993-CT

Jonathan,
we went through the same decision process - ended up with the Odyssey because it drives almost like a Honda Accord - I mean this as a compliment. All the SUV's I tried were just too truck-like, and no amount of leather inside compensates for the head-bobbing ride. Do drive an Ody and a Sequoia to compare.

The Ody is very civilized/car-like for its bulk, the third row seating works pretty well, and the 2wd on it works perfectly fine in the avg NE winters/snow with all-season tires.

I am not convinced the Seqouia has much more interior space than the Ody (the Pilot and MDX have smaller frames than the Ody). Also while many SUVs have V8, they tend to be much heavier too.

When you have a baby in one arm, groceries/diaper bags etc in the other, and it's raining, the remote opening electric doors will be worth the MSRP....

AnthemAVM

I just downsized my wife from a Denali XL to an X5, still provides ample room.

I wanted her to get the Odessey, but no go!.

Michael

mrsullivan

1) i am always amazed at how much effort this board puts in to help others... i didnt expect this many responses

2) my wife will love you all as you are helping to substantiate all her argumests in favor of the Ody

mingson

Like 993-CT says, wait till you have groceries or what ever in both hands and a wiggling toddler/baby in another. You do have three hands? Yes, I also believe the automatic doors is a great thing to have. Not to mention when you do want to go any where with family, ie grandparents, you don't need both cars.

I personally agree with Robin in that SUV's are lame and a really bad American habit. The van however is not only practical now a days, they are pretty comfortable too. I sat in the back of one on a relative long trip and the seats in both the 2 and third rows are adjustable. Not to mention you can store way more in the odyssey/sienna than a SUV.

Besides, it's your wife's car right? =)

Bradford

Have you looked at the R-Class Mercedes, half mini van half wagon. Pretty nice, check one out.

95 C4 993

Get the Mountain Porsche-AKA Subaru Outback.

FGL28

Jonathon,

If your wife is 5'11" I would be careful, she could beat the crap out of you.

I would try this:

Tell her that driving a MV makes you feel like (incert the name of the creepiest / geekiest guy she doesn't care for. Then tell her that for her, you will get the Ody. But that she then owes you. Then get a couple of Mods in the 993.

Or try to talk her into an X5, We had one and the wife felt very safe in it.


If that does not work I will write you a note stating that you are too healthy to drive a minivan.

jago

i'd think twice about getting the wife a large-size suv. visibility is only good if looking straight ahead.
crappy on gas, and risk of rollover. plus if she's anything like my better half, she'll be leaving trail of pissed off drivers as she yaks on the phone and drives erratically while threatening the kids.

we had a pearl white grand caravan with tinted windows. i thought it was pretty slick. now she loves her mdx, regardless of how i feel about it.

CP

Jonathan,

We have an Odyssey now, and looked seriousely at the Sequoia, as we want a 4WD. Stayed with the MV for the follwoing reasons:

(1) While both seat 7, the MV has double the luggage space as the SUV. For road trips, it is really important to us.
(2) The Sequoia averages 14 MPG, our Odyssey is consistently over 20 MPG combined driving.
(3) The power doors/rear hatch are really handy, especially with babies/toddlers.
(4) We had a Volvo SW before, but once we started car-pooling, only the MV will meet the call of duty.
(5) The MV is custom designed for the ladies, the amount of storage, pockets, and other convenience items are far suoerior to that of the SUV.

I do not know if you knew that, the Sienna comes in 4WD. We rented a Sienna when we were in the East Coast for our foliage trip last fall. I found the seats of the Sienna much superior to that of the Odyssey. Almost 1,000 miles in 5 days and none of the 6 adults on that trip had any issues with discomfort and or fatigue. That included my 85 years old mother-in- law. The Sienna also has a special mirror (part of the rear view mirror) for the mom to check the interior occupants. They really think of everything. I believe the new Sienna will be out soon, and will have a hybrid version. We have a deposit down and will trade our Odyssey for the hybrid AWD Sienna when it is available. The Sienna drives better than our Odyssey as well.

Hope this helps a little.

CP

mrsullivan

helps a lot...tells me that i should look at the sienna also if we go the minivan route... thanks!

tsjoel

The mini van is a very practical vehicle with decent gas milage and loads of convienent options... but last time I checked my porsche had none of these traits and I love it. I realize that the gas guzzling suvs are not really politically correct but I tend to gravitate toward HP and good looks. I also figured if I got a mini van I might as well throw the towel in and put on a hat and drive 45 in the fast lane with my blinker on.

I realize that if money is an object the lexus trucks may be out... but if not, I would consider the RX330 or GX470. The 470 seats 7 and both ride like cars. Fit and finish are awesome. I am currently driving the 470 after driving the navigator beast. No comparison. The Lexus trucks hold their value pretty good but they also make a good used car value beause of their reliability. Good luck in whatever decision you make because in the end its your choice and all of this is just opinions and you know what they say about them.

Father of 3

I think the marginal safety benefit you get from the bigger heft of an SUV is offset by the higher CG and increased rollover risk. This issue is exacerbated (by a lot) when you add cargo (weight) to the equation. David in LA once sent me an article that showed how much weight you could safely haul in SUVs before the CG became distorted, thus increasing rollover risk. I don't remember the numbers and if David sees this post perhaps he could post it here but it wasn't a lot. Translation, go for the lowest CG, highest capacity you can find aka mini-van or station wagon. Also, I would argue that front wheel drive is almost as good as 4wd for most days of the year, even in Michigan (isn't that where you live?).

Marv

I would not even consider the SUV. There is little value to the extra hardware that never gets used (how many go four wheeling in canyons?) and their safety records are poor.

I don't like mini-vans, but vehicles like the Honda Odyssey are a far cry better if you must have the extra room.

I test drove a Audi A3 with the DSG and was really amazed. That may be too small, but you might also consider the Subaru Forrester, which has more room than the A3 and what is most important - it has a Boxer Engine! The Forrester is more car like than SUVs.

However, you can't go wrong with Honda. Great vehicle and outstanding boredom for the money. My friend calls his the Honda Souless.

Marv

Since SUVs are classified as light trucks they do not have to comply to the same level of safety standards as passenger cars. Mass is a great thing, but SUVs lack the same level of technical safety that better cars have and some SUVs that employ the old box style frames are outright killers. They are like a battering ram when they hit another vehicle.

I agree that 4wd is not required in most states. I am shocked at the number of them I see when I visit Florida. These guys are lucky to see the shoulder of the road at best let alone any serious off-road use as they were supposedly designed for.

95cab

Sequoia is a great SUV and we haven't rolled - because we know 4WD only gets you out of being stuck - doesn't do anything to keep you from getting stuck - and the Sequoia is 2WD unless you select 4WD. Someone mentioned getting a smaller car until you need it - I couldn't agree more - the Sequoia is HUGE. We got it when our third child was born - layout is great, reliability is very good, resale is good - as a matter of fact - with 4 1/2 yeasr and 76K on it - this one's going on the block pretty soon. Funny thing is, I was pushing for the Honda Odessy - gas, etc - but the wife wouldn't have anything to do with it!!

One suggestion - if you can, lease it - if gas is $6.00 a gallon when the lease is up, you won't be the one trying to sell it...