# Chevy Traverse, Ford Explorer or Toyota Highlander?



## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

My girlfriend and I are looking for a crossover since we have an 18 month old and have twins on the way and the her Camry will not do, especially if and when we do have more later down the road. We have been considering the Traverse for a while now and today we looked at the Explorer and the Highlander... I really like the Traverse because of the power, dual sunroofs, the Bose sound system, size and room. But it doesn't drive very well and doesn't feel all that refined for $40k. Next we drove the Explorer Limited with the 2.0L 4 cylinder Ecoboost, the girlfriend liked it a lot and so did I. The power was decent, not great, but decent. I did like the fact that it has the Inflatable seatbelts, but I didn't like the Sony sound system plus it was a little cramped and everything felt kind of cheap. Next we drove a Highlander Limited, really liked this one as well, girlfriend really liked it too, it had tons of power and felt very refined, has everything that we want and for 39k it seems like a good value. It definitely has the Lexus feel about it... I also really liked the JBL sound system. The one thing that bugged my girlfriend was the gray seats, lol I know a lot of you will say the Traverse would be best but IDK if I like the feel of the Traverse, considering that I will use crossover fairly often to carry friends and all of my equipment to basketball games and golf tournaments... I really do not like doing this. lol


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

Don't make me say it!!!

Get the Toyota.


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

Lol are you being serious or sarcastic?


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

TopazLTZ said:


> Lol are you being serious or sarcastic?


No I'm serious get the Toyota.


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

That's probably what we would end up with, we just cant decide if we want FWD or AWD... Just wondering, but what is the reason you would get the Toyota?


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Anything but the Toyota.

Personally I'd go Explorer/EcoBoost. Since the Traverse didn't quite do it for you, you could always see if an Acadia or base Enclave would be any better. I drove a base Enclave rental one time and it wasn't bad, though it was one of the first ones back in late 2008.


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

TopazLTZ said:


> That's probably what we would end up with, we just cant decide if we want FWD or AWD... Just wondering, but what is the reason you would get the Toyota?


Reliability, trade in value, if you were to get the Chevy use would probably would lose 10k in value right after you drove it off the lot.


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

Sunline Fan said:


> Anything but the Toyota.
> 
> Personally I'd go Explorer/EcoBoost. Since the Traverse didn't quite do it for you, you could always see if an Acadia or base Enclave would be any better. I drove a base Enclave rental one time and it wasn't bad, though it was one of the first ones back in late 2008.


I wouldn't mind having a Enclave.

My wife's parents have one it's pretty nice.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

If you dont like the Traverse or Terrain, then Explorer or Escape. I like the Escape quite a lot actually. 

The only great thing about the Highlander is the engine. It's otherwise an uncomfortable, rough riding, cheap interior piece of junk. My girlfriends mom has a 2011 we've taken on several trips (she hates it as much as I do). My butt is always extremely sore after an hour of riding in it, and the ride is terrible. But that V6 is freaking sweet. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

The base Enclave absolutely WILL NOT do! lol we wont do cloth. The Explorer with the 2.0L was alright until you had to pass someone on the highway with the air conditioner on... Plus that's with nothing inside except me the girlfriend and the salesman, just add three kids and all of their stuff and that wont be good. I carry 4 other friends and a lot of sports equipment so the Explorer is probably out...


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

TopazLTZ said:


> The base Enclave absolutely WILL NOT do! lol we wont do cloth. The Explorer with the 2.0L was alright until you had to pass someone on the highway with the air conditioner on... Plus that's with nothing inside except me the girlfriend and the salesman, just add three kids and all of their stuff and that wont be good. I carry 4 other friends and a lot of sports equipment so the Explorer is probably out...


You answered your own question it's the Toyota.


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

My girlfriend said she wouldn't mind looking at the Hyundai Santa Fe... I guess we will get whatever makes her happy. Lol


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

Well yeah lol I don't want her to be on her own being pregnant and with an 18 month old. We haven't been getting along lately and so we have to fix it. But the Highlander is probably what we will get... Blizzard Pearl with the Tan leather. Don't know if we will get fwd or awd though.


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

TopazLTZ said:


> Well yeah lol I don't want her to be on her own being pregnant and with an 18 month old. We haven't been getting along lately and so we have to fix it. But the Highlander is probably what we will get... Blizzard Pearl with the Tan leather. Don't know if we will get fwd or awd though.


