Ok-I will be buying a full-size SUV. The gas mileage sucks on most of them so there aren't too many that excel in this area. What I was wanting to know is has anyone had either a 2004-5 Tahoe or 2004-5 Montero? I have researched both of them and like them both for their prospective pluses.

Tahoe-Great engine.
Parts are cheaper than the Mitsu's.


Montero-Not a cookie cutter SUV.
Much better warranty.
Gutless V6?
Will they be around in 5 years to work on my vehicle?

Have you considered waiting for the 2007 Tahoe? I wouldn't want a 2004-5 when the new ones are right around the corner. http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103218

i like the new lexus Rx400h hybrid, or the highlander hybrid.
if you are only considering tahoe and montero, I suggest tahoe because Montero has terrible reliability ratings. Tahoe's resale value has taken a HUGE dip due to the gas price hike and the GM employee discount pricing. So you can pick a used one up cheap. The way SUVs are depreicating in an exponential manner, i dont think its a good idea to buy a new SUV... unless its a hybrid.
good luck

range rover

Lemme crash the party as well and offer my twocents


VOLVO XC90

They are redesigning the tahoe next year. Why are you leaving the Durango out? you can get a very low milage durango (under 5 K miles) with a hemi loaded leather etc for 22K. We originally looked at those but decided on an escelade. I just rode in the new ML500 Mercedes and today I have to go look at those as I may hve to bring one home.

Gah, sorry to anyone who likes the new Tahoe, but that's one hell of an ugly truck. I'm not one to like trucks, but at least they used to be handsome. That thing just looks like a semi.

Your choice of SUV should depend on your usage habits. Are you getting it for the seating/cargo capacity, towing, styling? Do you plan to do any off-roading, is 4WD/AWD important to you? How about driving dynamics? The answers to these questions should direct you toward the appropriate candidates.

If you don't plan to do any towing, haul very heavy loads, or go off-roading, then a car-like, unibody SUV might suit you best due to their better fuel economy and handling characteristics compared to body-on-frame SUVs. However, if you do plan to use the SUV for any of these purposes, you might want to consider a BOF SUV.

IMO, both of the vehicles you are considering would be fine choices.

I had a 94 montero, i know i know....a little old, and lots of changes to compare it to the current model but here goes :

The ladder frame was old tech. but still quite stiff and rugged, seating for 7 (5 comfortably) i had the 4WD with front, rear and center locking diffs (remote locking!) and a 4 speed auto....quite rugged, I had a 3 inch lift with 35's and it was more than happy to go off road. The v6 was a pig, about 16mpg avg for city driving, not to bad back then when gas was $1 a gal, while it couldnt get out of its own way merging on the freeway, in the mud it had enough power to get my unstuck...I beat the hell out of that truck off road and on, and it went up to 180k miles when i turned it in......the only thing that wasnt normal maitinence was the AC compressor blew up at about 150k miles, I never got it fixed but it would have been 600 for the part and install at the dealer...i just said fuck it and drove with the windows down. Other than that....great little truck.

Around the time I owned it the Montero had 10 yrs back to back winning the paris de kar rally....( the one accross the sahara desert ).

It's really tough to find everything I want in one vehicle. I like the Tahoe's seats and interior size ALOT. But I don't like the truck-looking dash and style as well as the fact I can find 10 of them in any small parking lot. I don't want to go over 30,000 so I am looking for something in an '05 with low miles. I talked to a Mitsu dealer and they said that the Montero is being discontinued. At first I thought that was a bad thing but maybe not in the bargaining dept. After all, they still have to honor the warranty. It has a five year warranty vs the 3 for Chevy.

I went and looked at the Montero and to me, it looks much better than the Tahoe. It has an enormous sunroof. Of course that is the last of my concerns. The third row seat looks like only Spongebob could fit in it. The seats are quite a bit narrower than the Tahoe's. But it was nice to see the looks of it without staring at a Tahoe day in and day out. So I looked at some low mileage Armadas and really like them but have some concerns about some of the reviews I read. I don't need 4WD but would like leather as it has been in the past easier to keep clean with kids and pets.

