said, im sticking to toyo/lex family.
now have to decide which one.
seems much easier to find a AWD rav4 with decent km rather than the rx330

If you dont mind the spare tire at the back, cr-v would be a good choice too

[s300ae]

^^ peaked into a few, but find them too small

[baggdis300]

buy from the states, you must be retarded if you buy one in canada with the dollar above par...

[RevRav]

^ Hey Subaru Canada,
have you read about the service your dealerships have been providing to their customers yet?
http://www.revscene.net/forums/cheap-15-oil-t641922.html?p=7378009#post7378009

[subarucanada]

Hi RevRav, thank you for bringing that to our attention! We will pass the feedback along.

[vash13]

I drive a rdx they are terrible on gas but it has turbo and sh-awd. Both of those makes the car at bit more exciting to drive!
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[MindBomber]

thanks for all the input guys.
ive looked at the venza, but the awd fully loaded model is over my budget.

ill start looking at the rx330. i drive a lexus right now, so should stay in the same family.

for some reason my gut is telling me to steer clear of nissans and acuras due to trannys.
although my 00 exterra hasnt had any, know ppl that had tranny issues with their acuras and recalls on nissans as well. anyone have more info on that

The major transmission issues Honda had ended in 2006.

[s300ae]

thanks for all the info
keep you guys updated on what i decide on

[Jayhall]

Ive always liked the Nissan Murano. Not a huge fan of the way they look, but they are a fantastic drive. Very comfortable and roomy

[buddy]

RDX is terrible on gas! But aside from that, its pretty good since my parents have one lol

I drive a rdx they are terrible on gas but it has turbo and sh-awd. Both of those makes the car at bit more exciting to drive!


you guys both mentioned RDX are terrible on gas, by comparing to a non-turbo 4 cylinder bad? or comparing to a turbo vehicle bad? ask because I am deciding to get a SUV too ...

[vash13]

I haven't driven a mdx before but it seems to take more gas than that. In addition, maintenance is more expensive than any other Acura because of the turbo. It needs synthetic oil. If compared to another 4 banger or even a na 6 cylinder than yes it feels like it eats up more gas. On the other hand the family had a 1995 land rover and that ate gas like no tomorrow.
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[alex.w *//]

nissan pathfinder

http://webiol.homenetinc.com/stock_images/5/cc_2011NIS008a_640/cc_2011NIS008a_640_KH3.jpg

[s300ae]

Already have a Nissan exterra, trying to find something different.
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[double0seven]

you guys both mentioned RDX are terrible on gas, by comparing to a non-turbo 4 cylinder bad? or comparing to a turbo vehicle bad? ask because I am deciding to get a SUV too ...

Well comparing to a 4cylinder, the fuel consumption is a lot for a 4cylinder. But like you mentioned, it is turbo'd and heavy since it is a luxury suv. So then its average for a turbod 4 cylinder. Gets around same mpg as an sti? not sure on that one

[vash13]

I wouldn't be surprised if it had the same mpg as an STI or even worse. One other thing with the RDX is the turbo lag. It's quite noticeable and the majority of the time when I am driving in the city I don't need to use the turbo.

[Roach]

Realistically, test drive them all. If I were in the market as you are, my candidates would be the RAV4, RX330/350, RDX and Mazda CX7 (which has gone unmentioned).

In my own experience, the RAV4 is a hot rod. It is powerful and geared for nice launch off the line. Most cargo room of the 4 and has a strong resale value.

RX330/350 - Lexus service is unmatched. Resale value is high. Probably the slowest and most boring of the group. Best noise isolation. Material quality and reliability are nearly the best.

RDX- Athletic. Driver's vehicle. Lots of feature content. Good resale value.

CX7 - Also very athletic. On paper very similar to the RDX but the material quality is not as nice. Can be had for much cheaper than any of the other options.

Seriously, we can only recommend "options" for you. However, I seriously recommend you drive all the vehicles in the class. As reliable as the Toy/Lex cousins may be, they are the most boring vehicles to drive.

You should have no problems trying out any of the vehicles in the class. There are plenty around in the used market.

Just don't buy any of the vehicles based on "on-paper" attributes. A test drive will always tell a completely different story.

Kev

[s300ae]

^^ thanks so much Kev. very legit analysis. test drive will tell all. ive driven the rx330, so time for the rav4

[RevRav]

In my own experience, the RAV4 is a hot rod. It is powerful and geared for nice launch off the line. Most cargo room of the 4 and has a strong resale value.

RX330/350 - Lexus service is unmatched. Resale value is high. Probably the slowest and most boring of the group. Best noise isolation. Material quality and reliability are nearly the best.

Might want to worth noting: The 2nd generation RX350 (2003-2009) use basically the same engine as the current generation's V6 RAV4's (2006-2011).
They both use the 3.5L 2GR-FE V6, just slightly tuned different and mapped for premium gas. Depending on your budget, might be worth considering as the price of gas continue to raise.

[kyoshiro]

CX-7's AWD is fairly slow reacting imo (test drove it), it pushes power to the rear too late making cornering feel unsmooth, and the turbo kicks in slightly too late in my opinion.

Have you considered the Mitsubishi V6 Outlander? should be fairly reasonable in the price range and the AWD does work quite well. Although you're not looking at resell value at all on them, however most should still be in warranty. Mechanically, mitsubishi are rock solid.

RDX i have found to be slightly worst made compared to the TSX. Finishing isnt done with as much care. But it is quite a good drive and the engine is one of honda's best engine.

Otherwise, yeah Rav 4, personally havent driven one myself, never test drove a RX either cuz I never got around to going back to Lexus dealerships.

[s300ae]

been busy lately, but now got the $$ and decided on the 2007+ v6 Rav4.
so, if you know anyone who is selling one, please let me know.

i found one on burnaby repo ill be taking a look at soon.

[k3mps]

2-3 year old forester.
not v6, but if you can find a used xt, maybe you could get a good deal on it.
even if you get the 4 banger, i rmbr reading a thread somewhere about someone who had his chipped for like 600, ran 190hp, 200lbft torque.

[skylinergtr]

i have a 2001 4runner that is going to be forsale soon, but it does not meet your requirements in the age department.

I also have a friend who might consider his MINT 2005 4runner SR5 V6 4x4 with only 40,000miles. it's a really nice truck.

If you have any interest feel free to PM me. Toyota 4Runners seems to be the best in terms of space, versitily, reliability, and decent fuel economy.

Good luck on your search.

[s300ae]

thanks, but i already said im going with a 2007+ rav4 v6...

[s300ae]

ended up getting a 2009 v6 awd sport Rav4 fully loaded.