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Suzuki Grand Vitara vs Subaru Forester vs Hyundai Santa Fe vs Jeep Liberty vs Ford Escape vs Saturn Vue

4940 messages,  Last post on Sep 24, 2009 at 9:33 AM

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What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Liberty, Ford Escape, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Saturn VUE, SUV

#4 of 4940 Re: e l green by carczar Nov 28, 2000 (6:37 pm)
I am sorry to hear about your personal ordeal. I hope you've fully recovered. You are absolutely right in saying that any car with a lower center of gravity can be a much safer choice than a top-heavy SUV. However, it is also a reality that many buyers of SUVs choose it because it has that "commanding view" enabled by the high seating position. Just imaging getting stuck in traffic with a behemoth SUV or minivan in front of you while you're sitting in a Honda Civic. It's unfortunate that America's become an SUV nation, but that's a reality. And I am not here to promote people to snap up the SUVs and abandon their cars. Nor do I condone the ever-growing size and thirst of the behemoth SUVs that are driven by a single driver during commuting hours. But the marketing reality is that the mainstream SUV buyers favor the high seating position as well as the all-weather versatility and utility. Add to that the fervent pitch by manufacturers to project the romantic image of an active lifestyle of their potential customers. Given the circumstances, we should push for safer, more frugal SUVs cause SUVs will be around as long as people will buy them and gas is affordable. And in this context, I think small SUVs, driven with care makes a lot of sense. And ofcourse people who are concerned about the rollover potential have the choice to go for the likes of Forester or other AWD wagons. People vote with their checkbooks in this market economy, and as long as SUV's are "in" it's not easy to tell them otherwise. Under the circumstances, i think the Santa Fe and Tribute/Escape are viable options; not too big, thoroughly modern, relatively good MPG, smooth V6. I like the Forester as well. By the way the Jeep Cherokee is aimed at a different category of customers altogether. It's more of a down-to-earth, hard core SUV that attracts different crowd than the mainstream buyers who opt for crossover vehicles. Finally, it's important that the public be educated on the risks associated with driving SUVs. I've seen too many devil-may-care reckless driving by SUV owners who think they're invincible. Unless the federal law mandates that SUV drivers need to go through a series of tougher driver ed courses and training to obtain a separate drivers' license, we have to share the road with some of the idiots. The educated buyer however has a choice in terms of safety, economy, fun factor, etc., and we should honor that freedom of choice. Replies to this message: dogteam1 (Dec 09, 2007 6:05 pm)
#5 of 4940 by p0926 Nov 28, 2000 (8:06 pm)
First off I'll admit that I'm biased since I'm a Forester owner. However, here's my take on the Forester: Handling: Best of the 3 Accelerating & braking: comparable even though the Forester is the only one with a 4-cylinder Interior room: The Forester has as much as or more front seat room than either the Santa Fe or Tribute Appearance/Styling: This is a purely subjective field but I'll grant you that many people find the Forester's looks less than exciting. Reliability: Subaru has established a reputation of building extremely reliable vehicles. On the other hand, both the Santa Fe and Tribute are first year models with all the inherent potential design flaws. As an example of this, the Tribute/Escape is all ready on recall #6. While Hyundai has a completely deserved reputation of building junk. Of course they are working diligently to change that as evidenced by the length of their warranties. Cost: Equipped comparably, all are in the same ballpark. Just my .02 -Frank P. Replies to this message: hickey86 (Jan 06, 2006 1:35 pm) hickey86 (Jan 06, 2006 1:37 pm) ateixeira (Jan 06, 2006 1:39 pm) scape2 (Jan 08, 2006 7:19 am)
#6 of 4940 One more thing, P0926 by plaaaaane Dec 22, 2000 (3:23 pm)
I was on the IIHS web site today trying to find any kind of onfo on the Santa Fe, (None), but I came across a link to statistics on injuries and thefts.   I thought it nice that Forester is much better than average on injuries. I must admit I giggled when I saw its MUCH better on theft! No kid wants to go joyriding in something that looks like that I guess. I think in both cases that is a great plus. It must be good on insurance costs.   Had my first Sube in '76. A DL I believe. And so far it looks like the only one to get for safety and bumper durability...... and theft resistance.   Dave
#7 of 4940 Dave by rsholland Dec 22, 2000 (4:39 pm)
The reason the Forester does better in terms of injuries, is the fact that it is a car (according to the EPA) and not an SUV or truck, and, unlike the Escape, Tribute and Santa Fe, must meet the tougher safety standards that all cars must meet.   Bob
#8 of 4940 Drove all SUV's in the market....Tribute won by bobmazda Dec 24, 2000 (9:26 pm)
Tribute with a few recalls which by the way mine has zero pending...is loved by our family...glad we got it. Last Mazda gave us 188K of great service.
