Trying to narrow down a short list of SUV for wife

[patperry2766]

She currently has a 2009 Escape and it's getting passed down to son. So far she has looked at:
Toyota Highlander...really likes
Toyota 4 Runner..Probably the preferred choice
Ford Explorer..not interested because both engine options have a internal timing chain driven water pump. I don't like the potential for catastrophic engine failure if it starts leaking, plus it would be an expensive repair
Jeep Wrangler 4 door...Not enough rear seat legroom and minimal storage behind the back seat
Jeep Grand Cherokee...same issues as the Wrangler
Dodge Durango...good amount of interior space and reviews seem to be pretty positive so far. Gonna test drive one tomorrow
Chevy/GMC...long shot
Honda Pilot...doesnt like the styling
Nissan Pathfinder...doesnt like styling

I guess so far the Durango has the most unexpected potential, so I just wanted to hear back from people who have one that can shed some light on the joy/hate of ownership.

Thanks

[Harvey51]

We have a 2018 Highlander LE, purchased in January 2018. We like it very much, particularly the AWD and lane departure safety feature. Dislike lack of navigation and high parasytic battery draw of half an amp. Hot tip: I got it down to a quarter of an amp by turning the headlights to off rather than auto when parked. Still caused trouble in the cold of winter but in summer it went down to a tenth of an amp - no idea why!

[RobertRyan]

Adam R wrote:
I become real fan of Toyota SUV's after renting one for a month for use in the Australian outback. We now have both a 100 series and an 80 series Landcruiser.

While the 80 is an off-road play toy, the 1999 100 series has been in our family for the past 15 years and it now has 253,000 miles on it. It still puts a smile on my face whenever I get the chance to drive it. My wife expects it to be replaced with another Landcruiser at some point down the road, but we have no reason to think about replacing the current one at the moment. To date, I have less than $1000 in out of cycle repairs, which is pretty amazing for what is now a 20 year old vehicle. In 2016, we rented a four runner for a few weeks and frankly, I wasn't that impressed by it. While roughly the same size as our 100, it wasn't nearly as solid or as roomy inside. The high lander might be acceptable for many, but for hauling a family around I prefer the tank-like size and heft of our 100.

As for mid-life crisis vehicle, I'm thinking of putting together an AC Cobra kit car for my wife in a few years. It would scratch that mid-life crisis itch for the both of us.

Adam

As you probably noticed you see a lot of Toyota's in the Australian Outback

[normal_dave]

patperry2766 wrote:
Pulled the trigger today on 2018 Durango AWD RT with the 5.7 V-8 with a bit over 11K miles. Have a buddy who is the used car manager at a local dealership. He got it at auction on Thursday. Really liked the 4-Runner but in the end, the Durango won out. Now I don't have to worry about my truck being the only vehicle that we own that can pull our camper.

Thanks for everybody's input and comments.

Congrats, If you don't have the original window sticker, copy/paste your VIN into this link, after the "=" sign, then hit "Enter", and it should retrieve it for you.
Dodge window sticker

[Adam_R]

I become real fan of Toyota SUV's after renting one for a month for use in the Australian outback. We now have both a 100 series and an 80 series Landcruiser.

While the 80 is an off-road play toy, the 1999 100 series has been in our family for the past 15 years and it now has 253,000 miles on it. It still puts a smile on my face whenever I get the chance to drive it. My wife expects it to be replaced with another Landcruiser at some point down the road, but we have no reason to think about replacing the current one at the moment. To date, I have less than $1000 in out of cycle repairs, which is pretty amazing for what is now a 20 year old vehicle. In 2016, we rented a four runner for a few weeks and frankly, I wasn't that impressed by it. While roughly the same size as our 100, it wasn't nearly as solid or as roomy inside. The high lander might be acceptable for many, but for hauling a family around I prefer the tank-like size and heft of our 100.

As for mid-life crisis vehicle, I'm thinking of putting together an AC Cobra kit car for my wife in a few years. It would scratch that mid-life crisis itch for the both of us.

Adam

[Greg_B]

I think you'll be happy with your choice. We've had our 2017 for 2 years now and its exceeded our expectations on every level. IMHO, with its RWD platform and available V8, the Durango is one of the most underrated mid-sized SUVs available.

