Help picking out family SUV

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Tesla Model X

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[stormshadow3800]

Ok - so I am waiting on my 4 door OBX sas lux. I optioned it up to serve family duty. But I am really getting the feeling that either A. I dont want to share it, B. the cargo isnt big enough, or C. a combination of the two.

We have a 3 year old, and now with #2 on on the way early next year, plus a 40 lb dog. My wife has a commuter sedan with a lease up in November of next year. My plan was to 'test out' the Bronco as a family hauler, and see if i should upgrade the wife's family suv either between now and Feb...or sometime later into 2022 when he lease comes up. But want to get in front of the choices, seeing how hard it is to get a vehicle as of lately. I kind of figure if I go the CPO route, or lease. Will only put on 5k/yr, so either a lease of <30k mile CPO make little difference.

Ive been searching high and low and nothing is standing out. Here's what she is looking for:
-Luxury brand important to her (maybe #1 priority), but I think I could override that with something fast and sporty. This will be a commuter car going through dense urban areas, as well as a road tripper
-She wants a 'cool vehicle' and not a soccer mom car. I.e. no XC90, no Q7, no MDX, no RDX L, no Pilot. She started her asking (half in jest) - but a murdered out Range Rover (the big one), which was a hard no. Whatever we choose it will probably end up getting blacked out.
-Something not too big and not too small. Drives like a car. i.e. no Yukon. Ideal size is something under 200" long and less than 77" wide. 2.5 row ideal. Dont require 3 rows, but we are really heavy road trip packers and would need at a minimum 40 cu ft of cargo behind second row (this has been a starting point of my search)

If i had it my way, I would just take our volvo lease and do an early trade in for an XC90 lease, but that's a no go.


Looking at either lease, or CPO. $700/mo max lease, or ~$45-55k CPO.

I've looked at and crossed out the following (these were immediately brought into the conversation):

-CPO Range Rover Sport (cargo too small; maintenance).
-CPO LR Discovery (she doesnt like; maintenance)
-CPO Audi Q8 (cargo too small)
-CPO Cayenne (cargo too small, too pricey; maintenance)
-CPO Lincoln Aviator (too wide/cumbersome for commuting)

Some options I am flirting with for her:

-Atlas Cross Sport R-Line (lease or CPO). Basically alternative to Q8 but has 40 cu ft cargo vs Q8 (30 cu ft - non starter), and much less $$, but reviews arent great. Doubt she gets on board, but she may be wowed when seeing a well appointed, blacked out one in person.
-2022 GX460 (they are updating the tech for 2022, which is the biggest element of this being a dinosaur. Understood this is a super old platform. She said she likes this truck. It will also be available with a night pack for 2022. MPG poor, but the size and price are perfect. My one take away is if this drives anywhere near a 4runner (loose and truck-ish) it will probably be a no go for her.
-Ford Edge ST blacked out. She probably wont get on board with this, but it's a sporty, well handling SUV and good size - big cargo. FYI, Explorer is no go (cop car comments from her).
-MB GLE 350 (pricey, and doesnt lease well). Would need to wait on CPOs as the big refresh was for 2020. Almost class leading cargo vol for a 2 row. For some reason, she doesnt view this as a 'mom car' or maybe given the interior is so nice, it doesnt matter.
-X5 (same thoughts as above). 0-60 5.0 sec. Great fit, but cargo falls short, and really doesnt give us the space we need.

Any thoughts here?

I have an Atlas SE (not Cross Sport or R), but it has the same 3.6L V6. It feels extremely sluggish off the line unless you slam on it. Not great MPG as well and small gas tank lead to quite a few trips to the station. I really like the vehicle otherwise, but definitely seems underpowered and MPG sucks.

 

[HBTFD]

The telluride would be my choice. Don’t get an Atlas, advice from my neighbor who is a VW mechanic.

 

[jaruss01]

That's good to know. Maybe i will cross the atlas off. As for the model x, our search started there. But given our mileage usage (5k/yr), its difficult to get behind paying a premium on an electric, or hybrid for that matter....The only thing that is standing out would be the 2022 GX (with updated infotainment, apple/android, black pack), that would make her happy and my wallet happy. Another option is the GLE, although it's starting to stretch the costs (lease isnt great, and need to wait on CPOs to come down).

