Fullsize SUV's

Anyone with one care to comment good or bad?

I'm looking at getting

Land Rover LR3
Ford Expedition
Chevy Tahoe
Toyota Sequoia
Nissan Armada
Ford Expedition EL
Chevy Suburban

one of the above.. The Land Rover is a little lower on the list since it's smaller, and requires premium. But at the same time I love the offroad ability that it has stock.

I'm not a major offroader, but it will see some for sure.

So pros/cons, real life experiences?

The Sequoia has some nice rebates and you now get 2 yrs free maintenance, and most dealerships now include a lifetime powertrain warranty. And......It is a Toyota. Cant go wrong with it!

I have been driving Toyotas for the last 12 years, and I have been at a Toyota dealership for 10 of those years. They make one hell of a product and they hold thier value!

JOHN51277 said:

and you now get 2 yrs free maintenance

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which for a Toyota costs $0, since they don't require maintenance (well, much anyway). I have an '08 Tacoma and love it.

I forgot to mention it will be used..
2004+ though so certified vehicles are still an option.

Suburban, though the 2500 series is wimpy without the 8.1L. I had the 4.10 rear axle and towing package, could haul a 32ft Tiara. Got about 7mpg towing though, so I went with the Sierra 2500HD xcab with duramax and 6ft bed. I miss being able to throw things in the back without having to cover it up or tie it down.

Range Rovers/Land Rovers are a waste of $$$. The Defender series is the only good thing going for Rover. The Range will fall apart and the Land is already broken from teh factory.

triethylborane said:

Range Rovers/Land Rovers are a waste of $$$. The Defender series is the only good thing going for Rover. The Range will fall apart and the Land is already broken from teh factory.

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FTW! Unless you're a DIY'er that likes to work on their rig every week and have the time/patience that LR vehicles require for general upkeep. It will spend more time in the shop and you'll be throwing more money at it than is necessary.

We had an '04 Dodge Durango for a few years and loved it. Totaled in an accident a few months ago - truck performed beautifully in the crash. Whole front end crumpled but nothing from the firewall back. Should'a seen the remains of the '94 Pathfinder that decided to make a left on red as we were going through the intersection.....

Truck was really comfortable to drive, good back seat room for the kids, and a huge cargo area - it would haul all of our camping gear for a week with plenty of room left over. Wasn't too bad on gas either with the 4.7L V8.

I would suggest at least driving one. Driving a Suburban felt like driving through mashed potatoes after test driving the Durango.

What are you using it for?

I had an SUV for 10 years. I will never own another one.

I like my '06 Durango. It's got a Hemi and 4WD. I'm afraid to do any serious off-roading with it, but I don't hesitate to venture into a little dirt when required (camping). It drives nicely in the snow, and it hauls a single or dual axle utility trailer (up to about 16') with no problems. It also makes a decent family truckster, and SWMBO has no problem driving it.

Land Rover LR3 Over Priced Ford Explorer
Ford Expedition Great Grocery getter
Chevy Tahoe Not too bad. make sure to get it with the 5.3l
Toyota Sequoia Very Dependable
Nissan Armada Very Dependable
Ford Expedition EL Horridly over-sized Grocery getter
Chevy Suburban Another over-sized Grocery getter

Not Mentioned

Jeep Commander Larger Version of Grand Cherokee
Jeep Grand Cherokee Fairly solid and dependable( costly to repair)
Dodge Durango Larger than either of the two Jeeps but the same
Basic vehicle as the Jeeps

What will I use it for? Camping/towing/offroad action. Both the wife and I have been camping since forever. We aren't RV campers, but we are to a certain extent car campers. I plan to use it for some offroad camping, but nothing too extreme. I want to get away from civilization and have some privacy.

The commander I checked off the list the other day because I went and checked one out and it was too small. Additionally I don't think at this point that a suburban or expedition el will work either. Commander was too small and I don't think either of the larger SUV's will fit in the garage which is important in socal community living.

I want 7+ seating so that means the Cherokee and other similar vehicles are out the picture.

Basically putting me at the Expedition, Tahoe (Yukon), Sequoia, and Armada..

I'm going to guess the dependable statements only come from the fact that they are imports and that has a stigma of being more dependable over a domestic which I don't buy into...

Cheeto said:

Chevy Suburban Another over-sized Grocery getter

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Depends. I think the 1/2 ton is a soccer mom deal, but the 3/4 ton with the 8100 vortec is a beast. I put over 200,000 miles on my 2001 2500 with the towing package (upgraded rear suspension, autoride, 4.10) but gas mileage was bad all around. I think my average MPG was about 12mpg, but towing was near 7mpg.

The new suburban does not have the 8100 or any big block option, which is due to our benevolent all knowing federal government and california regulators. The old Suburbans had an anemic detroit diesel which I think made the diesel option in the suburban an unused one. If the Duramax LLY was put in the surburban, I would still have it. The new surburban has nothing to offer me.

The Armada and the Infinity version are going to be problematic for you if you decide to take it on any sort of off road. I have little faith in the quality of Nissan.