Recommend to me a SUV for hauling and 3 rows of seats

[JimKiler]

My buddy has a pilot with the V6 oil consumption issues. Hes having a hard time dealing with the shop and honda about it, seems like a big PITA.
The highlander was another i cross shopped, its super nice. The 3rd row is a bit on the small side, better in the new gen though.
I was in a similar boat of you as i mentioned above, if you are really concerned about space the Flex is the hands down winner of what you have listed. They are not cheap though keep that in mind.

Does the Pilot use 0 weight oil and is burning it? I heard about GM, Subaru, and Audio all say 1 quart of oil every 1 thousand miles is okay.

I was thinking a Flex would be cheaper since the popularity is not there. But my wife finally admitted she does not like/trust Ford and i have the same prejudices to GM/Chevy so it seems like the Highlander or Pilot is common middle ground.

The 3rd row would be used for kids so for the next 10 years being smalled size seats would not be an issue.

 

[gorcorps]

That is impressive and looks like a good off road vehicle with the pinnacle of reliability. But until i win the lottery i will not use it for a daily commute.

My wife and i will be looking at the following:

• Ford Flex (probably skip the Explorer since it is more popular and more expensive) Also i actually like the look and as stated above roomy interior.
• Mazda CX-9 (i love Mazda, but i don't think this is for me, and on the lower end of MPG against competitors
• Chevy Traverse (mostly the same as Acadia so i would stick to the cheaper Traverse)
• Toyota Highlander (has 3 rows and towing but maybe too small, although the cargo space does not seem any worse than competition)
• Honda Pilot (seems nice and two of my neighbors already bought this vehicle in the last 2 years, i have heard Honda v6 engines in accord are bad, is that a different engine than the Pilot?)

I just got a new Highlander (less than 3 weeks ago) and I really like it. However, with your needs I'm not sure I'd pick that over the Flex. Mainly because the 3rd row doesn't seem to have enough space to be terribly useful, and if the 3rd row is up the storage is very limited (only deep enough to fit a golf bag).

The Flex seems to have the most useful 3rd row out of what you've picked. If you get the trailer tow package I believe you can tow up to class 3 apparently, which is what you've decided you need.

 

[NutBucket]

A Flex with Ecoboost is damned tempting though!

 

[SearchMaster]

A Flex with Ecoboost is damned tempting though!

Yeah I've seen some tune EB Flexes that are pretty quick.

 

[squirrel dog]

unless your campers have surge brakes,your towing vehicle will need brakes large enough to safely stop itself,and the towed load . That's why your Dad went Silverado .

 

[JimKiler]

unless your campers have surge brakes,your towing vehicle will need brakes large enough to safely stop itself,and the towed load . That's why your Dad went Silverado .

After further discussion i don't think we would use anything but my in laws Silverado to tow their full camper. So my wife and I only need the base towing capability of 2500 for a pop up which is not nearly a stressor as a full size as jaha2000 pointed out.

 

[jaha2000]

Does the Pilot use 0 weight oil and is burning it? I heard about GM, Subaru, and Audio all say 1 quart of oil every 1 thousand miles is okay.

I was thinking a Flex would be cheaper since the popularity is not there. But my wife finally admitted she does not like/trust Ford and i have the same prejudices to GM/Chevy so it seems like the Highlander or Pilot is common middle ground.

The 3rd row would be used for kids so for the next 10 years being smalled size seats would not be an issue.

Not sure about the oil weight. It burns enough between changes that if he does not add it wont even register on the dipstick and has been throwing trouble codes for low rocker oil pressure or some nonsense. Basically the rings are bad and the thing is using oil. Not good for something with 60K on the clock.

As pointed out, if you need to use the third row the flex is the only one out there with any amount of useful space behind the thrid seat.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

After further discussion i don't think we would use anything but my in laws Silverado to tow their full camper. So my wife and I only need the base towing capability of 2500 for a pop up which is not nearly a stressor as a full size as jaha2000 pointed out.

Here's the towing guide for the Flex: https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/14_flex_sep11.pdf

You'll still need a wdh for the 2500 lbs popup and the tongue weight max is only 450lbs so you'll need to make sure it's under that. Watch your payload too. The tongue weight takes away from that.

 

[NutBucket]

unless your campers have surge brakes,your towing vehicle will need brakes large enough to safely stop itself,and the towed load . That's why your Dad went Silverado .

Our GMC Acadia (with towing package) was equipped with the wiring harness for electric brakes. I'd guess others with real towing ability would be similar?

 

[JimKiler]

Here's the towing guide for the Flex: https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/14_flex_sep11.pdf

You'll still need a wdh for the 2500 lbs popup and the tongue weight max is only 450lbs so you'll need to make sure it's under that. Watch your payload too. The tongue weight takes away from that.

thanks, can you or someone else explain tongue weight to me as I am a neophyte to this stuff.

 

[jlee]

thanks, can you or someone else explain tongue weight to me as I am a neophyte to this stuff.

Tongue weight is how much weight the trailer is putting on the trailer hitch.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

thanks, can you or someone else explain tongue weight to me as I am a neophyte to this stuff.

What jlee said above. If you don't know where to find payload, it's the number on the sticker on the driver's side door jamb. Should say something like weight should never exceed x amount of lbs. When towing, x lbs - tongue weight gives you remaining payload for passengers, luggage, basically anything you take with you. You'll hear from the weight police not to exceed that payload number, but a lot of people do, either fully aware, or more so completely unaware. I'd recommend if you're planning on towing anything, join the vehicle's forums (ie FordFlexforums.com or whatever it may be called) and see what other people have experienced towing, and maybe even the manufacturer of the popup's forums and ask questions. When I did my research for a tow vehicle, the forums helped immensely.

 

[NutBucket]

However, if you wreck and the investigators determine you were overloaded it's a totally different story. That's the (legal) danger.

 

[JimKiler]

Thanks again everyone. I test drove a highlander and Pilot yesterday.

The Highlander was fun to drive and definitely more sporty like my current Mazda Protege5 but it is smaller than the Pilot. My wife liked the Pilot and it drove more truck like, but not in a bad way, just not a fun. Both have V6 engines and AWD but the Toyota was more peppy. However the Pilot is larger and can be had cheaper with AWD for $32K new for a 2016. To get towing over 2K on the Highlander i was over $35K and any AWD Pilot can do 3500lbs towing

I have a new question, i have a 171K miles on my Protege without one clutch replacement. I have to press the clutch in a lot to shift so it is going to need to be replaced in 12 months or less. Will the dealerships give me less if I trade it in when it needs to be replaced versus doing it now while it still works?

 

[NutBucket]

Nope. That car is going straight to auction anyway.

 

[jlee]

Nope. That car is going straight to auction anyway.

^^

I'd be surprised if they even noticed.