[AKMtnr]

I made this for myself, y'all will probably get varying amounts of usefulness out of it.

I compared the Ascent to its main two competitors. Red text = worst in class. Green text = best in class.

I then compared the 3rd row SUV's to other, random vehicles I've been looking at. Green block = best in class, Red block = worst in class.

Why so random? The things I set out to look for in my next vehicle are highly contradictory:

1. Clearance: I want at least 7.5 inches. (I'm a climber: ice, rock, mountains, etc. The roads up here aren't always the best.)
2. Sleepability: I want to be able to lay flat, without going fetal or diagonal. I'm 6'1". This is the crux!
3. Fuel Economy: I'd prefer to have at least 25 mpg combined. (goodbye almost everything that's sleepable!)

The Ascent is currently my front-runner as it has #1, may have #2, and is close enough on #3.

The Volvo is the total wild card. Not sleepable at all but has great clearance and fuel economy...and...on a superficial note...it's also really pretty. I'd probably do their ripoff "subscription" plan so that I can kick my car-buying decision down the road another two years. Oh, why the rush? I don't have a car right now. My Acura TL was totaled a few weeks ago. I put it on here merely as a personal baseline as I have no idea what "Legroom" and "headroom" measurements are "good". I do know how my old car (RIP) felt though!

 

[Robert.Mauro]

I made this for myself, y'all will probably get varying amounts of usefulness out of it.

I compared the Ascent to its main two competitors. Red text = worst in class. Green text = best in class.

I then compared the 3rd row SUV's to other, random vehicles I've been looking at. Green block = best in class, Red block = worst in class.

Why so random? The things I set out to look for in my next vehicle are highly contradictory:

1. Clearance: I want at least 7.5 inches. (I'm a climber: ice, rock, mountains, etc. The roads up here aren't always the best.)
2. Sleepability: I want to be able to lay flat, without going fetal or diagonal. I'm 6'1". This is the crux!
3. Fuel Economy: I'd prefer to have at least 25 mpg combined. (goodbye almost everything that's sleepable!)

The Ascent is currently my front-runner as it has #1, may have #2, and is close enough on #3.

The Volvo is the total wild card. Not sleepable at all but has great clearance and fuel economy...and...on a superficial note...it's also really pretty. I'd probably do their ripoff "subscription" plan so that I can kick my car-buying decision down the road another two years. Oh, why the rush? I don't have a car right now. My Acura TL was totaled a few weeks ago. I put it on here merely as a personal baseline as I have no idea what "Legroom" and "headroom" measurements are "good". I do know how my old car (RIP) felt though!

The names don't show. :crying:

 

[AKMtnr]

The names don't show. :crying:

Ugh, gotta love Microsoft products, let's try this again:

 

[atlaskk]

No love for the Mazda CX-9? I don't know the specs, but I am assuming it didn't meet one of your requirements.

But the main reason why I am commenting is because it's hilarious that you included your Acura TL. Why? Because I am also coming from a 2006 Acura TL and now I don't need to create the same spreadsheet.

 

[Leon Braginski]

I have Sienna 2008 awd limited. Amazing car, even came with adaptive cruise control and it is 10 year old car. Kids love DVD player with wireless headsets. However it’s 10 yo and I already spend $3k on repairs (steering rack reaplaced, water pump replaced).
I feel it harder to drive in the snow (probably due to large weight) vs Outback I had or Forester I have

To get awd Volvo with 7 seats you need to look into xc90. Awd model is North of $52k !

I preordered Touing Ascent since I wanted either front parking sensors or camera.

 

[Sparkland]

No love for the Mazda CX-9? I don't know the specs, but I am assuming it didn't meet one of your requirements.

But the main reason why I am commenting is because it's hilarious that you included your Acura TL. Why? Because I am also coming from a 2006 Acura TL and now I don't need to create the same spreadsheet.

The CX-9 is a nice vehicle, but the reliability rankings are abysmal.

 

[Sparkland]

The Volvo looks to be a good buy, since there is no money down and the payment is $600 for two years. After those 2 years, the residual purchase price is an unknown. The 2019 XC40 SUV comes with a 4 yr./ 50000 mi. basic warranty, a 4 yr./ unlimited mi. roadside warranty, and a 4 yr./ 50000 mi. powertrain warranty. The total coverage is no different than any other manufacturer would offer except for tires, but how many people really wear the tires out on their car in 2 years.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

but how many people really wear the tires out on their car in 2 years.

Me. Easily. I don't even get two years. Don't get me wrong... I can get 60,000 miles out of a set of tires (amazing what regularly rotating them and keeping them properly inflated can do), but I drive a lot.

But yeah, I'm not the norm. :sad: :tango_face_wink:

 

[AKMtnr]

No love for the Mazda CX-9? I don't know the specs, but I am assuming it didn't meet one of your requirements.

