[fl335i]

^ we're set on a JGC Limited V6 4x4, with the Luxury II Pkg which gets your HID's and a few other items. 3.45 gears (V6 needs them). Right now Jeep has $2k cash off the 14's. Believe it or not there are a lot of new 14 left over that fit the bill. I found a dealer in Ft Myers that has a pile of them to pick from. All the exact pkg. I figured being the 14 has been out for over 1+yrs Jeep would put more factory cash on them. 2k sounds light. The depreciation between a 14 and 15 is more than 2k I imagine. So I'm having a hard time saying the 2k discount is worth the '14 vs the 15.

After riding multiple times in a co-worker's '14 base Lerado the quiet cabin is a huge selling point to me. Love the quietness.

[Scrubber]

Just got a 2015 Toyota Highlander for our growing family. Don't knock it till you try it, it's a fantastic crossover (don't expect an X5 driving experience though).

[TSM330i]

I have one kid and our X3 is perfect. If we had two, I'd say it would be sufficient, but then we can only take our immediate family with us (me, wife and kids) and that's it. Right now, we can fit my wife, mother-in-law and my little one in the back seat and my father-in-law in the front.

Now, you're going to have two kids. I have a pretty good story about my buddy. He was dead set on getting a Durango Citadel. I told him with two kids, you should definitely shop for a Honda Odyssey as well. They thought I was nuts, but took my advice and looked at the Odyssey along with the Durango. They were very crossed after they looked at the minivan because they HATED minivans, but could really see the amount of space and value compared to the Durango.
They ended up getting the Durango because they wanted the "macho" SUV.
Two years later, they are trading in the Durango to get an Odyssey! They live close to their parents and it would be nice to be able to get the entire family in one vehicle and could travel together, not to mention the vast amount of space compared to any SUV save for a full-size Tahoe/Suburban.

TBH: My wife and I hate minvans as well, but when it comes to a family hauler and with more than one kid, you can't go wrong. No one notices if you're driving anything special unless it's something REALLY special like an exotic car. Get something that is the most usable.

[fl335i]

^I don't hate minivans. Just don't think for 2 kids we'd need something that big, plus a minivan is not garage-able for us. Lovely FL Spec homes with small garages... but I'm not buying a Odyssey. Road noise and Honda to go together hand in hand. That's the main reason I'm dumping the CRV. ROAD NOISE. cannot stand it on hwy trips. can't listen to the radio or anything at low volume levels. I'd get a Toyota b/c from I read they're quieter. Along with the Camry vs Accord Toyota makes quieter cars than Honda... For whatever reason Honda refuses to correct the road noise levels in their vehicles. They must think Americans drive 55mph. I'll never buy another Honda for this reason. This '13 CRV is my 3rd and final vehicle for Honda in my family.

[Mavus]

My brother in Europe bought Fiat Freemont which is rebadged Dodge Journey. It has seating for 7 although the 3rd row is for kids/teenagers only at most. However, it has storage bins allover the place and the inside has flexibility for various seating combinations. It is like a swiss army knife. The value is great, ride was excellent and very quiet. The Freemont has Fiat's multi jet diesel engine and stiffer springs but everything else seems the same.

He also got the Thule 650 L cargo box for longer vacations. It is fantastic and fits perfectly on the roof.

Anybody that is looking for an affordable versatile family car should check it out.

[fl335i]

Did some digging around and the '14 JGC has 8 recalls and a slew of TSB's. Plus 378 complaints on safecar.gov. That is insane. But wait there's more. I was trolling around the jeep forums. Lots of issues with them. I'm going to wait and see how the '15 does..

[KingOfJericho]

lol.

Did you also look up how many recalls the x35i cars have had? I counted a dozen TSBs and several recalls on the 2007 335i, alone. Hell, mine completely died with only 6k on the clock and was at the dealer over a dozen times for never ending issues (brakes, headliner foam recall, carbon buildup, flawed tail light design, etc, etc).

We've had our '14 GC Hemi for about 14 months and haven't had a single issue. During the same timeframe, my BMW had already died once and had two recalls performed.

[fl335i]

^very true. and my '07 has been spot on reliable. Only issue I had was the front door locks went bonkers. I had the fuel pump and injector recalls done but never had issues. I think maybe a '15 JGC would be an option. I really want the GC.

