[fl335i]

Might be on the market in late 2015 for a new family hauler. We bought a new '13 Honda CRV EX-L in Jan of '13 when the C300 she had was way too small for a growing family. My wife, along with just about every other woman in America, is obsessed with having a crossover for whatever reason. When asked why, she likes "sitting up high". Whatever, I'm not going to turn this thread into why I hate crossovers and why women love them...let's move on. The CRV has been a mixed bag in the 2yrs of ownership. Great cargo room, awesome gas mileage, easy to drive around town. However, it's leaving us wanting more from the "main family car" which we use on highway trips.

CRV complaints (reason we're on the market):
#1- Road noise. After owning 2 previous Hondas, reading a ton of reviews on the new 2012 CRV about reduced road noise etc.; they lied. It still has a lot of road noise. Varies quite a bit depending on the road surface. But overall the road noise is terrible. Over 55mph it's a joke. I don't even try to listen to the radio on highway trips. It's not worth it. You have to blare the radio to an obnoxious level to hear it. It's not at all enjoyable.

#2- Front passenger leg room. This I should of seen when I bought it. It's not terrible, but not great. I'm 5'-11 and now that we have a 2yr old in the backseat, in a car seat we notice it. When we bough it, the kid was 2 months old and was in a rearward facing carrier. Now she's facing forward and it's a different ball game. I have to push the seat forward quite a bit.

#3- Misc small items: Vibrates at idle while in gear. Typical Honda 4cyl. Front seats are not the most comfortable on long trips. Has a lot of front end clicks and clunks the dealer cannot fix. They grease the front end and then 2 months later they're back. Apparently it's common in Hondas. We just had a dead battery situation 2 weeks ago after the car sat for 2 days in the garage. Honda has a TSB/Recall (that they don't mail out to owners) about re-flashing the PCM for poor charging characteristics of the battery. So we got that fixed. Stereo sounds like rubbish.

#4- Before buying the CRV I read up on the brakes. Typically Hondas have bad brakes. The stopping distances on this new gen CRV actually were class leading. Better than VW if you could believe that. Which I agree, they feel great, perform great. But for whatever reason with average driving, 25k on the clock it's got warped rotors.

#5- Noisy engine. Not in a good way either. When that things gets to buzzing it sounds like it's sitting in your lap.

#6- A pillar visibility turned out to be pretty bad. Those monster A pillars are always in my way. My wife is 5'-00" and maybe it's better for her. But for me they are terrible. Overall the ergonomics for a tall man are poor.

I'm refusing to buy a brand-new vehicle this next go around. 2-3yrs old, CPO is a better business deal. Don't take the big hit up front. Here is what we have on the list:
1-2012/2013 X3. 28i or 35i. Must have HID's and backup camera.

2-2014+ Grand Cherokee Limited. This is a bad deal b/c it just came out this year, not really any CPO's on the lots. Pretty much have to buy this new and it's a stupid expensive.

3-2013 Buick Enclave Leather group. GM's Touch screen info system is pretty cool. I have it in my '14 Silverado. This is the biggest vehicle on the list. But the Buick's come with HID's, backup cam, Direct injection engine etc. Down side is it's ignition key is antique. Dated platform.

[MikeyV]

I would add the Volvo XC60 to your list, my assistant has one, it's a great vehicle, she's a semi midget like your wife and has no problem with it, yummy mummies and Volvo's go well together. They have two kids, the backseats have integrated boosters which will be useful when your daughter moves out of her child seat.

[DocWeatherington]

Originally Posted by fl335i

Might be on the market in late 2015 for a new family hauler......

What about an Acura MDX, VW Touareg TDI?

Buick No, Jeep isn't bad option.

[Mike_L]

You have 3 different sized vehicles on your list. The X3 is a cute-ute. Its not going to be big enough for your needs. X5 would be a better fit. Jeep is a mid-sized SUV. May work, may not. And the Buick is a full sized 7 seat crossover.

What do you need? Small, midsized, or full sized?

[MikeyV]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

You have 3 different sized vehicles on your list. The X3 is a cute-ute. Its not going to be big enough for your needs. X5 would be a better fit. Jeep is a mid-sized SUV. May work, may not. And the Buick is a full sized 7 seat crossover.

What do you need? Small, midsized, or full sized?

He has one child, if he can't get by with an X3 then he needs to take less crap whenever he transports the child. An X3, Q5, GLK, XC60 are all plenty big enough for a 1-2 child family.

