SUV hybrid advice.

[Symarip]

The Altima of Love is on it's last legs. The transmission is going and I crawled under her to find a whole mess of shit going on. I don't really need to go on and on about it. I've had it for 7 years and got plenty of use out of it. Most likely, I'm just going to donate it and get the tax write off contractors like me love so much.

So, I test drove all kinds of shit over the weekend. I'm starting to lean towards a Stupid Useless Vehicle since I now have Haydes (90 lb German Shepherd) and I'm working in a semi functional band some nights. Regular SUV's have horrible gas mileage and I can't live with myself if I get anything less than 25 mpg. I actually kind of like the Saturn VUE and RAV 4, hybrid models on both. The Saturn has more room for a guy 6'4". Both drive very nice. Don't know much about either and online reviews mean nothing since it's either a) people bitching about how a dealership screwed them over, or b) people raving about how badass their brand new car is (as any new car should be). I'm worried about long term maintenance and reliability not acceleration or mp3 functionality.

The lounge is always a good place to go for opinions. Has anyone had any experience with either hybrids? What's your thoughts? And is there anything I'm missing?

Thanks ahead of time.

[Shell Beau]

1. I really like the VUE. If I were choosing between the VUE and

RAV4, the VUE would win hands down. It looks much better.

[Symarip]

3. It is really nice

They're both nice, actually. The Saturn has me sold with the driver area since, again, I'm big (in Japan).

I'm just scared about the 'new' technology involved here. I'm scared to pieces about buying something with the premise of better mpg and reliability only to have it turn to shit 2 years later.

[LynneSin]

2. I can't think of the name of it but my neighbor has a Hyundai SUV and they love it

It's not hybrid but you add in the cost of Hybrid to a vehicle and it just knocks it over the roof. Plus if you're mainly doing highway miles you might not benefit from the Hybrid technology (it recharges when you're idling like at a stop sign). It's the smaller of the SUV and Hyundai has a pretty good warrenty record too.

[flvegan]

4. The latest round of hatches have lots of room, if you hadn't considered them.

I have no problem with toting my great dane in my Mazda. Subaru, VW, Saturn, Pontiac/Toyota all make good sized 5 door hatchbacks that have a lot of cargo room and get great mileage. Reliability should be excellent.

If you want something like that with some oomph, Mazda, Subaru and VW all make performance varieties of each of their respective models.

For the record, my Mazdaspeed3 gets 23 city, 30 hwy/combined consistently, and I drive like a lunatic.

[southpaw]

5. Honda Element

Good mileage (my wife calculates 25+)
Great for pets (tough, water resistant upholstery, vinyl floors)
Great for musical gear (rear seats fold away or come out completely)


Cons: only seats 4. Looks like a toaster.

[Orsino]

6. In poking around Toyota's site, I can't find any evidence that the RAV4 will be hybridized.

The VUE, last I heard, claimed the best highway mileage of any SUV.

[Eyerish]

7. Isn't Saturn one of the brands...

that might possibly go bankrupt?? I'm not sure if I'd want to get a car from a company that might not be around in a few years. Might make warranty issues interesting....

That being said..of the 2 I'd pick the Saturn...my family has had 3 Saturns and we've loved them. Also, The wheel base on the RAV's are a bit small and can make them quite tippy.

edited for spelling...

[blue_onyx]

9. GM is look to sell Saturn

GM will cover warranties so I wouldn't worry about that...in fact, I plan to look at Saturn myself whenever I can afford a new car.

[Flaxbee]

11. yeah, but that's what I thought when I got a Daewoo many

years back. It got harder, and harder, and harder to find parts. If Saturn is even THINKING of going bye-bye, DON'T DO IT.


My husband is also 6'4" and found the Hyundai SUV miserable to drive. Not enough room.

After a car accident that totaled the aforementioned Daewoo, we had a RAV4 to cruise around in while we were looking for another car, and while it was comfy enough for my husband, it didn't seem like it was built for carrying anything besides a few people - not good space for a big dog, or equipment.

We ended up with a gently-used Honda Odyssey minivan - we move a lot of electronic equipment around so needed some covered space, and I LOVE having a Honda. If we'd been able to find a Honda Element in our price range, we would have bought that. I've talked to lots of people who like the ruggedized interior and space.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

13. Saturns are hardly a Daewoo

I mean, Daewoo can't even make a decent microwave.

Somebody will buy Saturn.

[SacredCow]

8. My take on Saturn...

I drive an '06 Ion right now, and prior to that I had a 1995 SL-2.

The quality drop from 1995 to 2006 was extreme, in my opinion. My SL-2 was a trooper that rarely needed anything other than routine maintenance for 10+ years and 130K miles. This Ion, OTOH, has been something of a money pit. Nothing big, mind you- no engine or transmission troubles. But $300 here for a bad window motor... $100 there for a bad reverse light switch... $200 here for a bad passlock sensor... $500 there for a completely fucked sunroof assembly... $300 there for ANOTHER bad window motor... And on and on and on..... If the car was 10 years old and having these issues, I wouldn't be too disturbed- but all of this started before the car was even 2 years old.

So if you opt for the Saturn, I would HIGHLY recommend getting an extended full warranty.

On edit: I had the extended warranty, so none of the above expenses came out of my pocket. But if I hadn't, most of them would have.

[taterguy]

10. Make sure you get one with a good horn

So you can go around stabbing bitch-ass Camrys and shit

[Symarip]

14. FUCK YEAH!!1

GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY STUPID FUCKING CIVIC YOU'S A JIVE ASS BITCH

[kwassa]

12. Ford Escape has a hybrid SUV, too.

Here is a full review on Edmonds.

I also worry about Saturn being around as a brand in a few years, GM seems interested in dumping it.

http://www.edmunds.com/ford/escapehybrid/review.html

The current Ford Escape Hybrid remains the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market. A two-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid should be able to deliver close to 30 mpg in real-world city and highway driving. Its powertrain consists of a 2.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, a pair of electric motors and an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT) that basically works like a regular automatic transmission.