What Did You Do With Your Kizashi Today?

[NiteRider]

You have a Jeep and you want to buy a Land Rover? What about reliability..? lol Don't you know the land rover and range rover are the worst vehicles in terms of reliability? And frankly...the new models are just ok.

The same reason she buys that latest pair of shoes. It looks pretty. Honestly, I'm trying to sway her over to a Jeep Grand Cherokee but this current jeep left a bad taste in her mouth due to all the problems it's had.

[Ronzuki]

Smart woman, if that Liberty left a bad taste, A GC will likely leave a larger bad taste. More $$ more problems when it comes to Heep.

[KuroNekko]

Land Rovers are lease-mobiles. With their atrocious reliability and high cost of ownership, I think leasing them makes more sense than buying them to own. I admire their performance, styling, and offroad ability, but I'd rather take a Toyota 4Runner or Land Cruiser any day if I had to own a SUV. Not as pretty or as fast, but at least these Toyotas will be running in 20 years while being just as capable.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is nice and refined but suffers from poor transmissions. Chrysler's 8 and 9 speed autos seem to really plague the entire company and all the products with them. The only Jeeps that appeal to be are the Renegade and Wrangler with their 6 speed manuals.

If offroad ability and towing aren't a concern, I'd look at something like a Toyota Highlander or a Nissan Murano over a Jeep or Land Rover, especially if I count on driving it past the warranty period. If I was going to spend GC and LR kind of money, I'd even look at a fully-loaded Mazda CX-5 and pocket the savings. I'd personally consider the new RAV4 Hybrid too. The thing gets 34 MPG in the city with electric AWD yet accelerates to 60 MPH as fast as a manual FWD Kizashi.

I think the best offroader on a budget is the late Nissan Xterra. Tough, reliable, and capable without the high resale price that Jeeps and Toyotas command. The Pro-4X with the locking rear differential is the one I'd get.

[NiteRider]

Land Rovers are lease-mobiles. With their atrocious reliability and high cost of ownership, I think leasing them makes more sense than buying them to own. I admire their performance, styling, and offroad ability, but I'd rather take a Toyota 4Runner or Land Cruiser any day if I had to own a SUV. Not as pretty or as fast, but at least these Toyotas will be running in 20 years while being just as capable.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is nice and refined but suffers from poor transmissions. Chrysler's 8 and 9 speed autos seem to really plague the entire company and all the products with them. The only Jeeps that appeal to be are the Renegade and Wrangler with their 6 speed manuals.

If offroad ability and towing aren't a concern, I'd look at something like a Toyota Highlander or a Nissan Murano over a Jeep or Land Rover, especially if I count on driving it past the warranty period. If I was going to spend GC and LR kind of money, I'd even look at a fully-loaded Mazda CX-5 and pocket the savings. I'd personally consider the new RAV4 Hybrid too. The thing gets 34 MPG in the city with electric AWD yet accelerates to 60 MPH as fast as a manual FWD Kizashi.

I think the best offroader on a budget is the late Nissan Xterra. Tough, reliable, and capable without the high resale price that Jeeps and Toyotas command. The Pro-4X with the locking rear differential is the one I'd get.

Thanks for the suggestions. We're looking around a 40K budget and all of those above fit the bill. What's your take on the Ford Explorer?

[KuroNekko]

Thanks for the suggestions. We're looking around a 40K budget and all of those above fit the bill. What's your take on the Ford Explorer?

The current Explorer is no longer the vehicle that many Americans think of when they hear "Explorer". It was one of the first to go from a body-on-frame SUV to a unibody CUV. With that change, 4x4 went to AWD. It's basically a CUV now. Personally, I don't find it too compelling. Ford has really pushed the EcoBoost engines in these, offering both the 4 cylinder turbo and the 3.5 liter V6 turbo. While their performance figures are impressive, their real-world MPGs and reliability are rather poor. These EcoBoost engines often get criticized on these two fronts. Ford does offer a normally aspirated V6 engine in their base model which seems to be the safest bet for long-term ownership.
I just keep hearing bad things about the EcoBoost engines across the entire Ford fleet and the Explorer is no exception. The EcoBoost Explorers are commonly used as Police Interceptor Utility vehicles now but I've heard that police departments don't think too highly of them either. Personally, I'd avoid them if I was looking to own for the long term.

I think the safe bets are with the rather boring ones like the Highlander and the Pilot. I'd avoid the Nissan Pathfinder due to its problematic CVT issues. I recently test drove an off-lease 2013 Acura RDX with the V6 engine and found it to be a pleasant, refined vehicle. Nothing really riveting, but it'll probably spare you from frequent trips to the dealership once the Takata airbag recall is sorted out. It wasn't for me personally as I was acting as an advisor/scout for someone else interested in one.

