For low depreciation and thus low TCO, the Telluride and Palisade should be right up there with the Highlander as the top 3 choices for the OP in this segment.
where does Subaru Ascent come in here? For Telluride / Palisade are you not concerned about the safety rating? I value safety a lot, and was a bit turned off by the safety ratings around side crashes. Highlander / Ascent rated highly here
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These two and Highlander Hybrid are hard to buy at MSRP, so I ignore them. Among the rest, Gas Highlander/Pathfinder/New Pilot are top 3 I think.
Let’s put the Ascent in there and call it the top 4. That’s the short answer.
The long answer is that there’s a line between thoughtful research and over-analysis. You are arguably past the point of having done all your online research and narrowing down a short list for test drives. Then calling dealers to try to find incoming units that are not assigned to be delivered to another customer.
The Telluride is a IIHS TSP (top safety pick) in EXP and higher trims, and the Palisade is a TSP+. That’s good enough for some people including myself. If it’s not, that’s your call. But you gotta make those calls and move on.
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Palluride is really not. All it takes is the foresight to put in a factory order and wait. Or put in more effort to find an unclaimed incoming unit for earlier delivery. I did it and so have literally thousands of people on the forums.
What is this “New Pilot” you speak of?
full redesign 4th gen 2023 Honda Pilot Drops Heavy Camouflage In New Spy Photos (motor1.com).
our family had the 1st gen pilot…was pretty cool
Think narrowed down to Ascent Touring and MDX FWD + technology, test drove both. MDX will cost ~6k more. Narrowed down to these 2 options based on feedback here but also availability.
Both felt pretty similar to me and will have pretty much the same tech, I guess MDX felt a bit nicer on the interior. Thought the infotainment seemed better on MDX despite the non touchscreen, and overall felt a bit fancier. Both drove similarly to me, but I didn’t push things too hard.
Does it mainly come down to value at this point? The $6k difference isn’t a big deal over the long run, so would be fine going for MDX if it’s more reliable, or has good depreciation. Otherwise seems like Ascent would be the right play for me?
Ascent is a better value, obviously. And it’s an AWD, which never hurts to have (other than slightly lower mpg)
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Based on your comments, I would go with the MDX. $6k is not much, and worth it for better brand and nicer interior/exterior.
Would not care about Subaru having slightly better depreciation. Both Japanese cars, so that can’t be a big difference.
One thing not mentioned in your post is AWD v. FWD? If that matters to you, depending on your location, would go with the Ascent.
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Wanted to update: purchased the Ascent, but wanted MDX. A few factors went into it, namely we were able to get a reasonable deal on the Ascent, and given that it holds its resale value reasonably (?) well, and it’s pretty much the worst time to have to buy a car, AND given how little we project to drive, seemed like a good idea to spend less to get something viable. Doesn’t feel as luxurious, but still reasonable and safe which were my main requirements. Think I will have some regrets of not getting something nicer, but can always do that for the next car in hopefully a better market.
Thanks for everyone’s insight!
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Good outcome…. Congrats and enjoy the new ride.
Submit yours to the “Signed!” database here on LH
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Congrats, very good & reasonable decision.
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I’m getting frustrated with the search myself. No good deals to be had. For example, the $750 CA EV credit is going away on August 1st 
Really? Hadn’t seen anything on this, have a link? I had a deposit on a '23 xc90 recharge before this thread, but it really seemed better (at least for me) to wait until market recovers, and probably get the electric version when it eventually comes out and the kinks are ironed out. Also saw some potential legislation which could change the $7500 federal credit which if it goes through would be another ding against the recharge.
So which model did you end up with finally?
It seems that XC90 Recharge is the only option for the following requirements:
- PHEV for carpool decal.
- Reasonable space in a 6 seater for family (7 seater is hard for the 3rd row to use).
- Good safety reputation.
Highlander is not PHEV. Hyundai still needs time to earn the reputation. MDX doesn’t have PHEV. X5 45e has no 6/7 seater option, etc.
Sometimes one vehicle can’t check all the boxes. IDK about your circumstances specifically, but quite a few friends & family tried this approach but ultimately realized a commuter and a 7-seater just don’t go together.
One of them wanted an XC90 but when they tallied the depreciation, gas, maintenance, insurance etc on an XC90 it turned out to be an exceedingly expensive commuter car. They ended up getting two separate vehicles and each one was much better at its intended purpose
Thanks for the comments! Any recommendations how the two cars achieving the use case better than one? I can see a few downsides actually.
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Cost. It means two insurance premiums, two maintenance jobs, two parking sites, two sets of operations to learn.
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Utilization. It means in a whole week, there’s always one car being unused. Economically, this is a big waste?
Thanks!
Kia Sorento/Chrysler Pacifica. And wait for Highlander/grand Cherokee L to be phev.
Took delivery of a 2023 Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 last week. Plus trim, thunder gray exterior, charcoal interior. It was among the first batches available in SoCal. Love it so far. Will share more details and maybe post it to the SIGNED thread. It was an outright purchase, not lease.
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1 - The carpool decal wasn’t big factor in my decision, but I’ve heard you can get it for a few years. I suppose it could/should be if you drive on 405 a lot. This was a family car, not a commuter, so suppose it would carry more than two bodies most of the time.
2 - I was focused on and got the 7-seater. The integrated booster cushion is great and we’e already put it to good use. Have heard some people avoid the 6-seater XC90 because the “captain’s chairs” aren’t true captain’s chairs with armrests. It’s just the 7-seater with middle seat removed. So 6-seater XC90s are less popular and don’t sell as well - but to each their own.
3 - Yes, great safety, but Volvo’s obsession with safety has some downsides. E.g., all the second and third row seat adjustments are manual. They work okay but take getting used to and require some force. Much less advanced than the X7 or even Palisade in that respect.