[moonsault270]

I was in the same boat a year ago, considered many of the same vehicles you did with the Explorer in the mix. Its my wifes DD and I have two teenage kids.

Narrowed down to the X5 and the Jeep GC. Fortunatley for my wallet, my wife liked the Jeep better and I pulled the trigger on the GC.

I couldnt be happier with it, I think you made a good choice. Does everything well, obvioulsy the driving dynamics wont be x5 like but the ZF 8 speed transmission is great and the UConnect interface is easy. Build quality was much higher than I expected , no rattles or squeaks which I cant say the same for my BMWs.

Havent had any issues with it thus far, best value in the segment IMO.

[KingOfJericho]

My only complaint about ours is the plastic lower door panels. That's literally the only part of the car that feels slightly "cheap". The rest of the interior is leather-wrapped so no complaints there.

[Alfisti]

Sensible choice is a Ford Edge, has everything you need and 2 years old with full CPO coverage is gonna be half the price of these Euro princesses.

[KingOfJericho]

The Edge isn't a very big vehicle. Having kids in car seats, room is really the most important element. There's nothing worse than a road trip sitting absolutely vertical so the car seat can fit behind you.

[Alfisti]

It's way bigger than an X3 or Q5. It's plenty big enough for two kids, plenty. Really next size up is a land yacht.

[jkrig]

Originally Posted by Scrubber

Just got a 2015 Toyota Highlander for our growing family. Don't knock it till you try it, it's a fantastic crossover (don't expect an X5 driving experience though).

+1 We have a 2014 Highlander Limited....plenty of space, decent on gas, and does the family hauling flawlessly...

[fl335i]

^ I'm not fond of the new highlanders interior. I think Toyota's look cheap now a days. No offense. I had a new sienna park next to me yesterday while running errands. The antenna is coming out the RF fender like it's 1981. This big honking antenna and grommet coming out of a almost vertical fender sheet metal. Plus Toyota has a thing lately for making the headlights stick-out of the vehicle. why? why does the headlight need to double has a beer can holder. I've been looking and thinking more and I'm going to give up the jeep idea. I don't need that much off-road capability and we don't get any discounts at the jeep dealers. plus the lambda GM platform is very large on the inside and we get a true 3 row SUV. The new '15 GMC Acadia Denali is looking real good in AWD. Has HID's, remote start, Direct injection V6, good powertrain warranty, we get a family discount. Denali pkg comes with everything from dual sun roofs to 20's also. I can get more for the money from GMC. and I'm very familiar with GM's. On the bright side, it's a older platform that's been around since about 2008 (?) and already had a mid life refresh. So from what I've seen all the bugs are worked out by now. Should be pretty trouble free. Even Consumer Reports (who hates GM) like the Traverse/Acadia/Enclave.

[MikeyV]

Originally Posted by Smooth 330i

My brother in Europe bought Fiat Freemont which is rebadged Dodge Journey. It has seating for 7 although the 3rd row is for kids/teenagers only at most. However, it has storage bins allover the place and the inside has flexibility for various seating combinations. It is like a swiss army knife. The value is great, ride was excellent and very quiet. The Freemont has Fiat's multi jet diesel engine and stiffer springs but everything else seems the same.

He must be one of the few who did. I've never seen one outside of Italy.

[MikeyV]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Sensible choice is a Ford Edge, has everything you need and 2 years old with full CPO coverage is gonna be half the price of these Euro princesses.

Or the bigger Ford Flex, I had one as a rental 18 months ago, I don't usually like American cars but I was super impressed, we have three kids and luggage for 4 weeks on the road, plus a pram, it swallowed this easily, it was nice to drive, plenty of poke, if they sold them in Europe with a 3 litre v6 diesel I'd buy one without hesitation.

[fl335i]

Update. bought a Buick Enclave last week. During the March madness event. 16% off the MSRP sticker is what GM was throwing in for factory cash. Can't beat that deal. Plus we got an excellent trade in on our Honda. Gave up on getting AWD, just did a FWD. Came to my senses. We live in suburbia. In South Florida. FWD buick is more than adequate. We have my 4x4 Silverado with a rear locker and tow pkg if we need a truck. On a side note, I need get the 335i out for a run....