7-seater SUV recommendations?

[Lawnmower2021 423]

Hello All,

We're looking to retire our Ford Escape and go with something newer, bigger, and better. Any non-luxury, gas capable suggestions? Hoping for around $30-40k. 

A 7-seater seems a good choice since it means we can drive both our kids and my wife's parents if/when they visit. It'd also have a lot of space if we don't need the extra row.

So far we've considered things like the Honda Pilot or Volkswagen Atlas. I'll be honest: I am not a huge car nerd. I don't commute by car anywhere for work; we mostly use it for groceries, take-out, and bringing the kids to playgrounds.

 I really appreciate any input at all, or recommendations for trustworthy dealerships near Livingston. Thank you all!

[voyager9 3,434]

I was close to trading in my standard Grand Cherokee for the 3-row L version. We are definitely outgrowing the 5 seat WK2 as much as I love it.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the L but it’s better than a minivan.  At 50K though it’s more than your looking for.   I also briefly looked at the Kia Telluride but the dealer markups were insane at the time.  

[JohnnyB 4,325]

For a 7 seater, I highly suggest a Nissan Pathfinder!  Two years ago we got my wife a CPO 2018 Pathfinder Platinum for $33,000 with 17K miles.  It was never titled and was used by the sales manager.  It has been great so far!

[1LtCAP 4,264]

i'd look into a ford expedition, or the chevy tahoe or whatever the gmc version of that is. the thing to be careful with on the gm's though is the variable displacement. all of their 5.3 and 6.0 engines have it. it works fantastic. so good that you don't know it's working. right up till it fooks ya. then it sucks. the newer expeditions, i don't have much experience with at all, but i haven't heard much bad about em either.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

33 minutes ago, Lawnmower2021 said:

Hello All,

We're looking to retire our Ford Escape and go with something newer, bigger, and better. Any non-luxury, gas capable suggestions? Hoping for around $30-40k. 

A 7-seater seems a good choice since it means we can drive both our kids and my wife's parents if/when they visit. It'd also have a lot of space if we don't need the extra row.

So far we've considered things like the Honda Pilot or Volkswagen Atlas. I'll be honest: I am not a huge car nerd. I don't commute by car anywhere for work; we mostly use it for groceries, take-out, and bringing the kids to playgrounds.

 I really appreciate any input at all, or recommendations for trustworthy dealerships near Livingston. Thank you all!

Check Costco Auto.  See what options they have for dealerships near you.  Can sometimes get a deal.  

We have an 8-passenger Honda Pilot - one thing about the 3.5L V6 Hondas - Do a bit of research.  I wish I had before I got ours - the VCM basically disables 3 cylinders and causes extra vibration and can cause issues with the transmission - had to replace a torque converter (pricey job).  Same thing applies to the Honda Odyssey, Ridgeline, Accord & Acura RDX/TLX.

Is a Minivan out of the question?  There roomy and can carry a ton of stuff... and generally drive super nice.

[Vdep217 63]

We have a gmc acadia and we love it.  3rd row that folds to give extra storage 4wd.

[voyager9 3,434]

6 hours ago, Krdshrk said:

Is a Minivan out of the question?  There roomy and can carry a ton of stuff... and generally drive super nice.

I hate to admit it.  My wife’s old Pacifica was like driving the starship Enterprise.  With kids and pets and her side business it was super convenient.   

[Displaced Texan 11,750]

The VW Atlas is a great vehicle. I had one as a loaner awhile back when my Golf R was in for service. 
 

A lot of people bitch and complain about VW as being problematic, I’ve had 9, and never had any major issues with any of them. I currently own 2, a 2018 Tiguan SE AWD, and a 2019 Golf R. 
 

Should you decide to go with VW (or any German mfg), the key to them is to DO the factory recommended maintenance on schedule.

VW has a pretty good clue about what needs service and when. Stick to the maintenance schedule and you will be fine. That’s been my experience across 9 VWs. 

