Re: Reliable SUV's
 

That must be why we have7 or 8 fords then, my guy is a ford guy through and through, he just cannot stand escapes AT ALL.:p

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

It must be something to do with build or maintenance or something, as I said it's not something he can put his finger on he just hates them, just before the winter oh was getting desperate for a winter driver, we were at the auctions and escape after escape went on the block, I asked again why not an escape (they are about as big as I'd prefer) and once again he said I wouldnt have one if it was given to me.

He's been dead happy with his pt cruiser this winter though:) theybare fantasic little cars but not what the op wants.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

We can agree to disagree on the escapes but dont get me started on those PT hairdresser cars - I would remove my arm with a rusty butter knife before I would even set foot in one of them :D

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Yeah PT Cruisers are a marmite car :rofl: This is the second one we've had, they are great cars to drive. I just also need to say I have only ever seen an escape from the outside, I personally have no experience of them.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Its nuts to buy a vehicle based on lugging visitors around once or twice a year. Just rent (or have them rent) something larger for the duration if you have to, rather than pay 24/7 in terrible fuel efficiency for that extra capability that you wont use the vast majority of the time.

SUVs are not safer, thats simply marketing BS. They are heavier and take more stopping and more to manouver out of trouble.

A civic with winter rubber will deal quite happily with 99% of snowfall here, and if the other 1% happens then you are better off at home anyway. I started life here with a Jeep thinking the same as you regarding safety, and it was a mistake I would not wish others to repeat. Thirsty to run, trucky to drive, ponderous handling, poor ride quality, supertanker stopping distances.

If you have a job where you absolutely positively must get there, then get a subaru with winter tires, otherwise any regular car will do, its the tires that get you through.

If you are not towing or dont have 5 kids, then give the big SUVs a miss, and if you need the space when company visits (the novelty will wear thin for them in a couple of years anyway) then rent a minivan.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

To the OP.

Have you done comparrisons between the SUVs and minivans?

The reason is the minivan is generally a lot cheaper than it's SUV counterpart, the minivan is bigger in size, most minivans now have 'stow and go' seating which essentially turns it into a cargo van, and they seat 7.

SUVs do drive nicer and if you have the money why not but for me and my family the minivan was the better choice.

Good luck with what you decide.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Which minivan do you have?
Just curious :)

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

That reminds me, wasn't there a big SUV that was "famed" for A pillars that bent and skewered the occupants to death during rollover crashes?

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Its 2 people 95% of the time, they dont need to own a minivan. They may need to rent one occasionally...

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Nicer than what? SUVs drive like trucks!

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

I have a (2010?) Dodge grand caravan.

It's actually a fantastic van, in my eyes there is a reason why it's the number one seller, it's not the prettiest and it handles like a tank but it is very pratical.

My wife drives the van whereas I drive a Kia Rio, if I can handle a Rio then anyone should be able to handle a Civic/Corolla.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Some people generally feel safer in a bigger vehicle, to me the benefits of a van far outweigh the benefits of an SUV I feel the SUV is more of an image purchase and I agree that SUVs aren't as nice to drive as a passanger car but it is a lot nicer than a van.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

It depends on the SUV. Most have power steering, power breaks and automatic gearboxes, no sensation is transmitted to the driver at all; they're just like minivans but with a worse view out of the back. I agree that they're an image purchase but quite what image the owners intend to convey I can't imagine.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Fat wallet.

In terms of the driving I don't think any of the vans I test drove, drove better than any of the SUVs. My decision ended up being one of practicallity.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Maybe if it's a BMW or a Porsche but they could do that with one of the sportier models in those ranges and have something fun to drive. I don't get the SUV thing at all.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Just for info,

We brought a SUV when we first got here, when the second child arrived we had to change just to get the car seat in. We now have a Dodge mini van, Not our car of choice for style/looks however it does everything we need it too, from moving 3 kids now with all the gear that go's with that, up to being a furniture van as required.

Our other car is a Nissian Altima, and i cover about 40k a year in that travelling all over Northan Alberta, never had a day yet i could not get to where i needed to get to, passing many trucks and suv's in the ditches on bad days with the mistaken belief that 4x4 protects you form slipping off the road

What ever you get, do not skimp on maintenance, if you get stuck out in the middle of nowwhere you could wait all day before another car passes by.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

The usual thing I think when passing an SUV is 'how did they manage to actually end up stuck on top of the crash barrier?'