[Red Bread]

So is our X1, for that matter.

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by MikeyV

He has one child, if he can't get by with an X3 then he needs to take less crap whenever he transports the child. An X3, Q5, GLK, XC60 are all plenty big enough for a 1-2 child family.

Child seats these days are HUGE. I wouldn't stick one in the back of one of those vehicles.

[fl335i]

^we have one 2yr old kid. Planning on another maybe this or next year. 2 kids is the plan. Yes, they're different sized. But a X5 costs 5 times what the Buick costs. So it's a price scale also. The MDX is another Honda. the Decibels ratings on them are high. I've ridden in them before, still loud IMO. VW, I hate VW. I bought a new TDI wagon and the HPFP went out at 19k and we almost had to lemon law the car. Plus VW had no "fix" for the HPFP issue. Not a new pump or anything, just "a replacement" pump. That car was a lemon. Thousands on the TDI forum are in the same boat. About every 20k the pumps go out. If it's out of warranty, $7,000 in repairs. No kidding. When I picked up hers under warranty the repair ticket looked like a small phone book, WHICH THEY WOULD NOT EVEN GIVE ME A COPY OF. Plus VW's have a delay in the gas pedal that only pot heads would enjoy. VW can KMA.

Ideally I want a "mid size" SUV/Crossover. But that word means different things to different manufactures. the Chevy traverse or Buick enclave are midsize in the GM world. The Grand Cherokee is a midsize also. I personally think the Grand Cherokee would be the best fit. One thing I hate about the 3 row SUV's is the fact it's a mini-van for the cargo area. No space behind the 3rd seat! The Buick is 202" long. Not garage-able for us. The Grand Cherokee would be. The reason the GM 3 rows are on the list is b/c her dad gets us a pretty good discount on them being retired GM. I bought my new '14 Silverado for a great price. I want a BMW, but the X5 is a pig on gas and super expensive. And not even safety rated. The X3 seems more reasonable. But I have reservations with "long term daily driver costs" and I think it might be too small. I found a handful of '14 CPO jeeps in the Tampa area. I may just buy a new one and bite the bullet. Jeep's warranty is decent too on the powertrain. Ditto with GM. AT least the Jeep is small overlap rated.

XC60. I have looked into it a lot. a '13 CPO, AWD with HID's and backup cam is super expensive. They start cheap and get expensive quick. Plus they're not very common in FL. And it's a FWD platform, which I hate; balance of car weight and ease to do maintenance is terrible. I really think the Grand Cherokee is the ticket. 2nd place I hate to say is the XC60. The Buick/traverse are too big and the X3 might become too small with kid # 2.

[pgviper]

CPO X3 xdrive 35i.

Just got a 2011 and couldn't be happier. I highly recommend.

[fl335i]

^I know I'd be happy with the X3. Question is will the size of it suffice for 2 kids long term (5yrs). I may just go look at an X3, XC60 and Grand Cherokee all in one day back to back. I really want a X35i! But the Grand Cherokee is a good family hauler, good for off-road trips, bit more "common" than a BMW. Sometimes you don't want to have a flashy car. I really don't like the 4cyl stop start crap. Sounds terrible. And long term, my luck the car won't start back up at a red-light. The new '14+ Grand Cherokees are really slick and super quiet inside. A co-worker bought a strip down 2wd '14 and it's deathly quiet inside going down the hwy. Just serine inside really. Quieter than my 335i by a country mile. It's almost scary quiet. I think it's a very advanced vehicle and good med size. It's going to come down to the grand or the X3 35i.... I can see it now. Have to settle it old school. Drag race.

[Hurricane]

CPO 4Runner Limited

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by Hurricane

CPO 4Runner Limited

Not with kids. They ride way harsh. If a Toyota, it would have to be a Highlander, which is front drive based, so it doesn't fit his wants.

Maybe a CPO GX460?

[Rob13567]

Durango?

[pgviper]

Originally Posted by fl335i

^I know I'd be happy with the X3. Question is will the size of it suffice for 2 kids long term (5yrs). I may just go look at an X3, XC60 and Grand Cherokee all in one day back to back. I really want a X35i! But the Grand Cherokee is a good family hauler, good for off-road trips, bit more "common" than a BMW. Sometimes you don't want to have a flashy car. I really don't like the 4cyl stop start crap. Sounds terrible. And long term, my luck the car won't start back up at a red-light. The new '14+ Grand Cherokees are really slick and super quiet inside. A co-worker bought a strip down 2wd '14 and it's deathly quiet inside going down the hwy. Just serine inside really. Quieter than my 335i by a country mile. It's almost scary quiet. I think it's a very advanced vehicle and good med size. It's going to come down to the grand or the X3 35i.... I can see it now. Have to settle it old school. Drag race.

