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what car is that ?

apapada

apapada

Experienced Member
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27 June 2003
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1,197
...that will fill our (new) needs? I need your help and advise.

Here's the deal: We are expecting our first child :cool: and are in the market for the vehicle which will fill out the following requirements:
1) family vehicle (min for 4 adults + 1 baby) :smile:
2) can tow my trailer with NSX (5,000lbs) :rolleyes:
3) is preferably a sedan (wife dislikes SUVs and hates minivans w/ passion, crossovers maybe ok :confused:)
4) is preferably a diesel (planning to run SVO/WVO mixes) so that mpg not be a concern :biggrin:
5) costs less than $50K :eek:

I've been looking everywhere (carmax, autotrader, ebay, local classifieds) and it appears to me that there is not a single vehicle that fits all the above criteria. Do you know of one that could fit the bill ?

thank you in advance
Alex
 
Thats funny I just bought a truck with your criteria in mind...new one on the way. This truck comfortably seats 5 if not more and is a joy for road trips. And you can get it in a diesel if desired.
2006 Ford King Ranch or Ford Lariat Super Crew Cab
both very roomy and luxurious as well as tows a heck of alot depending on what trailer hitch you get with it
 
Honda Ridgeline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My wife and I have had the truck for almost a year now and we still love driving it. It will fit 4 adults with leg room plus 1 baby seat and it has tons of storage. The bed of the truck has a trunk and it will fit a stroller in it and the spare tire is in the truck so that means no more crawling under the truck if you have a blow out the tail gate swings down and out. Interior I wanted it fully loaded so it has leather seats, NAV, sunroof, heated seats, 6cup holders, large storage are in the center consul and the rear seats fold up for storage and when down it has room for the baby stuff. It also has a 270HP V6 it can also tow 5000lbs and the sticker with all the goods 35K.
 
I second the suggestion for the Honda Ridgeline. It's not diesel, but that's a plus in my book.

As it is, I have the Honda Odyssey van. I had a new 2001 that I traded in for a new 2004. I am happy making due with my smooth V6 @ 240 hp, seating for 7, 3800# towing cap, roof rack for 5 bikes and hitch rack for 4., holds 4' x8' sheets (I need that), 100 mph as smooth as butter (blasted 118mph speed limiter!). It ain't your momma's minivan.
 
Can you get an E320 diesel wagon for under that price? I don't think it could tow 5k lbs, though.

How about a preowned diesel Toureg if you could find one? Sell it as a crossover. Use your skills, man. :biggrin:
 
Preferably a sedan that can tow 5000 lbs? but no SUV? Yeah, that's almost impossible to satisfy. If you're ok with trucks, Dodge 2500 for the most reliable engine (according to peterson's 4x4 based on recalls and TSBs) or Ford Excursion. I like the Honda Pilot EX-L w/ nav & back up camera, tows only 4500 lbs though.

Oh can someone explain what this REALLY means, its off the website for the Honda Pilot:

Capacity of 4500 lbs. is for boat trailers and 3500 lbs. for all other trailers

If you're gonna tow a car with it, you're gonna have to probably go full size truck or SUV no doubt. Diesel = domesic, gas = both.
 
Something about the aerodynamics of boats allows a higher weight (This is from the website or some article about the MDX); good luck finding a trailer + nsx combo that weighs much less than 5000lbs. Then add your 4-5 passengers and assorted 'stuff'. (Or, I should say, subtract your passengers and stuff from the towing capacity). Cheers :)
 
thank you for the replies so far. Today we plan on taking 3 test-drives back to back: the Ridgeline, the Odyseey (@ stealership) and a used QX56 at the local Carmax. I will report back with my findings later tonight
 
Out of the three, I think the QX is the best option.

2006 Honda Odyssey: Maximum Towing Capacity: 3500 lbs.

Ridgeline: Maximum Towing Capacity: 5000 lbs.

Nissan Titan: Maximum Towing Capacity: 9400 lbs.

Nissan Armada: Maximum Towing Capacity: 9100 lbs.

