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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

#61 of 4940 Forester rear seat by big_guy Jan 24, 2001 (11:30 am)
-Juice The 3.0L V6 for the Sante Fe I was referring to was the unit in the XG300. I think there is plenty of room in the engine bay of the Sante Fe for the 3.0 L V6 and they could do some tweaking to up torque and HP. They could probably do some tweaking to the 2.7L V6 that is currently used to increase HP and torque as well but I think the 3.0L would be a better match.   As far as the rear seats in the Forester go, I am 6'-7" tall and my wife is 5'-10" tall. I test drove a Forester and adjusted the driver seat to a point I was comfortable. My wife then tried to get into the rear seat behind me. She couldn't. I have three children, a 7 year old, a 3 year old, and a 6 month old. The 6 month old is obviously in a car seat and the 3 year old is in a car booster seat. To get two car seats and my seven year old in the back seat of the Forester was not easy. They could fit but the feet of my 3 year old were firmly pressed against the back of the driver seat. When I buy a car I intend to own it for 5 to 7 years. In that time, my family will have grown significantly (all three of my children are already in the 90th percentile in height and will probably continue to be in the upper percentile as they grow) and will easily outgrow the rear seat of the Forester. If I tried to take a trip with another couple, then it would be very difficult to get someone to sit comfortably behind the driver seat (unless they are 5'-4" or shorter). The Forester is a great car and I would love to own one (even with the standard 2.5L H4) but not until they do something to increase the rear seat leg room. I understand that the Forester isn't due for another make-over for a few years so it is unlikely they will do anything for additional room in the near future . . . which is a pity because I really like the Forester.
#62 of 4940 Lumberjacks... by natescape Jan 24, 2001 (12:54 pm)
So, it looks like you WILL have lumberjacks soon, and there's a giant driving it.   The Forester back seats aren't big enough for ya. Heh. Guess your username is appropriate.
#63 of 4940 by ateixeira Jan 24, 2001 (2:13 pm)
Agreed. The 3.0l from the XG would be better - because in this class it's about torque, not horsepower. Or at least it should be.   The Forester will be revised for the 2003 model year, which may be too late for you.   Can I be honest, though? 3 kids, and you want a compact SUV? I would think about that long and hard. You'd be far better served by just about any minivan, or at least an SUV with 3 rows of seats.   You're going to find that the kids are going to want to bring guests, and otherwise you'll be stuck taking two cars on every weekend outing.   Take a gander at the Suzuki XL7, and maybe the new Explorer, both which offer extra seats. Later on the Blazer will, plus you have the Durango, Tahoe, and Sequoia you could consider. Some Volvo and Taurus wagons also have the 3rd row.   I think you may need it!   -juice
#64 of 4940 juice by big_guy Jan 25, 2001 (9:26 am)
I already have a minivan (just started the 2nd year of a 3 year lease) for hauling around the whole family and extra passengers . . . however, in winter driving here in the Rocky Mountains I need something with AWD and I don't need another minivan (although when the current lease is up I may consider an AWD minivan). I don't want to break the bank and get a big SUV (not only are they more expensive to buy but they are generally gas hogs). I also don't want to get a vehicle that spends more time in the shop than in my driveway. I have tried to sit in a lot of the mid sized SUV's and can't fit. That includes the Durango, Pathfinder/QX4, 4Runner, Cherokee (although the Grand Cherokee has enough drivers room but it is up over $30k), Rodeo, Trooper, Montero Sport, Blazer/Jimmy, MDX (due to the moonroof), and even the giant Suburban lacks sufficient head room. I do fit in the Explorer, Expedition, Excursion, Montero, Sequoia, Highlander, Land Cruiser, and M-Class. The Explorer is the least expensive of that bunch and has the least appeal to me. Suprisingly enough, I do fit in the drivers seat of some of the small SUV's the Forester, Tribute, Sante Fe, and CRV, but not the RAV4 or X-terra.   I have tried the XL-7 and fit in the drivers seat. However, I found that in order to get anybody to sit in the third row of seats (even my 3 year old), you need to push the second row of seats up and that reduces the 2nd row leg room from the 36" (as advertised) to the realm of the Forester and worse. I have also sat in a few Volvos and found the head room lacking not to mention that a good sized Volvo wagon is pricey. The Taurus is big enough but I owned a Taurus sedan in the past and had nothing but problems with it and am extremely reluctant to invest in another Taurus. I even test drove a VW Passat Wagon w/ 4motion. It drove nicely and had enough room in it but it was expensive. I don't know much about the reliability of the 4motion system but I see a lot of VW and Audi vehicles in for service and that makes me leary.   Being tall puts a whole new twist on car shopping. Most car manufacturers do not design their vehicles for people of my stature (6'-7" tall and 225 lbs). I am not a professional ball player who can afford to custimize a car to fit his personal needs so I am relegated to having to choose from what is available on the market. That narrows the search to the expensive or the small (or in the case of the Aztek, the ugly). Not a very tough choice to make . . . so unless I win the Lottery, I have reduced my choices to the small SUV market in order to get a 4 door vehicle with seating for 5 and an AWD/4WD system.