#9 of 4940 As for our Forester by hciaffa Dec 25, 2000 (5:52 am)
We purchased our Forester in 99. Unlike the other sites that people sugar coat the Forester, I tend to be frank about ours. We have had nothing but problems with ours since the second week of ownership. The auto tranny went and had to be dismantled and bebuilt, you think they would have given us a new tranny. The brakes squeal, moan and growl, they are soft and spongy feeling which does not give a re-assuring feeling when stopping. Many other Forester owners have noticed this as well. Our Forester not only pings when accelerating but there is a nasty pinging, rattling sound when we de-accelerate, funny I had the service manger take a ride and he heard it but when I brought it in for service they could not duplicate it so no service was done. The gas milage is terrible. Grant you the sticker said 23/27 but we average 16-17 in the city and 19-21 on the highway and we are not heavy footed drivers. Right know I am doing a gas survey for Subaru, they want to gather info, but from my central CT. dealer I get that its normal. I have tried different octanes as well as brands but the result is always the same. I bought this vehicle for the AWD that its known for and for my wifes assurance while driving in foul weather. Right now as it stand that if this problem continues we might purchase a Santa Fe after the warranty expires.
#10 of 4940 Bought the Sante Fe -- and Very Glad I Did. by kennyh2 Dec 27, 2000 (11:03 pm)
I buy a car about every 7-10 years, so I am certainly not an impulse buyer. Therefore, before buying the Sante Fe, we researched ... and researched and researched. Bottem line: If you want a car-based SUV that looks and feels great, is well equipped, looks compact on the road but mid-sized from the inside, and is moderately priced, the Santa Fe is a very good choice. But, you must be able to live without a hard charging engine (but one that is adequate enough). We came mightly close to buying the Tribute/Escape, but after just a little internet research, the multitude of horror stories scared us off. On the other hand, both the professional and consumer reviews of the Santa Fe were universally strong. We were (and are) somewhat concerned about the "first year model" factor, but Hyundai's bold warrenty got over that hump. Price? We got a heck of a deal - about $19,500 +fees & tax for the GLS V-6 two-wheel drive model, with a few added accessories. (and like I said, it comes well equipped anyway - cruise, CD player, split rear seats, etc). We are getting a lot of compliments, noticing a few turned heads -- and the best part: we are very happy with our decision. My two-bits....
#11 of 4940 Wrestling with Santa Fe/Tribute Decision by joinmi Dec 28, 2000 (3:00 pm)
I am down to deciding between Tribute and Santa Fe. I am looking for info on the 4WD systems. Tribute appears to really be an all wheel drive system that can be locked in to keep the power from shifting back to the front wheels. Is the Santa Fe system similar, or is it true full time 4-wheel drive. Also, for those with experience with the Tribute, I am wondering if the automatic transmission shift on the drive column is a constant annoyance or if you get used to it. The thing is so long I almost knocked the one I test drove out of gear trying to operate the radio. Input is appreciated.