[1LtCAP 4,264]

8 hours ago, Krdshrk said:

Check Costco Auto.  See what options they have for dealerships near you.  Can sometimes get a deal.  

We have an 8-passenger Honda Pilot - one thing about the 3.5L V6 Hondas - Do a bit of research.  I wish I had before I got ours - the VCM basically disables 3 cylinders and causes extra vibration and can cause issues with the transmission - had to replace a torque converter (pricey job).  Same thing applies to the Honda Odyssey, Ridgeline, Accord & Acura RDX/TLX.

Is a Minivan out of the question?  There roomy and can carry a ton of stuff... and generally drive super nice.

yea. that's hondas version of the variable displacement. chrysler uses it too on their hemi v8's. can't remember if it's on any of their other v8's or not.

 it's actually a very ingeniously simple system that's controlled in an over-complicated way....but works VERY well. till it doesn't as i mentioned above. i don't have a ton of experience with failures of this system on the hondas as yet.....but on gm's it's normally either #1 or #4 lifter failures. lifter replacement on their engines requires removal of the cylinder head. i had one that the lifter itself didn't fail, but rather the plastic(yea i know) tab that holds the lifter in proper alignment had broken. lifter rotated 90degrees and proceeded to peel the cam lobe like an orange. and fling metal shaving through the entire engine.  i had a 10 charger that one of the control solenoids failed, so they wanted all of them replaced. boy was that a fun job. would've been relatively easy if every single one didn't stick in the bore so badly that they broke coming out.

3 hours ago, Vdep217 said:

We have a gmc acadia and we love it.  3rd row that folds to give extra storage 4wd.

with the v6 those are great choices. with the 4banger? junk.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

17 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

The VW Atlas is a great vehicle. I had one as a loaner awhile back when my Golf R was in for service. 
 

A lot of people bitch and complain about VW as being problematic, I’ve had 9, and never had any major issues with any of them. I currently own 2, a 2018 Tiguan SE AWD, and a 2019 Golf R. 
 

Should you decide to go with VW (or any German mfg), the key to them is to DO the factory recommended maintenance on schedule.

VW has a pretty good clue about what needs service and when. Stick to the maintenance schedule and you will be fine. That’s been my experience across 9 VWs. 

just like many of their asian counterparts......get them equipped wrong.......like something bigger with a little engine....and they suck. oil. i've had 3 over the past few years that the owners let them run dry because of this. and that was within the scheduled maintenance too.

 

 what i generally tell anyone that's looking at euro-junk........they're generally VERY nice for the first couple of years. so lease it. if after that 3 year lease, you still like and want it, then turn it in(before it has chance to develop big problems) and lease another one. if i were gonna recommend any eurojunk, it'd be mercedes, even though i hate working on them.....they seem to be the most reliable. from my experience anyway

[Shocker 151]

My wife likes her Atlas. If you want the V6 you have to get a 2023 or earlier though, you can only get a turbo 4 in the 2024 MY

 

Also you can choose between captains chairs (for -1 seatbelt) or bench seats for the second row, which is nice. 

[gleninjersey 2,141]

Stay FAR away from anything GM makes these days.  If their AFM (Active Fuel Management) isn't crashing lifters requiring engine rebuilding then their transmissions are blowing up.  

Does Ford still make the Expedition? If so, look for one with a V8 5.0 liter (at a minimum, I think they make a V10 for it as well) engine that doesn't have Active Fuel Management and has a six speed transmission.  I think they started with that garbage mid 2017?  And started with more and more gearing in their transmissions around same time.  Stay away from their newer V6 motors.  The water pump is buried IN the engine.  It's a very expensive fix.  Buddy of mine recently traded in his Ford SUV because water pump went and they quoted him like $3k to replace it!  @Mr.Stu can chime in with more info on the Expedition.  I believe he's had one or two.

Nissan, just make sure it's not front wheel drive.  I've heard horror stories about their FWD vehicles.

