I know you said the wife won't do a minivan, mine was the same way. On a trip for a friend's wedding, we rented one for the weekend and my wife was sold. With 3 young kids it was perfect. It took me about a year to convince her she wanted one, never looked back. 15 years later, we're on her second one.

Especially with young kids, the sliding doors are a big help to not destroy everything you park next to.

For big SUVs, we rented a Wagoneer for our Christmas trip to my brother's place, it was ok. There were some quirks I didn't like, but I put that more in the area of unfamiliarity with Jeep interiors. My wife also enjoyed driving it.

Qx80 will drive nicer , be more comfortable. It is also a fantastic looking automobile. The powertrain is so far one of the few that isn't self destructing.

The biggest problem is the platinum Armada is the same exact vehicle and almost as nice for 20-30k less.

This the depreciation is obscene.

Get the Yukon if you even have the slightest hint you might need the extra room. It's significantly larger than the qx.

kb2001 said:

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I know you said the wife won't do a minivan, mine was the same way. On a trip for a friend's wedding, we rented one for the weekend and my wife was sold. With 3 young kids it was perfect. It took me about a year to convince her she wanted one, never looked back. 15 years later, we're on her second one.

Especially with young kids, the sliding doors are a big help to not destroy everything you park next to.

For big SUVs, we rented a Wagoneer for our Christmas trip to my brother's place, it was ok. There were some quirks I didn't like, but I put that more in the area of unfamiliarity with Jeep interiors. My wife also enjoyed driving it.

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I'll second this. My wife wasn't a fan of getting a minivan (she has only driven a 2nd hand 2000 Corolla prior to getting a 24 Sienna) but now she wouldn't give the Sienna up for anything. AWD, averaging 36 MPG, comfy cruising at 85-90 from Denver to Cheyenne. Run to Costco and open both sliding doors and the rear hatch from either front seat or off the key and any rational person will be sold. Our 2 year old opens his door when he gets in and closes it when he gets out on his own.

Biggest reasons I'd go with a 3 row SUV is if you had the 3rd row up all the time and wanted more cargo space behind it (assuming suburban/expy max size) or you actually needed the ground clearance or towing ability.

Strangers don't give a crap what you drive, and if they do, doubtful they think you're cool for having a suburban instead of a sienna.

If you go Infiniti, get a CPO. Way cheaper, better warranty . If your wife is road only and just wants fancy inside , then it's a great option . We did this when we added a 3rd and it was great. No issues 7 years later. If you haul or get off the asphalt, look for something more capable

krosch11 said:

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If you go Infiniti, get a CPO. Way cheaper, better warranty . If your wife is road only and just wants fancy inside , then it's a great option . We did this when we added a 3rd and it was great. No issues 7 years later. If you haul or get off the asphalt, look for something more capable

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This is exactly where I'm at. Looking for the right CPO QX80. Def road only. I've got my pickup for hauling or getting off the pavement.

She def likes the fancy aspect of it. I also agree with her that they are incredible looking vehicles. Yukons look very nice as well IMO.

Dale Earnhardts Stache said:

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krosch11 said:

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If you go Infiniti, get a CPO. Way cheaper, better warranty . If your wife is road only and just wants fancy inside , then it's a great option . We did this when we added a 3rd and it was great. No issues 7 years later. If you haul or get off the asphalt, look for something more capable

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This is exactly where I'm at. Looking for the right CPO QX80. Def road only. I've got my pickup for hauling or getting off the pavement.

She def likes the fancy aspect of it. I also agree with her that they are incredible looking vehicles. Yukons look very nice as well IMO.

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QX80/Armada is the Nissan Patrol platform, so if awd it should be OK off road.

drumboy said:

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Dale Earnhardts Stache said:

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krosch11 said:

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If you go Infiniti, get a CPO. Way cheaper, better warranty . If your wife is road only and just wants fancy inside , then it's a great option . We did this when we added a 3rd and it was great. No issues 7 years later. If you haul or get off the asphalt, look for something more capable

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This is exactly where I'm at. Looking for the right CPO QX80. Def road only. I've got my pickup for hauling or getting off the pavement.

She def likes the fancy aspect of it. I also agree with her that they are incredible looking vehicles. Yukons look very nice as well IMO.

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QX80/Armada is the Nissan Patrol platform, so if awd it should be OK off road.

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Good to know. I did notice during test drive that it's either full time auto AWD or 4H. No 4L. Doesn't matter. It'll be a pavement princess. Not too many Target's or Starbucks off the beaten path.

For sure , I didn't now they dropped a smaller engine in the new 80's though. Their old v8 was the titan engine I believe. Not too shabby for a mom mobile ha

Dale Earnhardts Stache said:

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drumboy said:

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Dale Earnhardts Stache said:

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krosch11 said:

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If you go Infiniti, get a CPO. Way cheaper, better warranty . If your wife is road only and just wants fancy inside , then it's a great option . We did this when we added a 3rd and it was great. No issues 7 years later. If you haul or get off the asphalt, look for something more capable

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This is exactly where I'm at. Looking for the right CPO QX80. Def road only. I've got my pickup for hauling or getting off the pavement.

She def likes the fancy aspect of it. I also agree with her that they are incredible looking vehicles. Yukons look very nice as well IMO.

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QX80/Armada is the Nissan Patrol platform, so if awd it should be OK off road.

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Good to know. I did notice during test drive that it's either full time auto AWD or 4H. No 4L. Doesn't matter. It'll be a pavement princess. Not too many Target's or Starbucks off the beaten path.

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The Armadas have 2 speed selectable transfer cases. The Pro-4x looks really good with the rear locker as well. Finally a real patrol spec SUV. Of the Nissan/Infiniti models the Pro4x Armada scratches the itch.

Wife and I went and checked out the new Armada yesterday. It is very nice and room is plenty. IMO it looks much better than a Yukon/tahoe and if we went that size it and the qx80 would be where we looked. However wife thinks it's simply too big for her to drive daily so it looks like we are going the way of the GX at this point and time and at least get on the waitlist and see how long we can wait.

Surprised to see the GX is no longer recommended by consumer reports.

Is it because the gas mileage is not great and it's a small truck like suv? Basically the complete opposite of all SUV's these days that aren't full size like Tahoe, expedition, etc.

I don't like the look of the Expy. Then I saw it in Tremor form and immediately changed my mind.

I wish they'd ditch the orange accents. Just dumb.

At least in the trucks you can do "black appearance" and it converts the orange crap to silver/black.

AustinCountyAg said:

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Is it because the gas mileage is not great and it's a small truck like suv? Basically the complete opposite of all SUV's these days that aren't full size like Tahoe, expedition, etc.

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I agree with you on that. The GX is a body on frame old school SuV and while CR dinged it for the clumsy handling and poor fuel economy but that's not the reason it's no longer recommended. This is the test score aspect. Just like the Bronco, T4R, Wrangler, etc, buyers know damn well what they're getting into. If you wanted a Lexus TX, you'd buy one. Not a GX. Even on their podcast they talk about how much the wrangler sucks as a daily driver, but how much charm and off-road capabilities and prowess it has.

The reliability survey ranks it as "much worse than average" mainly due to the engine recall, squeaking brakes, and massage seats failing due to an air hose falling off. While the latter ones aren't show stoppers, CR rates these as complaints and visits to the shop for their reliability survey and will drop the score. Just like when Ford had all their issues with MYFord touch, each complain/visit destroyed their reliability ratings.