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Nissan Murano vs Toyota Highlander vs Subaru B9 Tribeca vs Honda Pilot

800 messages,  Last post on Mar 02, 2010 at 10:36 AM

You are in the Nissan Murano Forum.

What is this discussion about? Nissan Murano, Toyota Highlander, Subaru B9 Tribeca, Honda Pilot, Acura MDX, Volkswagen Touareg, SUV

Messages Page 19 of 81

#174 of 800 Tribeca Great except when you back up by canadadriver

Jul 05, 2005 (11:48 am)

The Tribeca is a great vehicle … until you try to back up the rear window is TINY and looks up not down, all I could see is the roof of the cars I was backing INTO … this is a disaster waiting to happen it needs back up assist or a rear view screen or something . I was out kicking the tires of all the SUV’s from a Volvo XC90 to a Pilot to a Highlander Hybrid. And I chose a Pilot.. The Pilot has plane Jane styling but that is OK with me. In Canada here the Highlander Hybrid is only available 2 ways LTD with everything and with nothing. The stripper one has no side air bags big no no, and the Limited is $53,000 Cdn, which is just crazy. There is NO discounting at Toyota for the hybrid … I got into a Pilot for which lists here for $44K for about $39K + tax and options, and that is with leather side airbags and stability control etc. and figure I can buy a heck of a lot of gas for the $14,000 + to go to a hybrid. I currently own a 2001 Highlander and I would recommend it to anyone, I just like the bit more room that I will get with the Pilot. Also if you get the Pilot EX-L you get the stability control and with the lower roll over figure for the Standard Pilot compared to the Highlander with stability control I figure with stability control it will be significantly better in rollover than the Highlander. So for my money the Pilot is a better value than the Toyota right now anyway. I just hope the Pilot will be as reliable as my Toyota has been and will hold its value as well.
One thing more has anyone looked at hauling a sheet of dry wall or plywood only the Pilot is big enough to fit one in on the floor… the Highlander will fit it on the shock towers in a pinch, but don't go over bumps with dry wall or it will crack … the Tribeca has NO way of taking a 4’ anything in the back since they made the tailgate opening so dang small … same with the Volvo XC90. I guess the car designers have never seen a Home Depot. these are sport UTILITY vehicles ...

#175 of 800 Re: Tribeca is growing on me [photoguy2] by nowakj66

Jul 05, 2005 (12:24 pm)

Replying to: photoguy2 (Jul 03, 2005 4:33 am)
Thanks for the tip regarding the photos. Looks like a nice set up. I do wish they would put another AUX jack up front for audio like the Honda Element and Honda Ridgeline.
 
They Honda Odyssey is set up the same way as the B9 - jacks in back for the kids to hook up an xbox to the dvd screen.
 
I just wish they would remember that the car payments are made from the DRIVERS seat so the AUX jack should be placed closer to that location.

#176 of 800 Roof Rack! by ateixeira

Jul 05, 2005 (1:24 pm)

That's what roof racks are for. I've hauled 5 sheets of plywood home in my comparatively tiny Subaru Forester. The interior would get all scratched up with the edges of the wood anyway, so wood definitely belongs outside of the vehicle.
 
The Pilot is missing side curtain airbags, I'm surprised you find side air bags so important yet those aren't? Also you can't get NAV and DVD, only one or the other.
 
Those iPod pics are at work, the ones photoguy2 sent me, so check the Tribeca thread for his crafty solution.
 
-juice

#177 of 800 Re: Nissan Murano vs Toyota Highlander vs Subaru B9 Tribeca [aec1] by kfl

Jul 07, 2005 (12:32 pm)

Replying to: aec1 (Jul 05, 2005 10:44 am)
ok, finally some good feedback on the Tribeca. I test drove the B9 YET AGAIN and it is growing on me more and more, BUT, now I see that Ford and Crysler are jumping in on the employee discount GM bandwagon. I wish Lexus, Nissan and Subaru would throw us consumers a bone.
 
Back to the B9 v. Murano. The Murano ride for me was harsher. I like the fact that in the Subaru, I could see out the back with little worry on blind spots. I am 5'4". I think though, I am going to take it out again (the B9) and try letting the dealer allow me to back up and into a parking space. It's just a quiet ride and a quiet car.

