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Yeah I'm sure the new system is better, but the old system worked for 99% of the problems most people deal with.
In fact CR had an article about putting Nitrogen in the tires. With regular air in the tires each test tire lost something like 5 psi per year, and with Nitrogen it went down to about 2-3 psi IIRC.
But it definitely showed that all tires lost some air over time.
We should all check the tire pressures manuall at least as often as we change oil. Many people don't, so the sensors are a good idea.
I add air to my cars a couple of times per year. They do slowly lose pressure.
Good luck!
The Sequoia is brand new and will probably sell for closer to list prices.
The unplowed roads make this a tough decision, though. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Given the spare fits in the rear well, the only trade-off is that you can't fold down the 3rd row while it's there.
Maybe I'm crazy but you might want to consider the easiness of driving/maneuverability of the two of them. I'm going to start looking for a mid-sized SUV soon which I know my kids will drive some of the time. IMO kids have a little more trouble driving minivans than SUV's. The wheel base length and size of the minivans is tougher for new drivers.
Sienna 201"
Acadia 201.1"
Sequoia 203.9"
Odyssey 202.1"
Terraza 205"
The turning circle for the Sienna is much tighter than any big SUV's, in fact it's tighter than the turning circle for my old Forester (which is 2 feet shorter!).
For manueverability, the Sienna is a good choice from that list of candidates.
The Kia Rondo and Mazda5 are smaller, but may be too small, plus no AWD for either one. Maybe that new Dodge crossover? I forget the name.
A lot of factors affect the turning circle - wheel/tire size for instance. Also, AWD vs. FWD, or 2WD vs. 4WD.
It's a good idea to try a U-turn during any test drive to see how manueverable a vehicle is.
We test drove an Expedition once and while my wife did love it, she had to get help to park it. We ruled it out right then and there.
Thankfully, while the Sienna is still fairly big and wide, the turning radius is very tight. Surprisingly so. You can easily fit a U-turn in an average sized street, even some smaller ones.
to me minivans are far more practical than an SUV.
In my family the consensus for the teens is :
1. 1995 Taurus SHO -- they fight over who gets this one.
2. 1995 Ford Explorer (no longer have - yes the one that could roll)
3. 2000 Town & Country minivan
4. 2002 BMW (5-something series) Shocked that my kids don't like to drive this. They claim that the the car doesn't "glide". When you take your foot off the accelerator the transmission applies drag and slows it down.
:shades:
Teens should be trained to make wide turns. Especially when parking.
And until they learn, people should use all available resources - like 160,000 mi Chevy
Ventures to effectively equal one of these:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/features_classic_- - - - cars/top_ten_urban_vehicles_feature/the_beater_feature
Makes no sense to give a 16 year old a brand new car. Let them get some experience on a beater instead.
The problem is a lot of those beaters are used SUVs that the parents handed down. You just hope the kids drive those behemoths safely. I'd never let my future 16 year old drive something like a Suburban.
BTW - I hate to make you jealous but I now have 2 beaters :P
No doubt you want your kids driving as safe a vehicle as possible, but the only vehicle that's truly going to do that is a tank.
1- space
2- fun and drivability factor
3- safety
4- fuel efficiency
5- practical usage
OK>...I am in Hong Kong now...and this is one of the top stories.
A Hong Kong family , a newly wedded couple ( Willian Ha, Clara Ng, her parents, and her 25 yr old younger sister Flora), all went on vacation toAuckland, New Zealand. They were driving a Subaru station wagon. Somehow , they lost were weaving, and hit a SUV Pajero ....... 4 of the 5 people in the station wagon died...with Clara surviving with severe injuries. The neighbors in the surrounding area came to help, but could not even determine the number of people inside the station wagon, due to the severity of the collision and damage to the vehicle. Rescue workers had to pry out the other bodies.
IN the SUV, there were 3 people on a fishing trip. One 67 yr old had a shoulder injury, and the 12 year old girl had a broken arm. All 3 survived.
You make your choices, and live with it. I think a minivan and suv are both safe choices....though SUVs may rolll over. IN collisions, the survivability of your loved ones will be generally higher when in a minivan or SUV.
And I can't imagine that a Suzuki Samurai hitting a Cadillac DTS head-on would fare any better.
This is a clear case of mass wins. Can't ignore the laws of phyics.
I have just started my search for a 7 passenger SUV, and am trying to decide between the Acura MDX, BMW X5 and Audi Q7. I know they vary a bit in price, but I have only started looking and want to keep my options open. My key considerations for selecting an SUV are a) drive/handling and safety, b) at least somewhat comfortable third row seating, c) price. With that in mind, I have the following questions:
1) Acura MDX seems to win in most categories that I care about - drive is pretty good (I am sure BMW is slightly better but MDX meets my needs); 3rd row seating seems slightly more roomy than X5 (although it is still pretty tight back there); and its the lowest priced. So what could "drive" me to purchase a X5?
2) Is there anything good about the Audi Q7? The third seat is no more roomier than it is for MDX. Price is almost 40% higher than MDX. I am sure its good in driving and safety, but not that much metter than MDX, is it?
3) Are there any other SUVs I should be considering? I have thought about the Lexus GX470 but haven't test driven it yet. Also, I have considered some of the larger SUVs (Sequoia, Escalade etc.) but am not keen on muying too big a SUV. Also, I would prefer to buy a Japenese or German SUV.
Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I would suggest an Enclave but you said Euro or Japanese.
Following tidester's suggestion, you may also get some more feedback in the Crossover SUV comparison thread.
