Crossover SUV Comparison

kbedwards

"Since the CX-9 is built in Japan it may be cost prohibitive to supply the Pioneer units to the factory or to install them when the vehicles hit our shores. "

Not sure I understand. You know Pioneer is Japanese, right? Or are you saying the units are manufactured elsewhere? I think I am just not understanding what you meant.

nastacio

Pluminum? :-) 4 years to copy a Murano and they didn't notice Nissan uses real aluminum?

albook

The Saturn and Buick have nicer two tone textures on the dash, which help them look better, a little classier, and not as sport orriented.

I'd say the vents are a personal oppinion, becuase no one seems to comment on them, yet I think they look nice, unlike the long gaudy aluminium strips that line the side of the CX-9's console.

That console is too big, and takes away from front row passenger space.

True, the lambdas can't comfortably carry three in the third row (Yes- they can carry adults, but not for more than fifteen minutes)but the CX-9 can't comfortably carry more than 6. Really adults shouldn't be in the third row at all.

The point of having all that space is, you can take your family of five on trip in a CX-9 or Acadia. But in the Acadia (with it's 20 cuft), you don't have to fold any seats down. And no one is going to complain about being crammed in the back seat. So you can get the captains that are more comfortable than a bench seat.

I think Mazda was gunning for the big boys (Audi Q7) when they put some nice design exterior and interior features on the CX-9's list. Only thing is- it's like they forgot which market they are actually in, and left out some of the practicality- something that is easily noticed. I will say it wins in comparison to the Audi Q7- because it handles better and is quicker (?) and better looking. And I love the 20's (forget tacky! They work here!)

albook

The point is it doesn't look as rich as the rest of the materials in the cabin, which takes away from the overall sense of, well, richness. In the Outlook, it is a nuisance; in the would-be Lexus-fighter Enclave, it is unforgivable.

We'll let the dash go, but the interior is very nice in comparison to a Lexus.
But even though more and more are becoming leaders, the stereotype is still Buick doesn't run with Lexus, just like Huyndai and Mazda are way below Toyota in comparison.

On a side note- it's kind of funny how Lexus is degraded by this, as when Cadillac and Acura talk about moving their brands up market, they always talk of aiming for Benz and Bimmer for world class- never Lexus. But when lower class cuick talks about moving upmarket, they aim for Lexus.

I don't understand why people "diss" Motortrend, or CR, or any other tester. They all have as much credibility. And they all have their flaws.

bobw3

On a side note- it's kind of funny how Lexus is degraded by this, as when Cadillac and Acura talk about moving their brands up market, they always talk of aiming for Benz and Bimmer for world class- never Lexus. But when lower class cuick talks about moving upmarket, they aim for Lexus.

It's because they think they're already at the Lexus class.

jspagna1

I went to check out both the Arcadia & the Outlook and IMO, I think the Outlook has a nicer(luxcury) interior while the Arcadia has a more trucky interior. I have owned a GMC in the past,but I can't even believe I'm considering a Saturn.

veragen

Hello to All, Just join in the forum. I've been reading and researching many topics on current mid-size CUVs; like safety, the pros and cons that these vehicles have during a long year term from auto assessment companies (i.e. Consumer Report, IIHS and J.D. Powers).So after reviewing the automaker brand new 2007 models I usually look for end of year clearence deals,incentives & rebates or new / improvement changes on next year 2008 model. Now i'm trying to narrow down the CUV I like by evaluating and test driving myself. Also I been reading different online forums-post; where the potential buyers or new vehicle owners been rating their new auto as far as ride, comfort, performance and overall quality. This comparo-topic has numerous CUV / SUV mentioned here (Pilot, Freestyle, HighLander), But i presently like the GMC Acadia roomy easy-access interior, Mazda CX-9 sporty zoom-zoom performance and Hyundai Veracruz the quiet ride / great-quality touch.(not to get-off the SUV comparo topic here but the new upcoming 2008 Hyundai Genesis is in the air for me as well?).

chuckhoy

You may have a difficult time getting a large CUV at any sort of significant discount. The supply is having a tough time keeping up with demand right now.

From looking at a lot of posts and doing some test driving myself (bought an Outlook a few months back) these are my thoughts:

Outlook/Acadia/Enclave: Best in class combination of interior space and cargo space. Can fit 7 easily.

CX-9: More of a drivers CUV. Not as much space as the lambdas, but more fun to drive. 6 is the practical max people hauling capacity.

Vera Cruz: I have not personal experience with this one, but it seems to be a good compromise between the CX-9 and Lambda.

