16th Jul 2010, 11:36
Wrong again. Top heavy has absolutely nothing to do with stopping ability. Brake size and tires do. And stability control works. I was following a Ford Explorer on a limited access road at 65mph when a kid in a Corolla ran a stop sign in front of him. I'd never have believed such a big, tall vehicle could swerve so violently and remain under control, but it did... easily.
As for the Toyota, have fun. We test drove a Highlander before buying our reliable and solidly built GM. The Highlander had pieces of interior trim falling off, defective brakes (lurched violently to the left) and had no power at all (and it was a 6). I guess you have not been reading the papers about Toyota's problems with build quality, and how they have slipped to 21st place out of 33 car makers in quality while Ford and GM have more cars in the top three in all of J.D. Powers categories than any other manufacturer.
Like I say, enjoy your Toyota. You'll make lots of nice friends sitting in the customer lounge waiting on repairs. You'll spend a lot of time there.
16th Jul 2010, 18:27
To comment 14:29.
You're completely right. I've seen more SUV's in serious accidents than cars. The guy who thinks his SUV stops faster than a sports car is mistaken. No SUV is going to do that. It takes a lot of force to stop 6000 pounds of steel moving at speed.
17th Jul 2010, 08:37
Maybe your front wheel bearings were not done when the cheapie disc brake pad only brake job was done if you are at 100,000 miles.
Another tip is to only use your 4WD in the snow, not cruising on dry pavement, or you can spend... I learned that another brand 4WD. If I could have only spent $1800 on the drivetrain issues I had with my 2WD and AWD import, I would have been absolutely thrilled.
17th Jul 2010, 11:22
Read some road tests on the 395 hp Trailblazer SS. There are braking kits and the 20 inch factory rims put a lot of footprint on the road. I would add a Brembo brake kit to do even better.
17th Jul 2010, 11:38
Same here. Our imports were a nightmare of never-ending and very expensive repairs. Our domestics have never required any repairs. Ford and GM are both now recognized as being more reliable than imports.
20th Jul 2010, 20:57
Gee, the Highlander I drove had nothing falling off of it, like my GM does, and it was way faster off the line then any GM SUV, other than the SS of course, and handled nicer on top of it. It was solid and super smooth compared to anything American. We also drove the RAV 4 with the V-6, and it'll smoke pretty much everything out there in its category for quality of drive and performance. I also see many 10-15 year old Toyotas running around, but not so many GM cars in that age range... huh, wonder why... oh yeah!
You must really hate Toyota to say that their 270 hp V6 has no power. Give me a break! Maybe the fact that it is actually smooth and refined, unlike its American competition, makes it seem less powerful to you. Keep reading the overinflated hype about how terrible Toyota is. Truth is, they are better than ever as they have a lot to prove. I'd bet every last dollar I've sunk into the GM junk I've had over the years that my new Toyota will outlast anything you own by GM. My previous two Toyotas were nothing short of perfect the whole time I had them. I actually would much rather have a recalled Toyota than anything GM. I've suffered enough!
20th Jul 2010, 21:01
What are you talking about here? I never actually use 4WD on my TB, and only have it in AWD if it is snowing out. Also the 90K miles are 85% highway miles in 2WD, so a failing wheel bearing is only a sign of cheap quality to me. I've had many imports with no signs of failing wear items like wheel bearings and front diff. at this mileage interval. Domestics will always be second to imports... sorry.
20th Jul 2010, 21:03
Yeah, but these are very rare and not your average SUV. Most opt for more utility, as these are pretty much road going cruisers and not much else. They were designed solely for handling, so yeah they can outbrake most SUV's too. Not a good example of the average SUV really.
21st Jul 2010, 12:39
I can't fathom how people can even compare the slow and cumbersome Highlander to the much faster, smoother and far more reliable Trailblazer and Envoy. And I see 30-year-old GM and Ford vehicles every day on the freeway. We sold a flawless 31-year-old Buick last year, and my former boss is STILL driving the Dodge Ram he bought new in 1986.
Unless you have not watched the news or read a paper in the past year, you should be aware that Ford and GM now have more cars in the top three categories of J.D. Powers quality rankings than ANY Japanese car company. Toyota is losing the equivalent of a Camry every 33 minutes trying to do damage control and ad hype to offset the fact that they have been building death traps for 20 years. Out of 33 auto makers, Toyota now ranks a pitiful 21st!! Hardly a sign of quality. Ford ranks 5th, ahead of Honda.
21st Jul 2010, 15:55
What defines average? Most of my friends own Corvettes in a large vette club and have a nice SUV to run around during the weekdays, such as Cayennes, Range Rovers and Trailblazer SS, usually with some mods. 395 HP, nice handling and braking on the SS, even in stock form, is a nice starting platform.
My Silverado also has some conservative light tasteful mods to make it a bit more fun. Its artic white now, with Vette ZO6 trim, C5 nose emblem on the tailgate, Borla exhaust, new wheels and performance upgrades. It's a beautiful truck, the way it should have left the factory.
Some of my friends have Avalanches, and many of us tow performance go boats on weekends. Not everyone wants anemic rags to drive around in. Having fun, great handling vehicles makes it more enjoyable to own
22nd Jul 2010, 16:13
Okay, I HAVE a Trailblazer, and the Highlander I test drove over the weekend is miles ahead of it in every aspect of performance. There was nothing cumbersome about it, as it drives more like a car than a cumbersome full framed SUV like the TB. The TB body pitches and rolls in corners, and is pretty anemic unless you board it off the line, which results in a 7,000 RPM slam on the engine. The Highlander gets to 60 in 7 seconds flat. The TB does it in around 9 seconds. So how is that faster to you?
Oh, and my oh so reliable TB will be lucky to make it to the dealer this week to trade it in, as the front end is completely shot. 90K miles, $1,000's in repairs = GM junk. Never again for me! Reliable??... yeah okay!
Just because you are biased against Toyota doesn't make them perform any less. The TB is so far behind the Highlander in performance it is laughable. I can't really fathom why anyone would say the TB is faster or less cumbersome than a Highlander! Please!
I'll probably end up with a RAV 4 Sport. Please tell me that's slow and cumbersome. 0-60 in 6.5 seconds with an AT. Yeah, your TB is now almost 3 seconds behind! I won't even comment on the RAV's superior handling!
Yes, I have read the much hyped newspaper articles and seen the reports, but in my years of experience with cars, Toyota is much more reliable than GM. I've also known many people with Toyotas, and not one of them has had any issues with them. One person I know had their Camry in for the recall. It didn't even need the part and it is fine. He is on his 5th Camry with no issues. Hype is hype, and the media is well known for blowing things out of proportion. Yeah, Toyota needed to address design defects. They have done so and will get back to the top soon enough. All the recalls from GM and Ford have been so conveniently forgotten over the years. The same will happen with Toyota soon enough.
16th Jul 2010, 07:55
But if you are making tons of money not relocating, what's the big deal with gas? 50 mile commute maybe 10 bucks each way. My 365 hp Vette gets over 30 mpg barely idling at the speed limit on the interstate, and it's fun. Put the top down, and it rides and handles nice.
SUVs are nice, and I always have a class 3 hitch to tow my boat, and family isn't cramped. We also have a nice Silverado, had great luck with all our GMs. The newer ones are great.