I don't know how old you are comfortable with going but old GM (2000 - 2006) Tahoes, Yukon, Suburbans & Yukon XLs are built like tanks.  Simpler engine and only four speed transmission.  Easy to work on and parts aren't expensive.  You can still find some low mileage ones around.  Just make sure no rust problems.  2005 -2006 started using electric fans for cooling motor.  LOTS of room in engine bay when working on those.  We purchased our 2004 GMC Yukon Denali Oct 2019 with only 103k miles.  They generally easy make it to 300k+ miles.  Mechanic friend recommended it to us.  It has 175k miles on it now.

I agree with 1LtCAP.  Lease anything European.  Between the parts and the labor everything associated with those will be more expensive.

 

[Mr.Stu 1,922]

1 minute ago, gleninjersey said:

Does Ford still make the Expedition?

Yep

1 minute ago, gleninjersey said:

Stay away from their newer V6 motors.  The water pump is buried IN the engine.  It's a very expensive fix.  Buddy of mine recently traded in his Ford SUV because water pump went and they wilted him like $3k to replace it!

This is only true of the transversely mounted 3.5 V6 (e.g. Explorer) where they needed to reduce the length of the engine so put in the dumb timing chain driven water pump. The longitudinally mounted version of this engine has a traditionally designed water pump driven by the serpentine belt.

The Gen 1 of the ecoboost 3.5 V6 has DI, which can lead to carbon fouling in the intake manifold. The Gen 2 has both DI and port injection to try to flush the intake during normal operation. In the Expedition, it is a pretty solid engine.

 

[Lawnmower2021 423]

Thanks everyone for the input so far! I've been reading through this very carefully. Honestly, never thought I'm a minivan person but the Pacifica looks interesting!  Starting to lean towards American manufacturers based on the input here.

12 hours ago, Krdshrk said:

Check Costco Auto.  See what options they have for dealerships near you.  Can sometimes get a deal. 

Definitely will!

11 minutes ago, gleninjersey said:

We purchased our 2004 GMC Yukon Denali Oct 2019 with only 103k miles.

You guys want a laugh? I have a 2007 Ford Escape.... with ~26K miles. Not a typo. I got it new in Brooklyn and barely drove it.

In fact, I probably drove it too rarely and parts started rotting away. I had to replace all the brakes, rotors and calipers, within the last few years. ABS and 4WD lights constantly on, and now it leaks like crazy in the rain. I might consider trading it in if I get anything, otherwise I'll fix the leaking and use it as a backup.

 

[Mr.Stu 1,922]

2 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

@Mr.Stu can chime in with more info on the Expedition.  I believe he's had one or two.

I just traded a 2011 with 180k miles (4.3l Triton V8) for a 2015 with 74k miles (3.5l V6 ecoboost)

Ford have been making Expeditions for a very long time and have got most of it figured out.

The 2011 had to go because it was rotting out, but mechanically was in pretty good shape. The 4.3 V8 was still running strong, 6 speed transmission was good, even the wheel bearings were still good. The chassis not so much after 12 NJ winters and the OEM rear muffler was rotted out too. There were a few ancillary components that needed attention over the last couple of years - fuel tank pressure sender, power steering line, gasket for the coolant bridge between the heads - but other than that it was just normal maintenance items like brakes, plugs and oil changes.

My replacement has the 3.5l V6 mated to the 6 speed transmission. It pulls well - better than the 4.3l V8. I have no info on the 10 speed transmissions they started to install after 2017.

[1LtCAP 4,264]

4 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

Stay FAR away from anything GM makes these days.  If their AFM (Active Fuel Management) isn't crashing lifters requiring engine rebuilding then their transmissions are blowing up.  

Does Ford still make the Expedition? If so, look for one with a V8 5.0 liter (at a minimum, I think they make a V10 for it as well) engine that doesn't have Active Fuel Management and has a six speed transmission.  I think they started with that garbage mid 2017?  And started with more and more gearing in their transmissions around same time.  Stay away from their newer V6 motors.  The water pump is buried IN the engine.  It's a very expensive fix.  Buddy of mine recently traded in his Ford SUV because water pump went and they quoted him like $3k to replace it!  @Mr.Stu can chime in with more info on the Expedition.  I believe he's had one or two.

