Suzuki Grand Vitara vs Subaru Forester vs Hyundai Santa Fe vs Jeep Liberty vs Ford Escape vs Saturn

mudpuddle

Someone posted this link on the Santa Fe board. Very interesting site. Hyundai and Subaru seem to have done their homework.

                     http://www.highwaysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0104.htm#5

tonychrys

...Isuzu hasn't done their homework. Both the Trooper and Rodeo are near the bottom in terms of crash safety. http://www.highwaysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/summary_midsuv.htm

diploid

Jeez, what was that?! an informercial for the Trooper??

sasquatch_2000

"Is a contest that is largely decided by the money the manufacturers spend. Most of the vehicles entered in it are no where near stock, and require an extensive support system of chase trucks and service personnel. It has no relevence to the day to day driving anyone purchasing a vehicle does, even off-roading. "

If it did, everyone here would be driving Kia Sportages!

odie6l

I got my Escape on Sat (7-14-01) and have NO problems what so ever.



and I even got Top of the Line Goodyear wrangler RF-A's on it


To see more pics just goto Http://members.aol.com/losttreasures26
Odie

diploid

congrats on your new vehicle purchase

sasquatch_2000

I saw that picture coming in, and thought "Nice Santa Fe!"

Boy, they sure look alike from the front.

diploid

billtung

Diploid was right! Escape don't look like Santafe from head to toe! (But somebody said Tribute does a little bit!)
No offence! Personally I think Escape is just a "Ford's Ranger with a canopy", just my opinion, it doesn't means it is ugly, but still a boring look compares to today conceptual new car (especially SUV) look.

Just can't understand why Escape buyers don't concern about the "Front collision" safety about their truck & just talking about how fast in acceleration. ???

tonychrys

beatfarmer

ask Bill what he thinks of the Aztek's looks.

go on, I dare you.

tonychrys

I maybe brave, but I'm not that brave. My son keeps asking what all those bruises on my forehead are from. He's beginning to think that mommy is beating me up.

Actually, I already read his comments in the Azzztek forum, plus his full 8 x 10 glossy photo. That was enough to send me running for cover.

diploid

I agree with bill- the Mazda Tribute looks like the Santa Fe from the front view. I can only differentiate the two because the Santa Fe looks a little more rounded (but I do HATE that terra cotta color). But the Tribute? No way. I think the Tribute's front end resembles that of the upcoming Land Rover Freelander. I would go as far as to say the Tribute looks like a shrunken Pathfinder.

vin_weasel

The tribute front end looks like a minivan while the escape looks like a mini explorer. Both do also have a resemblance to the Sante Fe. The Santa Fe doesn't get all wacky until you get past the front end.

rphillips2

To the host. When is Edmunds going to post their latest test on small sport utilities?

diploid

This time don't include the Nissan X-Terra. It's more of a medium size SUV than it is a mini-SUV.

stever

Well, our Mini-SUV Comparison Test is dated 6/15/01, so my guess is that it's not going to be updated before the new model year hits the showrooms, at the earliest. It'd be nice to get the Escape/Tribute, Liberty and Santa Fe in the comparison. I dropped a hint to editorial :-).

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

diploid

No, the article was updated 6/15/01. I remember reading that comparison test several months before June.

sasquatch_2000

... a comparison by price range.

The Liberty and XTerra fit in the same range as some of the others. All other factors being equal, I'd go for the bigger one.

ateixeira

Interesting note - you can do a side-by-side comparison of the offset crash test results, so I looked at the two best: the Forester and the Santa Fe.

Funny thing is, the Forester actually had better injury measures, while the Santa Fe had better structure/safety cage scores. I dunno, but if you ask me I'd rather the damage be done to the VEHICLE and not the PEOPLE inside. Especially because the Forester had better Head/Neck scores. So while the overall scores are the same, the Forester would get my vote.

The Subaru can tow, give me a break. Just not a huge yacht or anything. You really think most people need to haul more than this?



-juice

tonychrys

How much does that kitty weigh? Is that trailer rated for 1 or 2 kitties??

;-)

big_guy

ateixeira

DOH! It's a doggie! I swear it! He barks, I promise!

