[vandert]

On paper I was leaning toward the Pilot and the CRV. But when I drove them the CRV ended up being to small for my family we have 4 1/2 and as mentioned we are heading to Germany. The Pilot was a hard choice but I'm a dihard four wheeler and IRS, and non selectable 4wd just wouldn't cut it for me, that's probably the only reason I chose the 4Runner, that and drivers height. I like the layout of the controls and whatnot more in the 4Runner too. The Escape and the Tribute were nice but felt cheap and had rattles on the test drives, didn't cut it. The Murano was really, really, really nice, didn't like the grill, didn't like the roominess, and didn't like the Tranny. The tranny was probably the deciding factor thought. Its CVT, and uses belts, kinda shy away from it especially since it has 245hp. Don't see the belts lasting much paste 80-100,000 miles. XTerra, good on looks, not on gas, that really pushed me away from it. The explorer is nice, but I've had many Fords in the past and the only ones that really lasted me were the Mustangs! I just had my mind made up I wanted an import, plus my wife wasn't real sure about them, didn't like the look. The Rav4 was just too small, nice but small for us.
The Highlander on the other hand was a close one. It came down to the truck frame/ruggedness of the 4Runner, didn't really want a crossover SUV, I wanted a SUV. That about sums it up, no real standouts that let me down other than the Chevrolet Blazer I had, and the Xterra for gas milage, it gets like 14 in the city.

Let me know what you think, hope it helps someone.

T