Nissan, just make sure it's not front wheel drive.  I've heard horror stories about their FWD vehicles.

I don't know how old you are comfortable with going but old GM (2000 - 2006) Tahoes, Yukon, Suburbans & Yukon XLs are built like tanks.  Simpler engine and only four speed transmission.  Easy to work on and parts aren't expensive.  You can still find some low mileage ones around.  Just make sure no rust problems.  2005 -2006 started using electric fans for cooling motor.  LOTS of room in engine bay when working on those.  We purchased our 2004 GMC Yukon Denali Oct 2019 with only 103k miles.  They generally easy make it to 300k+ miles.  Mechanic friend recommended it to us.  It has 175k miles on it now.

I agree with 1LtCAP.  Lease anything European.  Between the parts and the labor everything associated with those will be more expensive.

 

gm started somewhere around 2010 to 2012 with the active fuel management. chrysler started with it at least in 2010.  the 3.5/3.7 v6 ford engines with the waterpump in the engine......it's expensive cause the engine's gotta come out to do the job. once the pump's leaked, it's not IF the engine's gonna fail....it's a matter of WHEN. and right now, there's a backlog of engines for those.

3 hours ago, Mr.Stu said:

Yep

This is only true of the transversely mounted 3.5 V6 (e.g. Explorer) where they needed to reduce the length of the engine so put in the dumb timing chain driven water pump. The longitudinally mounted version of this engine has a traditionally designed water pump driven by the serpentine belt.

The Gen 1 of the ecoboost 3.5 V6 has DI, which can lead to carbon fouling in the intake manifold. The Gen 2 has both DI and port injection to try to flush the intake during normal operation. In the Expedition, it is a pretty solid engine.

 

i forgot about that. DI that is. virtually anything with DI will carbon-foul the intake valves. and the injectors are super expensive to replace. and the high-pressure fuel pump tends to fail.

[10X 3,298]

10 hours ago, voyager9 said:

I hate to admit it.  My wife’s old Pacifica was like driving the starship Enterprise.  With kids and pets and her side business it was super convenient.   

We rented a late-model Pacifica out west last month.  They'd made some odd design choices.  There was a cluster of intermingled and indistinguishable overhead switches for dome lights and to open both sliding doors and the rear hatch, so in the dark you never quite knew what was going to happen when you reached for a switch.  And the selector for the automatic transmission was a rotary dial on the center panel...turn clockwise to go from P=>R=>N=>D.   That rotary dial was  right next to an almost identical rotary dial for radio volume...

[Krdshrk 3,877]

10 hours ago, Displaced Texan said:

The VW Atlas is a great vehicle. I had one as a loaner awhile back when my Golf R was in for service. 
 

A lot of people bitch and complain about VW as being problematic, I’ve had 9, and never had any major issues with any of them. I currently own 2, a 2018 Tiguan SE AWD, and a 2019 Golf R. 
 

Should you decide to go with VW (or any German mfg), the key to them is to DO the factory recommended maintenance on schedule.

VW has a pretty good clue about what needs service and when. Stick to the maintenance schedule and you will be fine. That’s been my experience across 9 VWs. 

My problem with VW's is the ones made in Mexico.  I had a Jetta that incessantly had electronics issues.  I believe the only ones made in Mexico right now are the Jetta, Tiguan, and Taos.  Avoid those like the plague.  

[voyager9 3,434]

24 minutes ago, Krdshrk said:

 I believe the only ones made in Mexico right now are the Jetta, Tiguan, and Tacos.  Avoid those like the plague.  

FTFY.  
On the other hand, their exhaust smells like corn enchiladas.   