Those seem to be the cream of the large CUV crowd. I think the first fundamental question you need to ask yourself is: How many people do you want to be able to haul around? After you answer that, then it will narrow your choices considerably. If it is 7+, I think a Lambda or minivan is the only real good choice.

nastacio

Not sure why you state "6 is the practical max people hauling capacity.", unless you are inferring that you cannot seat 3 people in 2nd row. Many CX-9 owners in this thread have written otherwise.

Does the extra 2" in width on the lambdas make the difference between easy and impractical? My cell-phone is nearly twice as big as that.

And how can the VC be positioned between the CX-9 and the lambdas when it is smaller and less powerful than both?

ateixeira

I think Audi was the trend-starter with real aluminum trim, might have been on the TT. At least that's the car that drew attention to the trend.

Nissan and Acura also use real aluminum, but you have to wonder if that's a good thing - aluminum dents and it hot to the touch when exposed to sunlight. Imagine hitting a briefcase up against some trim or having a metal shift knob that's been in the sun - ouch!

Any how, the trend is here to stay. I can't remember the last vehicle I drove that didn't have at least some aluminum-look trim.

Just keep it away from the tops of dashes, so we don't get reflections on the windshield.

chuckhoy

Looks like you have dibs on the center spot in the 2nd row. Personally, I would not spend a lot of time in there. It is just not made to sit more than 6 for any extended period of time. But, if you put a carseat or booster seat there and flanked it by kids, it would work. But then it is a pain to get adults in the 3rd row.

This is not meant as any sort of insult. You could fit 5 in a Civic, I just would not want to be in the back with the other 2. Some cars are just not meant to carry more than a certain number of people. The CX-9 just seems to be a 6 seater. Nothing wrong with that. It is what it is. It makes up for it by being a better handling vehicle.

Now, on the 2 inch issue. Is 2 inches a big deal? Look at the size of your pants. Now try on a pair that is 2 inches smaller in the waist and let me know how it feels. When you already have 3 people in close quarters, 2 inches can be a big help in terms of comfort. If it was 2 people in the row, 2 inches would not make a bit of difference. But, then it would carry 6.

baggs32

Not sure I understand. You know Pioneer is Japanese, right? Or are you saying the units are manufactured elsewhere? I think I am just not understanding what you meant.

I typed that under the assumption the units are assembled/mfd in the U.S. I don't know where they are manufactured which is why I said "it may be cost prohibitive". It was just a theory.

ateixeira

I have to agree here.

Try the "hump", i.e. the middle seat in the 2nd row, in pretty much any of these crossovers, and it's the least comfortable spot. The padding is thinner, the back rest is usually also an arm rest, and most models have a hump taking up foot room on top of it all.

I looked closely at this seat because we have 2 kids and a nanny, so that seat is occupied often.

To be honest I failed to find a crossover that did this well, and this is one of the reasons I ended up with something else.

The Subaru Tribeca was close - the seat is split 40/20/40 so the 20 portion isn't too bad, but even that model has a hump in the floor and less seat padding, so it's best for temporary use (or a booster or child seat).

kbedwards

Completely agree that the CX-9 is really a 6 seater, but not because of the 3rd row, but because they made the 2nd row center not a seat at all. As someone mentioned, it's more of a hump than anything else, and behind your back is a storage area and cupholder.

By far the worst seat in the house. Quick trip to a restaurant, for a kid, fine, but nothing more than that imo.

I put my two carseats on the outer edges of that second row and just consider the center to be null space really (a separator so my 3 yr old doesn't whack the baby in the head or something )

If anyone else wants to ride with us (mom and dad in front), I would just automatically tell them to get in the 3rd row as it would be much more comfortable than center 2nd, esp. with configuration of carseats the way I have them.

ateixeira

OK, now imagine having a nanny there a good portion of the time.

She may sue for cruel and unusual punishment.

Vehicles I found that did that well were the Expedition and the Sienna (3 invidual seats in the middle row).

baggs32

If anyone else wants to ride with us (mom and dad in front), I would just automatically tell them to get in the 3rd row as it would be much more comfortable than center 2nd, esp. with configuration of carseats the way I have them.

So can you get to the 3rd row easily with the 2 car seats in the outboard positions? Our Explorer is set up exactly the same and it is impossible to get to the third row (from the two rear doors because you can always crawl in the hatch to get there) when the two seats are LATCH'ed in. It does not have the sliding second row seats as these CUVs do but they never seemed to move far enough forward when I played around with them.

Six of us went from PA to the Outer Banks this summer and we put the two car seats next to each other for that. They occupied the "60%" portion of the second row, one passenger sat comfortably in the 40% portion and one sat in 50% of the third row. The other half of the third row was laid flat in the floor and used for cargo. It was actually quite comfortable and prevented two grannies from having to drive 500+ miles each way. Oh, I drove and my wife was the other front row occupant.