Point is, that's way beyond the needs of the average Joe. Or Kerry.

-juice

bpb28

I would say the mini suv comparison test needs to be updated especially considering those were all 1999 models. Since the CRV is going to be redone for 2002 they should probably wait until next winter. It should include the Liberty, CRV, Forester, XL7, Escape/Tribute, RAV4, and the Sante Fe. Nothing over $25k, which excludes the new Range Rover.

sasquatch_2000

Does the Trooper come in under $25,000?

If so, THAT is the way to go. Also, what about Wrangler?

ateixeira

Actually, do it in the spring of 2002, when the 2003 Forester comes out. Then they'd pretty much all be new designs.

But I think it would make more sense to separate the trucks - XTerra, XL7, and Liberty, and test them separately.

Why? Because car-based SUVs do poorly in off-road biased tests, and trucks don't tend to do well on pavement-only tests. So, tell us something we don't know!

-juice

tincup47

Let each vehicle stand on it's own merits, as they do in the Marketplace. Some people might like to see what they get or don't get for their extra money. The Range Rover does not belong (pure luxury class), but the Freelander should be included.

sasquatch_2000

OK, make it $24,000

I think that 25 is a reasonable compromise for most people as a cutoff.

Everyone has their own budget they have to live within. Maybe the 25k figure is an average max.

I think this way makes the most sense. I think they should run all of them through both on and off road tests, and let people make their own decisions. Maybe give them a ranking in each area and then an overall ranking. Maybe even give people a way to do their own tally and scoring.

brauer

Hello,

As Editor-in-Chief of Edmunds.com, I'm happy to report that we've just finished our latest comparison test, which included six of the latest, greatest cute-utes. Included in this test were the Jeep Liberty and supercharged Nissan Xterra.

The story, and video clips, should be posted in the coming weeks.

Thanks,

Karl Brauer
Editor-in-Chief
Edmunds.com

tincup47

Cuts out the top of the line Liberty. Why discriminate by price at all? I'd say test everything available in the same class. If you go by price, why not include the Trooper, Explorer Sport, Rodeo? I guess only economy minded people deserve to know how their vehicle compares to others in it's size class. Why not just compare 4 cylinder vehicles against one another? Because it wouldn't be an accurate representation of what's available. That would be the same as excluding by price.

stever

Boy, are my ears red. Guess the guys in editorial don't spend as much time on the beach as I thought :-).

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

ateixeira

WOW! THAT WAS QUICK!

;-)

-juice

diploid

Don't forget the Saturn VUE and the Mitsubishi mini-ute (forgot what it's called). And why not include the Land Rover Freelander? It's a mini-ute, too. People who can afford the Rover might be interested in knowing how their luxo-ute compared to all the others.

tincup47

is out in December.

ateixeira

Now that Edmunds has done a test, they'll probably only do another one when a few new models appear. We should see the CR-V in September, the Freelander in December, and the Forester in March.

Not sure about the Vue, but I've seen it at car shows so you'd expect it soon. Anyone know? The Mitsu is probably a bit further off.

-juice

haphaphappy

Subaru is a car... Santa Fe is a car... Mazda and Escape? Well let's just say... They're Fords! Liberty is the best for Price/Performance/Style!

tonychrys

with a hybrid SUV that'll actually be avaible to the American public soon (not speculation).

http://www.auto.com/industry/escape7_20000407.htm

vin_weasel

This is the direction hybrids should be going in North America. Here's to hoping my next vehicle will be a hybrid, have more HP and Torque than my current one, and get double the gas mileage.

rsholland

is you'll be seeing a lot of these small (and large) SUV hybrids in the not too distant future.

Bob

ateixeira

So, tell us how you like your Liberty. :-)

40mpg sounds great. Wonder if that's highway or overall. They did mention it would have 4WD, too.

If the feds are serious about cutting our dependence on foreign oil, they should subsidize the $3000 penalty the hybrid system creates.

-juice

diploid

I wouldn't trust Ford on it. Who knows, maybe with the hybrid Escape, there will be no recalls.

jmlagasca

Ford, I would agree on that. Whens the last time anyone can remember a Ford product not having a single recall at launch?

