Reliable SUV

[mpdlou]

Good Afternoon,

Wife is in need of a midsized suv. We have looked at the Toyota Highlander, Kia Telluride and Sorento (small), and the Hyundai Santa Fe (ugly). The Kia’s have the 100,000 mile power train warranty. We want the third row seating just in case (possible grand kids in the near future). Not too concerned with resale as we keep vehicles until fixing costs more than they are worth. Looking to buy in the next month or so.

Im curious what the BBC members have, likes and dislikes, etc. Ride will be a priority since she shuttles her 79 year old mother around and she has a so so back. There will be road trips taken in a few months etc.

Thanks for any input y’all can give. Oh, price point is $55,000 or less as in typical BBC fashion, cash is king.

Brian

[ECobb91]

For reliability, you’d be hard pressed to find a brand with a better reputation for reliability than Toyota and Honda. Subaru is up there in terms of reliability too and from my personal experience I’d put them above Hyundai/Kia and about equal to Honda.

that said, we have a 10yo Dodge Durango with 118k miles that’s needed nothing other than a couple spark plugs and the rear AC line rusting out. Probably the second most reliable vehicle we’ve ever owned, first would be a 2012 Honda Civic that never needed anything other than routine maintenance. Have been very pleased with the Durango

Really today’s vehicles are much more reliable than in years past. Usually it’s the rust that kills the cars before any mechanical issues do.

[BigDaddyBassNJ]

4 Runner

[WVBullet]

My daughter has a 2020 Santa Fe and it’s a nice car. Over a 100k miles now. She bought it new and an hour one way to work. Looks like any other mid size SUV. Heck most brands now look alike. As for me, in a mid size SUV, it’ll be a Subaru. End of story.

The Subaru Ascent has third row seating.

[KennyVexus]

We have the Honda CRV and like it. If you want the third row you will have to move up to the Pilot in the Honda line.
Hard to beat Toyota and Honda if you plan to own them long term. Just my experience and opinion. Good Luck!

[jigheadworm]

Highlander sounds like a great choice for your situation.

[Tfall]

Test drive all the usual suspects…then go test drive the Mazda CX90. Your welcome.

[Jeff Hahn]

Subaru Ascent. A former BBC member works at the factory and can get you VIP pricing. He got it for us on all 3 Subarus that we’ve had. If you want his contact info, message me.

[jimsch]

Grand Highlander Hybrid

[davidsa]

I own 6 Lexus/Toyota products including a 2022 Highlander v6. The AWD on the highlander platinum is so good as on road saftey package. It is smart enough to know the front wheels are hydroplaning and move power to the back even before a human can process the information. For small kids, the back row is fine. When we do holidays, we get 3 young adults in the back row to go to the movies, short rides. I got this in 2022 with few other brand options related to pandemic and so glad I did. drives like a big sedan and gets good fuel economy. I have a lifetime warranty on mine but doubt it will ever have problems unless electronics become issues. I had an outback touring suburu on a week business trip and preferred the ride of my Highlander.

I'm sure some SUV's drive better then the highlander but reliability is my focus. I owned a Dodge Durango for 11+ years and it drove more sporty then the highlander but it had 5k in electrical recalls and started to fall apart at year 12 with only 130k. Each time I buy a US made product, they fall appart or rust appart or both about years 10-13. I just sold my 19 year old Toyota van and it was still going strong

[novakevlar]

We have a Honda CRV, love it. Probably too small for you so perhaps check out the Passport which has the V6. The Kia's get a lot of love and several neighbors have them and swear by them. Honestly, just stay away from Nissan and domestics and you should be fine!

[n2ratfishin]

Long term reliability:

Mid size crossovers https://www.dashboard-light.com/repo...Crossover.html

Full size crossovers https://www.dashboard-light.com/repo...Crossover.html

Mid size SUV https://www.dashboard-light.com/repo...-size_SUV.html

Full size SUV https://www.dashboard-light.com/repo...-size_SUV.html

Happy shopping

[FrancoCialone]

My 2014 Highlander LE AWD has been very reliable and tows my boat well, but for 2024 Toyota has gone to a 4 cylinder turbo engine, if I needed a SUV now, would look a Honda Pilot with a V6.

[mpdlou]

Thanks for the input so far. Keep it coming.

[printman71]

A Toyota or a Honda. Can't go wrong with either brand.

[ProVle]

Look at the Caddy's XT 4,5,and 6 line-up.

[Al from Canada]

If I were shopping right now the Kia Telluride would be first on my list.

[Joe Genovese]

Researched this for a year, got a 2024 kia telluride for my wife. We have been very impressed.

[townsend266]

You’re going to get a ton of different answers and some of these named you can’t depend on reliability because they are newer vehicles that haven’t been out long. We have had good luck with the 2 Nissans we had, just bought a 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe so cant speak on it reliably, but it is a much nicer vehicle than the Nissans were.

[King31]

Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander or Kia Telluride would be my suggestions.