The lease on my TL is up in less than a year, and I am beginning my search for a "new" car. I will probably buy used and looking for an SUV this time around with the following:

- Certified Pre Owned
- 6 Cylinder
- AWD (preferred)
- NAV
- Keyless Entry/Start (preferred)
- 3 Years Old or less
- 30,000 Miles or less
- $35,000 or less

I am not tied to the premium brands, but the two vehicles currently on my list are the MDX and the RX 350/450h. I am willing to test drive anything so long as it meets the criteria. Thoughts?

 

Can't go wrong with a 4runner if you want real "truck" construction. The newer Xterra is pretty decent too, but I'm always a little iffy on Nissan quality/longevity.

If you want a car shaped like an SUV:
Lexus RX, Rav4 (6 cyl rav4 is supposedly pretty fast h: ) or Highlander
Kia Sorento (no joke)
Supposedly they're going to sell the Ford Edge with the 3.5 ecoboost next year but even the "sport" is no slouch with 305hp
Pilot/MDX - crazy safe, nice quality

 

Definitely a fan of the Edge. Check out Jeep. You can get a nice pre-owned with options in your criteria for 26-29k (at least, when I bought mine that's what I saw). AWD works great and it's got a LOT of pep out of the V6. I am getting around 17 mpg city, 23 highway.. I just got back from OBX and managed 28 mpg straight highway and topped out at 28.8 in perfect conditions.

We test drove just about every SUV out there before deciding on the Jeep (though we more or less wanted the Jeep to begin with, but wanted to explore all our options). I was not a fan of Kia, as the interior felt "cheap". The Pilot was nice, turned on a dime, but we didn't need the third row seating. Pathfinder was a little too noisy, and the Highlander was nice, but in the end just felt too soccer mom-ish. We wanted a little more utility.

The Jeep just felt right. We have an '11 Laredo. We drove a '13 Limited.. definitely my favorite gen thus far (2014 ehhh). The interior is quality, it drives like butter, and the way you sink into the driver seat is just luxurious.. it's like you are one with the vehicle. I don't like sitting high up like I'm in a truck, this makes me feel like I'm in a cockpit, like I'm a driver​.

 

Big fan of the new Highlanders. But you have to get the V6 or else the thing is just slow.


We have the model below the limited edition (I can't remember the name at the moment) but its V6-AWD.

Plenty of room, interior I feel is somewhat bigger than the previous generation 4Runners. Ride is smooth, we've gone in a few trips and it was quite comfortable to drive 6-8hrs in the car. Air vents are located perfectly (We were looking for a car with decent circulation for the baby), plus we live in AZ where we hit 100+ consistently. Seats 5 adults decently, 7 if you want to fill up all the available seating space. Toyota care comes with all new Toyotas (I think?) so basic maintenance is taken care of for the first 2 years/24,000miles (Theres a few more perks that come with it but I cant remember what, all I know is that yesterday my wife got a flat, ran over a screw and toyota fixed the tire for free)

Overall we're pretty happy with the purchase... Although I've been eyeing the new 4Runners and Tundra for myself lol.

 

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Going to add the following to my list to test drive:

Highlander (V6)
4Runner
RAV4 (V6) if I can find one
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Kia Sorrento
Honda Pilot
Nissan Pathfinder
RDX

 

My wife is totally in love with the Grand Cherokee, but couldn't bring herself to buy it because of the consumer horror stories she read online of electronics failing and the dealership not knowing how to fix At least that's the way she summed it up. :dunno:

 

Just test drove this MDX. Great car, love the color, but out of range and still under on my lease.

http://iphone.acuraofpalmbeach.com/i...5ca573_p_2Ehtm

 

good lord.. i wish i had that color combo!

 

Most Jeeps lose their value insanely quick and are only good to 100k before interior starts falling apart.
They don't make them like they used to.

 

I'm still confused as to why you want AWD in Florida.