#65 of 4940 by ateixeira Jan 25, 2001 (11:56 am)
Wow, that you fit says a lot about the space efficiency in the CR-V, Tribute, Santa Fe, and Forester.   Now I recall the XL7's 3rd seat had basically no leg room. I though it may be OK for kids, but oh well.   If you had an unreliable Taurus, just remember where the Trib's engine is coming from.   In the VW, the V6 is rated "average" by Consumer Reports, but if you look at the breakdown it's about 15% worse than average. The 1.8T is much better. 4Motion is really Audi's Quattro (3 torsen diffs, basically), and is pretty well proven.   So yours is a tough one. Toyota is coming out with a Matrix in the fall, which will offer AWD and 130 or 180hp. Pontiac will have its version too (Vibe).   Others are pricey but include Audi, BMW, Volvo.   Come to think of it, you ought to check out the Outback or its Legacy GT twin. They're pretty good all-weather cars, and address the rear seat issue you have with the Forester.   -juice
#66 of 4940 Outback: Sold! by barresa11 Jan 25, 2001 (1:43 pm)
I was looking at small SUV/cars w/awd. I was seriously considering the Forester but the back seat was indeed too small for my needs as well. I looked at the Outback (2000 model, not 99' and earlier) and was sold. I ended up getting the Ltd. I went w/an auto. because of the terrible traffic in Seattle but would have better acceleration w/the manual. I have a little over 10000 miles on the OB and love it. Once up to speed, the OB is great. I have plenty of power to accelerate from 60 mph to higher speeds. The handling is great especially considering the ground clearance of 7.3" and the ride is smooth and quiet w/just enough of the unique Subaru growl when accelerating. BTW, the RAV4 and CRV were not included on my short list because I wanted full-time AWD not part-time as theirs is. I looked at the Passat 4-motion but it was too expensive and not the value the OB is, especially the Ltd model. Reliability is legendary w/the Subaru and not so with VW's in general. Good luck on your search. You're right when you say the list is short for vehicles that will fit your need for space.   Stephen
#67 of 4940 by ateixeira Jan 25, 2001 (2:31 pm)
The 2000 Outbacks grew a lot. They're an inch and a half wider - and that translates into a nice back seat. Even the '99 was bigger than the Forester, so you may like that.   That plus the kids would love the 2nd moonroof if you get the Limited. Very anti-claustrophobic.   My dad has one and swears by it.   -juice
#68 of 4940 juice by big_guy Jan 25, 2001 (3:54 pm)
The Taurus I had was a 4 cylinder model. I understand that the 3.0L Duratec V6 is a pretty good engine. Most of the problems I had with the Taurus were AC compressor, brakes, and exhaust system.   You can't get the 4-motion system in a VW Passat unless you get the V6 engine. Audi offers a 1.8T with quattro but I am not a big fan of Audi. My neighbor had an Audi and it was in the shop a lot and one of my co-workers had one as well and got rid of it after 8 months because of the high maintenance costs.   I would love to see Mazda yank the Ford automatic tranny out of the V6 Tribute and put in a Mazda manual 5 speed transmission instead.   I have taken a good long look at the Outback and it has found a place on my list and even though it is roomier than the Forester, it "feels" smaller. I think it has to do with the expansive glass in the Forester compared to the Outback. Subarus are very common around here and I could probably get a used Outback for a lot less money than a new Tribute or Sante Fe. The moonroofs are out due to the 1" to 1.5" reduction in head room that they "contribute" to the vehicle. If Mazda doesn't work out the bugs in the Tribute by the time I get ready to make a purchase, the Outback will be a top choice, however, I think the Sante Fe would be the first choice. The extended warranty, additional room, and lots of bells and whistles make the Sante Fe a tough competitor in the small SUV crowd. I like the split liftgate in the Sante Fe and I understand that the AWD in the Sante Fe is permanently engaged like the system in the Subarus. A brand new LX w/ AWD can be had for $23.3k. A comparably equipped new Outback would be roughly $3k more . . . but like I said, a used one could be found for significantly less. The drawback with a used vehicle is you never know exactly how the previous owner treated the vehicle and reliability of a used car can be a big question mark. The Sante Fe is untested and reliability is a question mark. I would like to see crash test ratings for the Sante Fe. The Tribute should do well in crash tests (based on other Mazda vehicles) and the Outback has already rated well in crash tests.   I appreciate your input juice. It is nice to have someone respond that is trying to help instead of bashing the other vehicles in favor of the ones they own.
#69 of 4940 forester legroom by ultradr Jan 28, 2001 (11:49 am)
big-guy, being 6' 7" how do you find your right leg room? i felt it was very tight(i'm 6'6") and am in the same boat you are: want an awd compact suv because of price and value. i'm looking at the forester or santa fe. wife has a dodge dakota, it is a great vehicle i would love a dakota quadcab (it has an awd mode) but the gasmileage would eat a hole in my wallet. have heard nothing but good things about both forester and santa fe, just am leary about hyundai quality regardless of their 10yr 100,000 mile warranty.
#70 of 4940 by ateixeira Jan 29, 2001 (6:22 am)
So, you had the rare MT-5 model, eh? My friends have had similar experience with Audi, so I'd also rule them out. One other consideration is resale value, and the Outback's is good. In fact, that makes it a bad choice among used cars, because the price is close to what new ones cost. May as well buy new. The best site for safety scores is: http://www.crashtest.com/subaru/index.htm Subaru aces pretty much all the tests. Santa Fe and Tribute have not been tested yet, but keep your eyes on that site. -juice

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