Does anyone have info on the difference between AWD and 4WD?
Thanks
4WD & AWD systems explained
You'll find some details about the Sienna's AWD in the Toyota 4WD systems explained discussion.
If you aren't using winter tires on the MPV, you may want to research that. I drove FWD cars in snow country for a couple of decades, including minivans, and did pretty well with studded tires. They aren't legal everywhere, but winter tires like Nokians may work for you.
There is no room for a spare because the driveshaft takes up that space (FWD models have it underneath).
I own a Sienna, and I'm a fan of AWD, but I passed.
Get FWD and snow tires, or get something else.
Thanks so much
:shades:
Ontario, Canada
Biggest service expense we've had was a transmission that needed rebuilding at 140,000 miles. That cost $1500, and the transmission has now lasted almost another 100,000 miles since the rebuild and still working fine.
All other problems were sometimes irritating, but relatively inexpensive and easy to fix. Two O2 sensors, 1 Manifold Air Pressure sensor, and a couple of window regulators. (did the window regulators and the MAP sensor myself).
In 45 years of driving all kinds of vehicles, there is nothing like a minivan for all around usefulness. Hauls an amazing amount of stuff and/or people, and in great comfort. Great for long distance trips, or short runs around town. Hauled kids to all their activities as they grew up, then moved their stuff to college, apartments, etc. Hauls lumber, including 4x8 sheets of plywood for home improvement projects, and many other bulky materials.
Cannot see any rational reason for a family getting an SUV unless you need to tow something big or if you live in snow country and cannot find a minivan with AWD. (of course, these days, they call a minivan with AWD a Crossover...)
--jayhawk
I don't carry equipment around as often as I used to but we will still always have one minivan in the fleet.
So true...
I just got back from a family reunion in Florida. The amount of people (up to 8 at any given time) and especially luggage that thing carried was incredible. And it handled the payload well, no bottoming out, and nothing had to go on the roof.
Coming back from Florida to DC it carried 6 people and their luggage, and almost all of the luggage in the cargo area (up to the ceiling). Everyone was comfortable so no compromising. We had about a dozen suitcases, 2 of them oversized.
The utility can't be beat.
Oh, and they watched movies coming back. No asking "are we there yet?"
We hauled coming back (dad hit 90 at one point) and had lots of weight, so mileage was just 24 mpg or so. I usually do 27-30 with a lighter load and at more prudent speeds.
The Ody is the only other van to even offer 8 seats, and there's no way it will be wide enough for an infant seat, a child safety seat, and a booster, all 3 side-by-side.
Better still, in the Sienna you can position the middle seat forward, so you can reach the baby from your seat. The older kids would sit outboard. Plus you would still have 99 cubic feet behind that row, i.e. tons of space.
In any other van you'll need the use the 3rd row for that 6 year old, and he/she will feel cheated.
Tip: get power doors, they're great (LE 8-passenger w/pkg 2 or higher).
In my family, my cousins in a similar boat here. The family now has a 2001 Navigator, with a 3 year old, 5 year old, and an 8 year old. Since he could put on his seatbelt, he's LOVED finally being on the third row, being the "big boy: all by himself. All he has to do is walk between the captains chairs, just like in a 7-passenger minivan, except in today's minivans, the rear seat accomodations are MUCH more comfortable than the back of an old Navigator.
Just a thought; it may actually be preferable to have the two captains chairs in the 7-passenger Sienna or the 8-passenger Odyssey with the removeable center 2nd row seat. That way, he/she can get back to the 3rd row without having to move a carseat/booster seat to move the 2nd row chair out of the way for them to get back there
Both the Odyssey and Sienna are nice vans which are aging relatively gracefully (the Odyssey debuted in '05, while the Sienna debuted in '04 and has gotten a new powertrain in the last two years). Putting that many miles on a van, you might also consider the Entourage or Sedona with their 100k warranty. If you're grimacing a lot about checking out a minivan, I'd suggest at least looking at the Chevrolet Traverse/GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook/Buick Enclave by General Motors. They are the roomiest crossovers, offer similar economy to the vans (while still not having the amount of room as a minivan), and lots of luxury options.
Ateixeira won't lead you astray; he has an 8-passenger Sienna and loves it. I've put many miles on an '05 Odyssey and love that it handles like a 120% Accord; very carlike and feels smaller than it really is. The Sienna wins in the engine-department, while the Odyssey is simply the better drive of the two.
Happy hunting!
When you don't need to put passengers in the 3rd row, you have SOOO much more cargo space.
A friend of mine has 3 kids and traded a Suburban with a 2nd row bench for a Chevy Traverse with captain's chairs. She must always use the 3rd row for one kid, so her cargo space is less than half of what it was before. She's had trouble adjusting to packing so light for trips.
The Ody is a lot bigger than a Traverse, so that may not be a problem, but check it out carefully, take the kids with you, ask them if they are comfortable, make sure you still have enough room for gear.
We chose our Sienna democratically - both kids and even the nanny had a say in our purchase. Everyone voted Yes for the Sienna. Other vehicles got 3 or 4 votes, but nothing else was unanimously liked by all.
I vetoed the Expedition because of horrible gas mileage and because it drives like a truck!
Looks like it's possible that Nissan could start making them in Canton next year. NY Times
They may wait as long as they can to see how the Ford Transit does.
The NV2500 looks like a Chevy Avalanche that ran into one of those old utility company crewcabs with all the doors hanging off everywhere and quadrupled the cubby holes.