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April 2012 Moms
Tell me which Crossover SUV you have PLEASE.. (Semi baby related I guess as they'll be in it)
Since my car was totaled recently I am on the hunt for a replacement vehicle ASAP. I want a small(ish) crossover SUV (as I need AWD living in snowy New England) and have been looking primarily at Nissan Muranos and Ford Edges (but I also like the Subaru Forresters). I am looking at 2009s with roughly 28,000 miles. What do you ladies have (in that car genre) and please list pros and cons. This is exciting but it is really stressing me out trying to research safety, MPG, price etc... and I don't have a lot of time to decide as we are down one car and I work every Sunday so my time to shop is very narrow.
Ugh....help!!!
HAPPY Friday!!!!
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Re: Tell me which Crossover SUV you have PLEASE.. (Semi baby related I guess as they'll be in it)
We looked for a month straight and did all the research you are doing! Based on what we read about reviews of comfort/safety/mpg/etc...Ford Edge was the winner! And trust me...we spent HOURS searching. We have a 2008 Ford Edge and I FREAKING LOVE IT. Everyone I know who has one loves it...mpg is great, it drives really great, its super comfy...super roomy...and its cool looking!
I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the Ford Edge!!!
By the way, we looked at the Muranos too...that was our second choice. They actually seemed a tad smaller and much more pricey...and we looked at mazdas but the price of tires was ridiculous and had poor consumer reviews compared the edge...we looked at rav4s, honda crvs, hyndai sonatas...etc...all too small. The ford edge was perfect for everything we were looking for and we have had it 6 months now and I love it more every day! Hope this helps! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions!! I can help out because I know a little about most suvs after all the dang research we did!
Mr and Mrs EST 8.19.06
DD#1 3.28.12
At first we thought we were going to go with the Subaru Forester, but then we looked at the new Outback (which I think counts as a crossover), and it had a lot more space for cargo & legroom in the backseat, so that's what we got. Subarus have the highest safety rating, on par with Volvo. I thought the older Outback looked too station wagon-y, but the new one I can live with.
ETA: I think the new Outback design started with 2010.
We bought our Ford Edge in anticipation of TTC / having the cash handy / needing a new car anyway and I couldn't be happier!
We bought ours previously owned, but it's almost fully loaded - if you can get the leather heated seats / moon roof / AWD I totally recommend it. We had the choice between our loaded one and one that was more basic and I do not regret our decision at all.
The nice thing about the Edge is that you can actually fit three car seats across. I doubt that we'll ever need to do that, but it's nice to know that it's wide and roomy. Even with the rear seats up there is plenty of trunk space for a large stroller / groceries.
There's only two things that I would consider "cons" of the Edge:
1. No remote start on our model. I'm not sure if other models have it now, but remote start is worth every penny and more.
2. It's heavy and a bit of a pig on gas, though it does a great job on the highway (We drove from Southern Ontario to Boston and back on less than three tanks).
Despite the cons, I would recommend the Edge to anyone.
ETA: My husband is 6'2 and found it hard to get comfortably in and out of a lot of other smaller CUVs - Nissan was out, Honda was ok, but the Edge definitely had the most head room for him.
My friend has a Toyota Venza -- they are so roomy and comfy!! I absolutely love it!
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It's a little smaller but we really like our Matrix. I know it comes in a AWD version. We get on average 28MPG and on long trips it's closer to 35. It's been great in the snow (I skidded once and I think that was me, not the car) -- we live in NE -- and it's got legroom.
Along those lines I hear the Venza is good (like a bigger Matrix) but don't know anything personally about it.
Yay Yay Yay, that is what I was hoping to hear!!!!!! That is my front runner!! I think I just found out that the Murano needs Premium gas so....nope. Which type of Edge did you get?, I am looking at a limited because I really want some of those bells and whistles like heated seats. After driving my very basic Honda Civic since 2002 I think I deserve a fancier car
We have a mazda cx-7 and I love it. Love love love!!!!! We got it 4 years ago and I can't find a thing about it that I don't like. Well I take that back. It won't fit three carseats, so we have to get rid of it for another car.
But yes, if you get a mazda cx-7 you will not regret it!
DO IT!!!!!!! Oh and I live in Minnesota and I've never felt safer driving in the winters.
We got the SEL...but we didn't want/need all the bells and whistles. I do have bluetooth/sync which I LOVE and highly recommend!! I drove a Honda Civic before the edge too!! Too funny! I think you are meant to get the Edge! If that was your front runner, I say just do it! Don't get too confused/overwhelmed with all the other recommendations if that was your original choice! Oh and I had 2 carseats (infant and toddler) in my car all weekend plus had someone in the middle (she is tiny but was very comfortable) and everything was perfect! Plenty of room...the front seats didnt need to be adjusted and we still had all the trunk space. It was perfect!!!!
We also have the Acura MDX - but the RDX is the smaller version and seemed pretty nice as well. LIke PP mentioned, we love having the extra 3rd row, even if it is kind of small for adults - it gives us more flexibility between hauling around things and people.
Pros - I love how it drives and I love all of the features. I love the all wheel drive capability, and how safe I feel going around turns (it feels like it really hugs the pavement) and driving in the rain. In my jeep, even with good tires, I would skid/fishtail a lot which was my deciding factor not to go with a Jeep again.
Cons - I wish they would come out with a keyless entry - I still have to carry the FOB around. And gas mileage like PP mentioned, but we knew that going into the car, and since we have a car as well, we use that for some of our driving.
We had similar requirements and purchased a Honda CRV. That at the Toyota Rav 4, we discovered, are practically the same vehicle (though the Rav has an option for an upgraded engine or something...don't know those details).
They both have 5 star safety ratings, get 27 mpg (great for an suv), and hold their value. We've heard from many people that have either car and they've had no problems, we're hoping for the same!
In the end, the Honda CRV was a better seat fit for us...and we preferred how the back door opens (up, rather than on the side...not good when it's raining, Rav 4!)...but they are very high selling models because of their safety & price:)
Good luck!
I have the MDX as well and I love it. Loads of room and it performs excellent in winter conditions.
I have a Forester and I freekin LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
It is GREAT in the snow. They are supposed to last a long time and they have GREAT safety ratings. We even get an insurance discount for having a Subaru on our policy!
Penelope Lynn 5.8.2009
Harrison Peter 4.10.2012
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Emerson Kate born 4/6/12, 5 lbs. 13 oz. 18 3/4 inches.
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We did lots of research and test driving as well....we had it down to the Toyota Highlander and Chevrolet Traverse. We went with the 2011 Toyota Highlander SE. It had all we needed and was $4k less than the Traverse with the options we wanted. Plus, I'm pretty anti-American cars.
It has excellent reviews for car seat use, comes with LATCH system.
We LOVE it. Wouldn't change our purchase at all.