Help Please! Best Mid-Size SUV??

[Cobber]

Hey there FMers, looking for some help out there!

I'm the proud father of a healthy, strong 4 month old little boy! The only bad part- my previous vehicle (Ford Taurus) is no longer working for us due to not only the lack of space, but now the added value in 4wd, crash impact safet, and overall convenience. (I have also been frustrated at many times not having a vechile with a hitch, which kept me from towing the smallest of campers and boats..)

QUESTION- Looking to move into a mid-size or smaller SUV with decent gas mileage, however I'm really not sure where to even begin the search. I do live and work in the twin cities, however most weekends we head up to the Alexandria area to the family lake cabin, so both city and highway mileage are decently important.

Any help very appreciated!!

Thanks!

[jjz]

Get a tahoe or suburban. Can tow way more, have way more room, have better resale than mid size suvs, lots more used ones to choose from, all while getting slighly worse commuting mileage 15-17 vs 16-20. In addition the newer GM suvz with the 5.3 are very reliable and good on gas for their size and cheaper to fix than most others. (I had a 2003 explorer that cost more to fix than what we paid for it in 5 years) I am not a chevy guy, just a guy that can recognize what is good and what is not.

[zamboni]

I love my Explorer

[Esox_Magnum]

My wife runs a Trailblazer but her next will be a GMC Envoy, does good on gas, roomy and will pull my 17' boat without a problem. Nice having a backup just in case my trucks broke so i can still fish....

[Jeremy airjer W]

Newer Trailblazer, newer Explorer, Honda Pilot,& a 4runner are about the best/only options. If your looking new any of those would be good buys except the trailblazer has been replaced by the acadia I think(not impressed so far!).

[MNice]

Subaru forester?? Might be a nice option

[bucketmouth64]

I love my Explorer

+1

If you are looking for brand new I would look at the 2011 Explorer. Go to their HSOforum and look at all the options/models. You can price one out too. Ford did a cool job in redesign and improved the gas mileage. I think it will be getting mid 20's.

[311Hemi]

I really like our 08' Highlander AWD, and it's getting around 21-22mpg highway. We have the tow package which gives it a 5000 lbs capacity, although I have not towed anything big with it yet. I really like that I can fit two large vari-kennels in the back to haul the dogs and still use the middle seats for the baby or other passengers.

[zamboni]

Newer Trailblazer, newer Explorer, Honda Pilot,& a 4runner are about the best/only options. If your looking new any of those would be good buys except the trailblazer has been replaced by the acadia I think(not impressed so far!).

Don't forget about the new, redesigned Kia Sportage. That thing is VERY nice looking. Can't beat the price or the warranty

[deadeye]

Don't forget about the new, redesigned Kia Sportage. That thing is VERY nice looking. Can't beat the price or the warranty

I got to admit I looked at one of those and was pretty impressed. Good looking and it appears to be well built. The motor is pretty decent its a shared motor shared between a few platforms. They are also doing up one that's turbocharged at the beginning of next year. Sounds like a good reason to test drive one and see what it can do especially in the winter

If it were me though I would be looking hard at a pilot or 4 runner. Both are very solid and have few problems.

One of my freinds just got a trailblazer and has had nothing but problems with it. He's too ignorant to realize that its a heap so its kinda sad to watch him keep making repairs on something he's got to also make payments on maybe he got a lemon but for a truck that's just a couple years old forget it.

The newer explorers seem pretty decent. I haven't heard to many bad things about them and the people I know with them seem to really like them.

[zamboni]

One of my freinds just got a trailblazer and has had nothing but problems with it. He's too ignorant to realize that its a heap so its kinda sad to watch him keep making repairs on something he's got to also make payments on maybe he got a lemon but for a truck that's just a couple years old forget it.

I used to work with a woman in 2006 that had a brand new Trailblazer and she said she had more problems with it than any other vehicle she had ever owned. It was in the shop all the time.

[Jeremy airjer W]

First model year for the trailblazer was not good. They had just about everything except the Secondary Air Injection figured our after a couple of years.

[CJH]

First model year for the trailblazer was not good. They had just about everything except the Secondary Air Injection figured our after a couple of years.

I know my Dad had a Trailblazer that he put a lot of miles on and loved it, had zero problems. Traded it in on an V8 Explorer and didn't like the way it drove at all. It was worse on fuel and didn't have any more power than the Trailblazer. Two years ago he traded that in on an Acadia, which he likes the best out of all three. Doesn't take it off road, but it drives nicer and gets better mileage than any of them out there + much nicer interior. He had one problem with the wiper that was fixed under warranty.