On one hand, the Tahoe would be perfect for long trips and the Montero would be small. But in town, the Montero would be better. It makes sense to buy what you would get the most use out of. The Tahoes apparently are going to be marked back up starting Oct 1st according to the dealership. Perhaps its just a ploy to say "hurry". But they do this every month. I know it has to end sometime and if it does indeed end this month, will the used ones go up as well? It only makes sense. :(

Might I suggest you look at the Toyota Sequioa. It seems to have some of the positives you list for each of your choices, without some of the negatives. It's also top notch for reliability, and has won several comparison tests. I personally like the Montero for it's uniqueness and not so big size. Just thought I'd throw the Toyota in there. I don't know how common they are around you, but I'm sure it's less so than the Tahoe.

I'd stay away from the Armada, as it seems to be hit or miss as to whether you get a good one. Lots of people with brake rotors warping every few thousand miles, as well as overall quality issues such as bad window regulators, interior trim pieces falling apart, as well as many squeaks and rattles. Mechanically it is solid with a great engine/trans. Those other things would bother me, along with the curved top of the doors and square box cargo area that just doesn't seem to be a flowing design at all.

I'd go and drive all the candidates and decide which one I like best. There is no real bad choice, just a matter of which meets your wants/needs best. Good luck and let us know what you choose.

OK. Thanks for the info on the Armada. I also will consider the Isuzu Trooper replacement-the Ascender (or could be the Pretender). It may be junk but I have to do some research. I'm looking at getting something in about 10-12 days or when I go off on-call next week.

Land Rover LR3

Latest update-

Well, I can't believe I would even consider a Durango but researched the new ones where they did an overhaul on it. I have read nothing but good reviews from several sources. They aren't the gas hog they used to be and since I am getting a mid to full-sized SUV, it's not going to be great in the fuel dept. I need to head over to the Durango forums and see how the 05-06s are.

Latest update-

Well, I can't believe I would even consider a Durango but researched the new ones where they did an overhaul on it. I have read nothing but good reviews from several sources. They aren't the gas hog they used to be and since I am getting a mid to full-sized SUV, it's not going to be great in the fuel dept. I need to head over to the Durango forums and see how the 05-06s are.

My brother in aw has an 04 Limited Durango with the Hemi, 3rd row seating, basically every option you can get. I have driven it and the hemi has very good acceleration and the truck has alot of storage and seating. If you do get the Hemi it does suck gas and it is pretty pricey to fill it up. We drove it down to 40 miles till empty (the car tells you this) then I filled it up with 64.00 dollars worth of gas (requires 89 octane) and it said the truck should get approx 345 miles to the tank. It also says the truck averages 14.1 mpg just to give you an idea. This truck was the awd version so that affected the milage. I would recommend the side steps as it is a decect step up in to the truck.

I also recommend side steps...

Last year at Auto Show in Motion, I fell out of the Hummer :o

I'm bad at trucks.

imo, nobody recommended the new durango because it is ugly and has no character(besides the hemi). Yes, it is an suv and my friend loves his blue durango, but still. Your first two choices as well as the Sequoia are much better looking. And Toyota makes some great trucks.

They are redesigning the tahoe next year. Why are you leaving the Durango out? you can get a very low milage durango (under 5 K miles) with a hemi loaded leather etc for 22K. We originally looked at those but decided on an escelade. I just rode in the new ML500 Mercedes and today I have to go look at those as I may hve to bring one home.


I suggested a durango in the begining.

I guess I never considered the Durango because the old ones weren't worth considering. I really never looked at the new ones so thought I would give it a shot and I was pleasantly surprised.

If you're looking at dropping down in size to the Durango, you may also want to look at the new Pathfinder. It's not really much smaller than the Durango and from those I know who own them, a great truck. It has a third row seat, albeit best suited for kids. I'm not sure that the Durangos, or an other non full size really has an adult sized 3rd row. It has a stout 4.0 V6 that puts out 270HP and close to 300 ft-lbs. I previously owned a 2001 with the 3.5 version of the same engine and it had a very healthy powerband. I personally think it looks a lot better than the Durango, but that's your call. My styling tatse would keep me from buying one, similar to the Armada the looks are gangly to my eyes. The Dodge does have a little bit more second row legroom, but if that's what you need, the Tahoe/Sequioa are better.

It's a wonderful world we live in with all these good choices. None of these SUVs are bad.

Anybody know about the 2nd gen Durangos having tranny issues like the 1st gen?

2005 Honda Pilot, 255hp Vtec, 22mpg highway at invoice or below.

Yeah, the wife likes that one too.

Yeah, the wife likes that one too.
The Pilot is a great SUV. My parents have one. But I think it's technically considered a Midsize SUV? It does seat 7 though!

