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I think any of the GM's with the 6.2L (403HP/417lbft) is the best bang for the buck. Drive one with the 6.2L and then go drive an Expedition with the 5.4L with 300HP. You will think the Expedition is towing a trailer behind it compared to the GMC/Cadillac.
The Armada and its Infiniti twin got a ton of bad press over the past few years. They were built in a new factory in the US and Nissan could not get things right there. HORRIBLE reliability issues the first few years. Not sure if they ever fixed the issues, but be very wary of these models!
Ill buy the culture part but certainly not how their cars are engineered. Everything is not perfect... in fact it isn't any better than any of the other manufacturers and if something is better it is only marginally so. They make decent cars but in no way are they works of art like a Samurai Sword.
I work on Japanese and American cars extensively. A lot of thought is put into every detail of most Japanese autos. Everything has a purpose and is put together in a very careful manner.
American cars all too often appear to have yanked parts off the shelf, and then slapped stuff together that halfway fits. I wonder if they even care sometimes. Surely they do.
We have owned a Chevy Tahoe LT and a Lexus LX470 (Toyota Land Cruiser). We mainly got a SUV of this size to pull a boat. I had absolutely no problem with the Tahoe. It had the most comfortable 10 way power seats that I have ever sat in, it was smooth quiet never had any problems with it and didn't cost an arm and a leg to maintain. I would recommend it and its variants. However my other half traded it for the Lexus due to wanting something higher end.
The Lexus/Land Cruiser did not have the pulling power of the Tahoe and cost a lot more to operate. (expensive maintenance and premium fuel requied) However it did have a quality and appeal that the Tahoe didn't have but then again you would expect this on a vehicle that cost almost 1/2 again as much. Ironically it was also better at pulling the boat mainly due to its much more significant brakes and very sophisticated suspension. We did test the Toyota Sequoia (completely different platform) and didn't care much for it. At the time, mid 2000s, Toyota still seemed to miss a lot of marks with the Sequoia vs the Tahoe. We did check out Nissan's SUV and it was horrible. Despite how it looks on paper, it was an ungainly unsophisticated vehicle that isn't worth having. They should get out of this business.
If it is important, the Sequoia/Tundra is a North America truck platform. The Land Cruiser/LX470 was built on their global truck platform. Completely different mechanics.
Unfortunately the Lexus was rear ended during some stop and go traffic on the interstate and while the car well protected us, the accident bent the frame and we ended up selling it. (you should have seen the other car) I don't care as much for the redesign of this vehicle and it's new eye watering price so we didn't get another one. We ended up with a Mercedes ML550. It isn't the most practical vehicle out there, and isn't cheap, but it is an SUV that drives like a sports car. In fact it will out-run a lot of sports cars. You might consider this vehicle or the larger GL as both are probably a generation ahead of the what you will find in the GM product but don't go down this route if economy is something that you are looking for.
We have owned a Chevy Tahoe LT and a Lexus LX470 (Toyota Land Cruiser). We mainly got a SUV of this size to pull a boat. I had absolutely no problem with the Tahoe. It had the most comfortable 10 way power seats that I have ever sat in, it was smooth quiet never had any problems with it and didn't cost an arm and a leg to maintain. I would recommend it and its variants. However my other half traded it for the Lexus due to wanting something higher end.
The Lexus/Land Cruiser did not have the pulling power of the Tahoe and cost a lot more to operate. (expensive maintenance and premium fuel requied) However it did have a quality and appeal that the Tahoe didn't have but then again you would expect this on a vehicle that cost almost 1/2 again as much. Ironically it was also better at pulling the boat mainly due to its much more significant brakes and very sophisticated suspension. We did test the Toyota Sequoia (completely different platform) and didn't care much for it. At the time, mid 2000s, Toyota still seemed to miss a lot of marks with the Sequoia vs the Tahoe. We did check out Nissan's SUV and it was horrible. Despite how it looks on paper, it was an ungainly unsophisticated vehicle that isn't worth having. They should get out of this business.
If it is important, the Sequoia/Tundra is a North America truck platform. The Land Cruiser/LX470 was built on their global truck platform. Completely different mechanics.
Unfortunately the Lexus was rear ended during some stop and go traffic on the interstate and while the car well protected us, the accident bent the frame and we ended up selling it. (you should have seen the other car) I don't care as much for the redesign of this vehicle and it's new eye watering price so we didn't get another one. We ended up with a Mercedes ML550. It isn't the most practical vehicle out there, and isn't cheap, but it is an SUV that drives like a sports car. In fact it will out-run a lot of sports cars. You might consider this vehicle or the larger GL as both are probably a generation ahead of the what you will find in the GM product but don't go down this route if economy is something that you are looking for.
I hate to say it but I always knew there was a very good reason to stick with Chevy's. Simple, reliable, and comfortable for not to much money.
Sit in the BACK seat of the Navigator. You will be shocked at the lack of space. That vehicle is terrible. And I see no appreciable difference between Yukon/XL and Tahoe/Suburban. However the new model Tahoe has a ton of frustrating glitches.
In the past ten years I've owned a Tahoe, a Mercedes G-Wagon, an Isuzu Trooper, and a Suburban. I research big SUVs as a hobby - IMO, Chevy makes the best product for the buck. The 2001-2005 Tahoe/Suburban is my favorite vehicle. I've never had more fun than in those. HUGE interiors, intuitive controls, and they run forever. The G-Wagon was fun until the warranty ran out, then I got to pay $1200 for an ALTERNATOR, and other parts are several times the cost of even the regular Benz line.
My next vehicle will be a 2000-2003 Suburban 2500HD with the bay doors in the back. I can't wait!
The 496 cu burned oil like made.. my buddy had a dually with a 8.1 liter.. he went thru 4-5 quarts of oil between oil changes...
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