The wife and I decided to look into selling our Subaru Outback and leasing an SUV with a 3rd row - recently got a dog and space with the two kids is a bit cramped for longer trips. We have a few thousand in equity in the car and are paid ahead by a few months, rate was only 0.9% over 60 months. The wife likes AWD, but we live in FL so it’s not necessary, she just likes the security in the rain.
As my own lease last year was a unicorn (2018 BMW 330e for ~ 200/mo, 58k MSRP), I have high goals on what I can find, though I recognize those unicorns are few and far between so we’ll be happy with just a solid deal this time around. We’re currently paying $600/mo to own, so I’d like the new lease to be $450 or less.
Any thoughts on where to focus my efforts towards to find a deal on an SUV with a 3rd row?
Browsing the site, I see some decent deals on XC90’s, which I like but not sure on the space yet (going to test drive this week). We like the Telluride and Palasade but both appear to carry a premium as they are new, so they’re likely out. The wife likes the new Subaru Ascent, but I doubt it would lease well since it’s a Subie. She hates the CX9 interior (I like it and have a soft spot for Mazda having owned a Mazda3 for 215k miles), so it’s out.
I’ll likely get a broker involved, but I don’t want to waste their time till I know what cars to hone in on then test drive, but I don’t know what to hone in on yet
Florida is one of the areas where dealers are advertising decent discounts off MSRP on Palisades, particularly if you’re willing to take a step down from the top trim level.
Xc90 is the best bang for the buck you’re going to get in the luxury 3 row suv market right now.
Loved the Palisade, XC90 and Highlander
Liked the Pilot
Meh on the Telluride, CX9 and Ascent
Turns out the wife really likes the Pilot, Highlander and XC90 - in that order.
Highlander leases are nuts so I’m looking into Pilot numbers this week and part of me is hoping they arent that great so we can get the XC90 that I want
How much space do you guys really need? If your wife hated the CX-9, I imagine it’s because it’s pretty cramped for a 3rd row. The interior materials are really nice, probably best in the segment.
Size wise, your best bet is the Atlas or the Traverse. They’re pretty huge in the back. All around I’d say xc90, such a great SUV for the price and amenities. Of course Palisade and Telluride, but those are so dependent on what kind of pricing you can get.
I beg to differ. My wife had a cx9 GT. Was so glad to get rid of that thing. Felt incredibly cheap inside. Piano black trim got scratched to hell if you looked.at.it wrong. Yah, it’s got nicer materials than the gm or ford offerings in the segment, but that’s not saying much.
I agree with the piano black, but I’m not sure of any 3rd row SUV that has better materials in the segment. What parts felt incredibly cheap to you guys? Did it just all fall apart?
Highlander felt better to me (ignoring the archaic infotainment). Pilot isn’t as flashy in it’s design, but doesn’t feel lower quality (we replaced the cx9 with a passport).
Oh, yeah. The Palisade/Telluride really stepped up this segment. I guess back in 2015 when the CX-9s came out it was really impressive. I see your point. I got to sit in both at the LA Auto show, it is pretty amazing.
Oh, I love the new passports. I know people were annoyed that Honda brought out a chopped Pilot, but I think it’s genius. Gives us more non-cvt/CRV options. How do you guys like it?
It’s been great. Comfy, has lots of room, etc. There are some aspects to it that show the age of the platform vs the newer Honda models (we were cross shopping the crv, which definitely feels more modern), particularly in the infotainment and the drive guidance features.