#178 of 800 re side curain airbags on the pilot by canadadriver

Jul 07, 2005 (1:43 pm)

Yes i did a lot of dithering back and forth on the side curtain airbags on the Pilot. and yes it does not have them and i wish it did since a lot of other vehicals in that class do.
However it still ranked very high in the side impact tests even without them and i think that bit of extra bulk that the Pilot carries over the others will help out a bit too in a crash, as long as the laws of physics still hold true to me prevention is still the best way out of an accident.
Re the Murano i also drove one of them and was very disappointed at the interior as it looked like something out of star wars and had a lot of scattered switches all over the place. also the ride was very harsh, it was way too rough for a car in this class and price range.
Re hauling on the roof Not too keen on putting stuff on the roof for 3 reasons 1 it scratches up the roof racks that are exposed to the elements. 2 it is wet up there and full of snow in the winter which lasts 4 month here and 3 weight on the top is a lot less stable than weight in the trunk again these things are top heavy to begin with and even the owners manual on the highlander wars of putting weight on the top .. I guess that is why there is more need for the side curtain airbags in the smaller narrower suv's
A couple of other things to note that i have found out. on reading the owners manual for the Pilot . 1 the Pilot has a deferential that require frequent oil changes in sever weather every second oil change requires a differential fluid change that can run into some bucks over the life of the car on the highlander i have now never touched any of that stuff just drove it ... also the Pilot has a more frequent oil change requirement than the Highlander. 6000Km vs 8000Km .. although the OLD toyota 3.0 L engine that i had has a history of developing engine oil sludge so really you should use Synthetic oil to help combat that. do not know how the new 3.3 engine is hopefully toyota has solved that problem.
 
The real answer i would love to settle for sure what is the best car value is for a low priced toyota Highlander limited Hybrid , but alas they are just too expensive to be practical even at todays gas prices.
As i think you can tell it for me is very hard to part with my reliable highlander but in the words of Shrek "change is good donkey" so to the pilot I will go ...

#179 of 800 Re: Tribeca is growing on me [nowakj66] by adude25739

Jul 07, 2005 (4:04 pm)

Replying to: nowakj66 (Jul 02, 2005 8:21 am)
After test driving the Tribeca the other day, I have found that the 3rd row is pretty useless for anyone that is over 4' 5". My 13 year old son tried to sit in the 3rd row and we could not slide the 2nd row seats into a position where they would lock into place. We were thinking about getting the 7 pass model for shuttling his friends around, but the 3rd row seat is so small and uncomfortable that it just doesn't seem worth it. However if you want to get the DVD player or the GPS option, you have to get the 7 pass model. This seems really stupid, but maybe they will realize that small families and couples will want a DVD player or NAV system and they will have that be an option for the 5 pass models for 2007. These options are not important to our family, but we probably would of bought them if they were available on the 5 pass model. The Tribeca is the perfect size for our family (as our son won't fit into the back seat of our '98 Forester or '93 Legacy very well anymore). The front fascia is a little bit questionable (as in WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!?!?), however the styling and quality everywhere else seems exceptional. However, the price tag is a little bit high for our family, and none of the dealers seem willing to haggle, so we will probably wait until they do a clearance on the '06 models, or buy a used that was just used as a lease. We really need this car as our son is still growing and both our Forester and our Legacy seem to be on their last legs.

#180 of 800 Price Pressure by ateixeira

Jul 07, 2005 (4:43 pm)

The employee price programs will put pressure on all makes to reduce prices. I suspect only hybrids may be exempt from that rule.
 
Remember - resale on a low priced new car will be, well, low. And in some cases it was already not so good.
 
KBB value on my '98 Forester was about a grand higher than a Jeep Grand Cherokee of the same age and mileage. The Jeep was about $8 grand more when new.
 
I don't have to go out on a limb to say the Murano, Highlander, Tribeca, or Pilot would hold their value better.
 
Small 3rd rows still boost resale, whether they are roomy or not. Ask Terry in RWTIV.
 
-juice

#181 of 800 Re: Tribeca is growing on me [adude25739] by photoguy2

Jul 07, 2005 (7:04 pm)

Replying to: adude25739 (Jul 07, 2005 4:04 pm)
Yes you are forced to get the 7 Pass to get NAV etc... but for the minimal upcharge you do get a few more features than just NAV or DVD... Rear AIR and Heat for instance is only on the 7 PASS. AUX input only with DVD... I will never use my 3rd row and thus I bought the 5 pass utility tray for the back. All you really lose is the under floor storage which is minimal anyway...

#182 of 800 Front end of a Tribeca by canadadriver

Jul 11, 2005 (9:47 am)

ever wonder where the front end comes from ? looks sort of like a Alpha Romeo to me and Guess what the designer of the tribeca comes from that company .... now i know LOL

#183 of 800 Re: Front end of a Tribeca [canadadriver] by rsholland

Jul 11, 2005 (10:15 am)

Replying to: canadadriver (Jul 11, 2005 9:47 am)
The new design direction came from FHI's long-standing heritage in aircraft; not from Alfa Romeo, as everyone seems to think.
 
http://www.drive.subaru.com/Win04_DesignRevolution.htm
 
Establishing a Premium Brand –
The Unified Image of Subaru
The front-end styling features a wing motif that recalls the origin of the company as an aircraft manufacturer. The grille represents a cross section of the fuselage in the center and wings on either side.
 
http://www.drive.subaru.com/Sum05_B9Tribeca.htm
 
The grille represents the cross-section of an aircraft’s fuselage and wings, recalling the heritage of Subaru as an aircraft manufacturer and emphasizing our commitment to engineering excellence.
 
Bob

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