2nd 4x4 (soccer mom SUV) opinion

[Pogiboy]

I have read in the reviews that they are gutless. Did you have the same opinion?

Yep. The 4x4 worked good from what I could tell. Climbed a pretty steep hill with lose ROCK, not gravel, with out any problem. Quiet inside too. One thing I thought was cool was the raised rear seat. Sits higher then the fronts. Gives a better view to those passengers. Plus comes with a factory heavy duty rakc on top. Cant beat that!

 

[Darky]

I was gonna recommend the Trailblazer til I read you won't consider GM... I've driven the new Frontier with the 4.0V6 that they used in the XTerra as well. The Frontier was fast. Really had good power. It may be a little slower in the Xterra simply cuz of extra weight. The WJ with 4.7 is a real nice vehicle. I like the looks and with the full time 4wd, I still was able to squeal the rear tires on a test drive. My friend owned a 91 4Runner, one of the first years of the newer body style. Very nice ride. It was reasonably quick, fit 31s stock with extra room and was an excellent trail vehicle. He now has a Taco with TRD package but his wife has a newer 4Runner, still a really nice vehicle. They have two car seats in the back, and with the exception of the bald tires it wore last time out, still does good off-road. For your uses, I'd say it'd handle it pretty good. The leg room was a little short on his older one, likely the same on the newer ones. Head room was good, cargo space at least as good as our XJs. I think either one would work for you. I can attest to the Toy's reliability, he didn't get rid of his old one until it was rear ended on the highway and totalled. He had 150-200k on it, and beat up on it off road regularly, with no complaints from the vehicle.

 

[RKBA]

Nothing more serious than trips to a ski resort, over donners pass and camping. KJ is too small interior and cargo but a Tahoe is too big.
Would never tow anything more than a small u-haul trailer or jet skis (If I owned some)
Mileage 15-19 would be great. Wanting to spend near $20k and wouldn't consider a GM product. I would want room for 5 somewhat comfortably.

Considering those factors, I might look at:

• 02+ Volvo XC70 AWD Wagon
  • Can seat 7 and has suprisingly large cargo area, they are also rated to tow over 3K. I am going to replace my wife's current Mercury station wagon with a turbo V70 wagon this year.
• 01+ Toyota Highlander
  • Camry based platform that is roomy and will probably run forever
• 01+ Mercury Mountaineer
  • Like the Explorer only usually cheaper to ensure and are generally better equipped.
• 01 or 02 Isuzu Trooper if you can find a clean low mileage one
  • Super build quality - Isuzu has always seemed like Japan's International Harvester. Ample cargo space and excellent tow rating. I also like the split "ambulance style" rear doors.

Good Luck

 

[JeffsJeep04]

Nothing more serious than trips to a ski resort, over donners pass and camping. KJ is too small interior and cargo but a Tahoe is too big.
Would never tow anything more than a small u-haul trailer or jet skis (If I owned some)
Mileage 15-19 would be great. Wanting to spend near $20k and wouldn't consider a GM product. I would want room for 5 somewhat comfortably.

And WHY exactly aren't you shopping for another XJ? More room then the KJ, better gas milage, and decent ride...sounds like just what you are looking for to me.

 

[ZPD]

And WHY exactly aren't you shopping for another XJ? More room then the KJ, better gas milage, and decent ride...sounds like just what you are looking for to me.

Because they stopped production in '01. When I get a new vehicle I don't like to back step on vehicle age. My wife's car is an '03 so I want to get something that is an 03 or newer

 

[JeffsJeep04]

I can understand people who won't get a vehicle with higher milage, but going by the year seems a little ridiculous to me...especially when the XJ is so seemingly perfect for what you need. Find a loaded 01 limited with low miles, and you can pocket the left over $8k.

That's just me though...I don't see anything in the "smaller then tahoe" crowd that is promising.

 

[Lawn Cher']

I can understand people who won't get a vehicle with higher milage, but going by the year seems a little ridiculous to me...especially when the XJ is so seemingly perfect for what you need. Find a loaded 01 limited with low miles, and you can pocket the left over $8k.

That's just me though...I don't see anything in the "smaller then tahoe" crowd that is promising.

Previous generation Durango might work for you.

 

[BCParker]

I know you said you would do anything to avoid a minivan, but....

a minivan is perfect. my mom had a '92 grand caravan that was the only vehicle that could comfortably seat 3 kids, 2 adults, and a dog or two on a long trip.

don't look at it from the POV that minivans are for soccor moms- the oversized SUV is, in my opinion, much more of a soccor mom vehicle than most minivans.

the best thing about the minivan is the flat floor and captains chairs in the middle row. kids are seperated well from eachother and are less likely to bother you, the driver. pull all the rear seats and you have room to haul more than just about any suv.

gas milage and overall street handling are better than most SUVs,

just some of my thoughts. If I had several children under the age of 15 I would get dodge caravan or something like that.

 

[Lawn Cher']

Minivan is a very practical idea, and some are available with AWD.

 

[JeffsJeep04]

My XJ is pulling better milage then a few people I know with minivans (and one is my bro-inlaw's grandpa...so it's not a peddle to the metal type thing). The minivan also sucks in the snow.

 

[BCParker]

The minivan also sucks in the snow.

