I'm three row AWD shopping and gonna buy a late MY2012 or early MY2013. The list is Durango, Explorer, Traverse and non three row but covertible Wrangler Unlimited. My rankings:

Wrangler= Style you can't beat, have to have the hardtop since I will have two little ones. Have to get the 6spd to reach 21 highway with the pentastar which is good and bad. (20 with 5spd). The bad-Quality issues.

Traverse= Best price, best space, nicest ride, safest. Boring and not updated.

Durango= Terrible nameplate and possibly terrible depreciation, did score high on JD IQS study. Good space and the driver of the bunch, I like the FULL time awd as well, dissapointed it's not DI but a 2012 with 8spd is intriguing. Hopefully the 8spd and 3.2DI aren't a package deal cause that seems too small, a 3.6DI would be awesome.

Explorer= Nice size, but cramped for three rows, magazine says torque steer even with awd, issues with ford touch, most expensive. Ecoboost 2.4L not available with awd.

So any news on a Lambda update, the LFX would be awesome, the traverse could use every ounce of the 20.5lb reduction. The official EPA rating might not change be we know it's more efficient than the LLT. Am I missing any thing on the others?


Our last car purchase was a homerun. The Equinox has been awesome. Two problems in 24K, one radio and one with the DI system that I didn't read the specifics on, it was a light miss during cold start high idles.

The Nox really does attain the high mpg ratings in real world driving. Worst tank has been 22.3 city, hand calculated, best is 30.5 highway hand calculated, 31.3 indicated. It's driven in 8 inches of snow fine, although it starts to push it with the airdam at that point. I didn't think electronic awd could handle snow that well but it does just about as well as my locker equipped Rainier.

 

You may get more responses in the lounge. IMHO, I really like the new Durango but, I would have your same fear with depreciation. Have you looked at an Acadia? Also, if you are concidering a Jeep, have you looked at the FJ. Just throwing some different SUV's on the wall to see if you like any of them.

 

I would say the new Durango, but I couldn't imagine getting one with less than the Hemi. My Mom has a new Citadel model and if I was looking for a 3-row SUV this would be the only direction I would look.

 

We went Traverse LTZ AWD a few months back, and have zero regrets.

 

Here's some random stuff.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...son/index.html

Not that I really listen much to what Motor Trend says but at least it is recent.

Interesting mix of choices with the Wrangler thrown in there. I wouldn't consider it a crossover whatsoever. And I wouldn't consider it at all unless I was going to spend a considerable amount of time with it off road.

I think I would be inclined to get the Traverse or Durango.

 

Thanks for the responses, the future vehicle discussion ties into where are the Lambda updates?? GM is doing a terrible job of updating products. They are typically midpack or class leading when the debut a product but after a couple years it's outdated. The Malibu and Traverse are good examples, I rented a 2010 Malibu and it felt outdated, sure a new one is coming In 18 months but what have they done since 2008? Bluetooth? The traverse has had some power updates but still same interior as well. Colorado? Even the Silverado is stale.

I know the Wrangler isn't a crossover but it's cross shopped heavily and selling better than most these crossovers.

The Hemi Durango is a disappointment, I think it's only half a second quicker to 60 and gets two less mpg(20). 21 mpg is my minimum. I was shocked the 4000lb Auto 5spd Wrangler(20) didn't get rated the same as the 5000lb Durango(22) given the same power train. I read the cD for those are .55 and .34 respectively. Go figure.

 

New Malibu is out in about 9mo., updated Traverse is out in 2013.

 

Ah thanks for the news. If they put the LFX motor in the Traverse sooner I might be more motivated. Jeep Fever sucks, it clouds all decision making.

 

If you're worried about the power int he Traverse, don't. It's actually pretty quick for the size and utility it provides.

I actually thought power was a bit ofa strong point with the Traverse, to be honest. It's got more zip than my SRX. I think it's plenty fast, really, and doesnt leave you wondering where the power is.

 

Yeah I figured, what I really meant was simply that if you were using it as a family hauler on road it makes more sense to get the Traverse or Durango.

 

I've been pretty blown away by the new Explorer ever since I saw it at a local new car show this past winter. Now one of my best friends has bought one so I've gotten quite a bit of seat time with it and I'm just that much more impressed. It rides as well as my sister in law's Buick Enclave (which rides great), and is at least as quiet as the Enclave. So that would mean it should be quieter and at least as smooth driving as the Traverse. And the interior is leagues beyond the Traverse and IMO even nicer than the Enclave both in aesthetics (far more modern looking) and materials.

Actually today I literally went from his Explorer to another friend's current-gen Acura MDX and was amazed how much rougher the MDX drove considering it's a "luxury" 3 row SUV. I guess they try to make it sporty, but I have no idea why you'd want a sporty drive out of a vehicle that big and practical in nature.

As my wife has been clamoring for a three row SUV as well, I've started to look into this. I can get a much better deal on a GM SUV so I'm kind of looking for a way to prefer the Enclave or Traverse over the Explorer. A nice update to the design could do it.

Per the threads I found on GMinsidenews there apparently won't be an update until the 2013 model year, and even then it's only going to be a mild refresh of all the current models, such as replacing the current nav systems with intellilink. Supposedly they won't be getting a ground up redesign until the 2016 model year!? That seems ridiculous to me. That will mean the Lambda platform will have been produced for 9 years before it gets anything more than a mild touch-up.

Not awful... but really a home run to me is at least the first 50k miles with no electrical or mechanical problems. You've had two in half that amount of time.

Isn't it rated 32 highway? Most vehicles I've come across can far exceed their EPA highway ratings, so if your best tank ever is 1.5 mpg under the EPA rating, I have to say, again, that I'm not impressed. I have an Aura with the 2.4 and have always felt its EPA ratings (highway especially) are a little generous relative to what most other cars I've driven have been able to achieve compared to their EPA ratings.

 

Awd equinox is 29 mpg iirc... My wife went with the fwd because the extra mileage.

 

With a second baby on the way my wife wants a larger car (something with 3-row seating). We can probably live with the Fusion for around town but any long trips would be tough to make in a sedan.
I have been impressed enough with the Fusion to warrant looking at the new Explorer when the time comes. Ford is also coming out with the C-Max soon so that may be worth a look as well even though I believe that is more a minivan than a SUV, fuel mileage will also be a significant factor.

 

OP and Threxx miht want to look at the Mazda CX9 it is supposed to be great all around. Personally I love the look of th Flex.

 

My wife has an 08 Wrangler Unlimited JK. It really is about the crappiest vehicle I have ever owned...except it is a Jeep. Apparently to people who care, the Jeep personality and just being a Jeep lets you forgive a vehicle for being as crude as a 20 year old Blazer. We have gotten at least two recall notices a year since we have owned it. It is slow, and not really that great to drive. Removing and changing tops sucks. Since my wife got another daily driver, now she is four wheeling it with her Jeep. Parts cost more than the parts for my car, and she breaks something every time she goes out.

Traverse is an appliance. It will do what you need well for a long time, but it won't excite you.

I have yet to see a new Explorer up close, but I see them all over the road.

My personal pick right now would be a new Grand Cherokee. They are VERY nice...and have a bit more character to them.