[patperry2766]

Pulled the trigger today on 2018 Durango AWD RT with the 5.7 V-8 with a bit over 11K miles. Have a buddy who is the used car manager at a local dealership. He got it at auction on Thursday. Really liked the 4-Runner but in the end, the Durango won out. Now I don't have to worry about my truck being the only vehicle that we own that can pull our camper.

Thanks for everybody's input and comments.

[patperry2766]

Wife just saw a Voodoo Blue 4 Runner TRD pro. Of course, their most expensive one:S

[normal_dave]

patperry2766 wrote:
UPDATE..still haven't pulled the trigger yet. The Highlander has the best bang for the buck from a price and safety feature stand point, but the 4 Runner and Durango are the leaders so far.

Her reasoning is that she turns 50 in October and has had 3 kids, but wants something that is "cool" and to show that she's not a middle age boring person driving a boring car. Can't figure a way for logic to prevail in this situation....my logic specifically....so now just trying to find the best deal. I guess that "if momma ain't happy, nobody's happy" rings true in this situation.

You might be able to pull a win/win, (cool and logical). I participated in a thread elsewhere that featured the Durango for a specific need. Usually being a V8 guy, I was surprised to discover the "sleeper" popularity and reliability of the Pentastar V6, combined with the wide array of Durango options and packages, make it quite the value, especially in a leftover 2018 deal.

Example:
2018 Durango SXT Anodized Platinum Edition
V6, tow package, leather, heated seats, 2nd row tumble captains chairs, power lift gate, third row seating, power sunroof, "Octane Red". Seems a lot of vehicle for the money. (Hint, it's up in Frisco, if you want to track it down).


Alternately, Kia snuck up on me with this one, designed in California, built in West Point, GA, arguably very cool, and the brand has been hanging around at the top of the J.D. Power initial quality survey for a couple of years. You may not want to jump on board with a first year model launch, but when you drill down the specs, it's a pretty nice setup.
2020 Kia Telluride

Edit: Just saw your prior post on the Telluride. In stock near you, and yes, I think it is going to be a big winner based on Kia's quiet success in quality and reliability in recent years. I'm likely not to buy new, but I can see picking up one of these in 2-3 years on the used market, and not hesitating. I've had a hard time getting my head around the possibility of owning a Kia/Hyundai product, but it's been a long time since the days of the Excel, it's my memory that is stuck, not the carmaker's quality...

[NJRVer]

My wife just sold her "cool middle age crisis vehicle"...'08 Honda S2000.

Now we have a '18 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland diesel.:)

[atreis]

How about the Renegade? Pretty high on the "cool" list, and actually decent at off road.

[patperry2766]

UPDATE..still haven't pulled the trigger yet. The Highlander has the best bang for the buck from a price and safety feature stand point, but the 4 Runner and Durango are the leaders so far.

Her reasoning is that she turns 50 in October and has had 3 kids, but wants something that is "cool" and to show that she's not a middle age boring person driving a boring car. Can't figure a way for logic to prevail in this situation....my logic specifically....so now just trying to find the best deal. I guess that "if momma ain't happy, nobody's happy" rings true in this situation.

I'm hoping that if I get her something she likes, I'll have less resistance getting something that I want..like a new motorcycle, or a F350 and toy hauler when the times comes to upgrade.

[atreis]

Of the original list, I'd go with the Highlander. The 4Runner would be good too, but is less practical overall.

You could also look at smaller options like the Rav4, CRV, etc. I especially like the CRV and the even-smaller HRV.

[Grit_dog]

You should tell her about it !
My wife d@mn near refuses to drive anything other than her new SRT.
She’s also the only person I know get pulled over in a known speed trap doing 54 in a 35 in a bright orange race car and not even get a warning! Happened last week...

[patperry2766]

Halmfamily wrote:
Our Durango is a 2014 and had never been in the shop. Just ticked 79000 miles on Saturday. The Pentestar V6 is a rock solid engine. We were a little nervous when we purchased it but are now considering a second one for me. Mine will be an SRT8 though.

The Durango is one of the few rear wheel drive SUV's left, another reason we purchased it

Luckily she doesn't know about that particular model, nor have I informed her of it's existance.....or ever will