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Lol, many of the new ones are car based and drive pretty well, they won't be in the $15k range though.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Try a Cayenne sometime. It'll alter that perception.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Yes, of course, one can get around in many parts of Canada in a car with snow tires. Have to say, in this part of the world, I've been thankful for SUV with 4x4 on numerous occasions as I battle my way through drifting/blowing snow/monster potholes/ice accumulations etc. More to the point, I've been stuck in the Mrs's Kia Soul, complete with snow tires. So for us, a SUV, or for the next two years, a truck, seems like a neccessary thing.

BTW last weekend I drove 700km in a Dodge Caravan to get to an aiport that wasn't fogged in for days. It was OK, but I'dve rather been in my truck any day of the week.;)

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

We dont have the Escape now so have no loyalty towards them just really pointing out that i had no problems with it , found it a decent vehicle to drive in the snow etc - Swapped to a chevvy traverse for the 2nd vehicle now and I'm not 100% sure if that still classed as a SUV or more mini van territory but for the little I do drive it I quite like it :thumbup:

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

The Traverse is the worst van for blindspots I've been in. It felt horribly unsafe to change lanes in it.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Very true regarding the blind spots :thumbup:

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Yep....marketing....

I am sure a Civic would hold-up just dandy...

:flypig:

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

You can however see a lot further ahead and prepare for trouble that way. Mind you, I'm not sure many Canadian drivers look further than the back of the car in front.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Not when they're driving two feet behind the car in front, which is where most SUVs around here seem to be when they're not in a ditch (or stuck sideways on top of a crash barrier).

So long as you drive them sensibly, you're probably going to be better off than most car drivers in bad weather. But unfortunately the majority of SUV drivers just seem to use the extra capabilities to get in more trouble faster.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Another post....waffling-on about the "majority"....been driving on Canadian roads since 87....we have had an SUV (two vehicle family, one car and one SUV) since 89.

I can't even recall seeing an SUV in a ditch/accident period. Of course I cannot say the same about cars, cars and caravans, cars and trucks, seen plenty over the years in Canada and Europe etc.

When we drop too one vehicle.... It will be an SUV...

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Im not surprised, I used to visit the plants where they were made in (we supplied A/C parts). My ex boss had the Mazda tribute version....the head lining fell down in him while driving on the 401:blink: He was not surprised either.

Mind you, that was a while ago. Fords seem a lot better screwed together nowadays.


As the occasional driver if an AWD vehicle my impression is that it lulls you into a false sense of security, its relatively easy to get going when conditions are poor, no wheelspin or traction control intervention as there is in our FWD, and consequently without vigilance it easy to be driving a little too fast when you find that power to all 4 corners does absolutely bugger all to help you stop in a hurry.

The two biggest factors though in driving safely in the winter are how much grip do you have on the road (winter rubber makes a huge difference in most of the country), and what is going on between your ears. AWD, 4x4, SUV are all very much secondary to that.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Do you see any other vehicles on, or off, the roads down there? I expect I could find you a crashed SUV on any given day in the GTA but it'd be a lot harder in Nunavut.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

lol, I drive a 4wd F150, not by choice, OH likes me to be in something big and what he perceives to be safe - I hate the handling of big lumbering things and am always worried they are going to spin out from the back end or tip over (I know:rolleyes:) So whatever I drive, I drive like a complete girl:rofl:

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

i quite like the 4WD setup in my Ridgeline...its FWD until it loses traction and then becomes 4WD

also comes with Honda's VSA system, which (according to Wiki) its been brilliant with winter tyres (tires) on it! :D

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Now, even by my standards, a faux truck is a vehicle requiring a strong sense of one's sexuality. What colour is it?

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Real men (& women) drive proper trucks? :-)

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

What did you get for a truck Ax ? Scared to mention what I have seeing as my Ford Escape and Traverse already got trashed :D

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

F150 Supercrew. 2 yr lease was cheaper than a SUV!

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Is that the fully loaded one with the leather seats etc ? I went for the Tundra

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

No, mid spec. Failed on the wife's "I don't care what you get so long as it is red and has heated seats" directive. It's neither red, nor does it have heated seats. C'est la vie.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

toyota land cruiser the best and only suv why do you think the taliban use them no joking apart , ive had 5 and never put a spanner on them sept for servicing and some had done 300000 miles

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

Except you can't buy a Toyota LandCruiser in Canada. Not a new one anyway.

Re: Reliable SUV's
 

$78k in the US though.