Blizzard Pearl is that white? Is that like white diamond tricoat?


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

Yeah it is like the Diamond White, but it is more white than the "pearl". lol But is a sharp color to say the least.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

TopazLTZ said:


> The base Enclave absolutely WILL NOT do! lol we wont do cloth. The Explorer with the 2.0L was alright until you had to pass someone on the highway with the air conditioner on... Plus that's with nothing inside except me the girlfriend and the salesman, just add three kids and all of their stuff and that wont be good. I carry 4 other friends and a lot of sports equipment so the Explorer is probably out...


Ah, didn't realize the base Enclave had cloth. I figured it wouldn't!

Did you test drive an Explorer with either the 3.5 Duratec or 3.5 Ecoboost? Either of those are awesome engines. My mom has 92k on her 3.5 Duratec and it hasn't missed a beat. Still all original.


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

We did look at the Sport with the 3.5 Ecoboost, didn't drive it but we just cant afford the 47K price tag with us being 17, her parents are helping her get a new crossover just like my parents are helping me get a Cruze... lol She does want a 2009 Escalade 2wd with 29k miles we found at the chevy dealer though


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Why not a loaded Chevy Equinox or GMC Terrain? Those have huge back seats(2-3ft of rear leg/foot room), can be had with 4cylinder or V6 and all wheel drive is optional. 

I would also look at a Buick Encore(same turbo engine as the cruze but also has optional AWD).


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I hate to say it, but a minivan would be far more practical. Honda Odyssey EX-L starts at $36k, and has more utility than those crossovers. It's not as "cool", though.


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## giantsnation (Oct 11, 2012)

Even though I like the Traverse better for looks, have you drove the Honda Pilot. You can get the all the options you're looking for plus three rows of seating for under $40K (including rear-seat entertainment for the little ones). 

The Toyota is honestly a joke but typical Toyota - way way way overpriced!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Based on your test drive and initial impressions, go with the Toyota. If you get a lot of winter ice and snow or if you ski, get the AWD. Otherwise don't waste your money and gas on the AWD.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

Get the Toyota Highlander, if anything Toyota is REALLY good at (Camry and Corolla are just reliables beats), is 4Runners, Small Trucks, and SUV's. They really put their time and effort into designing those.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

iKermit said:


> Get the Toyota Highlander, if anything Toyota is REALLY good at (Camry and Corolla are just reliables beats), is 4Runners, Small Trucks, and SUV's. They really put their time and effort into designing those.


I loved the old Highlanders (shared with the Lexus RX platform). Can't stand the new ones...really, really uncomfortable and cheap-looking.

Try a 4Runner.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

4Runner is amazing. Loved to put the back windown down on my friends 4Runner. He put an Intake in it and tuned it, and it was beating a lot of cars out there. Even 3series (yes i said it).


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## Toyotech (Aug 17, 2012)

due to your age and the family treating this as an investment I would say Highlander. (resale is insane, we just sold an 04' for 16g's) but if it was me I would be waiting for the '14 to be released and check it out.


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## giantsnation (Oct 11, 2012)

I'll give you the 4runner is not a bad vehicle but the Highlander is so cheap and overpriced is comical. 

Try the Pilot out. These things are comfortable and great in the snow.


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## Toyotech (Aug 17, 2012)

giantsnation said:


> I'll give you the 4runner is not a bad vehicle but the Highlander is so cheap and overpriced is comical.
> 
> Try the Pilot out. These things are comfortable and great in the snow.


31800 To the honda's 31200 for 4wd v6... how can you say one is overpriced yet compare a vehicle at just about the same price point.

But, the Pilot is worth looking at.


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## giantsnation (Oct 11, 2012)

You compared 1 feature - 4wd. Dig deeper and you'll see that dollar for dollar the Honda gives you way more. Not too mention, the Honda feels bigger inside (its a bus) and has a more solid feel (higher quality). Try sitting in the third row of the Highlander. I'm not saying I would drive across the country in the third row of the Pilot but at least on a 5 hour roadtrip, I wouldn't be squished.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

giantsnation said:


> You compared 1 feature - 4wd. Dig deeper and you'll see that dollar for dollar the Honda gives you way more. Not too mention, the Honda feels bigger inside (its a bus) and has a more solid feel (higher quality). Try sitting in the third row of the Highlander. I'm not saying I would drive across the country in the third row of the Pilot but at least on a 5 hour roadtrip, I wouldn't be squished.