 

[PatientlyWaiting]

Hate to say it but you need a minivan. They are purposely designed to do what you need with a family with young children. We had a Sienna XLE - was a bit sad to see it go after 10 years. It hauled a ton, ours was trimmed up nice and had a solid sound system. You could pack a family of 5 with all our gear for a week at the beach + kayaks on the roof. Be sure to get a hitch if you think you may need more space for a platform carrier. Not sexy and you can't go off road but that is about the only downside.

I agree, you can’t go wrong with a minivan. I swore I would never get one. I was wrong and am so glad we did. When we had our first child we had a mid size SUV. When we had our second child and the first became a toddler we had zero room on trips. We eventually had to take two cars in long trips or camping trips. Later we bought a Honda Odyssey and all our problems were solved. Even when we had a third child we still had a ton of room.

 

[jaruss01]

Would never go for it. Personally, I wouldnt want to drive one either. I think in her head, if it were up to her, she'd pick out a blacked out Audi 'S' or MB 'AMG' etc version of an SUV as a stand-out amongst the others. I would be game for that, but hate the idea of big maintenance and depreciation. I could probably sauce up something with an appearance package, or bring other options to the table, such as a Lexus GX night pack. With the europeans, the X5 is too small, the X7 is too big. The Q7 and XC90 are exhaustively mommed out here. The GLE with AMG pack could work, since the cargo room is there. But again, it feels like i am searching for a unicorn, and also dont want to go to crazily overboard on costs since wear and tear from kids.

 

[chowfun27]

We test drove just about everything in the mid size SUV segment and were set on an Atlas 4motion SEL until we drove the Kia Telluride. I didn't want to like it (It is afterall, a KIA right?) but it was better than the Atlas and competition in almost every manner. I was shocked. If you are a car person and go in with an open-mind about KIA/Hyundai, you'd be surprised too I bet. Just be aware even though it debuted in 2019 as a 2020 model, they are still being sold at MSRP or over because the demand is still so high. Fully loaded, new, you would still fall in your $45k-$55k budget tho. We're actually trading in our 2020 EX AWD for more than we paid OTD and opting for a 2022 SX AWD. If you're looking for a black out option, the ebony black SX with nightfall package looks pretty unique and menacing on the road with it's amber DRL.

I never thought I'd EVER own a KIA but I will soon have owned 2. Good luck!

 

[MJJ]

any Luxury SUV is going to come with higher maintenance costs especially for the imports. i would factor in the cost of an extended warranty that goes beyond the CPO before I would consider an import luxury SUV on a fixed budget. BMW X5 or Jaguar F pace.

the Value between new and used cars delta has been turned on its face. Used cars have shot up between 20-30%. New models in many cases come with Adm’s even telluride.

Point being is you may have a hard time finding a great SUV even at your price target.

 

[HorizonHunter]

Ok - so I am waiting on my 4 door OBX sas lux. I optioned it up to serve family duty. But I am really getting the feeling that either A. I dont want to share it, B. the cargo isnt big enough, or C. a combination of the two.

We have a 3 year old, and now with #2 on on the way early next year, plus a 40 lb dog. My wife has a commuter sedan with a lease up in November of next year. My plan was to 'test out' the Bronco as a family hauler, and see if i should upgrade the wife's family suv either between now and Feb...or sometime later into 2022 when he lease comes up. But want to get in front of the choices, seeing how hard it is to get a vehicle as of lately. I kind of figure if I go the CPO route, or lease. Will only put on 5k/yr, so either a lease of <30k mile CPO make little difference.

Ive been searching high and low and nothing is standing out. Here's what she is looking for:
-Luxury brand important to her (maybe #1 priority), but I think I could override that with something fast and sporty. This will be a commuter car going through dense urban areas, as well as a road tripper
-She wants a 'cool vehicle' and not a soccer mom car. I.e. no XC90, no Q7, no MDX, no RDX L, no Pilot. She started her asking (half in jest) - but a murdered out Range Rover (the big one), which was a hard no. Whatever we choose it will probably end up getting blacked out.
-Something not too big and not too small. Drives like a car. i.e. no Yukon. Ideal size is something under 200" long and less than 77" wide. 2.5 row ideal. Dont require 3 rows, but we are really heavy road trip packers and would need at a minimum 40 cu ft of cargo behind second row (this has been a starting point of my search)

If i had it my way, I would just take our volvo lease and do an early trade in for an XC90 lease, but that's a no go.