[voyager9 3,434]

1 hour ago, 10X said:

We rented a late-model Pacifica out west last month.  They'd made some odd design choices.  There was a cluster of intermingled and indistinguishable overhead switches for dome lights and to open both sliding doors and the rear hatch, so in the dark you never quite knew what was going to happen when you reached for a switch.  And the selector for the automatic transmission was a rotary dial on the center panel...turn clockwise to go from P=>R=>N=>D.   That rotary dial was  right next to an almost identical rotary dial for radio volume...

Yeah, the rotary shifter was odd, though I prefer it to the minivans that try to fit a stick or column shifter in.  Took up little room for something I rarely touched while driving.   I don’t remember playing Magic 8-ball with the door buttons but maybe ours was different.    I will say it also had rust issues after only 3-4 years which would be concerning if it wasn’t a lease.  

[SW9racer 262]

Toyota Highlander has a pop-up third row

[Xtors 333]

Any other must-haves? Engine size? Stuff to avoid (e.g., turbo)?

I am all about certified pre-owned. You can get a very good MDX or Pilot 2020 for mid-30s or so.

We have 2010 pilot that's been pretty good though early on needed a bit of work (extended warranty more than paid for itself). Since then it's been just the usual maintenance stuff.

 

[gleninjersey 2,141]

Is the Toyota Sequoia a three seater?  If so, the last generation, which was around for years and years, would be a VERY good contender.  Get one with the old tried and true V8.  The newest ones (current model year I think) have switched to a turbo V6. 

I'm not a fan of larger vehicles going to smaller engines using turbos & super chargers to make up the difference.  I can't believe they are putting 4 cylinder engines into full sized trucks. That's going to be a disaster.

[Lawnmower2021 423]

1 hour ago, Xtors said:

Any other must-haves? Engine size? Stuff to avoid (e.g., turbo)?

Really prefer all wheel drive and at least a V6. We drive so little that Hybrids also give no extra benefit.

Thanks for all the additional input so far. It's a lot to digest, and I am re-reading the details to fully absorb it.  We'll be browsing at some of the local dealers to see some of the callouts here. Honestly the Pacifica was starting to steal our hearts but I need to do more research into any reliability issues.

Haven't heard Kia or Mazda mentioned, though I've heard them both to be highly dependable. Any thoughts there?

 

[Lawnmower2021 423]

(Duplicate)

[1LtCAP 4,264]

kia ya gotta stay away from the turbo4. their v6 for the most part seems dependable. so far. i don't have a bunch of customers with mazda products.....

[gleninjersey 2,141]

I would stay away from any Chrysler products.  They are owned by Fiat now.  Have been for a while.  Hear they are not that reliable.

Toyota Sienna is what I would look at.  Probably SUBSTANTIALLY more reliable than anything Chrysler has to offer.

And just to reiterate, stay FAR away from GM products.  

[1LtCAP 4,264]

11 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

I would stay away from any Chrysler products.  They are owned by Fiat now.  Have been for a while.  Hear they are not that reliable.

Toyota Sienna is what I would look at.  Probably SUBSTANTIALLY more reliable than anything Chrysler has to offer.

And just to reiterate, stay FAR away from GM products.  

stellantis owns chrysler and quite a few others now.

and skuttlebut is that they're discontinuing the hemi

[raz-0 1,259]

2 hours ago, 1LtCAP said:

stellantis owns chrysler and quite a few others now.

and skuttlebut is that they're discontinuing the hemi

Oh it's not scuttlebutt, 2023 is the last year for the charger and challenger, and it's going to spread. There's a reason why Chevy has a full size pickup with a turbo 4 in it. 

[gleninjersey 2,141]

3 hours ago, raz-0 said:

Oh it's not scuttlebutt, 2023 is the last year for the charger and challenger, and it's going to spread. There's a reason why Chevy has a full size pickup with a turbo 4 in it. 

Da' guberment.....idiocracy at its finest.

I feel sorry for whoever buys a full size truck with a turbo four banger it.  Doubt they make it much past 100k miles.