If it's rear wheel drive, yes it sucks, but the awd and fwd versions do just fine in the snow. as to he gas mileage, i want to say the old 92 got around 18mpg city, 22-25mpg highway.

It wasn't the most powerful vehicle around, but it could tow a small trailer with ease



Function over Image.

 

[JeffsJeep04]

Bahh...I can't stand FWD in the snow, personal preference though.

Gramps was pulling 17 highway with his 2004 town and country. I was flabbergasted. I'm getting around 18 city 22 highway with my XJ, assuming I can find pure gas and not that 10% ethanol shit.

 

[ZPD]

Function over Image.

To a point, but yet I have no intentions of a minivan. We only have two kids right now and if there is a third it is at least 2 years away. The automotive industry has come a long way in the past few years for those who need a minivan but don't want one. Maybe when I get that point we will get a commander because that is the closest thing to what I think will suit our needs then, but for now I am going to decide between a 4Runner and a WJ. XJ's are cool of course but we can afford a "nicer" SUV so that is what we are shooting for. Besides, if I got another XJ I would be to tempted to crawl it and that would not sit well with my wife. I will say that she was upset when Jeep stopped to make them because if they were still being made she would really want one.

 

[smccollamjr]

Just bought my wife an '02 4-runner. We love it. Stay away from the '03. It was the first year for the new body style. They had alot of problems. A friend of mine has a '00 Xterra. Great off-road, but engine is weak for my tastes. New ones may be better.

 

[CheapXJ]

if you go with a WJ, get an 02+ V8 (HO or not, doesn't really matter in reliability terms)

the 4.0Ls in the WJ are garbage, the trannies in the 4.0L WJs are garbage.

I'd honestly not look toward Jeep if you want a good newer SUV.


have you considered an AWD wagon? (subaru, audi, benz, vw)

a 4-motion TDI passat wagon would be much nicer. with a little help, you can push over 200hp/300lb-ft and still get 40mpg.

 

[Go Go]

Don't know if you are still shopping. My sister has a Hyundai Santa Fe. She loves it. They are very affordable and I've noticed that lots of people own them. Don't know if it's because they are lower cost or if they are an exceptional value. I think it may be smaller than the XJ though. Not really sure. It's not for me.

I would also recommend either another XJ or the Commander because it looks like a beefed up XJ.

If you really want a KJ, you should also consider a RAV 4, KIA sportage, or a minivan. Again, not my cup of tea. "but it looks good on you."

 

[Ludakris]

The Hyundai does have really good rear seat room.. I am 6'3" and cant fit with the front seat pushed back.. they even have reclining rear seat. not sure about rear cargo.. seems decent. its on my list.

Also the Nissan Murano, they have alot of features, arent too killer on price have one of the better MPG ratings.

Third... Ford Excursion 7.3L Diesel (up to 2004). The diesels are said to get 20+ mpg highway and you will never be short on room. this is my top pick, but the wife isnt too keen on it..

 

[ZPD]

We haven't bought one yet but are planning to sometime in January. It is intersting to review this thread because just about every SUV sold on the market and several wagons were mentioned. I guess there are a lot of diverse opinions.
We have decided to get an 03-04 WJ (probably overland package). I guess I should have mentioned that we were also looking for something a bit on the luxury side without much compromise on "ruggedness". My wife really wants to get an '05 Grand Cherokee but I am not a big fan of them yet although I have seen several with V8's and 4wd for around $20K.

 

[ckh550]

I like Xterras. I think they have tons of functional parts that at first i thought were gimmicks, but for camping would be really handy. The new ones have a lockable storage bin on top, perfect for dirty muddy wet clothes. And 265 hp? Haven't driven it but that sounds good to me.

Size is similar to an XJ, can be lightly modified for heavier off road use, and has some cool gizmos.

maybe an '03 could go relatively cheap.

 

[Cottontail]

We are looking also, and we are considering the WJ and the BMW X5. We currently have 2 XJs and 1 ZJ.

I think that either of them would be a nice option. We have found the WJs, a couple years old for about $15-18xxx and the X5 in the $25-29xxx range. We are looking at 2 or 3 year old vehicles with less than 45,xxx miles on it.

In regards to some of the other vehicles listed, the Murano and the Xterra were the only 2 I have any extended experience with as I worked at the Nissan Plant in TN.

The Murano to me feels like it is smaller than the KJ. I don't know if it really is, but it feels like it is when I drive them. I felt like I needed to hunch down to get the head room I feel comfortable with. The Xterra is alright for the space and such, but when you get to running around in them, they are rough riders. They are definatly more "truckish" than the WJ or the KJ.

I did rent a new WK in June for a couple hundred miles and liked it fine. Not long enough rental to get a huge feeling for it. I did also rent a KJ for a trip to Washington DC from Nashville. We put well over 1500 miles on it and we really liked it. The only problem I had was that I am 6'6" and the bar on the dashboard over the glove box kind of impeded on my leg/knee space.

I think you will be happy with a WJ. I think that between the WJ and the X5, the WJ is much more feasible due to it's cost, as well as it being easier to work on. I opened the hood and the X5 and barely recognized anything! It is all covered with plastic and shiny stuff.

Good luck with your purchase, and if you get the WJ, let us all know your opinions on it after your "break in" period!