caddycruiser

Awesome ride!

I considered those too...after I locked onto the 4Runner. A later one, 2001 style, would be more carlike with unibody and the 3.5L. The 4Runner definitely drives like a bouncy old truck, but a very solid, perfectly sized one. Roll...down...back...window...huge...sunroof. And oddly? For me, very bolstered and comfortable front seats. Throw stuff in the back, keep cruising.

Awesome! Love the looks of these. So many Jeep's now, it's partially confusing, but this is a great setup. 6-spd and 4wd? Rarity, for sure.

Even with minor "old car" issues, love this thing. Awesome!

Fresher interior:

Name: 2001 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4wd Category: Vehicles Date Added: 2017-05-07 Submitter: caddycruiser 2001 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Sport 4wd It keeps going... Finally...a year after purchasing the 4Runner, it's back to looking "right". May 2016, bought this 2001 SR5 Sport Black/Tan with the Safari rack on top, and random odds & ends needed, but running perfectly for $2k. Front corner was hit, flare missing, bumper twisted, tires all worn down & mismatched, unevenly, driver's seat post broken off from rust (one past owner did a driveway audio system & pushed a rubber plug out of the firewall, so it had a constant drivers floor leak), and such. Over a year of tinkering, and a "Toyota whisperer" neighbor semi mechanic, it's back looking incredibly better. New bumper, new lights, new driver's seat, completely re-made audio system with an Alpine double din unit, Weathertech, etc. Still not that much $$ out, and love it. 245k going strong:rockon: Before: Now...with more updates to come. Steering wheel to stitch on, Dents, dings, etc, adds to the character. FJ Cruiser wheels, new tires, new audio, new fluids, new bumper & flare, a little polish...and now new Ventvisors. Keep it simple:

I've seen SO many new Malibu's around Philadelphia, and not all rentals (you can tell based on stickers), the 1LT 1.5T seems to be the top combo. Had a chance to ride in a house guest's rented white LS model back in May. That car, straight from the factory, comfortable cloth seats, CarPlay and all, was very impressive. My guests were from Germany and even they enjoyed it, and the kids loved CarPlay and had it mastered. Smooth, solid, tight, great visibility out, felt roomy and that odd combo of feeling SOLID yet very lightweight and efficient at the same time. Kind of puts in perspective, for a car like this, even in LS trim, for mid $20k's and under...why you would even bother with some of the less than impressive compact sedans out there that cost just as much and aren't nearly as well designed or refined. It's not as posh as some, nor is the visual as impressive as a Mazda, or even the Ford, but it strikes a good balance. Much nicer than previous versions, and different than the Impala enough to make sense.

The look, design, finish, materials, performance and total "package" of the new CX-9 really is an example of even what most luxury crossovers wish they could be. It's so well done, simply. Look at the center console and shifter (imagine that, a shifter, not $$$$ wasted designing some goofy button, etc. people will hate), a knob, and one screen. I had a 2011 CX-9 Grand Touring FWD myself with every option back in the day when I worked for Mazda and into Acura, and loved it. The driving dynamics, look, finish, feel, and everything about it was spot on. Yes, the 3.7L was heavy on gas, but as mentioned the Aisin 6-speed was perfect and the V6 roared well and strong, smoothly. Hope they do well with the new 9. It's really the only vehicle in the class, in the sub $45k mark, that can sell on "wow" merits alone.

This ute is incredible, and the thoughtfulness to every detail Mazda put into it shows. The interior, the styling, etc. are top notch, and even knock far more expensive luxury crossovers out of the mark. I wish an MDX, etc was nearly as well thought out and simple. Mazda interiors lately are the best, and their usefulness is proven. The turbo 4 in the new CX-9 is interesting. I had a 2011 CX-9 GT with the 3.7L and every option, and loved it. It wasn't easy on gas, but Turbos are variable too. That said, this car looks so good, it's the class leader to beat, period. Not too big. Not too small. Styled to perfection. Interior others wish they could come up with, and that recent "it's light it's great and wow cool to drive" Mazda knocks out of the park car after car.