I still love my Tribute as I've had no problems in the 7 months and 9000 miles I've had it. Performs beautifully!

I've seen some Liberty's around and I have to admit that they look impressive, no one in the area seems to want to buy them though, I haven't seen any of the road and the local dealer has a lot on its lot. Santa Fe's on the other hand are now a dime a dozen, they're like escapes now, I see at least 2 or 3 a day. If that's a sign of popularity, I guess I'll have to accept it (at least I don't cringe anymore whenever I see one). Where has the Hung and Tung show gone anyway?

As far as hybrid cars, believe it, students here at UC Davis have been working on Hybrid Suburbans for the past 3 years in a row for the FutureTruck Competition. The Suburban they were working on this year won first place. The trucks by no means were impressive (performance wise) but if college students can make a suburban get 28.1 mpg who knows what possibilities are out there...

odie6l

At least Ford is taking care of the problems with the recalls when they start and not just sweeping them under the so-called carpet. I think it shows that Ford might have some problems with the new model (but don't all NEW models usually have a bug or two) and they want to take care of them before the problems get out off hand. Ford has been around a long time and a few recalls should not matter. Besides wouldn't you want the manufacturer of YOUR car to make your car safer ( not even going near the Firestone thing)

Odie

diploid

But wouldn't be soo much better if Ford had no recalls to begin with?

rsholland

It's great that Ford is acknowledging there are problems, but there are just too many problems to start with.

As a Ford owner, I convinced their quality has gone south since Nasser instituted a cost-cutting program when he took over the reigns at Ford several years ago. It's come back to haunt both him and Ford with way too many quality glitchs across the board. This has been reported in several automotive trade journals. And... please don't ask me which ones, because I don't remember, other than it was reported this past year.

Bob

tincup47

Alex Trotman was the genius behind the cost cutting programs. Nasser didn't take over until 1999, and has been trying to undo a lot of Trotman's disasterous reorganization, the "Ford 2000" Program ever since.

bremo1

I'm down to these three vehicles (Santa Fe GLS, CR-V EX, Tribute LX), and each has their plusses and minuses. I am currently driving a '88 Toyota MR2 (a blast to drive), but many dogs and a new job requiring travel necessitates a switch to a SUV. I will be buying within the next 2 weeks.

I have 5 big dogs (3 rotties, a german shepard, a mastiff) and need a rear section to haul 1-2 at a time, a cage, gear, etc. [It is not fun to take these dogs to the vet in a MR2]. Seats that fold easily and flat are best (a drawback for the SF). I'd also like the rear seats not to look overly 'chewable' when folded up.

My new job duties will require extensive travel around the mid-Atlantic (VA, NC, DC, MD). I'll be likely be putting 20K/yr on the vehicle (mostly highway). Even though we do not get heavy snows here, the weather in the winter is often crappy. I am sure that I will want ABS. The only off-road I anticipate is driving around my farm and on the gravel roads in my county.

The less-expensive price and dealer financing of the Honda now (4.9 for 48 months) keeps this 4-cyl in the running.

I welcome and appreciate comments from mini-SUV owners.

chas215

I'm going to purchase a 2002 4WD, mini-SUV. Have reduced my choices to CRV, RAV4, and Santa Fe. Does anyone have any reliable info on expected changes for any of these vehicles for 2002? release dates? Also, your general opinions of these SUV's would be appreciated. Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

rsholland

Thanks for the clarification. I thought it was Nasser. In any case, Ford has got problems. I've got a '98 Explorer with 85K on it. It was pretty good up until recently—and until the 75K extended warranty expired. It will probably be my last Ford.

Bob

diploid

Honda is bringing out a new CR-V in the Fall. If you can wait that long, I think you'll have one more beneficial selection to your choices. The current CR-V isn't bad at all, but who'd want to drive around in last year's model when a new one is just around the corner?

I personally like the looks of the Santa Fe, but for a mini-suv that weighs so much, the V-6 engine just doesn't do it any good. I know, I know...you're not supposed to drag race in an SUV, but 0-60 in 10.5 seconds...that's an eternity when you're trying to merge into the highway. I hope Hyundai will make a stronger engine for the Santa Fe. That would be my choice in comparison to the RAV4 and CR-V.