Looking at either lease, or CPO. $700/mo max lease, or ~$45-55k CPO.

I've looked at and crossed out the following (these were immediately brought into the conversation):

-CPO Range Rover Sport (cargo too small; maintenance).
-CPO LR Discovery (she doesnt like; maintenance)
-CPO Audi Q8 (cargo too small)
-CPO Cayenne (cargo too small, too pricey; maintenance)
-CPO Lincoln Aviator (too wide/cumbersome for commuting)

Some options I am flirting with for her:

-Atlas Cross Sport R-Line (lease or CPO). Basically alternative to Q8 but has 40 cu ft cargo vs Q8 (30 cu ft - non starter), and much less $$, but reviews arent great. Doubt she gets on board, but she may be wowed when seeing a well appointed, blacked out one in person.
-2022 GX460 (they are updating the tech for 2022, which is the biggest element of this being a dinosaur. Understood this is a super old platform. She said she likes this truck. It will also be available with a night pack for 2022. MPG poor, but the size and price are perfect. My one take away is if this drives anywhere near a 4runner (loose and truck-ish) it will probably be a no go for her.
-Ford Edge ST blacked out. She probably wont get on board with this, but it's a sporty, well handling SUV and good size - big cargo. FYI, Explorer is no go (cop car comments from her).
-MB GLE 350 (pricey, and doesnt lease well). Would need to wait on CPOs as the big refresh was for 2020. Almost class leading cargo vol for a 2 row. For some reason, she doesnt view this as a 'mom car' or maybe given the interior is so nice, it doesnt matter.
-X5 (same thoughts as above). 0-60 5.0 sec. Great fit, but cargo falls short, and really doesnt give us the space we need.

Any thoughts here?

V90 or V90 Cross Country. My wife opted for the V60 Cross Country rather than an SUV. If you don't need the third row and still want it to be fun to drive, wagon is the way to go.

 

[HorizonHunter]

And I've been drooling over the new blacked out Kia Carnival

 

[jaruss01]

Telluride - Found a place with no mark up. 5-6 mos wait. Feedback was 1000% no on Kia, even though it looked great to me SX loaded night pack...tracked down a GLE AMG night pack, 66.7k. Good lease should be $700/mo with tax a title out of pocket. They quoted me $945/mo with $4,200 out of pocket, 7.5k miles. Which is HORRIBLE. If leasing is out, it sounds like there is little sense to go new. And instead of waiting 5-6 months to order, I might as well wait 5-6 months for the CPO market to cool down and snatch up a CPO, and finance. whatever that vehicle may be.

 

[Mcfly]

If you’re looking for it to stand out, the Defender 110 as someone else mentioned should be the unicorn for another year at least - if you can find one in black and all the options needed. I do not think they are even leasing them at this time….at least that’s what our local dealer told us, and when I searched online, found zero evidence of dealers
Advertising leases on this model.

 

[jaruss01]

Not enough cargo. Too similar to Bronco. I think what is looking the best right now is the 2022 GX with updated tech. It's one of the few vehicles that are of the perfect size. Not too wide, luxury 2.5 rows (extra seat in a pinch, but 45 cu vol folded). Early run has an available black line edition from lexus. So i may look to order that, and go through another very fun process of waiting...Will last forever too, and hopefully trouble free, compared to getting say a 2 year old GLE for the same money as a new GX. The way the bronco is looking, it may be nice to have the other vehicle a trouble free tank.

 

[Mcfly]

we went through a similar exercise. Also think we landed squarely on the Lexus GX460. The lease is probably the best out there…although it has increased $50 in little under 3 months!!! Was $519/mo earlier this year; now it’s $569.
Dealer is offering the ability to trade laterally into the MY22 when it’s available.

the MPG is still abysmal. Big V8

 

[jaruss01]

I didnt even discuss a lease....i think they've gotten even worse. Although i would definitely inquire about the lease at a later date. and yes, two trucks getting ~15 mpg mixed real world will not be fun. Although we drive <10k miles a year (in aggregate between the two vehicles).

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