Looking for a new mid-size SUV for the wife. Anyone have thoughts, pros/cons, comments on the following vehicles:

VW Atlas
Toyota Highlander
Acura RDX

Looking for a reliable vehicle that will last. Have a 2011 GMC Acadia with 90K miles that is starting to incur various cost and likely over the long term would be a better option to get a new vehicle. Thanks for any input.

4runner

I had a 4Runner with 175K and was going to run it till I just had to roll it off a cliff when it died. Someone hit me and put it out of its misery. I now have a Tundra.

The wife thinks my old 4Runner was too rough of a ride so doesn't want that.

An Atlas and Highlander are more in line with an MDX. The RDX is much smaller. Do you want a 3 row SUV?

Wife likely wants a 3 row vehicle even if the last row is tight.

Full size van.

We love our CX-9, give them a test drive. Top end models are very nice and now they have CarPlay if that's important to you

Volvo XC60.

Drive it and youll buy it.

garc said:

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Volvo XC60.

Drive it and youll buy it.

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not 3 rows is it? he'd have to look at XC90's right?

Pahdz said:

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garc said:

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Volvo XC60.

Drive it and youll buy it.

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not 3 rows is it? he'd have to look at XC90's right?

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You're right. I didnt read thread.

Xc90 is prolly out of his budget.

I am always amazed at the ride quality of a Lexus rx. Might be worth a look. We owned one back in 2004. Nice little ride, and could maneuver well in traffic. Had another rx as a loaner from the dealership recently, quiet as a tomb. Looks like the highlander is built on the same platform as the rx. It was a good kid hauler.

OP I see you have a Tundra like I do. My wife was also eyeing the Highlander and all it took for me was sitting in one once at the auto show here in Minneapolis to say nope. Maybe it doesn't matter to you, but I knew I'd be driving her car too and the Highlander felt exactly like my truck on the inside.

The CX-9 for an SUV drives extremely well, it almost wants to be driven hard on the curves. It feels like one of the luxury brands on the inside as well.

I'll echo exactly this. Our Cx9 is awesome to drive. I'll be curious to see if it gets the skyactiv X engine soon that'll bump up the mpgs to about 30 from what I've read

Thanks for all the suggestions. Will have to look at the Mazda. May also look at the Subaru Accent.

Pahdz, as for if it will be something I drive, it is very unlikely as we will most often drive the truck. I did notice that the interiors of the Tundra and Highlander were similar when I was at the dealership for service.

So it is a no go on VW for reliability?

My wife's previous car was a 2009 ES350 with low miles. I liked driving it but we mostly drove the Tundra because my gas is paid for. Now we almost always drive the Mazda for family trips.

A dozen years ago, I wouldn't have recommended a kia, but the Kia Sorento may be worth looking into.

It has the 3 rows, it has the high safety rating, its generally less money, and the 10-year/100K powertrain warranty.

We have a 2013 CX9 with 70k. No issues. WIfe has been happy with it as a kid hauler. Her only knock is the back doors are long so have to be careful not to ding other cars.

Just bought my pregnant wife a Nissan Pathfinder SL Premium, and she loves it.

It has the largest 3rd row room of this bunch, and the middle row is front/back adjustable to help. Also has the highest tow capacity.

I seriously considered Highlander, Ascent, Atlas, and CX-9

Partially considered Sorento and Santa Fe XL

Ended up going Nissan, because I have a hook up, but all of these are mostly the same non-minivan higher-ride-height-minivan - save a few inches here and there and price.

I didn't like the small engines on the Atlas and Ascent, but I really liked the fit/finish of the Ascent and that you can get 2nd row captain's chairs.

Highlander is probably the gold standard of the group, but you'll pay for it. CX-9 is the quirky option, but it is pretty cool and new.

Then Highlander if you want a Camry ride in an SUV

Wife has a VW Atlas and loves it. Only 5K miles to date but has been a fantastic car. 3rd row is pretty roomy and we went with the R-line package for a more sporty look. Let me know if you have any questions.

Atlases are fantastic!

We're looking at something to replace my wife's 2010 Equinox (seriously, garbage) and are looking hard at the Ascent. We're moving to Southern Oregon in May 2019, so AWD is a must.
The Ascents looks really nice.

She likes the Highlander a lot as well, but hates the interior.

I like the Ascent as well in this category.

The CVT still bothers me, but it seems Subaru like nissan has programmed 'steps' into the CVT so it feels like a traditional Auto.

SF XL is a great value, and the new Sorento looks great.

CX9 is also a good one.

The 2020 Explorer looks very promising.

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The 2020 Explorer looks very promising.

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Just looked that up. That does look sharp from the spy photos.

Any idea of when the official release will be?

Lt. Joe Bookman said:

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The 2020 Explorer looks very promising.

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Just looked that up. That does look sharp from the spy photos.

Any idea of when the official release will be?

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The order bank opens on 1/16/19, but production doesnt start till 5/6, and I'm sure rebates wont be decent until the fall.

Ford has already stopped taking new orders for 2019 Explorers, so I'm guessing they'll stop building in March, and take some time to re-tool and re-train and then proceed.

1agswitchin4lanes said:

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I like the Ascent as well in this category.

The CVT still bothers me, but it seems Subaru like nissan has programmed 'steps' into the CVT so it feels like a traditional Auto.

SF XL is a great value, and the new Sorento looks great.

CX9 is also a good one.

The 2020 Explorer looks very promising.

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I thought I would hate the CVT in the Pathfinder. There aren't steps programmed that I've been able to feel. It just feels like a constantly variable rubber band transmission. It takes some getting used to, but definitely not as bad as I thought it would be.

My wife, however, thinks "it feels really smooth", so... yeah... there's that.

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I thought I would have the CVT in the Pathfinder. There aren't steps programmed that I've been able to feel. It just feels like a constantly variable rubber band transmission. It takes some getting used to, but definitely not as bad as I thought it would be.

My wife, however, thinks "it feels really smooth", so... yeah... there's that.

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Happy wife happy life, or something like that...

Lets get lunch soon.

Anything with a CVT was an automatic no for me. My wife didn't know what it was but I was pretty firm. That's partly how we ended up with the CX-9. For what it's worth, we're in Minnesota and it's AWD system has been great so far, no issues.

KW02 said:

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Looking for a new mid-size SUV for the wife. Anyone have thoughts, pros/cons, comments on the following vehicles:

VW Atlas
Toyota Highlander
Acura RDX

Looking for a reliable vehicle that will last. Have a 2011 GMC Acadia with 90K miles that is starting to incur various cost and likely over the long term would be a better option to get a new vehicle. Thanks for any input.

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Didn't see anyone say it, which is a little surprising, but I don't think it would be necessarily accurate to state a brand new vehicle is a "better option" than retaining a 2011 with 90K miles. Now, I understand there are lots of considerations and perhaps financial isn't the main one for y'all, but a 2011 with 90k miles should still have plenty of life and not high expenses yet - not to the point of being equivalent to new vehicle payments over the course of a year anyway.

I haven't heard great things about the Acadia, so maybe you just hate it or it really is prematurely falling apart.

Just get the Highlander and don't worry about it for 10 years. Bought an MDX 3 years ago and already got rid of it. Stranded me on the road twice. Build quality and reliability in Acura is not what it once was.

CX9 is nice but with the third row up the cargo area can only hold about a grocery bag.

Cardiag said:

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CX9 is nice but with the third row up the cargo area can only hold about a grocery bag.

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it's limited no doubt, so if you're going to have those seats up more often than not, maybe consider something else

I hear the Honda CR-V is also top notch