All Wheel Drive Vehicle Thread

[Shazam]

Yeah, I have a 05 Sienna LE AWD. It's pretty nice other than the trademark Toyota super soft ride.

Can't say the fuel economy's that great. It gets about 16MPG.

[redforever]

Another thing to keep in mind is insurance. Once you have narrowed your search down to a couple of models, phone your insurance company with all the info and get some quotes from them.

A lot of it comes down to the safety factors in the car from the collision tests. Of course if you get a luxury car, you can expect to pay more than if you buy an economy car.

But if you are going with models that are all pretty well in the same classification, big differences can come into play with insurance.

For instance, the Sante Fe I just bought in June. I previously had a 2002 Honda CRV. The insurance for my new Sante Fe is around $100 cheaper than for my old Honda, mainly because of safety test results and due to past history claims put in by people on those two models.

So then when I got quotes for the 3.3L Sante Fe, the 3.5L Rav4, the Honda CRV and the Ford Escape, the two cheapest by far were the Sante Fe and the Escape.

And enough to make a big difference if you kept the vehicle for 3 to 5 years.

I pay not quite $800 per year for the Sante Fe, and both the CRV and the Rav4 would have been close to $1200. Add that up over a few years, makes a big difference in resale of those vehicles. Yeah, maybe they hold their price a bit better, but if you consider insurance and other costs, comes out about even.

And in terms of purchase price, the Sante Fe was over $5000 cheaper than the Rav4.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Yeah, I have a 05 Sienna LE AWD. It's pretty nice other than the trademark Toyota super soft ride.

Can't say the fuel economy's that great. It gets about 16MPG.

Yeah you lose some fuel economy with the AWD and also I think they bumped up the engine size from 3.3 L to 3.5 L in 2007. Both those factors probably explain why I'm getting 21 mpg versus your 16 mpg.

[Red_Baron]

I had an 02 explorer with the 4.6 V8, that particular year had some transmission troubles and I had to swap it out at 160,000km. I got a used one and did a couple mods to it myself so it would have been rock-reliable. Other than that, oil changes and tires were the only $$ I had to put into it. The gas mileage was not car-like but was significantly better than my 2004 F150 full-size truck and a lot better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee I used to have for work (what a pig!).
As for the room, it's at the top of it's class. The AWD system with a set of winter tires made me fear no mountain pass as I did the connector and the Hope-Princeton highway in some pretty knarly blizzards that lined the ditches with lesser vehicles.

I truly am a car guy but my time with my explorer was okay. I bought it used for $19000 in 2005 with 101,000km on it and I got $13000 from the insurance company after my house fire with 175,000 KM on it.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah you lose some fuel economy with the AWD and also I think they bumped up the engine size from 3.3 L to 3.5 L in 2007. Both those factors probably explain why I'm getting 21 mpg versus your 16 mpg.

Thing is it gets great highway mileage - about 35mpg.

It's probably the cheap tires I have on it.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Had a Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS with Yokohoma Guardex tires on it. It would seriously go anywhere in the snow, and I lived in the laurentian mountains (lots of snow). Hard to beat Subaru when it comes to all wheel drives.

[schteve_d]

I've got an '08 Grand Cherokee that I love. Plenty of room for me, everyone I want with me, and my hounds. The Laredo is a full-time all wheel drive system that is great but I chose the 3.7 and am a little bit disappointed in the engine...mostly with regards to the MPG. I've never driven one equipped with the diesel or the Hemi, but I wish I had opted for the 4.7.

[stang]

I have an 06 Avalanche, and I just love it. (mind you we love on an acerage, so having a truck is pretty handy too)

Its very roomy for the family with the 4 doors. We drove home from Calgary with 3 adults a 3 year old, a 4 year old, and a 6 month old with minimal complaining. (5.5 hours or so) Plus we fit everyones luggage in the box, and everyones shopping purchases. It also has a factory cover over the box so everything always stays dry.

Also with the saddle bags, I still had a full socket set, wrenches, booster cables, and other stuff I like to have just in case.

It pulls our camper with no problems, (and its no lightweight) This picture is coming home from the lake, 2 adults, 2 kids, and our Rotty X Husky dog. No problem



However it IS big. My wifes Yukon Denali is probally a good 3 feet shorter.

Its got a nice turning radius so it doesnt even seem that big when parking.

It also has the AWD drive option (as needed) but you can throw in in full time 4x4 or 4lo as well.

[Ironhorse]

I actually prefer our Expedition over a truck such as the Avalanche. It allows us to carry our hobby stuff in the back that we do not want to freeze, and I have another row of seats if I need them. I can put a LOT of stuff back there securely, in addition to the two kids. Performance is probably similar to the Avalanche. I can put our Expedition in 2WD, AWD, 4WD-Hi and 4WD-Lo. It drives and turns like a car.