But the main reason why I am commenting is because it's hilarious that you included your Acura TL. Why? Because I am also coming from a 2006 Acura TL and now I don't need to create the same spreadsheet.

That's a good question on the Mazda, I guess it slipped my mind. I focused on Toyota and Honda because of their reputations for reliability. I don't have much experience with Mazda.

Also, HAHAHAH! What?! It's crazy that there is another TL owner in the house, let alone a *2006* TL owner in the house! I loved my car but I was very much a different person when I bought it back then. I was straight out of college and not at all outdoorsy. I did briefly look at Acura's SUV's but their ground clearance is a joke! The MDX has lowe ground clearance than our TL! It does handle well and is pretty fast though... Looks like Honda used the same strategy with the Pilot: lower the ground clearance to make it faster.

 

[AKMtnr]

The Volvo looks to be a good buy, since there is no money down and the payment is $600 for two years. After those 2 years, the residual purchase price is an unknown. The 2019 XC40 SUV comes with a 4 yr./ 50000 mi. basic warranty, a 4 yr./ unlimited mi. roadside warranty, and a 4 yr./ 50000 mi. powertrain warranty. The total coverage is no different than any other manufacturer would offer except for tires, but how many people really wear the tires out on their car in 2 years.

We have some LONG gravel roads (over 100 miles) up here in Alaska, I wore through tires on my Acura pretty fast. But, that's the other thing I don't like about the Volvo: they come with all-seasons of the very sporty variety: Michelin MXM4's on the Momentum trim and Pirelli Scorpion Zero's on the R-type trim. From the reviews, both have pretty abysmal snow and ice performance. Might be a dealbreaker living in Alaska. Sure I *could* probably buy my own winter tires and mount them but then...I doubt their tire protection would cover me anymore...

 

[Trey T]

:facepalm: at sedans and vans. Can you redo it w/ just the SUVs like your title said? You should throw in Tesla Model X for shi*s-and-giggles; it's the mother of all SUV right now.

 

[unsub1]

It's interesting to see someone else's spreadsheet. I have a really similar one more aimed at off-road capability. My spreadsheet also goes a little more into interior/safety/convenience features and this is where some of the other brands really fell short.

 

[AKMtnr]

:facepalm: at sedans and vans. Can you redo it w/ just the SUVs like your title said? You should throw in Tesla Model X for shi*s-and-giggles; it's the mother of all SUV right now.

I'd be happy to send you the Excel file if you want to tweak it to your needs

Sedan is the baseline! (troubling that many SUV's have less leg room than a sedan...)

As for vans, they offer superior room, which is one of my requirements. Unfortunately, they are often too low to the ground. They also don't look cool, but, alas, I'm finally aging into being ok with looking like a dork :-D

 

[Nemesis099]

I'd be happy to send you the Excel file if you want to tweak it to your needs

Sedan is the baseline! (troubling that many SUV's have less leg room than a sedan...)

As for vans, they offer superior room, which is one of my requirements. Unfortunately, they are often too low to the ground. They also don't look cool, but, alas, I'm finally aging into being ok with looking like a dork :-D

The Sedan need more leg room because you don't have the height on your seat.


I seriously looked at getting a minivan but I came to the same conclusion you did that they don't have the ground clearance and only the Toyota Sienna comes with AWD which was a requirement. I also looked into lifting a Sienna and they really don't have much on the market to do that. Last was towing I don't need 5,000 lbs but I want to be able to take my hitch bike rack and a lot of the hitches are rated at only 200lbs.

 

[Ramboxman]

The CX-9 is a nice vehicle, but the reliability rankings are abysmal.

Curious where you found info on the CX-9 reliability rankings. This is exactly what I am trying to find out for my decision which is the Ascent or the CX-9 the Highlander is out after second test drive, can't stand the 8 speed trans looking for correct gear and was very loud.

 

[Sparkland]

Curious where you found info on the CX-9 reliability rankings. This is exactly what I am trying to find out for my decision which is the Ascent or the CX-9 the Highlander is out after second test drive, can't stand the 8 speed trans looking for correct gear and was very loud.

That would be from Consumer Reports.

 

[Nemesis099]

Curious where you found info on the CX-9 reliability rankings. This is exactly what I am trying to find out for my decision which is the Ascent or the CX-9 the Highlander is out after second test drive, can't stand the 8 speed trans looking for correct gear and was very loud.

Do you plan on using the third row? they are pretty small in the CX-9 and your head is right next to the rear glass. This seemed dangerous to me which is one of the reasons why I eliminated the CX-9.

 

[Tigers196884]

I would think the CX-9 would trail the Ascent badly in it's resale value which is a huge component for me. Biased too as I think they have the second ugliest brand badge after Hyundai.