Wife needs new car, narrowed down choices: need opinions.

Again, love the wifes new grand cherokee. Completely different than older models.

 

Will def look at the grand Cherokee. Incredibly comfy. Good price too

 

And the leather interior is awesome

 

FJ can be submerged in water. That would be nice.

 

The 'go back part' was to pick up the dropped toy or make sure the baby is ok. With a small you can reach from the front, with a big car or suv you have to walk back.

 

the wrangler as a dd is an awful idea. i lose all respect for jeeps when they hit asphalt. if you want to offroad just use your truck not your wife's wrangler.

for a small cross over i'd go in this order

Subaru Forester
Toyota RAV 4 (or Lexus equivalent)
Honda CRV (or Acura equivalent)
Nissan Murano (or Infiniti equivalent)
BMW X3
Audi whatever it is
VW whatever it is

 

I looked inside a Land Cruiser while I was hanging out at the dealer. No way will I let my wife see that. It was $80K+!

 

Insane. That's why we do t see many of those anymore. If I recall, that thing got 15mpg on a good day.

So I'll look at the Venzas, subarus, and x3
Thanks all

 

The heck is a X3? Either way, a Jeep Wrangler is not the safest or the ideal family hauler. Not to mention they are noisy on the road, even with a hardtop you will get wind noises and whistles. And the 4 door Wrangler is a disgrace to Jeep heritage, real Jeeps have 2 doors imo. Whatever the X3 is go with that, or look at a 4Runner.

 

Smallest BMW SUV. Been out for years.

Could also check out the Xterra. Won't be as fancy as the others but neither is the Wrangler. And you can get it with a locker.

 

4runner

 

Ah, never really paid attention to European cars, but I looked it up and looks like a nice SUV, I'd much rather have that for a family hauler than a rattling, noisy Jeep Wrangler that is about as safe as a tin can.

 

I don't know what people talk about when they jeeps are unreliable. I had a Cherokee with 150xxx miles lifted and lock with never a single issue daily driving. However I would steer away from the wrangler. The back door entrance area is somewhat awkward when your trying to put a child in and everything else that comes with having a baby. The new grand Cherokees however are awesome, they ride great,have really nice interiors and you can get a fully loaded one for a fair price. I would also check out the ford edge. It's a crossover with a lot of nice options and it isn't bulky, for seem reason my wife thinks there awesome. Either way congrats on your kid to be.

 

Definitely a 4runner!

 

If it were me, I would give the wife a couple choices of the cars you think is a good investment. Don't let her make the choices. My criteria would be reliablity and safety, especially if she is toting kids around. I don't care how stylish or luxurious those German cars are, they are not reliable, period.

I would tell her to choose between Venza, Pilot, or 4runner. She can choose between those and choose the color.

 

Its usually a hit and miss with a Jeep, I have an old AMC CJ, and it turned me into a mechanic. I've driven the newer Wrangler and it would not be an ideal family vehicle at all, immensely underpowered and not safe. I wouldn't put my kids in it if I had kids. The Cherokee seems like a good platform though. Old Cherokees like the XJ were the best imo, those little bastards are tough.

 

Thanks all for everyone's replies. I believe after a few months of searching, the 4runner trail package with the water proof seats are a winner. Safe for the family and still able to climb a mountain or two, and reliable enough to hand it down to that little one to learn on which will definitely last until then.