To the OP, if you're going to haul anything larger than a pop-up, you're best off getting a 3/4 or full sized truck / SUV. Just because a vehicle has a lot of HP does not mean it is a good tow vehicle.

[henriksedin33]

I'd check out the Acura MDX, SH-AWD is supposed to be one of the best systems out there.

If you decide you don't need to tow (and your dogs are on the smaller side), I'd go for the Acura RDX or Audi Q5. Both will be much more fun to drive than any of the larger vehicles, if that's something you care about.

[browna]

As some have mentioned, if you're wanting to tow anything larger than a tent trailer or a 15 foot travel trailer, you're going to need something more than an MDX-ish vehicle. Nevermind trying to cram two dogs in the back as the child occupies the middle row.

Only you know your priorities, but don't dink and dunk around with size if you're looking to tow toys around, and comfortably have 2 animals and 3 humans inside the vehicle.

Expedition is a good length. So is the Avalanche, and we used to have that.

The Suburuban/Yukon XL/Denali XL/Escalade ESV also falls into that category.

The Tahoe/Yukon/Denali/Escalade line to be quite honest doesn't give you as much interior space as the larger GM crossovers (GMC Acadia/Chev Equinox), but take a step into the longer vehicle (the Suburban is the same frame/length as the Avalanche). Tons of space.

The Denali XL and Escalade ESV have full time AWD. 2007+ especially are very nicely appointed. The newer versions have 6 speed transmissions, which is a big difference (driving wise, a bit of an uptick in fuel econonmy) from the 4 speed found in the (prior to 2009) Suburban and Yukon XL, which have 2low, 2 high and 4WD. All of these models are rated to tow 7000lbs. We have 2 full size dog crates in the back, with still room to put a week's worth of luggage. And then a full second row for the child.

Again, priorities...these take a bit more gas then most, insurance, especially if you're coming from a MB, should be a savings. The size may intimadate some too, but with backup sensors and cameras...

Take a look at the US for these vehicles, if you can find one with 1 years worth of driving under factory warranty, it gives that peice of mind. That's what we did a year ago and have been happy with it.

[Akai-Sesui]

Speaking of Subarus...why not get one of these?

[stang]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

I actually prefer our Expedition over a truck such as the Avalanche.

To each their own I guess... My wife has the SUV, I prefer to have a box on my vehicle.

[bossy22]

Originally Posted by henriksedin33

I'd check out the Acura MDX, SH-AWD is supposed to be one of the best systems out there.

If you decide you don't need to tow (and your dogs are on the smaller side), I'd go for the Acura RDX or Audi Q5. Both will be much more fun to drive than any of the larger vehicles, if that's something you care about.

Audi Q5's have a 4400 lb towing capacity and the Q7 is 6600 lbs with towing package.

[kevman]

I think you're going to need to define "toys"...

All of those full size SUV's are monsters and are nowhere close to being in the same class as the OP's ML350 or any Subaru offering that he may have been looking at.

Realistically a mid-size SUV (Grand Cherokee) is more then enough vehicle for a family of 4 plus a dog or two in the back towing a reasonable trailer or reasonable boat.

Now if by toys you mean a 40ft. trailer or a 6,000lbs+ boat then yes, you're going to need a bigger vehicle...

[Big Pom]

I have a 2004 Toyota Tacoma TRD and it is one of the best 4wd's I've ever driven. Living in Bragg Creek we get a lot of snow, mud, floods, etc and I have never once got that truck stuck.

If you're looking at a car I would suggest an Audi (if it's in your price range). My father recently traded in his Hummer for a little red Audi and it's great.

[SeeGeeWhy]

Anyone know much about the Mitsubishi Outlander and/or the Mitsubishi AWD system? Their rally lancers have a pretty good pedigree from what I know.

[socktape]

Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy

Anyone know much about the Mitsubishi Outlander and/or the Mitsubishi AWD system? Their rally lancers have a pretty good pedigree from what I know.

I have an 07, they've gone through a bit of a redesign since then but mostly cosmetic from what I understand.

The Outlander has a 2wd, part time AWD and full time AWD depending on what you need it for.

What do you want to know... I can try and answer what I can.

[Dynamic]

The 2010 Chevy Equinox or GMC Terrain will impress if you chose the small SUV route. The wife got a 2010 Equinox after a test drive with a Rav4 did not impress. Rav4 with a 4 speed compared to the Equinox 6 speed makes a world of difference. For less money you will get a nicer vehicle and the interior really impresses.

[fleuryisgod]

nvm