It has enough power, comfortable ride, roomy (except the 3rd row is tight), and decent mileage. Heck I think it might get as good mileage as my 8.

So are you looking at the full sized SUV for the space, towing capasity or simply for an SUV?

Space. The Trailblazer/Jeep Cherokee size is just a little too small for what we want. However, a Suburban is way too big. I read two separate comparison tests on the Durango and it won both. So who knows.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=7864&page_number=6

http://motortrend.com/roadtests/suv/112_0403_suvs/index9.html

These reviews don't mean they are the final authority on SUVs but they are interesting reviews nonetheless. Hopefully either way I can get a good deal on one since a lot of people are trying to get rid of them due to fuel costs.

Being the anti SUV person that I am, since you're only looking for space and not towing capasity, what about a van? If the 5 is too small, Odyssey isn't a bad vehicle, or a Sienna, they certainly block less of the road than an SUV with better mileage. Plus you can actually seat more people comfortably wherever you have people stuffed in the cargo space of a SUV if you want extra seating. I've never found any SUV seats to be comfortable, significantly less so than a Mini-van.

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2005/infiniti/fx35/100487297/researchlanding.html

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2005/infiniti/fx35/100487297/researchlanding.htmlInfiniti FX45??? I guess you didn't read the post in which he says the Trailblazer or Cherokee would be too small. The FX45 is significantly smaller than both of those, and only seats 5. From the review you linked:

"Cons: Minimal cargo room, large blind spots, tricky at-the-limit handling, doesn't feel as upscale as some peers, no third-row seat available."


Being the anti SUV person that I am, since you're only looking for space and not towing capasity, what about a van? Sorry, but there is something to be said about style.

Infiniti FX45??? I guess you didn't read the post in which he says the Trailblazer or Cherokee would be too small. The FX45 is significantly smaller than both of those, and only seats 5. From the review you linked:

"Cons: Minimal cargo room, large blind spots, tricky at-the-limit handling, doesn't feel as upscale as some peers, no third-row seat available."


Sorry, but there is something to be said about style.


That's it in a nutshell right there. The only van we looked at was the Quest and although I liked the engine, I just don't want to sink myself into another van.

I just got a FX35 yesturday the cargo room statement is true, limit handling I don't know about cause it is too new :D, I drove the Bmw X5, MB E350, and A4 (I know these are mostly cars not trucks but I thought the interior was just as nice and better than the X5), I read about bad blind spots If I look over my shoulder there are no blind spots.

That being said I know the fx is too small for you. I still say get the Durango I like suv's better than minivans.

I hear ya. I'm going out today to try and take advantage of the last day of this employee discounting. Oh the joys of dealing with a dealership and the financing dept (vomit).

Well, as you can see by my new sig, I made my decision and bought an '05 Durango Limited.
I can't believe the difference between the 2nd Gens and the 1st Gen Durangos. The fit and finish is night and day. I never thought I would buy a Dodge but the new Durangos are nice. Even the doorhandles are thick and sturdy feeling without seeming cheap. I got an unreal deal on it since it was the last day and they had been slow for the past week. It has a 5.7 Hemi engine rated at 335hp and 370 lb-ft of torque. It can tow close to 9,000 lbs.
It has the following...
Leather seats
368 Watt Infinity Sound system w/ 6 disc CD changer-Sirius satellite
(much better than the stock Bose in the 8)
Auto climate control
Sunroof
Power seats, mirrors, windows, locks, etc.
Homelink system
Steering wheel audio controls
Auto headlamps
It is also set up for two memory settings to where you hit the unlock on your key and it senses which key is being used and adjusts the settings in the vehicle accordingly to seat setting, climate control, radio presets as well as mirrors.

All in all I am extremely happy with the power and everything else. It goes approximately 0-60 in the mid 7s range which isn't too bad for a full-size SUV. These pics aren't that great as some are blurry but you get the idea.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1330/hemiout5nc.jpg


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/9770/wheel9wy.jpg


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/2192/interior5wb.jpg


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/3408/hemiinside8eg.jpg


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1079/hemigauges5aq.jpg


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/5352/handle3yw.jpg


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/2249/magnum9iv.jpg

Thanks again to all who gave their input.

You will love that truck! I could not believe how fast it was for the size of the truck. We have one at the office exactly like you have shown but in the dark blue we got one with the 3rd row seating.

I say good choice enjoy!!

Thanks-so far I am! :D