The older Pilot was a great car too. My parents had an Acura MDX based on it (they were between the two in the end, and went for the nicer one). GREAT car, lots of room, very comfortable, fantastic engine.

Not a fan of the dash in the new ones. The CRV is a lot more well laid out.


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

My girlfriend and I both agree that the Highlander will be the best, It will be a 2013 Limited in Nautical Blue with the tan leather. We are gonna stick it out with FWD... The subdivision I live in is usually last to be plowed and is kind of hilly. There is no way an Equinox/Terrain will do, although we kind of looked at an SRX, Encore will definitely not do. lol


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## alyupe11 (Jun 9, 2013)

All three are good choices. Before you decide drive the explorer sport with the Eco boost 3.5 v6 it drives and handles great while returning very good mileage. The traverse is on the againg Lambada chassic shared with Buick enclave, Saturn outlook, GMC Acadia. This is a good but aged design that returns excellent economy for its size mine got 17 city and 24 highway. The Toyota I have no experiance with but it's reputation speaks for itself.


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## chevycruze2012 (Nov 13, 2012)

Id go with the traverse or even the equinox. In my personal opinion...the traverse or equinox are better crossovers because of the room, comfort of the ride, and overall handling. I took a 2012 equinox to florida back in February...and I was comfortable in it for about 10 hours....even made me fall asleep after awhile lol. I even drove pretty much the whole way there and back....so 1600 miles one way to Daytona beach. Id definitely not risk my life, let alone my family in a death trap like a Toyota....ford? That's very questionable too. The engines and transmissions are total junk. Ford does not have anything figured out at all.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Chrysler dealer in town is giving $5K rebates on a Dodge Grand Caravan, with the most desirable accessories, cruise, dual air. fold down flat seats, six speaker radio, alloys, can pick one up for a little over $20K. Can buy two of those for the price of the others, still gets 25 mpg, with the 3.7 L V-6 can tow up to 3,600 pounds. Lots of space in the rear for luggage and groceries.

Test drove one, very comfortable, you can also add another 15K to the pricetag by getting a bunch of crap you don't need, same wheels, same body, same drivetrain.

Don't know about your budget, kids are darn expensive, raised ten, nine through college, health cost, dentist, clothes, games, toys, airline tickets unless under two, schools, college, want a car, money for activities. They claim these are better than a 100K miles now, but time will tell. 

If you want to use your cellphone through your radio, 660 bucks extra for a buck bluetooth chip? But they also take a piece of leather and wrap the steering wheel and gear shift knob for that price.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Oh, if you happen to be in the 20% income tax bracket, feds let's you pay a $1.91 less per day in taxes to raise that kid. Bit better than the state, they figure you can get by with 13 cents per day to raise that kid.


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

The local dealer built a little "off road" track for the event they had a couple days ago for the 4 runner, FJ, Land Cruiser, Tacoma and Tundra and we told the dealer we didn't know if we should get FWD or AWD, so they took us for a ride in both a front and all wheel drive Highlander and the only place the front wheel drive had trouble was up the gravel mound and the sloppy mud hill. So I think we will stick to a FWD... My dad works for Toyota so we would get a discount and we would get the fwd for $32,570 which is a huge deal, and if we decided we wanted awd within 3 days, they would locate one in the area and swap us the same day for the same price.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Price here for a 2013 Highlander is:

$30,513 

 Color: Blizzard Pearl
 Interior: Gray w/Easy Clean Fabric Seat Trim
 Stock#: T2948
 Engine: 3.5L V6
 VIN: 5TDBK3EH3DS225986
 Transmission: Automatic 5-Speed
 Body Style: AWD SUV (4 Door)

[h=4]Convenience[/h]

Interior air filtration
Rear air conditioning - With separate controls
Center Console - Full with covered storage
Cruise control
Overhead console - Mini with storage
Speed-proportional power steering
Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
Clock - In-dash
Tachometer
Remote power door locks
Bluetooth
Power windows with 1 one-touch
Rear defogger

[h=4]Exterior[/h]

Rear spoiler - Lip
Tow Hooks - 1
Intermittent window wipers
Privacy/tinted glass
Rear wiper

[h=4]Interior[/h]