QX56: Maximum Towing Capacity: 9000 lbs.
 
Last edited:
Here is what we did and found out.
We went to Honda and test drove the Ridgeline, Odysee and Pilot (no one here brought that one up interestingly).

Wife could not go past the "looks" of the Ridgeline, inside or out. So that vehicle was out of the "race" early. I personally liked it. It's got plenty of refinement for a truck that you cannot/wont find anywhere else: like the lockable trunck under the bed, or the 2-way opening gate. Really nice execution, and the price is really comparable to the other vehicles we looked at. Towing is at 5,000 lbs which is lower than our current SUV but should be no problem for my towing needs.

Then we drove the Odyssee. From the moment she sat in, she like the "closer to the ground" seating position. Then a few miles down the road she echoed the same feeling I had the first time I drove the Odyssee a few years ago: This thing does NOT feel like a minivan. It mimics car characteristics so well that you could very well "forget" that you are behind the wheels of a 4,200+ lbs van. With the options however, the price goes up like on a porsche. Also, on the minus side, the tow rating capacity is only 3,500 which would be at the limit for my trailer + civic racer and above the limit if I would like to tow my NSX somewhere. I mentioned that to the sales guy, and he then pointed out the Pilot. Same seating capacity as the Van, but 4,500 lbs towing capacity.

At that point we took a test drive in the Pilot. Same familiar cockpit, the number of seats belts matches the Odyssee, but the space for each passenger doesn't. The driving position is also too high for my wife, although not as high as in our Tahoe (her daily drive today). She did say it drove and felt better than the Tahoe, but she did bring up that she prefers the Odyssee 4:1.

Off we went to Carmax to test drive the QX56. She wasn't aware of what a QX56 is, so when she saw it, she mentioned something about "monsterous" and "no-way" in the same sentence. We still got out for a test-drive and eventhough the cabin looks upscale and refined, the materials suck and there where rattles from the dashboard which took exactly 1.2 miles to drive me crazy. The other thing too is that we averaged 11.7 miles for the short combined hwy/city drive we took. Towing capacity is way up there but I'd be more concerned about quality issues in the long run and the very risk my wife overturning this vehicle knowing her driving habits (>0.7 Gs while cornering).

While at Carmax, we also saw a used X5 with the 4.4 v8 for a very competitive price. She likes that it's a BMW, but you can only fit 5 people and I'm not sure about it's towing capabilities. Anyone here has ever tried towing with an X5 that cares to share his/her experience ?
 
Just one caution about the published towing capacities - they are only valid on a flat level surface. I did a lot of research before I bought my F250 crew cab diesel to tow a heavy boat and found that if you are going to be driving up and down any type of hilly terrain, you had better not be at the rated towing capacity. Not only will it tax the engine going up, but it really puts a strain on the brakes coming down. Additionally, you must watch out for the CGVWR which is the maximum weight of the car/truck plus trailer and cargo plus everything in the car/truck. You won't believe how easy it is to exceed that weight. It is recommended that you buy a vehicle with a towing capacity where you won't exceed 80% of that weight. In other words, if you are going to tow 5,000 lb, you need a towing capacity of at least 6,250 lb. This is one area where you are much better having too much than too little. Believe me it sucks towing with a vehicle that is under capacity. And dangerous too.
 
Touraeg or MB GL or RL are you likely choices. I don't think there is a car out their that can tow 5000 lbs.
 
Pilot, very cool. We picked that over the MDX. Hope to pick up the EX-L Nav really soon.

Are you looking for a replacement for the Tahoe then?

06 X5: Maximum Towing Capacity: 6000 lbs.
 
Porsche Cayenne: Maximum Towing Capacity: 7716 lbs.
20026641-E.jpg


Audi Q7 4.2 V8: Maximum Towing Capacity: 6600 lbs.
20029494-E.jpg
 
This takes care of all of my towing needs...:biggrin:

Seats 5

Diesel

NOT an SUV

Harley Davidson Edition runs about$50k

603471.jpg
 

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