alohalc

hi guys, first of all, i don't want to post this in "the competition" forum because it's not competing to e60.

my dad is looking for a suv with 7 seats. i checked a lot of them including acura mdx, cadillac srx & escalade, hummer h2, infiniti qx56, land rover lr3, lexus gx470 and volvo xc90. here is what i think: acura is a bit outdated and small. i also think both srx and xc90 are a bit small. h2 is way too big. qx56 is ugly. i'm not into any of the lexus. so down to escalade and lr3. the new escalade will be out end of this year or early next year. don't want to wait that long. same as the new x5. even a longer wait. i also thought about the new mercedes r class but it's same as the m, made in usa :'(. too bad cayenne doesn't have 7 seats or it'll win the gold. so now seems like lr3 is the only option left. i personally think its third row seats are the best in class. also love the three sunroofs. should i go for the suv of the year? does any of you know when will the '06 come out? what are the differences between '05 and '06? i want to know even the minor changes. anyone or any of your friends own one? what do you guys think? please adivse. thanks a million !

Merv the Derv

The British Motoring Press are really praising the new M class. They say its better than the X5 and XC90 which means it must be good. We have an ML and yes its a heap but we love it because its so versatile, seven seats and big. The new ML is better built, bigger and a seven seater. That's the one to go for IMHO

alohalc

afaik, the new '06 ml is a 5 seater, at least in the states. they want to push the people who want to get 7 seats to buy their new r class :'(.

GB525dTour

What concerns me with these 'multi person/sports utility' cars is that the rearmost seats are positioned in the rear crumple zone of the car.
I am not sure but I don't think cars are tested for rear end shunts - so will pass safety checks.

I sure wouldn't put a child or relative of mine in the rear crumple zone with their head less than 6" from the rear windshield - it simply is not safe IMHO.

That's my opinion anyway - take it or leave it

alohalc

very good point . but i do think the manufacturers thought about this. i also believe most of the them have more than 6" from the rear windshield. so this is not my major concern .

PeterJoyce

I have a MDX and really like it. Mainly becasue of the speed, 0-60 in like 7.5 sec? You can take money off the sticker unlike the LR3, and especially unlike the NEW X5. But it is Japanese, all of them have neat gadgets. I would wait to see the features/options on the X5. Goodluck.

alohalc

before the lr3 came out, we seriously thought about the mdx as well. it is one of the better looking 7 seats suvs on the road. but we just want something is brand spanking new in style. that's the reason why we consider the lr3 over the mdx. in fact, my dad is not really in rush to change his car. he might even wait for the new escalade but most likely not the new x5. just because it's too long of a wait :'(.

soc_fans

Hey alohalc, i'm suggesting my dad to get lr3 as well. But he's gonna buy it back at my hometown, not in US. Is it true that only v8 engine is available here? Because back in Asia, they have the V6..

alohalc

afaik, both se and hse are v8. no v6 here in the states. and if your dad doesn't need nav, go with the se. we don't need nav here and se is a much better buy.

alohalc

they just announced that 4.0-liter v6 engine which will be offered in addition to the existing 4.4-liter 300hp v8. v6 "only" has 216hp, though. but the base price is $6,000 less than se and $11,000 less than hse .