Anybody drive a mini SUV?

[farmboy]

Can you tow a 2000 pound boat with any of these units?

 

[Bobby B]

I looked at a minivan, and ended up getting a Honda CR-V; I love it!

Best resale value in its class too.

 

[Sid Post]

Can you tow a 2000 pound boat with any of these units?

You can with most of the truck based SUVs. Some of the car based models will but, most won't. A lot of the car based SUVs have soft suspensions that make trailer towing dangerous.

Even a Ford Crown Victoria is limited to a 1,000 pound trailer .

 

[rycen]

http://www.subaru.com/shop/model_consideration.jsp?model=FORESTER

 

[Dijos]

we looked and looked; at the jeep liberty, the escape, the subarus, etc, and we ended up gettng a Passat wagon. Roomy and safe, Loaded, all for ~20k used with 15k mi, and 85,000 warranty.

 

[V-1]

I have a 2005 Subaru Forester XT (turbocharged, intercooled flat 4) that's a blast to drive on asphalt, dirt, gravel, snow, etc. I love it. Here's a review:
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=6854

 

[Jazzman]

My wife has a 2004 Rav4 and it's a nice car. I wish that the wheel wells were placed better since it makes a nice hump where my left foot goes. However, after driving 1800 miles straight from Orlando to St. Louis, going back to my Nissan Altima felt wierd.
Matt

 

[Bert Bondy]

Agree w/ V-1. I have 2004 Forester XT (recommended here!). Been loving it, super fun to drive and very practical.

 

[Metis]

we're on our second Suzuki. first was a '96 Sidekick, now we've got an '02 Grand Vitara (bought as a leftover in '03). great vehicles. handle logging/fire access roads w/ no problems. went with the GV instead of the XL7 because we don't have kids and don't haul that much stuff around. just oil and gas except for a recall on a cable housing that might crack (ours didn't) on the '96.

we looked at the Subaru's, Hondas and Toyotas and decided the Suzi was the best bang for your buck. if i had to find a fault it would be excessive road/wind noise in the cabin, but nothing like a Wrangler (which i still want someday....)

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Unless she's using it specifically to transport kids or munitions across sandy dunes , get the one with the best gas mileage. Even though I don't like Fords, I've read that the new Escape hybrids get great mileage, can't quote the exact mileage off the top of my head, but I think it was in the 30 range.

 

[V-1]

Agree w/ V-1. I have 2004 Forester XT (recommended here!). Been loving it, super fun to drive and very practical.

They are a blast to drive aren't they? It's a total sleeper except for the functional hood scoop (which feeds the intercooler and forces air over the turbo unit to cool it) and the rear spoiler. I've been getting 0 to 60 times slightly under 6 seconds with an automatic. All around awesome ride.

 

[RLR]

Xterra is a truck all the way - rough and tough, no car-like handling. What I like is that it's still old school until 2005. Pre 2005 models are manual linkages for 4wd, etc. Easy to work on. Auto pulls 5000 lbs. Love mine. BUT... don't expect an Element, Subaru, Toyota type ride. Think more "truckish" It's 4wd, not all wheel, so there's that to consider. But it's a tank, complete with not so great mileage. For a soccer mom, I'd look more at the X-Trail...

 

[Razzierb]

What you don't want is the baby Land Rover a.k.a. Freelander. You want to talk cramped .... For an adult, just getting in and out of this little toy isn't easy. Try cramming four adults in comfortably ... NOT ... My buddy has one and has been disatisfied with it for the last year or so. It's been in and out of the shop for a variety of reasons. Seems Land Rover considers automatic transmission shuddering normal for this model ..

Razz