These things are old...but I have to agree. I tried to find any other idea for mom when she was tired of (2) back to back Terrains and wanted a 3 row crossover, but the Traverse still won. Her 2LT AWD has more features than even an MDX (and I work for Acura...) for a lot less money, and is built well. Push button keyless? No. She's good with that. It's an old design that's perfected at this point, and drives smooth, feels solid, and just seems like a big nice solid ute going down the road. It's nothing over the top, but value for the dollar, none are bigger, or offer as much. So GM did well adding features over the years, even if they never got push button, etc. To have Blind Spot, Cross Traffic, "Saddle" colored leather, awesome touchscreen nav, the smooth 3.6L, and more, for such a great lease, it was a no brainer. Good review, and hits on all the points.

Warranties...YES. Doesn't matter the car, but especially if it's German, etc. Complication doesn't mean added reliability, especially long term. Your phone, your laptop, or especially your car, cover it. Especially on a VW or Audi. Keep it covered, buy more coverage when it ends, or switch cars. It's interesting to see Doug, the writer for Jalopnik in Philly, and his real world reviews month to month of his various vehicles and their minimal or extreme warranty repairs...it happens.

Good review. I had actually never driven the 3.0L AWD 2011 one until the 2 years later when we traded it for the 2013. Back to back, not a big difference. 3.6L felt torquier, but the 3.0L seemed to have more energetic revs. Really minor differences in real world driving. Neither wins a fuel economy prize, by any means. Odd how the big Lambda's with the previous gen style 3.6L have the same EPA ratings, but won't do as well real world. Both platforms were still hampered by extra weight, but solid and refined.

Just following up to this...made it for 2 years and 30k miles on the 2011, no issues, and the 3.0L was always smooth and felt powerful. Odd, versus reviews. Traded this one for a 2013 with the new 3.6L and lease, and it was much the same, for 34k miles, no issues other than a finicky MyLink radio that would crash, go black, or just not work often. That was the only oddity, but then it would come back on, and never took it in for service. Parents said the 3.6L "seems to get better mileage we think" than the 3.0L, and that the transmission shifted very differently. No powertrain complaints with either, and mom was always impressed with the way the AWD dug through snow. Replaced the latest one with a 2016 Traverse, and so far so good too. It's a shame the Equinox/Terrain were 3 years newer of a base design than the Lambdas and had newer details (dash & console setup, flip keys instead of old remote/key, and the newest 3.6L version), but natural transition. Odd how on window sticker & paper the big heavy Traverse with older version 3.6L 281-horsepower engine and AWD has the same 23-mpg highway rating as the LGX 3.6L new version smaller Terrain with AWD, and a different feel due to size, but should be another good run. Interested to see how the next gens of both of these transform. Especially since the Lambda replacements still have a 3.6L and still a 6-speed, but different sizes and weights. Equinox/Terrain will probably max out with a 2.0T/3.6L, and the GM 2.0T is great, but like most turbos has never won any fuel economy awards.

Never had a clue the price on these. What a LOT of car for the dough. Funny part, 6.4L V8, 8-speed, beast, and oh yeah, still rated at 25 mpg highway. As with the other powertrains in these cars, with RWD and the ZF 8-speed, light throttle it probably does even better. Lots of car for the dough, period. And an abnormal "not the one your neighbor has" model.

It will be interesting to see how this does, with the much smaller size. Nice new features, not a huge difference in economy, just the newer 3.6L and still a 6-speed, or it seems like much larger use oddly of the 2.5L in lower models...wonder how that will do. Should attract new people who the previous was too big for, but for everyone else used to the current big ones, they may have to wait for the bigger Chevy and Buick iterations to come out later.

Cool car, still a looker...and fun ride.

So far so good, a week in with this one. Continues to enjoy the colors and size, says it's more comfortable and quiet than the Terrain. And since it snowed right after, the AWD dug right through everything without an issue "exactly like my Terrain did".

