| SIM |
My MO was stolen 2 weeks before Christmas and I now have the choice to pick whatever I wish. Normally, 4 years later, you would think that some auto maker would have come up with something at least as good in this price range.
So, in all good faith, I went to see all these new marvels at the Montreal Auto show last weekend. I concentrated only on similar vehicles because this is the size that I need. So here it goes:
Mazda CX-7: Nice design, solid and sporty. But forget about rear leg room. There is none as in a Mazda 3.
Mazda CX-9: A little roomier but again, it was designed to accomodate young children in the back. Not enough room for adults to be seated comfortably.
Chrysler: Nothing even close to hit the radar.
Ford Edge: Nice design. A copy of the Murano but even roomier. The sunroof is a gem. Nice touchscreen and premium sound system. 3 factors make me avoid it. 1. It has no brakes. 2. It's Duratec V6 won't carry its 4200 pounds over 16 mpg. 3. 50% depreciation after 1 year!
Lincoln MKX: Read above.
BMW: You got to be joking. A X3 is in RAV-4 and CR-V territory and it's 10 grand more expensive than the MO.
Acura MDX: 10K too much
Saturn Outlook and upcoming Buick Enclave: Nice! Roomy! I could go for this one but the resale value is probably inferior to that of the MO.
Infinity FX: Nice look even after a few years but too crampy for me.
I'm still thinking that either Outlook or Murano would be my best bet but the MO has been around for a while and it aged well. Glitches have been fixed. OTOH the Outlook will probably keep its current form for a while.
Any advice? TIA! |
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| njjoe |
quote:
Originally posted by SIM
Ford Edge: Nice design. A copy of the Murano but even roomier. The sunroof is a gem. Nice touchscreen and premium sound system. 3 factors make me avoid it. 1. It has no brakes. 2. It's Duratec V6 won't carry its 4200 pounds over 16 mpg. 3. 50% depreciation after 1 year!
SIM-
Aren't you being a bit hard on the Edge? No brakes? Poor mileage? 50% depreciation? Sounds like you like it but are making excuses to not get it.
Did you like the MO? Were you happy with it? Well, then get another MO.
-njjoe |
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| SIM |
I was only being objective. I read everything that has been said about the Edge since it is out and I was on a few Edge forums last night, reading everything that the owners had to say about it. Lots of them complain about it being a real gaz guzzler, with first few tanks running an average 9-11 mpg.
Some real life tests conducted by serious magazines reported 60-0 braking distances as high as 162 ft. This is real scary! This is even worse than a Hummer!
And about the value, well I read the used car section in the newspaper everyday... Today's exemple: a loaded '05 Ford Expedition priced equally with a '05 Nissan Pathfinder with similar milleage. Select the one that was selling brand new for almost twice the other's amount... |
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| elliotgb |
| I like the Edge and the Outlook as well. Only problem being that both are entry year models and "Joe Consumer" gets to be the guinea pig. No ideas on what the reliability might be. You have some nice selections to choose from, though. I am waiting for the 2008 MO redesign. |
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| biggun |
"Mazda CX-9: A little roomier but again, it was designed to accomodate young children in the back. Not enough room for adults to be seated comfortably."
If that is your only complaint about this car than you have to keep in mind that it has a third row seat were the Mo doesn't have one. |
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| SIM |
| Hi! Actually I was speaking about the 2nd row seat. Legroom and seat width was obviously reduced to accomodate the third row. It is obvious when you sit in its second row. And there is a very short support for the legs in the 2nd row seat because the third row seat had to be accomodated. I sat in it and it is much less comfortable than the MO's back seat. I understand that you can haul more people with the CX-9 but I don't need it. |
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| SIM |
Update... I went and roadtested a Saturn Outlook XE today. Very nicely equiped with air ducts in the roof and 7 or 8 passengers config. The base model (XE) looks a little cheap though with plastics everywhere. No leather not even on the steering wheel. On the road, the Outlook is firm and solid. The frame is very ridgid but, compared to the 4Runner (that I am currently driving) and the MO, it feels a little underpowered, probably because it is quite a mass for a 3.6 V6. And the AWD XR is something like 10K over the MO SL AWD. The MO looks more luxuruous on the inside and it packs more useful features (to me!) like the huge center console, the rear camera, heated seats, very decent sound system, cargo cover, full-size spare, etc...
So, I guess it still is the MO for me after all these years... :D |
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| Ctx |
| Don't be afraid to love the Mo. MO is OK. :D |
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| biggun |
SIM,
Regarding the Lincoln MKX, you stated "read above" which states:
"Ford Edge: Nice design. A copy of the Murano but even roomier. The sunroof is a gem. Nice touchscreen and premium sound system. 3 factors make me avoid it. 1. It has no brakes. 2. It's Duratec V6 won't carry its 4200 pounds over 16 mpg. 3. 50% depreciation after 1 year!"
Are you saying that the MKX is build on the Edge frame and has the same engine, braking, performance ext.? |
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| tmnjmurano |
| Biggun- basically same car as the Edge- with more luxury options and soundproofing insulation to warrant the Lincoln badge and the 15k jump in price. They're both built on the Ford Fusion platform. |
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| dborla01 |
Hi, Sim. We really liked our 03 SE AWD. Just got a bit nervous with 62K on it. You will love the MO. Nothing else like it. The CVT and VQ engine was so much more "athletic" than the Pilot we almost bought. Not to mention the super looks!
If I were looking now, the SUBY LEgacy GT wagon would be on my short list. Trying to get all things in one car is a daunting task...compromise compromise compromise.
You will most likely have a great love afair with MO. :D Darrell. |
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| nissanlove |
| have you looked at the Acura RDX. fully loaded for the same price as an SE Mo. it is a little smaller but much more agile... |
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| Beng |
| I love my Mo, but if I needed to replace it, the RDX would be high on my list. I like the look and its covered by a Acura/Honda warranty. I've owned several Honda's and when they say bumper to bumper warranty they really mean it. On my 1991 Accord Coupe, my clutch started chattering at 62000K. Honda replaced it under warranty. Didn't cost me a cent. They even rented me a loaner. On my 2003 Accord the replaced my front pads for excessive dust, rotors for warping (they could have just shaved them) and rear break calipers because of a sqweak. Again, all under warranty. Recently my mo started making a grinding noise when comming to a stop. The dealer said to fix it, I needed to replace my pads and shave the rotors, even though I had 50%/40% left front/rear. I asked why and was told that they suspected defective pads. But since they were older than a year they are not covered under warranty. It's going to cost me just over $500 to fix a Nissan defect! |
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