Sorry if this is not the right community for this. In the US. I currently have a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The air suspension was awesome, but now that it’s failing it’s driving me crazy so I’m looking for something new. I haul wheelchairs and similarly- sized stuff for work so i need some cargo space. I’d love an SUV with second row captains seats and no third row. Does anyone make that? I’m leaning away from American cars, but can be swayed (my last two cars were Camaro and Jeep). I like things that look a little sporty with little/no chrome, a good amount of hp, and AWD is a plus. I usually drive 10-30 miles per day and get a $60/mo stipend- so about one tank of gas right now. I’ve browsed the websites for the new 4runner, Outback, Forester, Santa Fe, and a few others. Appreciate any ideas or opinions.
ETA- 6 months ago the dealer wanted $9k to replace the air suspension, so i went to a small Goodyear shop for $6k instead. That shop was bought by brakes plus and they won’t honor any warranty. Dropped it at the dealer for diag this morning. Just got a call - $4800. I was expecting $9k. Now I’m on the fix it/trade it fence.
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I don’t think Captain’s seats without a third row exists. There are some vehicles where the third row folds down into the floor and that might get you what you’re looking for.
My thoughts on what you listed: 4Runner is going to be the most Grand Cherokee-like with its truck-based underpinnings, but it won’t be cheap. Out of what you listed, it would arguably be the nicest / most well built of the bunch.
The Outback is going to be a bit longer / roomier than the Forester and will offer more cargo space. The Subarus and the Santa Fe will feel more car-like in their road manners given their underpinnings. For the Subarus, if you like power you’ll likely be disappointed with their base engines and may want to opt for a turbo option.
Judging by your estimated mileage, that’s about 100 miles a week (160 km)… you’d have to put maybe 25 kWh a week in a Ioniq 5 to do that, or about a full charge every 3 or so weeks.
I’m assuming you don’t just drop them on the highway, so that’s a mix of city/highway.
I guess that depends on your electricity price, but that comes to about $10 a month around here, giving you a $50 return on that stipend.
It’s got plenty of cargo space although obviously not as much as a 3-row.
AWD, plenty of torque and acceleration. Looks are subjective, I kinda like the retro futurist vibe.Beware that tyres are statistically more expensive and range drops a bit in the colder winter months.
Then again my average electricity price is about $0.10 per kWh, whereas gas is over $5 a gallon around here.YMMV, literally.
I’ve thought about it -need to look at it more and go drive one. I rented a mach e recently and really liked it… About the same size? My outside of work mileage is about equal to my work mileage, but that still would equal a once a week charge at most. Thanks!
Somewhat similar to the mach-e yea, although I don’t remember the exact shape of the trunk on the mach-e or which which is more suited to loading wheelchairs in the back.
Neither are exactly cheap to buy either.
Test driving, including with a wheelchair if they’ll have you, might be a good idea.
Honda Element might be your style, and they are going up in value.
Ok, this is something I rabbit holed on. If you want effecient space usage, you really can’t beat the Tesla model Y. Especially if you can get a low mileage used one, but be sure to avoid the 7 seat variant.
It has soooo much usable space. I took pictures to give an idea of how it’s different than a Ford escape hybrid, which was the other car I was looking at. Side note, hybrids are terrible for space efficiency.
The under floor section, generally where a gas tank would go
Second underfloor section. In a hybrid this is usually where the battery might be.
On top of the tote and toiletries bags/charger three weekend suit cases and assorted crap. Notice how much space is still left there are also two pockets, one on each corner.
Same area, just without stuff.
This would be the front trunk, or where the engine is in a gas car. That’s a normal sized ice chest and some random food to the side.
Hard to take a picture of, but there is no drive line or transmission tunnel either, so even more interior space.
Hope this helps visually how space efficient it is.
Edit:
I bought one in 2022 and am averaging about $20/month in charging costs.
That’s huge!! I love the under floor storage. I carry a lot of travel tools and parts that i need to have with me, but don’t need all the time. Thank you!
I looked for a replacement for my Chrysler minivan for quite a while. (I’ve driven them since 2000, so I was a bit out of the loop). I wanted awd, and ideally seating for 7. But I also had a love for the grand Cherokee. Well, the pre-current-body-style models; they’re fuck-ugly now. Drove a bunch of different suv’s and finally settled on the Subaru Ascent Limited. Technically 7-passenger if you really don’t like 3 people, but I plan on leaving the back row stowed most of the time, giving me almost as much room as my old van behind the 2nd row seats. Wonderful to drive.
I’d suggest the Chrysler Pacifica as a possibility, but don’t want to make an enemy of anyone. :P
Thanks. I only looked at the outback and Forester. I’ll check it the ascent. I’m usually alone in my car at work, occasionally with 1-2 coworkers, and spouse plus a friend or adult kid at night. I never need more than 4 seats and prefer easily accessible cargo/stash space.