This was a weird mix of articles to come out... Everyone loves the look and layout of the 200, for the most part. It's a great package. Ingress/egress to the rear is NOT a no sale issue. Powertrain issues with the 9-speed and driving dynamics they didn't finish tuning properly are the issues most people have. If it were just more polished driving wise, it would do even better. I'll chalk this one up to just being internet blabber. The Dart no one cares about or even knows exists for the most part at this point, but even it's a decent small car and looks good. It's more comfortable with a nicer interior than many imports, just like the 200, needs more driving and powertrain polish. Sergio is a big mouth but the car changeover and remakes are enough to keep other manufacturers awake as to how not to sit on laurels. Just make sure, unlike Chrysler, you spend extra time polishing the drive...

I tried to stray away from them...but even so old at this point, the combination of features, space, and value they offer is 2nd to none. Favorite by far in the class was the Durango, drove that and it's easily in a different class. But to lease, even for a Durango that was $4-5k less than the Traverse, it leased out terribly at $150+ more per month--they only have 2015's, and built them way too long, so the residuals are terrible. With GM, it was too easy. Combination of lease Pull Ahead, etc. and she was good to go. Went from a $36k Terrain to a $44k Traverse with a ton more stuff, and didn't go crazy up in a payment. She's liking it a day in, and oddly enough loves the Saddle interior. I wasn't sure, since she thought it was orange and she never actually drove one of these (aside from an Enclave back in 2008), but all is well. The Durango is a great SUV. It's a midsize though, right? Riding on the bones of the Grand Cherokee is a win-win with a cheaper overall package. They look damn sharp too since the refresh. Very underrated vehicle. The Durango is big. It's probably the only crossover comparable to the Lambda's inside. Get in the back, and it feels similar. Just a lot more modern, and top grade electronics, powertrain, interior, look, feel, ride, etc. etc. The Lambda's remain very smooth and solid, especially more so in later gen. There's so many configurations of them, the Chevy was the winner this time. She liked the look of the Acadia most, but couldn't stand red interior lights anymore after 5 years of them, and the Acadia is--oddly--$3000 more than the Traverse when equipped the same. Has everything. Skipped the sunroof (she rarely uses and the Lambda twin glass has weird mesh screens), running boards (didn't want), or DVD (this is the year 2016, really?), so the rest is there.

I tried to stray away from them...but even so old at this point, the combination of features, space, and value they offer is 2nd to none. Favorite by far in the class was the Durango, drove that and it's easily in a different class. But to lease, even for a Durango that was $4-5k less than the Traverse, it leased out terribly at $150+ more per month--they only have 2015's, and built them way too long, so the residuals are terrible. With GM, it was too easy. Combination of lease Pull Ahead, etc. and she was good to go. Went from a $36k Terrain to a $44k Traverse with a ton more stuff, and didn't go crazy up in a payment. She's liking it a day in, and oddly enough loves the Saddle interior. I wasn't sure, since she thought it was orange and she never actually drove one of these (aside from an Enclave back in 2008), but all is well.

Lease was up on the Terrain in a few months, and after 2 of them for 5 years, mom wanted something different and bigger that was more comfortable for her and too many dogs. I handled it as always. Looked at Acadia, Traverse, Durango, etc. based on the lease packages. The GM Triplets are old, no doubt, but packed with features and actually have great interiors and a huge amount of space. Add in a fully tricked out Traverse in White Pearl with the VERY cool Saddle leather, Nav, Power Folding Mirrors, Blindspot, etc, etc. and a familiar 3.6L with AWD and she's set with space and tons of new toys for 3 years. Just had it delivered to her at work yesterday.

The latest mom truckster, bigger than ever thanks to GM.

Name: Chevrolet Traverse (2016) Date Added: 21 January 2016 - 09:02 AM Owner: caddycruiser Short Description: Mom's latest, a 2016 Traverse 2LT AWD in Iridescent Pearl Tricoat with Saddle Leather Package & Blind Spot, Navigation, Roof Rack, and Rear Cargo Mat. View Vehicle