#12 of 4940 Also torn between Sante Fe and Tribute by sliwinski1 Dec 30, 2000 (7:00 pm)
I'm glad to see there are other like minded people out there. As much as the Scoobie Forester was a great value, ride and AWD (it's awesome), I just couldn't get comfortable in the seat. My dog just barely fit (height-wise).   I finally found a Tribute, they're selling like mad in Chicago, and took a test drive. A Dx-V6. The seating was ok, but the driving in snow condition was a little sketchy. I'm a competent off-roader, and I know this vehicle is not for off-road, I have a Cherokee for that. But the tires are mediocre and the traction was mediocre. (No ABS) I did not get stuck, but slipped alot. I engaged the diff lock and it was a bit better. I did not get stuck but when I used the brakes, the sliding distance was not comforting. (Kudos to the Suby's AWD)   I then went and test drove the Santa Fe GLS for the second time and found that despite the sluggish start, which doesn't bother me, the handling was better in 6-8" deep snow covered road. The tires are better and I gave it a good slalom on a close by forest-preserve road. It slipped a little bit but it didn't worry me. The sporty feel was good and the road handling was good also. During the slalom test the vehicle did not rock or tip, like a cherokee does.   I'm somewhat apprehensive about the Hyundai name. But you know Honda and Toyota did't get off to a great start either in the U.S.   Although here's some food for thought. Look and touch (push) the front and rear bumpers, and front wheel panels of both Santa Fe and Tribute. All three features on the Tribute were soft and weak. I checked each on the Santa Fe and they were appreciably stonger. Now I'm no crash test scientist, but I suspect I'd put my money on the Sante Fe when the test results come out. (Can you tell I was on the web for too long looking at crash stats). No stats on the Sante Fe or Tribute yet.   My biggest obstacle right now with the Sante Fe is that the rear seats do not fold flat. My 110 lb. dog was not too happy about that, even though he fit just fine in the cargo area. (I've got two dogs).   Good reviews on the WEB for both.   I suspect I'll be making my decision after the first of the year. Replies to this message: metrowmn (Dec 08, 2004 1:20 pm)
#13 of 4940 Hmm... This topic interested me by kostamojen Dec 30, 2000 (8:32 pm)
Ive been out car window shoping as I always do but anyway, just 2 days ago, we were at the local Mazda/Subaru dealer (Yup, same place) and I sat in both the Forester and the Tribute again (I wanted a better look at the Tribute, and I always sit in all the cars on the lot )...   And anyway, after sitting in several other models (Protege, MPV, Impreza, Legacy) I then sat in the Tribute... I was horendusly suprised to find the interior pannels to be extremely flimsily put together... So I sat in another model, top of the line w/ leather this time... Same thing... Then another... Same thing... This bothered me tremendously. So then of course, i went and sat in the Forester... Nothing flimsy there. Lackluster maybe (tribute was more so IMO), but not flimsy. And considering the Recalls, perhaps the Tribute is a rather poor put together vehicle... And a couple months ago, I was able to check out the Santa Fe. Guess where? Maita Subaru/Hyandai where my mom got her Legacy GT Sedan I found the price of the Santa Fe apealing, especially for having a V6 + 4WD (Definatly the lowest price for that, Tribute/Escapes get in the $22k+ range, and the Rav4 w/ 4x4 = $21k plus, all with less features than the Santa Fe...) I was also suprized at the Hyandai build quality, definatly a step up for them. Hyandai also has their new DX something orether thats a rather upscale Sedan... I doubt we can consider the "new" Hyandai to be so... Lackluster, no?   Anyway, on to a more comprehesive comparison-   Looks: Definatly the Tribute wins this, with the bulbous Santa Fe coming in dead last... (PS, check out a black Forester S with a Spoiler... Thats pretty sweet looking!) Off-road ability: Not the forester... But none of these are major Off-roaders. ANY road maybe, but not off-the road (PS, Subaru's AWD is a big plus in "Real Life" conditions. Also note: Subaru's outstanding Rally racing reputation) Ground Clearance: This is pretty suprizing... 8.4 (higher trim Tributes), 8.1 (Santa Fe) and 7.5 (Forester)... Despite the Forester's small stature and lack of "view height" it still compromizes little in ride height (Also note: Outbacks have like 6.5 inch ground clearance, and the Impreza's have 5+ inch ground clearance... Go look under the car's if you have a chance, its neat) Quality: Subaru wins this one. Foresters have very good reliability, as do all current Subaru models. Tribute bottems this group, but I havent heard anything bad about the Santa Fe yet... Fuel Mileage: Subaru wins this one too, not by much though... (like 21/28 vs. 19/23 (SF v6) and 19/24 (Tri V6)) Warranty: Duh, Hyandai! On-road Performance: Forester... Better turning radius, lower center of gravity, and suprizingly good car-like handling put it at the top still... Despite the Tributes faster 0-60 time. Cargo room: 33.1 Tribute, 32 Forester, 30.5 Santa Fe Weight: 3200lbs Forester, 3400lbs Tribute (V6 4x4), 3700lbs Santa Fe (V6 4x4) Price: Santa fe wins this easy... V6+4wd for #21k... But the Forester is right there, minus the V6 (Note, Foresters boxer 4 = 165hp, its no slouch, and its rather light as well) Tribute takes 22k+ for the same ammenities. (Check Carpoint.com, its easier to tell than Edmunds)   Final Analysis: This one goes down to Personal Opinion purely... Best Price + V6 + Warranty for the Santa fe? Or, Better Reliability + Better Mileage + Proven Subaru AWD? Or More interior room + More HP + Higher ride height?   After going over these stats, the Santa Fe has re-caught my attention. But the Forester still holds the candle IMO... Tribute would easily be my favorite, if not for the shoddy build quality, uncomfortable interior, and very bad reliability problems so far...

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