Depends what your used to in terms of size. i grew up with my parents owning a tahoe, if you want size then thats what you get but not having two kids i cant comment on how well the x3 will fit your needs. what i can say is that i have filled that bad boy to the roof with the back seats down several times and it has had no problems hauling the load around. best thing to do is whar you said and test them out on the same day. good luck!!!

[Twix]

X3 seems to be the best option. The new F chassis is quite a bit larger inside than the outgoing. I would say they're the perfect size for a young family

[MikeyV]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

Child seats these days are HUGE. I wouldn't stick one in the back of one of those vehicles.

Are American children that much bigger than other children, do they need jumbo sized car seats? I've got a Maxi Cosi Milo Fix and Rodi in my A1, and the same again in my Touran, both cars fit them easily, as will any of the others I mentioned. My kids are standard sized aged 9, 6 & 3.

[MikeyV]

Originally Posted by fl335i

^I know I'd be happy with the X3. Question is will the size of it suffice for 2 kids long term (5yrs). I may just go look at an X3, XC60 and Grand Cherokee all in one day back to back. I really want a X35i! But the Grand Cherokee is a good family hauler, good for off-road trips, bit more "common" than a BMW.

My neighbours have an X3 along with three kids, one in a babyseat, the other in a booster and the third sits in the middle, they have no problems with this, they also have an E90 and fit the same three kids in that.

The X3 easily fits prams, they have a double mountainbuggy, if you really run out of space I think you're probably carting too much crap around or you could get a roofbox.

[fl335i]

^Agreed with all points. Hearing others input brings in new perspectives I might not think of. The (new) 4runners are large and very unsafe in crash tests, plus expensive and not great on gas. The new '15+ Tahoe would be awesome, but wife is 5'-00". Not feasible for her to drive and it would not be garage-able. I really want to stay away from FWD platforms. I just hate the way they drive and working on them sucks. The '12+ X3 and the '14+ Grand Cherokee have my eye. In some ways I would prefer to get the '12 X3 28i with the I-6. Tried and true good engine plus I could negotiate it down more being 1yr older and it's an oddity 1yr engine. But I really like the Grand Cherokee's larger size and small overlap crash testing. Wife wants a MB ML350. Which is a Grand Cherokee re-badged. I'm not 100% sold on it. They're super expensive to buy and up keep and burn premium fuel. When I could get the jeep version and save a ton. So looks like last night we narrowed it down to those three.

[DocWeatherington]

Get the Jeep

[fl335i]

^We'll find out how much pull I have around my house lol.

[KingOfJericho]

We have a '14 Grand Cherokee Overland and I love it. Great car and an unbeatable value. You simply can't get the same level of kit for the price. We got the Hemi and we get 24-25mpg on road trips thanks to MDS. The glass roof is cool and the air suspension is a neat feature too. We've had it for nearly a year and a half and It's been awesome. Can't say enough about it.

[Disturbed]

Get the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Be sure to get the limited. It rids 8/10 of my Lexus LS460L and also has 8/10 of the road noise. Compaired to my E92 M3 the Cherokee is so much more comfy.

The V6 with 8sp will return 25-26mpg cruising on the hwy @ 75-80. I can only rave about the 8sp auto. You don't feel it shifting...ever. U connect is awesome and is very intuitive. It has the easiest to use GPS ever. Heated cooled seats, panoramic sun roof and a stupid but very handy feature is the flashlight that comes with it. It sits in its own charging base and never goes dead. The steering wheel feels very nice in my hands and I love how the Easter eggs all over the place. Safe to say the JGC is one of my favorite family haulers right now. I do recommend the 5.7L Hemi w/8sp unless you are conserd with fuel. The sound and the TQ complete the truck. I don't know the real world mpg's of the diesel but with i went that route. The air suspension is awesome.

The ML and JGC don't have much in common other than being SUV's. They don't share engines/trans or drive train. They don't share interior either. MB does not own chrysler anymore. I doubt they share a frame but not 100% sure.