Rear heat - With separate controls
Reclining rear seats
Rear bucket seats
Front seat type - Bucket
Third row seats

[h=4]Safety[/h]

4-wheel ABS brakes
Head airbags - Curtain 1st, 2nd and 3rd row
Knee airbags - Driver
Passenger Airbag
Daytime running lights
Dusk sensing headlights
Stability control
Traction control - ABS and driveline

[h=4]Technical[/h]

4WD Type - Full-time
Descent Control - Hill descent control
270 hp horsepower
3.5 L liter V6 DOHC engine with variable valve timing
4 Doors
All-wheel drive
Automatic Transmission
Tire pressure monitoring system
Transmission hill holder


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

This will be the Limited model with leather, the price is $38k base fwd and awd is 40k... my dads discount is awesome...


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

TopazLTZ said:


> This will be the Limited model with leather, the price is $38k base fwd and awd is 40k... my dads discount is awesome...


What happened to looking at a cruze? Decide to make a few more kids and realize there was not enough room?


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

No I am still going to get a Cruze, my girlfriend is going to drive the Highlander, the Camry is being traded in for it. She is the one that carries the kids around not me, but If I have to the Cruze will be fine for the times I may have to. She is getting the Highlander so we have the extra room for the future... lol but I will be driving the Highlander every once in a while. I carry my friends to basketball games and golf tournaments so I have to carry the equipment. The Cruze's trunk will handle it but cramming two 6' tall guys in the back and another friend in the front seat will be the struggle.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

So you are going to play around with your buddies while your girlfriend is up all night trying to take care of two screaming babies?

Why don't you get a job instead and help support them.


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

Lol... I play on the teams for my school... I have a job actually, I worked 40 hours last week and 35 this week. Trust me I am doing everything I can.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, with a third one on the way, oldest is four years old, my son told me his father-in-law suggested he get a Town and Country, where I suggested he save $18,000 bucks and get that Grand Caravan. Same body, same seats, same drivetrain, same engine. Why pay a lot extra for a sound system when you can't even turn on the radio with kids in a vehicle as just one very small example. 

But my son said, no way is he buying a mini-van. So he is also looking into these very over priced gas guzzling SUV's. Hope he has enough money left over to buy diapers. Kids!!!!

Back in my day, just tossed kids in the back of a pickup, can't do that anymore. And getting interested in car seats, the sizes are inversely proportional to the kid, the smaller the kid that larger the car seat. And the smaller the kid, the more crap you have to haul around.

Have to say a nasty thing about the Cruze, miserable to remove those car seats once installed. And whoever designed those safety belts in these car seats should be shot after a long torture. For the torture he is causing the consumers with these darn things.

Then these crazy SRS's, still considered a Supplementary Restrain System, primarily for idiots that refuse to wear their safety belts. That killed just as many kids as saved these idiots. Congress considered adding a switch for kids, but with their wisdom, toss them in the back seat. Wife use to nurse our kids on long trips, now have to lay out an extra couple of hundred bucks for a breast pump to do the same thing or add hours to your trips.

Three older kids have mini-vans, richer one has a Honda, but still fall apart, its still a huge body on a a compact car chassis. But for whatever strange reason, insurance rates are lower.

I had as many as six kids at home at a time, not sure what I would do today with all these laws, many would have to buy a school bus. Or would have to return this country the way it was in the pre-WWII days. Leave your wife at home, barefoot and pregnant with the rest of the kids. Can't even do that today, both must work just to put food on the table.


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## TopazLTZ (Mar 18, 2013)

When she was pregnant with our first son, I told her to not worry about getting a job, after she had the child she went to work at a tanning salon and still works there. She says she loves it, lol I don't know how... I mean, I love tanning, but I could never work there. Haha We did look at a Sienna SE and Limited, first of all we weren't going to pay 49k for a Limited, girlfriend hates vans so that's why even the SE was out a long time ago.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Can always be worse, working in a pig, mink, or turkey farm come to mind. And in Wisconsin, agriculture minimum wage is much less than the federal minimums. Let some of my kids try that for a week, that was all the motivation they needed was to work their cans off to go to college.

Was on the table two weeks ago, just saw the insurance bill, $35,600.00 just to be cut opened for two hours and fifteen minutes. Commented to my wife, at least getting some of that $14,500.00 we are paying each year back for health. insurance.


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