If you can EASILY get to the 3rd row in one of these new CUVs while two carseats are LATCH'ed in at either end of the second row then I might be sold on one.

chuckhoy

Lambda with captains chairs opens up the 3rd row easily. But, your seating capacity goes down to 7.

albook

Not sure why you state "6 is the practical max people hauling capacity.", unless you are inferring that you cannot seat 3 people in 2nd row. Many CX-9 owners in this thread have written otherwise.

Not that hard, seems like every one agrees that the center seat in the CX-9 is not a comfortable place. It's not the best in any CUV, but in the CX-9 it's not comfortable at all.

An inch must make some difference for the Outlook to have so much more leg room than the CX-9.

I'll have to agree with you on the size of the Vera Cruz, but it's third row feels the same size as the CX-9. Not saying much, as they are both tight.

nastacio

An inch must make some difference for the Outlook to have so much more leg room than the CX-9.

Leg room numbers from Saturn and Mazda:

First row: 41.3/40.9
Second row: 36.9/39.8
Third row: 33.2/32.4

So I guess people may elbow each other in the CX-9 2nd row, but they can stretch out their legs a bit more.

One of the advantages for the 2 car-seat crowd in the CX-9 is that the whole 2nd row seat slides forward (touching the back of the front seat) without reclining. Is it possible to fit two car seats on the 60 portion of the 60/40 bench on the Outlook? I know one can go with the captain chairs for the same effect (losing the oh-so-comfortable 2nd row center spot of the lambdas,) but just wondering.

baggs32

Lambda with captains chairs opens up the 3rd row easily. But, your seating capacity goes down to 7.


I don't care what GM claims. I would not put 3 people in the third row of a Lambda so it goes down to 6 for me. Unless I don't like all three of them. :P

That seems like a pretty good option though. I hadn't noticed that configuration's lack of a center console before. I just assumed a center console blocked the path back to the 3rd row as most others do when you opted for the captain's chairs.

chuckhoy

No. There is no center console running the length of the car. We mostly got that option because the sliding seat mechanism for getting to the rear, while providing lots of space to get back there, is extremely difficult for small children to operate. I am glad we went the way we did.

3 adults in the back row? Not unless they are extremely small (anorexic even) or the ride is short. We almost never are travelling long distances without children so it is not an issue for us. If you want to haul around 7 adults all the time, get a minivan or gigantic SUV.

ateixeira

Some can even haul 8. :shades:

chuckhoy

Some vans can even haul 12. :P Not that I would ever buy one.

nastacio

Can minivans really haul 8 adults?

3d row hiproom on the Odyssey is 48.5. On the Sienna is a commendable 51.8, but while I am seated, my hip is 20 inches wide, and at 170 lbs I am on the thin side of the hips.

There is no way three of me :-) could sit in 3rd row of a Sienna, even on a short trip.

ateixeira

Just kidding.

Let's call it 7 adults and one kid.

ateixeira

Hmm, are you sure you need 20"?

I did a quick measure while seated at my desk, and I'm only occupying 17" in width, and I'm 205 lbs!

You must be the world Glutes champion or something!

My shoulders are wider, but there's a lot of extra shoulder room available, much more than 52".

nastacio

205lbs and 17" in width? You are the the real deal for airline coach class then :-)

Maybe I am not 20" wide at the hips, but again, 3 of me could not fit in that space...although 3 of you could :-)

kbedwards

"If you can EASILY get to the 3rd row in one of these new CUVs while two carseats are LATCH'ed in at either end of the second row then I might be sold on one."

I will try it tonight and let you know. I can tell you now, it won't be EASY, but definitely doable for any able bodied adult, and certainly not impossible.

As I mentioned (was it on this board?), I witnessed a full size adult get back there with a regular carseat on one side of the 2nd row, and just the base of an infant seat on the other side. He had no problems.

Obviously when you have the seats in like that, you can't push the 2nd row as far forward as you would normally, so it makes it harder, but still very doable. I will put the infant seat into the base tonight and try it myself to see how hard/easy it is.

ateixeira

I measured the width of the seat that I am occupying. Not a circle around my waist.

But if you put 3 of me side by side, 17" of seat space is enough. So actually 3 of me would fit.

All we need is to clone me twice to test that theory.

Honda's is more narrow there because the spare tire goes there, Toyota puts it under the van so there's much more width for passengers.

maximafan

I understand completely what Nastacio is saying about the "hard look" of the dashboards in some of these crossovers. For instance, the
Veracruz, while very nice looking in the interior, I found the exact same thing, that the dashboard and surrounding leather had a harsh look as opposed to, say, Lexus's dashboard. I haven't really studied the dash
area too closely on the Lambdas, so I can't comment on those.