Another one I think is interesting is the upcoming Mazda CX-9. They really improved this vehicle. It's all-new and now has a 2.5 liter turbo engine instead of the former Ford-sourced V6. However, I'd wait around to get it. This is a brand new engine for Mazda and the last time they put a new turbo in a CUV, it was a disaster. The 2.3 liter turbo in the CX-7 is infamous for poor reliability. Hopefully, Mazda got it right this time, but I'd let others test the waters first.

Another I personally find interesting is the upcoming Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The technology isn't for everyone, but I find it very interesting and useful for those in an urban environment. It's the best selling PHEV in a number of places like the UK, Norway, and Japan. The US version will finally be revealed tomorrow morning at the New York Auto Show and is supposed to have improved specs for America. It's basically like a Chevy Volt but as a midsize CUV with electronic AWD.

However, if it's durability and longevity that I'm looking for, it's hard to beat the Toyota 4Runner. It's still a traditional BOF SUV that's made in Japan. It's always on the list for the "10 most reliable vehicles"/"10 cars that will last over 200,000 miles", etc. It's not fuel efficient nor refined by today's CUV standards, but this thing will get you through the rough stuff and do so for decades.

I think it comes down to what kind of purpose you and your wife want filled with the new vehicle. If it's an alternative to an AWD sedan, then I think a CUV would make more sense given the smoother ride and better efficiency. However, if it's utility like hauling, towing, and adventures regardless of weather or road conditions, I'd get an SUV.

[golftango]

Thanks for the suggestions. We're looking around a 40K budget and all of those above fit the bill. What's your take on the Ford Explorer?

Kuro pretty much nailed it. If 3rd row AWD is your priority, then Highlander or Pilot.

Other than that, I'd go 4Runner. The TRDpro in inferno orange is really sharp.

[LPSISRL]

JEEP=Just Empty Every Pocket

[pakizzie2015]

well after a mild winter and not much salt brine or rock salt put down I decided on Easter Saturday to wash my black 2011 GTS.. well.. I got to tell you. disappointment.. the cars hood has MORE paint chips from rock salt and more scratches along the side.. out came the scratch remover (hide more than removes) and a double wax job.. the car looks good now with the paint stick I got that matches the black pearl and the scratch remover and wax that took 3 hours to do.. I figure I will be doing this constantly to keep the scratches hidden and if I keep up the waxing and polishing it will stay nice.. I have never owned a car with this bad of a paint job.. I know that this is well documented. so there is nothing much we can do.. but keep fixing and hiding this.. at work easter sunday I saw across the street a 2010 black front drive SE.. talked with the owner about this site and what needs to be done to fix the hide the scratches and paint dings.. he seemed interested in joining.. his has very low millage for that year 53 thousand.. I also asked him how his car handled the 23 inches in the Philadelphia area they got. he said even with just front drive it was excellent.. gives me pleasure to hear since I didn't get a change to find out up here in the Hazleton area in PA this year.. NOT COMPLAINING!.. Hope you all who celebrate Easter had great day.

[KuroNekko]

well after a mild winter and not much salt brine or rock salt put down I decided on Easter Saturday to wash my black 2011 GTS.. well.. I got to tell you. disappointment.. the cars hood has MORE paint chips from rock salt and more scratches along the side.. out came the scratch remover (hide more than removes) and a double wax job.. the car looks good now with the paint stick I got that matches the black pearl and the scratch remover and wax that took 3 hours to do.. I figure I will be doing this constantly to keep the scratches hidden and if I keep up the waxing and polishing it will stay nice.. I have never owned a car with this bad of a paint job.. I know that this is well documented. so there is nothing much we can do.. but keep fixing and hiding this.. at work easter sunday I saw across the street a 2010 black front drive SE.. talked with the owner about this site and what needs to be done to fix the hide the scratches and paint dings.. he seemed interested in joining.. his has very low millage for that year 53 thousand.. I also asked him how his car handled the 23 inches in the Philadelphia area they got. he said even with just front drive it was excellent.. gives me pleasure to hear since I didn't get a change to find out up here in the Hazleton area in PA this year.. NOT COMPLAINING!.. Hope you all who celebrate Easter had great day.

Yeah, the black ones have it bad. There are always new chips to cover with touch-up paint every time I wash my black GTS Sport. However, I think getting a hood deflector really helped minimize the number of rock chips. I'd recommend trying to find one if you plan to keep your Kizashi a while.

[Ronzuki]

Picked up the Kiz yesterday from the body shop (and dropped off the Heep). The Kiz especially needed serious help after the shingle flogging it received from the tornado. New windshield and all the scratches and gouges in the body are gone. Looks almost as good as new (need to take it back for a tad more clear coat polishing around a blend area). Bonus...they repainted the front mud guards for me as the expensive multi-step rattle can job I did here in our booth didn't hold up too well over the years. They had to remove them to work the front fenders and the guy says to me "as nice as this car is, we just couldn't put those nasty things back on looking that way. It would've been a crime".

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