OT: 4X4 or 4X2...

I need a new SUV that I can drive every day here in Houston. I just sold our 4x4 EB Expedition and I would like to get another Ford as we really liked it... except the gas milage . I want to get something a little smaller, like an Explorer but can't decide between 4x2 (which are plentiful and cheap) or a 4x4. I rarely used the 4x4 on the Expedition, the only reason I opted for it was the flooding we often have in Texas. Any thoughts? Sorry about the OT.

as far as getting thru a flood, as long as your engine intake is above the water level, you should be able to ford any standing water with a 2wd. With gas prices sky-rocketing, you should opt for the vehicle with the best gas mileage. Doesn't the explorer come in part-time 4wd? That would prob be the best compromise.

Well, I, too like Fords. But I have to say that my wife's Nissan Murano is one of the funnest "sport SUV's" that I've ever driven. It has AWD and has the same engine as the 350Z, so it's pretty peppy. The real treat is the tranny - a conical self adjusting tranny that finds the power no matter where you are speed-wise. You never feel the car shift gears, it does it linearly. The small outside is really deceiving - the inside feels quite roomy and the leather interior is pretty damn good for a Japanese car/truck. We considered the Lexus version, the whatever-45, but it was $10k more for a few horses and a 'blingy-er' interior/exterior. The good news? Mileage is great! on long trips to Hilo, it gets 30 mpg. Around town? 24 mpg. We live on a very steep road and in the rains, the AWD is a blessing. BTW, I'm not a Nissan salesman or anything.

Well, the obvious question is why not a Cayenne? We love ours. Re 4x4, I have always thought it strange that millions of housewives (and others) are driving around in 4x4's when virtually all of the time it is unused. In almost 8 years of driving SUV's, I'm quite sure my wife doesn't even know how to engage the 4x4 functions. Of course, this is sunny Los Angeles.

If you all don't use the 4x4 in your SUV's why do you own them. It would be more fun and cheaper to tool around in a Mercedes, BMW or Audi wagon and still retain the cargo room. Im guessing you tow heavy loads??? If not, whats the point? Bobby

Well, we use 4x4 often here. My wife's daily driver is often put into AWD due to slick roads - when it rains, our slick tree covered road becomes quite slippery. My C2 is for beautiful days only (weekends, specifically). I have three other vehicles that are all 4x4, my Tundra, my Bronco and my F250 (farm truck only). To get to our nicest beaches, we have to use extreme 4x4 - my Tundra barely makes it. I also have a coffee farm, that requires 4x4 vehicles for access to some parts. I, too, am irritated by all the 4x4 SUV's stuck in traffic on the L.A. freeways. But here on the Big Island, 4x4's are a way of life. To those that campaign against owners of SUV's, I invite them to drive their new beetles up my road on a rainy day (while I stand off to side and laugh hysterically). As to the Cayenne, I agree - it is an absolutely beautiful and incredible SUV. We didn't need something that large, so the smaller sport SUV's were a better choice for us. If I was going to buy a larger SUV, I would actually consider the VW Taureg - it is somewhat close to the Cayenne and a lot less. I don't need the best SUV to enjoy owning a Porsche, that's what the C2 is for.

If I had a choice of a T-reg or Cayenne, unless I was looking specifically for a twin turbo V8 Cayenne it would be T-reg all the way. If u can swing it, get a vw t-reg v-10 TDI. Get decent fuel econ, and cheaper fuel too. Not sure how it is where your at but diesel is still 1.80 a gallon here. That and torque levels that rival chipped turbo 996's. Chip the V10 and your looking at 350hp and 600 pound feet.

Have you thought about a hybrid Toyota SUV or hybrid Ford Escape?

Look at an Acura MDX. The latest has 265 HP and automatic 4WD (it is FWD until the vehicle senses tire slippage, then goes AWD). I think you can manually select AWD as well. We have a 2001 which is 240 HP and manual AWD, which gradually reverts to FWD as speed increases to 18 MPH. Good build quality, no problems in over 23K miles and reasonable to maintain (23 - 24 MPG highway).

The Infiniti FX45 ROCKS!!! I test drove it just for the heck of it before I got my G35 coupe. It handled sooo well that it made me think twice about getting the coupe. I think it is a good value.

I have to second Stevo'99. I really like Murano SE AWD and its CVT is nothing like I had anything before. The gas mileage is excellent for an SUV and so is its handling. Living in Seattle, AWD helps when you go skiing and etc. That's why I could care less about my C2 not having PSM. I have a couple other cars that drive very well in such conditions :-)

I really like that blue color on the Murano, Ubergeek. We got the brownish-burgundy (can't remember the actual name). We really liked the FX-45 Infinity as well, but the Murano is nearly the same car for a lot less. A good similar comparison would be the Taureg to the Cayenne. I just wish the Navigation system worked Here in Hawaii. It always thinks we're on Catalina Island. Nissan's DVD doesn't cover this area? I'm not really sure. Anyway, it's a great sport SUV for the $$.

no need for a 4X4 in flooding. it really isn't going to help you any! go for the 4X2, less things to break, cheaper vehicle, slightly better gas mileage. as for off-roading, a lot of times you can do just fine without 4WD. last summer i was up in the north maine woods on logging roads (more like brush-clogged trails through swamps) with a chevy tahoe and most of the time we didn't even put it in 4WD, we just left it in 2WD and we made it through everything just fine. successful off-roading depends a lot more on driver knowledge than it does on the vehicle. i've taken my C4 down dirt roads that you wouldn't believe. it's all about keeping your tires on the high spots!

I had Land Cruisers and Suburbans, and recently bought a diesel Excursion. If you tow a race car trailer, the Scursion is the SUV to have, plus it gets fair mileage on the highway (17+), and diesel fuel is now the cheapest stuff at the pump. I pull a 30 foot race trailer with it, and use it as the family travel wagon on the non-race weekends. The rear storage area is a little smaller than the 'burb, but the interior is a little bigger. All in all it's much more heavy duty than a burb, and far more rugged than the mini-SUVs (Cayenne, X5, and all the anonymous little Japanese ones). I would love to have a nice Cayenne sharing the garage with my 996, but it just does not work for us. The wheelbase is too short to safely pull a substantial trailer, though it might work with a single horse box. And as my family is made up of mom, dad, three kids, and a dog, the Cayenne is way too small to travel in, as it has luggage room for just one or two people. Nice car, though, but falls short of being a practical SUV. Steve 99 996 00 M5 64 356C 76 930 02 Excursion 98 E320